levelingGorillaJaguarSeason 6Spiritborn

Quill Volley – Spiritborn Leveling Build for Diablo 4

The best starter build for leveling a new Spiritborn! Fast, efficient, fun!

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Neviriah

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Updated: Posted:

Quill VolleyRock SplitterRavagerSoarThe SeekerArmored Hide


Vessel of Hatred Guide

To find out more general information about leveling as a Spiritborn in Diablo 4, you can check out our main Spiritborn Leveling Guide. Or you can go to our Spiritborn Builds page for a list of other leveling builds to choose from. Once your character reaches Level 60 or is ready for Torment I Difficulty, pick one of our Endgame Builds to continue your Spiritborn journey.

This Eagle Quill VolleyQuill Volley build is be the best-performing leveling build for the Spiritborn in Season 6 and a great pick for anyone looking for a leveling build that is fast, efficient, and fun!

Build Introduction

This Spiritborn leveling build revolves around more damage to Vulnerable targets and the Gorilla as the primary Spirit Guardian for a smoother leveling experience as you journey through Sanctuary. Quill VolleyQuill Volley will be the main skill to damage big groups of enemies and works incredibly well with The SeekerThe Seeker Ultimate, the Aspect of Accursed TouchAspect of Accursed Touch, and the Vital StrikesVital Strikes key passive. You will also be equipped with Measured RavagerMeasured Ravager and SoarSoar for movement and several defense skills, such as Armored HideArmored Hide, increasing your survivability.

For information on Season 6, you can check out our Season Hub.
Have questions or feedback about this guide? Join Ghazzy’s livestream and ask him!

Video Guide and Gameplay Footage

Allocation of Skill Points

The table below outlines the recommended order for allocating your Skill Points. At Level 60, you will have a total of 59 points available and an additional 12 points can be obtained upon completing Renown in each zone, resulting in a total of 71 points.

OrderSkillCluster
1Rock SplitterRock SplitterBasic Skill
2Enhanced Rock SplitterEnhanced Rock SplitterBasic Skill
3Quill VolleyQuill VolleyCore Skill
4Enhanced Quill VolleyEnhanced Quill VolleyCore Skill
5Advantageous Quill VolleyAdvantageous Quill VolleyCore Skill
6Quill VolleyQuill Volley Rank 2Core Skill
7Quill VolleyQuill Volley Rank 3Core Skill
8Quill VolleyQuill Volley Rank 4Core Skill
9Quill VolleyQuill Volley Rank 5Core Skill
10SoarSoarFocus Skill
11RavagerRavagerFocus Skill
12Armored HideArmored HideDefensive Skill
13Enhanced RavagerEnhanced RavagerFocus Skill
14Measured RavagerMeasured RavagerFocus Skill
15Enhanced Armored HideEnhanced Armored HideDefensive Skill
16Reinforced Armored HideReinforced Armored HideDefensive Skill
17VigorousVigorousCore Passive
18VigorousVigorous Rank 2Core Passive
19VigorousVigorous Rank 3Core Passive
20Balanced ExertionBalanced ExertionCore Passive
21Balanced ExertionBalanced Exertion Rank 2Core Passive
22Balanced ExertionBalanced Exertion Rank 3Core Passive
23Focal PointFocal PointFocus Passive
24The SeekerThe SeekerUltimate Skill
25Harmonious SeekerHarmonious SeekerUltimate Skill
26Exalted SeekerExalted SeekerUltimate Skill
27The SeekerThe Seeker Rank 2Ultimate Skill
28The SeekerThe Seeker Rank 3Ultimate Skill
29The SeekerThe Seeker Rank 4Ultimate Skill
30The SeekerThe Seeker Rank 5Ultimate Skill
31ApexApexFocus Passive
32ApexApex Rank 2Focus Passive
33ApexApex Rank 3Focus Passive
34Vital StrikesVital StrikesKey Passive
35DiminishmentDiminishmentFocus Passive
36DiminishmentDiminishment Rank 2Focus Passive
37DiminishmentDiminishment Rank 3Focus Passive
38MirageMirageFocus Passive
39Unrestrained PowerUnrestrained Power Focus Passive
40Unrestrained PowerUnrestrained Power Rank 2Focus Passive
41Unrestrained PowerUnrestrained Power Rank 3Focus Passive
42BrillianceBrilliancePotency Passive
43BrillianceBrilliance Rank 2Potency Passive
44BrillianceBrilliance Rank 3Potency Passive
45AccelerationAcceleration Potency Passive
46AccelerationAcceleration Rank 2Potency Passive
47AccelerationAcceleration Rank 3Potency Passive
48EnduranceEnduranceDefensive Passive
49PerseverancePerseverance Defensive Passive
50PerseverancePerseverance Rank 2Defensive Passive
51PerseverancePerseverance Rank 3Defensive Passive
52Patient GuardPatient GuardDefensive Passive
53AuspiciousAuspiciousDefensive Passive
54AuspiciousAuspicious Rank 2Defensive Passive
55ResilientResilientPotency Passive
56ResilientResilient Rank 2Potency Passive
57ResilientResilient Rank 3Potency Passive
58DominantDominantPotency Passive
59Enhanced SoarEnhanced SoarPotency Passive
60Replenishing SoarReplenishing SoarPotency Passive
61Armored HideArmored Hide Rank 2Defensive Skill
62Armored HideArmored Hide Rank 3Defensive Skill
63Armored HideArmored Hide Rank 4Defensive Skill
64Armored HideArmored Hide Rank 5Defensive Skill
65ResolutionResolutionUltimate Passive
66ResolutionResolution Rank 2Ultimate Passive
67ResolutionResolution Rank 3Ultimate Passive
68Spiritual AttunementSpiritual AttunementUltimate Passive
69SupremacySupremacyUltimate Passive
70SupremacySupremacy Rank 2Ultimate Passive
71SupremacySupremacy Rank 3Ultimate Passive

