POE: The Always-Crit Herald of Thunder Auto Bomber-Rune Guard of Angler Build Guide

POE currency newest league brought an exciting addition-Rune Guards, powerful modifiers that completely transform how masteries work. Among these, one stands far above the rest: the Rune Guard of Angler. It's a bizarre and brilliant concept that turns fishing rods-one of PoE's most meme-tier weapons-into devastating critical strike machines.

When wielded, you'll always deal critical strikes. For clever players, that single line of text opens the door to incredible scaling potential and unique build synergies.

Today's featured setup from the community is an explosive Herald of Thunder Auto Bomber Elementalist, built around the Rune Guard of Angler. It's fast, flashy, and hilariously effective at vaporizing screens of enemies while cruising through endgame content.

What Makes the Rune Guard of Angler So Special?

Normally, fishing rods are more of a collector's item than a weapon. But the Rune Guard of Angler flips that concept entirely, guaranteeing that every hit you make is a critical strike when using a fishing rod. Because explosions in Path of Exile typically have 0% base crit chance, this modifier lets you break the rules-making every chain reaction, every Herald zap, and every AoE blast a guaranteed crit.

That synergy turns Herald of Thunder into a monster. Once it's active, you don't even need to aim-your lightning explosions automatically seek and destroy enemies around you, all while triggering continuous detonations that fill the screen with storms.

The Core Idea-"Explode Everything, Automatically"

The build's core idea is beautifully simple:

 Use Herald of Thunder to clear entire screens automatically.

 Scale crit multiplier, shock effect, and AoE to turn every zap into a nuke.

 Stack minion bonuses via Primordial Bond and Spiritual Aid, letting golem damage scale your own.

 Equip the Rune Guard of Angler and a fishing rod for permanent critical strikes.

It's a lazy playstyle-you just move and watch everything die. The explosions chain endlessly, and your Herald takes care of the rest.

Damage Scaling Breakdown

This Herald of Thunder Angler build doesn't rely on spell damage, which makes it a unique challenge to scale. Instead, it stacks multipliers from several directions:

1.Critical Multiplier:

The Marylene's Fallacy amulet is the perfect fit here. It provides huge amounts of crit multi and "Culling Strike"-meaning enemies below 10% life are instantly killed. The amulet's "less crit chance" downside doesn't matter, since Angler guarantees every hit is a crit anyway.

2.Shock Effect:

Herald of Thunder excels when you can maintain strong shock uptime. By combining passives for maximum shock effect and using Crackling Lens of Disintegration, you reach around 65% shock consistently. Every enemy hit takes drastically increased damage.

3.Minion Scaling:

Through Primordial Bond and Spiritual Aid, your golems' offensive stats apply to you. Running 12 golems gives a huge damage boost plus utility bonuses like life regen, accuracy, and resistances.

4.Elementalist Ascendancy:

 Shaper of Storms ensures all your hits shock and boosts shock effectiveness.

 Heart of Destruction adds massive AoE and damage scaling.

 Liege of the Primordial amplifies golem bonuses even further.

Together, these provide devastating area coverage and scaling that keeps Herald of Thunder relevant even in Tier 17 content.

550% Increased AoE-Explosions Off-Screen

A defining trait of this build is just how absurdly large the explosions get. Fishing rods count as two-handed melee weapons, which means you can stack Area of Effect clusters-namely Assert Dominance and Titanic Swings.

With six medium clusters, the build achieves around 550% increased AoE, meaning your explosions reach enemies off-screen. Combined with Herald of Thunder's auto-targeting, your character clears maps faster than you can blink.

For even more overkill, the build uses Doryani's Mirror, multiplying the damage by over 4x thanks to elemental explosion scaling.Gear Setup

Weapon:

 Any Fishing Rod (ideally with cast speed). Cast speed helps with movement skills like Frostblink, but it's optional.

Helmet:

 The Dark Monarch, with "Effect of Shock" corruption. Doubles your golem count and boosts damage.

Body Armor:

 Budget: Carcass Jack (+1 to skills or +2 AoE skills corruption).

 Premium: Explosions Chest (crafted for massive clear).

Gloves:

 Budget: Rare gloves with +1 Frenzy corruption.

