INTRODUCTION

This is a Gara build focused around nuking maps with high range mass vitrify explosions and providing medium duration damage reduction/splinter storm damage to defense objectives, which is refreshed with the constant casting of mass vitrify. Dispensary is subsumed on three to provide a reliable source of energy through empowred orbs and [Equilibrium].

[Shattered Storm] is an optional augment that spreads a damage vulnerability so enemies that dont die receive up to 1.7x more damage from all other sources, including the next explosion. This also synergizes with [Mending Splinters] since it increases healing rate by covering more targets with splinter storm. Mending Splinters is an optional augment to provide healing to a non-static defense target e.g. operatives in Archon, Sortie and Arbitration defense.

Here is a lower investment variant (0-1 forma) : https://overframe.gg/build/204674/

BUILD SPECIFICS

Duration
Run just enough duration to have dispensary spit out energy and health orbs.

Efficiency
Since you will be spamming mass vitrify and breaking it with 1, you need to have some efficiency for energy economy.

Range
Range is the most important stat in a nuke build, allowing the mass vitrify explosion radius to [Reach] 35m and shattered lash to [Reach] 23.5m You can increase this more by adding [Augur Reach] and [Cunning Drift].

Strength
Strength feeds into the damage vulnerability of [Shattered Storm] and Mass Vitrify exlosions. Only 130% strength is needed to hit 90% damage reduction on splinter storm, but any bonus strength is useful.

Options
Aura slot is flexible - [Brief Respite] is useful for endurance runs where you need to abuse shield gating, steel charge provides the most mod capcity and adds to shattered lash/splinter storm damage.

Exilus slot is flexible - If you don't have primed sure footed, can use handspring, vigilante pursuit, power drift etc

Rolling Guard - nice QoL for high levels and shield restoration, but if you don't like the playstyle , you can always switch out for something more passive like adapation, or even more utility.

Arcanes

• Augmented boosts strength by +60% after 250 kills
• Blessing gives 1200 health if you prefer to tank in casual quick defense missions (eg SP incursions, Archon/Sorties)
• Arcane Blade Charger - if you have an AOE primary e.g. Zarr, Bramma, Ogris, you can easily get +300% melee damage which is a huge boost to mass vitrify
• Arcane Fury - similar to blade charger but doesn't require a primary, is easier to proc but provides slightly less stack

Helminth
Dispensary is best in slot for energy sustain in mostly stationary missions like objective defense, or for camping in survival. This method of regeneration is independent of enemy spawns, making i the most reliable source of energy.

The best option for scaling nuke is an AOE armor strip like Terrify, Pillage or Fireblast. Note you will need to drop [Blind Rage] and [Mending Splinters] for [Transient Fortitude] + Umbral Intensify and maybe shattered storm for streamline in order to sustain energy without dispensary.

PLAYSTYLE

• Cast 2 on yourself, your companion, your allies and the defense object
• Cast 3 to drop a dispensary (or whatever ability you subsumed)
• Cast 4 and press 4 again to end expansion
• Kill some enemies with your primary to proc arcane blade charger (your sentinel can do this too)
• From inside the wall, cast 1 at the wall (either tap or hold depending on stat stick damage type) to nuke the map (you can also do this from outside the wall to get some splinter storm stacks)
• Repeat 4 + 1 combo

STAT STICK

There are two ways to build stat sticks for Gara, non-combo and combo. Since most nuking will be stationary, a non-combo build is ideal.

A non-combo stat stick means you will completely ignore your melee and only shoot with your primary/secondary weapons. These builds utilise initial combo bonus (+30 from [Fragor Prime], +30 from [Corrupt Charge], +20 from [Synoid Heliocor] or [Furax Wraith]) in addition to the usual damage ([Primed Pressure Point], [Spoiled Strike]), elemental ([Primed Fever Strike], [North Wind], [Molten Impact], [Shocking Touch]) and slash or puncture mods ([Buzz Kill] or [Auger Strike]). Due to the combo bonus, [Fragor Prime] is an excellent choice as adding [Corrupt Charge] on top gives a 60 combo allowing you to hit the 1.75x melee bonus straight off the bat.

A combo stat stick means you will use your melee ocassionally to build combo quickly . This will forgo initial combo bonus and instead require combo duration (from body count, drifting contact or primary/secondary dexterity arcanes) or combo count chance (e.g. true punishment, quickening), and is most ideal on gunblades, particularly redeemer (non-prime perferred in case you get a riven) due to quick combo gain.

A riven can be used in a high disposition weapon as well, provided the riven has excellent rolls for +dmg, +element , +slash/puncture or +combo with any other negative

These are the stat stick builds:

Combo : https://overframe.gg/build/213542/

Non-combo: https://overframe.gg/build/213539/[[Fragor]](/items/arsenal/1134/[[Fragor]](/items/arsenal/1134/fragor/)/)-prime/[[Gara]](/items/arsenal/24/[[Gara]](/items/arsenal/24/gara/)/)-shattered-lash-non-combo-stat-stick/

OTHER TIPS

Use a sentinel as a companion rather than a moving pet. You can cast splinter storm on your sentinel and give it 90% damage reduction as well as creating a second damage source that gains the same stacks as [Gara]. Since the sentinel moves with you and overlaps your splinter storm radius, you effectively do twice the damage per tick compared to when splinter storm is on [Gara] alone. To cast on your sentinel, point your cursor directly up and press the reverse camera key (check key bindings) then spam 2 as the crosshairs pass over the sentinel. Furthermore, since the sentinel never runs away like other pets, you can keep 100% uptime on its splinter storm whenever you cast mass vitrify.

Recommended sentinels:

Wrym prime with negate - prevents status procs including knockdown, very useful if you don't own primed sure footed
Dethcube prime with energy generator - makes energy orbs every couple of kills, very useful if you don't own a full set of arcane energize
Djinn - [Reawaken] revives [Djinn] , [Fatal Attraction] in theory might draw enemies into splinter storm range