The Best Builds for Simulacrum: What Works and What Doesn’

[Matthew]

What tends to work well

High sustain, big reach DPS builds

Chronomancers, Inquisitors, and other classes with strong uptime buffs, time-manipulation or defensive layering often excel because they can maintain DPS through deliria and wave density. These builds tend to blend solid survivability with reliable multi-target damage, which is crucial in 15-wave runs.

Tanky, control-heavy archetypes

Tanks or build cores that prioritize mitigation, cleanse, and crowd control can excel by isolating and melting groups of adds while keeping the main target safe. They survive longer, allowing more loot opportunities and deeper progression.

Minion- or trap-based clears with strong AoE

Minion-based or trap-heavy setups that deliver consistent AoE damage can handle the increasing density in later waves, provided sustain remains solid. The advantage is consistent coverage across waves with less micromanagement.

Deliberate, adaptable rotations

Builds with flexible skill trees and gear that can swap between defensive and offensive priorities on the fly tend to perform better as wave modifiers shift. This adaptability helps in handling delirium spikes and boss-like elites inside waves.

What tends to struggle or should be avoided

Low-sustain glass cannons

Builds with high single-hit output but poor sustain often fail to reach the deeper waves. The cost of frequent deaths erodes loot potential and makes pacing unreliable.

Focusing on a single, hard-hitting window

Approaches that rely on a single, massive DPS spike without a steady baseline can falter when delirium modifiers disrupt the rhythm or adds overwhelm the play area.

Poor crowd-control dependency

Without reliable control, waves pile up in dense clusters, making positioning and survivability a nightmare. If adds are a constant bottleneck, consider a build with better control tools or adding more crowd-control into the loadout.

Inflexible gear

Gear that cannot adapt to the patch’s shifts in delirium behavior and wave modifiers tends to underperform. Flexibility in gems, auras, and defensive options is crucial.

How to decide for your run

Assess sustain first

Confirm you have reliable regen, life or energy shield, and flask uptime for prolonged engagement. Without strong sustain, deeper waves become untenable.

Check your AoE and multi-target capability

Poised AoE and consistent clears help manage wave density and prevent adds from stalling progress.

Controller and mobility

Mobility, stuns, and crowd control that keep enemies in manageable clusters reduce the risk of being overwhelmed and increase your chance to reach the late waves.

Patch and meta awareness

The effectiveness of specific builds can shift with balance changes. Consider recent patches and adjust gear, gems, and priorities to maximize your current patch’s strengths.