 Premium: Null and Void for on-kill buffs, ideally with Curse on Hit.

Boots:

 Double Elevated Tailwind + Onslaught + Elusive boots.

Crafted by combining Redeemer and Hunter influences using Awakener's Orbs.

Amulet:

 Marylene's Fallacy, anointed with Heartseeker for more crit multi.

Rings:

 Storm Secret x2-mandatory for Herald of Thunder loops.

Belt:

 Headhunter, because nothing beats stealing buffs when mapping fast.

Flasks:

 Quicksilver (speed)

 Oriath's End (explosions)

 Atziri's Promise (damage + leech)

 Bottled Faith (crit + consecrated ground)

 Rarity Flask (extra profit during farming)

Passive Tree and Masteries

The tree focuses on stacking AoE, crit multi, shock, and golem synergy:

 Elemental Mastery for reflect immunity (combined with Pantheon).

 Spiritual Aid to apply golem damage bonuses.

 Rune Graft + Rune Guard of Angler integration for permanent crits.

 Instant Leech, Crit Multiplier, and Life/Resist nodes for sustain.

Cluster Jewels

 Large Clusters: Minion damage clusters with Primordial Bond + one of Feasting Fiends, Raze and Pillage, or Call to the Slaughter.

 Medium Clusters: Area damage clusters with Titanic Swings + Assert Dominance (x6).

 Unique Cluster: Lone Messenger for Herald scaling.

 Small Cluster: Enduring Composure for endurance charge sustain.

Other Jewels

 Grand Spectrums (x3) with elemental damage.

 Forbidden Flame + Flesh with Profane Bloom for explosion chains.

 Glorious Vanity (Corrupted Soul) for hybrid life/ES scaling.

Gem Links

Body Armor (Main Skill):

Herald of Thunder-Empower-Awakened Elemental Focus-Increased Critical Damage-Awakened Added Lightning Damage-Energy Leech

Helmet (Golems):

Flame Golem-Stone Golem-Lightning Golem-Enhance

Gloves (Defense):

Cast When Damage Taken-Crackling Lens of Disintegration-Enhance-Innervate

Weapon (Utility):

Immortal Call-Cast When Damage Taken-Summon Stone Golem of Hearts

Boots (Movement):

Phase Run-Enhance-Frostblink-Blood Rage

Auras:

 Herald of Thunder (Main)

 Optional: Haste from Mercenary for extra speed

Playstyle and Mapping

This is one of the smoothest and fastest auto-bombers you can play. You don't need to attack or aim-just keep moving.

Herald of Thunder automatically procs when you kill an enemy, chaining lightning across the screen.

With 550% AoE and guaranteed crits, you'll kill monsters before they even appear on screen. Shrine mods, Headhunter buffs, and Oriath's End explosions combine to make it one of the most satisfying "zoom-zoom" experiences possible.

It's not a tank, though-you'll occasionally die if you stand still or face heavy damage mods. But for mapping, farming, and even light bossing, the build performs well above its cost.

Budget and Endgame Scaling

This isn't a starter build-the Rune Guard of Angler itself is mirror-tier expensive early in the league due to limited drop rates. But once acquired, the setup scales endlessly:

 You can start with Carcass Jack and basic clusters.

 Gradually upgrade to Explosions Chest, Headhunter, and Tailwind boots.

 Each piece adds exponential scaling, especially AoE and crit multi.

Players using this build have comfortably cleared endgame content, including Tier 17 maps and Simulacrum waves, while maintaining insane clear speed.

Final Thoughts

The Herald of Thunder Angler Auto Bomber is a prime example of Path of Exile's creativity at its best-taking a joke item like a fishing rod and turning it into a god-tier farming tool. With permanent crits, off-screen explosions, and screen-wide shock, it's one of the flashiest and most entertaining builds you can play this league.

If you love lazy playstyles, big numbers, and lightning everywhere, this build is for you. It's not cheap, but the payoff is massive-and once you've experienced Herald of Thunder detonating everything before it reaches you, it's hard to go back to anything slower.

Whether you're farming maps, blasting through Simulacrums, or flexing in your hideout with 12 golems at your side, the Rune Guard of Angler build captures the true spirit of cheap POE currency: over-the-top power, endless creativity, and pure chaos on screen.