It has been a goal of mine for a while now to make a build that ACTUALLY uses ward as a defensive mechanic. The theory is, if you have your ward up every time you get hit, then its just effectively added life that doesnt need to be regenerated or leeched. The core of this build can be used with just about any claw skill, but I chose lightning strike because 1) its obviously strong and 2) I've been playing PoE since Breach League, and I have never tried the skill!

This build layers tons of different types of damage avoidance and ward recovery to ensure that we have our ward up at nearly all times! Block, spell block, max evade, max spell dodge, and multiple sources of avoid means we very rarely get touched. When we do, we have even more layers of defense to help us mitigate it.

I had an absolute blast with this build. it trivializes all mapping and (non-uber, at least for my skill level) bossing content. This is my first time with LS and my first time with ward, so any feedback is welcomed.

I hope you enjoy!

PoB: https://pastebin.com/sDsyQQkV