These are the abilities you want on your skill bar:

Suggested Skill Bar
RavagerRavagerSoarSoarArmored HideArmored HideThe SeekerThe SeekerRock SplitterRock SplitterQuill VolleyQuill Volley

Skill Tree

Here is the completed skill tree for the build:

Spirit Hall – Spiritborn Specialization

The Specialization of the Spiritborn Class becomes available at Level 15. It is recommended to complete the Sacred Hunt questline in Kehjistan as soon as possible. The quest is given by Tarka.

The Spirit Hall system allows you to choose two animal spirits as protective guardians to receive powerful passive bonuses. The first, primary Spirit Guardian can be selected at Level 15, after completing the quest. Followed by the secondary Spirit Guardian at Level 30. Each Guardian has a different primary and secondary bonus ability, and you do not have to pick the same Guardian twice!

The Spirit Hall allows you to combine two different Spirit Guardians or stick with just one.

  • Primary Spirit Guardian: Gorilla
    • Casting a Gorilla Skill deals 100% Thorns to enemies you hit and grants a Barrier for 10% Maximum Life, up to 40%, for 3 seconds. All skills are now also Gorilla skills.
  • Secondary Spirit Guardian: Jaguar
    • Maximum Ferocity is increased by 1. Gain 1 stack of Ferocity whenever you kill an enemy or damage a Boss.

For this leveling build, select the Gorilla as the primary Spirit Guardian for extra survivability and because it provides a Barrier, which helps to focus more on dealing damage and worry less about staying alive. The secondary spirit will be the Jaguar, simply to increase Ferocity and because it synergizes greatly with the rest of the build by raising maximum Ferocity stacks by 1, resulting in more attack speed.

Keep in mind that if you select the Gorilla as your primary guardian, all of your skills will be considered Gorilla skills as well. This means that any + Rank to Gorilla skills on your gear or items will increase the rank of all your skills.

Mercenaries

During the Vessel of Hatred campaign, you will unlock different NPC Mercenaries who join you on your travels. As you level up, you can generally pick any mercenary you like, as they will not play an essential role until you optimize your build in the endgame. However, if you would prefer to get a recommendation, we would advise selecting Subo as your main companion, for extra movement speed and crowd control, and Raheir as Reinforcement.

