This build is heavily inspired by Ruetoo's Aurabot + KB merc.

I have a much lower budget (~150 div) and didnt really want to relevel Scion so I decided to try to make my existing Duelist into an Aurabot.

I think the result is pretty decent.

Build comes with:

• 380MS

• Fortify for myself and Merc

• 170k EHP

• 31K / 155k / 18k max hit

• Hybrid with 3k life/3.7k ES

• 125k+ armour

• Suppress cap

• 75/75 Block with Glancing Blow & Aegis

• Crit immune for me and merc

• Action speed slow immune for me and merc

Youtube showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeWBKHQ1oZM

POB: https://pobb.in/lbPDsd3KCwQD

I am still hunting for a better merc (no GMP on my current merc) and rounding the build before trying difficult endgame contents. Currently just doing Betrayal + Starfall Crater + Nameless Ritual hunting as showcase in the video.

Anyways to the build, the build uses a single banner - Defiance Banner which gets insane scaling through all the aura effect we are already stacking. The benefits it is giving me and my merc are:

• 300+ MS

• Suppress cap, which we only need 25 valour min to reach (so even when I mess up pressing banner too early, I only lose MS but always suppress cap)

• 180+ all res, which is insane as it is equivalent to 10 white sockets on merc (9 if amulet has quality)!

To have Defiance Banner 100% uptime, I automate 3 warcries to generate Valour using Banner mastery. I also use Runegraft of the Warp + Bannerman notable to allows Banner to linger 4.3s. So every 4s I need to press banner or sometimes I just press it when the character slows down.

The 3 automated warcries just need to be Gen cry (lowest cd) + any 2 others. Don't need any warcry tattoo for 100% uptime but they are a bonus and make it more comfy.

Lead by Example (cluster) is giving me and merc 100% uptime of Onslaught, which is again a huge saving on merc.

Champion's Worthy Foe allow me to ignore Accuracy Rating on Merc's gear as well, making it significantly easier to gear. No green socket or Accuracy suffixes needed.

Merc's gearing is inspired by u/conflargate recent post. Only major change I made was use a glove with 30+ phys to fire, craft phys to lightning, and 20% implicit phys to fire. I then use Chernobog's Pillar for the remaining 25% phys to fire conversion. The shield is actually a pretty good budget version as it gives ~80 life, 50% fire res and some nice fire flats on top of the fire conversion. This allows me to fully convert phys to ele while also having 80% phys to fire conversion to make chest explode even stronger.

For merc im using +2 pierce wand that I crafted myself (2 div base + ~10 div crafting cost) and elevated explode + ele reflect immune chest that I also crafted myself (got lucky elevating explode mod first try).

Wearing Garb of the Epehemeral on myself for crit immune and slow immune for me and merc. Since no one really cares about Garb's synth implicit I managed to snatch one pretty nice with Grace reserversation efficiency and +1 max fire res. Although, on higher budget I think going full CI with 1200ES chest is probably still better.

Overall i find the version quite budget friendly as the baseline from ascendancy + banner provides strong defense both myself and Merc while also gives offensive benefits to merc that would normally be expensive to get on Scion. Cant wait to find a better merc and start doing harder contents with this!