Last Epoch: Echoes of Smite - Judgment of the Thunderbrand
This guide walks you through the essentials of building a Thunderbrand-style Paladin: from skill selection and gear priorities to passive trees and playstyle tips.
Core Concept: Smite as a Thunderous Judgment
Smite is a spell skill that calls down a bolt of holy lightning, dealing lightning damage to enemies and healing allies. What makes this build unique is leveraging Echoes from the Void Knight mastery and automatic Smite procs from attacks via specific skill nodes and gear like "Smite on hit".
While Smite is traditionally a Paladin staple, this build leans into attack-triggered casting, allowing it to be used with melee or ranged abilities that trigger Smite without manual casting.
Mastery Class: Paladin or Void Knight Hybrid
You can take two paths for this build:
Paladin – Focuses on healing, fire/lightning resistance, and survivability. You get healing synergy with Smite, especially for party play.
Void Knight – Offers Echo mechanics, allowing multiple Smite casts per trigger. This turns your Smite into a multi-hit burst with insane AoE potential.
For "Echoes of Smite," we recommend:
Void Knight – to capitalize on "Echo" multiprocs with Smite, pushing damage output far beyond traditional casting builds.
Skills Overview
1. Smite (Main Damage Source)
Skill Type: Spell, Lightning
Key Nodes to Take:
Descending Light – Adds AoE.
Holy Flame (optional) – Converts to fire, if taking Paladin path.
Unbalanced Scale – Chance to cast extra Smites.
Sacred Sword – Crit chance & damage.
Order of Lagon – Adds chain effect.
Note: You won’t manually cast Smite — you'll trigger it via another skill like Lunge or Hammer Throw, combined with gear.
2. Lunge or Hammer Throw (Trigger Skill)
Lunge: A movement skill with "Smite on Hit" procs.
Hammer Throw: Used with idols that trigger Smite on throwing attacks.
If you prefer mobility and speed farming, Lunge is ideal. For stationary, crit-based AoE clearing, Hammer Throw synergizes well.
3. Volatile Reversal
Purpose: Cooldown skill that resets position and restores mana, which is key for spam-heavy Echo Smite setups.
Increases attack and cast speed for a short time — massively boosts burst windows.
4. Sigils of Hope
Grants +damage, healing, and survivability.
Look for nodes that auto-cast Sigils or increase duration and count.
5. Holy Aura (Paladin Only) or Devouring Orb (Void Knight)
Holy Aura buffs damage and resistances — ideal for hybrid builds or party play.
Devouring Orb (Void Knight) is a strong aura-like spell that benefits from echoes and can trigger Smite procs if modified with gear.
Gear Priorities
Weapon
Sceptres or Wands with:
+Spell Lightning Damage
+Crit Chance / Multiplier
+Smite levels
+Cast Speed (if casting manually)
Idols
Smite on Throwing Attack Hit – These idols enable Hammer Throw to trigger Smite.
Increased Smite Damage or Cast Speed – Great for burst output.
Armor & Accessories
Look for:
+Health
+Resistance (Void, Lightning, Fire)
+Mana regen / reduction
+Chance to cast Smite on hit
Unique Items
Stormcarved Testament (if in game): Boosts Smite damage and echo chance.
Rahyeh’s Light: Supports lightning build defense.
Valeroot (chest armor): Cast speed and mana regen synergy.
Passives Breakdown
Sentinel Base Tree
Fearless – Increased health and resistances.
Time and Faith – Mana + healing synergy.
Void Knight Tree
Time Legion – More echoes.
Winds of Oblivion – Cast/attack speed after echoes.
Void Corruption – Spell crit chance and void/elemental damage synergy.
Avatar of Regret – Boosts Smite by echoing key cooldowns.
Optional: Paladin Tree
Holy Symbol, Lightbringer, and Conviction for healing, Smite crit scaling, and increased lightning damage.
Playstyle Tips
Lunge into packs → triggers multiple Smites due to Echoes.
Pop Volatile Reversal to restore mana and double-cast Smite.
Use Sigils and Devouring Orb (or Holy Aura) for passive buffs.
Focus burst around Echo windows — you'll see a chain reaction of lightning bolts eradicating everything.
Endgame Viability
"Echoes of Smite" excels in:
Monolith farming – fast clears with chain-lightning AoE.
Arena – burst damage and sustain allow for high waves.
Bossing – Echo chains make for lethal crit combos, but positioning is key.
This build has great survivability (with proper gearing), scales well into late endgame, and cheap Last Epoch Gold offers an explosive, satisfying gameplay loop of divine destruction.
Final Thoughts
“Echoes of Smite – Judgment of the Thunderbrand” is more than a flashy title — it’s a powerhouse build that showcases the synergy between spellcasting, echoes, and divine fury. Whether you prefer rapid mobility or hammering your foes from afar, triggering storms of Smites never gets old. Harness the thunder. Become the judgment.
———— Jun-17-2025 PST ————