Volkam Scorchblood guide: skills, build and team roles
Overview
Volkam Scorchblood is an Epic Fire Melee Attacker from the Ironbands Faction in Invokers: Titan Legacy. Bloodboil gives him Crit Rate Up and Crit DMG Up before it attacks, Cinder Blast removes a debuff from him, and Magma Vein heals him from the damage he deals, so he can stay in a fight longer than most Melee Attackers who bring no healing of their own.
Fully Awakened and before Gear, Volkam has 895 ATK, 671 DEF and 7,729 HP. His ATK, DEF and HP are all about average for a Melee Attacker.
All of Volkam's heals and buffs are strictly for himself. He can't heal, cleanse or shield the rest of the team, so he needs allies who do. When he has a healer and a Tank beside him, he can stay in the middle of the enemy and keep dealing damage.
Skills To Prioritize
Bloodboil places Crit Rate Up and Crit DMG Up on Volkam, then attacks up to nine enemies in a 7m radius around the closest enemy. At Level 10 the buffs are 35% and 60% for 16 seconds. Max Level raises them to 40% and 75%, keeps the 16 seconds and lowers the Ultimate's cost from 850 Mana to 800. Crit Rate Up reaches 35% at Level 9, and Crit DMG Up reaches 60% at Level 6. The buffs only last 16 seconds, so don't expect them to be up for the whole fight.
Cinder Blast removes one random debuff from Volkam and attacks one enemy. Max Level removes two debuffs. The debuff is random, so it won't always be the one that hurts most, and he can still pick up new ones.
Magma Vein heals Volkam for 60% of the damage it deals at Level 10 and at Max Level, up from 40% at Level 1. Max Level raises the damage and lowers the base cooldown from 25 to 24 seconds. The heal depends on the damage the Skill deals, so it shrinks if the target has strong damage reduction, and it isn't a share of his MAX HP.
Scorching Fervor attacks one enemy and deals more damage for every buff on Volkam. At Level 10 it adds 7% per buff, up to 75%, and Level 10 is where that cap rises from 65% to 75%. Max Level raises it to 7.5% per buff and lowers the base cooldown from 23 to 22 seconds. Bloodboil's two buffs give him +14% at Level 10, so you need allies' buffs to get near the cap.
If you want Volkam to clear waves of enemies, prioritize Bloodboil, as Level 6 and Level 9 strengthen its buffs and Max Level lowers its cost. If you want him to stay alive longer in melee, upgrade Magma Vein first, as its heal grows from 40% to 60% of the damage dealt. If you want him to focus on hitting one target hard, consider upgrading Scorching Fervor first, as Level 10 raises its damage cap to 75%.
Build And Team Support
Volkam has no Burn or Bleed in his kit, so build him for critical hits: stack Crit Rate to about 75-80%, then as much Crit DMG as the build allows. Past that point, Crit DMG is worth more than more Crit Rate. Bloodboil's Crit Rate Up adds to your Crit Rate while it lasts, but build enough on your Gear that his Skills still crit when it runs out. He places no debuffs, so he doesn't need Accuracy. Add enough HP and DEF to survive in melee. He has native Mindfog and Nightmare Tolerances.
For Relic Sets, Crit Rate Relics help you reach the Crit Rate threshold, and Predator Relics add ATK and, at five pieces, Crit DMG. Vampire Relics add ATK, and at five pieces they heal him for a share of the damage his Skills deal, which adds to what Magma Vein already gives him.
His healing and cleansing only cover himself, so bring a healer and a Tank who can keep the rest of the team alive.
Arena, Bosses And Spires
In Arena, Bloodboil's area damage can punish grouped enemies, and Cinder Blast clears a random debuff before each attack. Be wary of enemy Invokers who place several debuffs on him at once, as Cinder Blast removes only one at Level 10 and two at Max Level.
Against Sorgott, Bloodboil hits up to nine enemies at once, which helps clear the Crypt Rats. Cinder Blast can remove the debuffs Sorgott places on him, but it can't remove Swarm.
Against Pentiax, Volkam's native Mindfog and Nightmare Tolerances match both of Pentiax's Corruptions, and Cinder Blast can remove a random debuff such as the Burn Hail of Voidfire places. Pentiax takes 50% less damage from Invokers and 50% more from Titans, so your Titans do most of the work there.
Against Yskara, Melee Attackers aren't slowed by Call of the Tundra and gain an ATK bonus in that fight, so Volkam can run between the Flame Shards and take her down, with Bloodboil clearing the minions around them.
Against Hyxxis, who shortens Ensacment's cooldown whenever Burn or Bleed lands on her, Volkam's attacks don't speed it up, because his kit places neither.
Against Galvos, who deals 5% less damage to a target for each buff on it, Bloodboil's two buffs on Volkam reduce the damage Galvos deals to him.
In the Fire Spire, Bloodboil is his only area Skill, so he works best beside allies who keep him healthy. Pyla the Fumebanner can heal the ally with the lowest HP, and Wild King Caladras, an Epic Fire Tank, can take the hits so Volkam isn't focused.
Awaken
Awakening boosts an Invoker's stats significantly. Bonuses from Relics, Accessories, the Trophy Room, Tactics and Titan leader bonuses apply to base stats and Awakening stats alike, so unlocking the Awakening nodes is critical to maximise Volkam's potential.
Unlocking each Titan node at Star 2, 4 and 6 adds a second to Titan Invokation, taking the total from 12 seconds to 15.
Review the Awakening guide for more detail.