Subo Skill Tree choices:

Raheir Reinforcement choices:

  • Opportunity Skill: Pick “Injured” as opportunity skill. (Injured will automatically trigger when you become Injured).
  • Reinforcement Skill: ProvokeProvoke

Mechanics and Playstyle

The primary damage-dealing skill in this build is Quill VolleyQuill Volley, which is upgraded with the Rebounding AspectRebounding Aspect. Quill Volley allows you to do massive AoE Damage while making enemies Vulnerable. The Vital StrikesVital Strikes key passive boosts damage to vulnerable targets while healing you, restoring Vigor, and removing the vulnerable effect after a direct hit. It pairs well with The SeekerThe Seeker Ultimate, which makes enemies Vulnerable again. When Seeker is on cooldown, the Aspect of Accursed TouchAspect of Accursed Touch with the Vampiric Curse takes over, making enemies vulnerable as well. Combined, this creates a satisfying gameplay loop where you will rarely use Rock SplitterRock Splitter, except in cases when you want to use it as filler to restore Vigor.

On top of that, Measured RavagerMeasured Ravager will allow your Core Skills to dash to the target, providing more mobility while also increasing Vigor generation. Last but not least, SoarSoar is a great skill to quickly get around during leveling, especially in combination with AccelerationAcceleration, while Armored HideArmored Hide provides more survivability.

Damage Rotation

  1. SoarSoar into the enemy.
  2. Use The SeekerThe Seeker Ultimate for crowd control and to make enemies Vulnerable.
  3. Armored HideArmored Hide for protection.
  4. RavagerRavager to additional damage and increased Vigor generation.
  5. Spam Quill VolleyQuill Volley!
  6. Use Rock SplitterRock Splitter as filler or to generate Vigor.

Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats

When picking your gear, higher Item Power generally indicates stronger gear, but you should also consider the affixes and effects that are relevant to your class and build. When making gear decisions, keep an eye on both Item Power and the specific attributes that complement the build.

Legendary Aspects

For general information on how to unlock the Codex of Power, head to our dedicated Aspects and Codex of Power guide. You can imprint Aspects onto items by visiting the Occultist.

Listed below are all the Aspects that are important for this Quill Volley Spiritborn leveling build. You can equip any aspect from this list in the slot it drops for, as they are all useful while leveling. 

If you want a recommendation regarding which Aspect to get first, the Rebounding AspectRebounding Aspect will be the most useful while leveling because it helps with additional damage with Quill VolleyQuill Volley. You can unlock this aspect by finding it naturally, as a random drop. 

Last but not least, if possible, use a Polearm as your weapon for the increased Vulnerable damage.

Aspect NameLegendary Aspect PowerSource
Rebounding AspectRebounding AspectQuill Volley’s feathers explode at their apex and return to where they were cast, dealing {x}% of their normal damage both times.Random Drop
Aspect of Redirected ForceAspect of Redirected ForceGain increased critical strike damage equal {x}% of your block chance. Blocking doubles this bonus for 10 seconds.Random Drop
Aspect of InterdictionAspect of InterdictionGain {x}% Block chance per resolve stack.Random Drop
Aspect of EnduranceAspect of EnduranceYour Resolve has a {x}% chance to not be lost when you are hit for each stack of ferocity you have.Random Drop
Aspect of the UmbralAspect of the UmbralRestore {x} of your primary resource when you crowd control an enemy.Champion’s demise, Dry steppes
Aspect of Accursed TouchAspect of Accursed TouchLucky hit: up to a x% chance for your skills to inflict Vampiric Curse on enemies. Enemies afflicted with Vampiric Curse are also Vulnerable. Vampiric curse’s stored souls deal x% increased damage.Random Drop
Duelist's AspectDuelist’s AspectMaximum Ferocity increased by 1-5.Random Drop
Aspect of Unyielding HitsAspect of Unyielding HitsCasting a Gorilla skill adds {x}% of your Armor to all attacks for 3 seconds.Random Drop
Aspect of Forest PowerAspect of Forest PowerLucky hit: Up to a 25% chance to create a Mystic Circle for 10 seconds. Casting a Gorilla Skill in Mystic Circles empowers them to periodically grant you a Barrier for 25% of your Maximum Life which increases your Armor and Maximum Resistances by {x}% while active.Random Drop

Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

During your leveling journey, you may stumble across items with very good affixes. Tempering these items can provide you with a significant boost in character power, so make sure you understand how it works

Tempering is only possible if you have already found a few Tempering Manuals while leveling!

