Season 2 Water Build (v2.8.3)
š Season 2 Water March Guide
Season 2 marks a major shift in power and flexibility for Water March players. With the unlocking of Immortal Talent Trees, new Immortals like Ragnar, and additional Tower of Knowledge (ToK) skills entering the meta, players can now evolve their Merlin-centered water setups into full-blown burst-damage machines.
In this guide, weāll walk you through the optimal setup, variations for spenders, and how to prepare for the Conquest Season.
š§ Core Concept: Maximize Merlin
The Season 2 Water March continues to revolve around Merlin as the main damage dealer, but now weāre bringing in powerful new synergies. The introduction of Ragnar is a game-changer. His role as a tank-class Immortal not only unlocks crucial ToK skill access for later in the game, but also offers one of the best magic amplification debuffs available.
Additionally, Immortal Talent Trees allow us to strategically choose backline supports for immediate energy and damage buffs. This is why in S2, a support-class Artemisia or Dido becomes mandatory for optimal results.
š„ Immortal Setup & Skill Loadout
š§ Merlin (Main DPS)
- Death Breath
- Annihilation
- Concentration (swap to Fighting Master vs. Shadow)
Merlin remains the cornerstone. With his AoE burst and chill synergy, he devastates enemy backlines. Use Fighting Master when facing Shadow teamsāespecially since Assist is on Artemisia, making Merlin the highest troop count target and most vulnerable to crowd control (e.g., Himiko stuns). This makes control immunity essential in PvP.
š”ļø Artemisia (Support Backline)
- Assist
- Blessing of Rage
- Sacrifice
This build redefines Arteās role: she is not here for damage, but for support and protection. Assist keeps Merlin safe, while Blessing of Rage boosts energy regeneration for chill uptime. Sacrifice increases Merlinās damage by lowering Arteās own, and adds bonus energy regenāensuring Merlin is charged and ready as soon as possible. Her core function is to provide the most consistent application of Chill in the game, boosting Merlin’s damage by 50%.
Swap Sacrifice to Weakness if youāre running Spell Disintegration on your frontline
šŖ Ragnar (Tank Support)
- Oaken Guard
- Energy Suppression
- Malice
Ragnar is now the go-to tank for Season 2 water marches. His passive debuff increases magic damage received by enemies by up to 30%, and his tank class grants access to critical skills like Oaken Guard and Malice, greatly improving your teamās resilience and Merlinās output.
āļø Attila / Hippolyta (Flexible Frontliner)
- Adrenaline Rush
- Blessing of Defense
- Weakness
Choose based on your meta:
- Hippolyta provides energy drain and is stronger defensively.
- Attila gives silence control and can deal more damage.
The goal is to support Merlinās uptime through energy regen and defense while providing crowd control and a critical rate boost via Weakness. Despite being underrated, crit synergy is a key mechanic for snowballing in PvPāMerlin crits = massive troop wipes.
š Advanced Spender Progression: Bjorn Setup
If you’re a spender and can access Shadow Immortals, Bjorn is a must-have. Heās incredible for both defense and Merlin amplification:
šŖ Bjorn (Spender Support Tank)
- Spell Disintegration
- Blessing of Defense
- Malice
At first glance, Spell Disintegration looks like a mage skill. But on Bjorn, youāre using it exclusively for its magical defense shred. Combined with other debuffs, this gives Merlin unmatched burst potential.
Bjorn also provides critical protection vs. Hybrids, making him a strong defensive core going into Conquest.
š” Damage Amplifier Breakdown
Letās summarize just how much amplification weāre giving Merlin:
- Ragnar passive: +30% magic damage taken
- Artemisia passive: +50% Merlin magic damage through Chill
- Concentration: +30% magic skill damage
- Bjorn passive: +20% magic damage taken
- Spell Disintegration: -1500% magic defense debuff on enemies (scales with target level)
All of this combines to make Merlin the deadliest caster in Season 2.
āļø Strategy: Tower of Knowledge Considerations
Even the best Immortal builds wonāt perform without the right ToK setup, tailored to your server meta. Here are key strategic options:
- Spell Disintegration ā Essential when running Bjorn.
- Fighting Master ā Only vs. Shadow teams; gives control immunity.
- Weakness ā When building around crit synergy.
- Blessing of Rage ā Replacing Adrenaline Rush after the nerf.
- Misleading ā Works well vs. early-season physical teams.
- Blessing of Defense ā Crucial against burst-focused lineups.
The Water marchās biggest weakness is being too slow. These skills help speed up or fortify the build so that Merlin can cast multiple devastating ultimates before heās shut down.
š Progressing Into Conquest
As you step into Conquest, expect to face better skills and builds. Hereās how your Water team can scale:
- Heart of Arcana (+35%)
- Ragnar Passive (+30%)
- Artemisia Passive (+50%)
- Bjorn Passive (+20%)
= 135% raw modifier on Merlinās damage, before even counting skill effects.
If you want to maximize burst further, consider switching to the Fire Dragon for +50% crit damage when the ultimate lands. This approach is growing in popularity in high-Conquest tiers as it synergizes well with early energy regen and high crit burst.
š§ Final Thoughts
Water marches in Season 2 are still among the most versatile and devastating lineups, if built correctly. With new tools like Ragnar, Artemisia talent trees, and skills like Spell Disintegration, you can take your Merlin comp from good to God-tier.
This is the Season 2 evolution of your S1 starter build. If youāre serious about climbing in PvP, and especially preparing for Conquest, mastering this Water setupāand its variationsāis essential.
Published: 22-05-2025