Keep an eye out for the following stats and modifiers that are particularly beneficial for this build (listed in order of importance):

Gear SlotImportant Affixes (ranked by priority)Tempering Recipes and Affixes
Helm1. Cooldown Reduction
2. Dexterity 
3. Armor
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation
Chest1. Ranks to Defensive Skills
2. Resistances
3. Dexterity
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation
Gloves1. Ranks to Quill Volley
2. Critical Strike Damage
3. Attack Speed
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation
Eagle FinesseEagle Finesse (Offensive): Eagle Damage
Pants1. Dodge Chance
2. Armor
3. Resistances
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor
Natural SchemesNatural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation
Boots1. Dexterity 
2. Movement Speed
3. Resistances
Natural MotionNatural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune (Utility): Chance to Stun for 2 Seconds
Amulet1. Attack Speed
2. Movement Speed
3. Critical Strike Chance
Worldly StabilityWorldly Stability (Resource): Lucky Hit: Up to a 15% Chance to Restore x% Primary Resource
Eagle FinesseEagle Finesse (Offensive): Eagle Damage
Rings1. Critical Strike Damage
2. Vulnerable Damage
3. Resistance Needed
Worldly StabilityWorldly Stability (Resource): Lucky Hit: Up to a 15% Chance to Restore x% Primary Resource
Eagle FinesseEagle Finesse (Offensive): Eagle Damage
Weapon (Polearm)1. Vulnerable Damage
2. Critical Strike Damage
3. Dexterity
Eagle FinesseEagle Finesse (Offensive): Eagle Damage
Eagle AugmentsEagle Augments (Weapon): Chance for Quill Volley Projectiles to cast Twice

Gems and Runewords

Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.

Weapon GemsArmor GemsJewelry Gems
EmeraldEmerald
For Critical Strike Damage
EmeraldEmerald
For more Dexterity 
SkullSkull
For more Armor

If you find one of the Runes listed below, you can equip them as a Runeword on your Chest or Pants.

Runeword CombinationRuneword Effects
Cem GarCemCem – Gain: 50 Offering — Cast Evade.
GarGar – Requires: 25 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%.
Yul OhmYulYul – Gain: 50 Offering — Cast a Skill with a Cooldown.
OhmOhm – Requires: 100 Offering, Cooldown: 2 Seconds — Evoke the Barbarian’s War CryWar Cry, increasing your Movement Speed and damage dealt.

Which Elixirs Should You Use?

Head to the Alchemist in any main town and craft Elixirs to boost your stats and experience gain for 30 minutes! Remember to gather the necessary crafting materials by foraging plants (to get Bundled HerbsBundled Herbs)

Listed below are Elixirs that will be useful for you while leveling as a Spiritborn:

  1. Elixir of ResourcefulnessElixir of Resourcefulness for better Resource Management.
  2. Elixir of AdvantageElixir of Advantage to boost Attack Speed.
  3. Elixir of Iron BarbsElixir of Iron Barbs or Elixir of FortitudeElixir of Fortitude for a small defensive boost until other options become available.

Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival! You can upgrade your potion at Level 60 multiple times, depending on whether you have the required materials or not.

Season 6: Hatred Rising

For a complete overview of Season 6, its mechanics and theme, new game mode, and other changes coming with the Season of Hatred Rising, please take a look at our comprehensive season hub here.

What matters most for leveling are the Realmwalkers. Defeating the Realmwalker will open a portal to the Seeting Realm. Completing the dungeon within will reward you with various items, depending on the rewards you choose upon entering, as well as Seething opals, which are consumables you can use. They can be stacked with elixirs to increase experience gains even further. For more information on which different Opals are available, head to our Seething Opal section here

Difficulty and Endgame

Once you hit Level 60 with this build, you will be ready to tackle harder difficulties as you transition into more challenging endgame content. Make sure to pick one of our recommended endgame builds to continue your journey! Additionally, keep your Obols until you reach maximum level (60), then spend them on a weapon to kickstart your preferred endgame build.

Changelog

  • October 12th, 2024: Added Video Guide.
  • October 8th, 2024: Changed primary Guardian to Gorilla, updated Skills, switched 2 Tempers.
    • Removal of 6 Jaguar Passives (PotentPotent + FurnaceFurnace) to put 2 points in Soar, and 4 points in Armored Hide Ranks. Replaced Jaguar Damage Tempers with Eagle Damage.
  • October 5th, 2024: Updated Skill Tree and Mercenary Skills, Switched some Temper Manuals, and added one Aspect.
  • October 2nd, 2024: Guide created and theorycrafted for Season 6.
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