Torchlight: Infinite SS14 Moto 2 Day 1 Burst Build Guide

To scale Commander Moto’s Charge Calling trait (Moto 2) on Day 1 of Torchlight: Infinite Season SS14, build your character around rapid minion replacement rather than pet survival. Moto 2 triggers an immediate self-destruct explosion whenever a Synthetic Troop enters an Overloaded state or when a newly conjured minion forces an older one past the active summon limit. Stacking cast speed, minion skill levels, and critical strike damage allows you to turn summons into instant burst munitions capable of carrying early Netherrealm progression.

Core Damage Mechanics

Unlike Moto 1 (Iron Corps), which relies on maintaining live minions for sustained attacks, Moto 2 maximizes damage through disposal:

• Summon Cap Detonations: Casting your minion skill while at your summon limit immediately detonates the oldest minion.
• Scaling Vectors: Self-destruct explosions scale primarily from minion maximum life, minion skill gem level, and minion critical strike multipliers. Flat added spell damage on your own gear does not scale this explosion efficiently.
• Cast Speed and Mana: High cast speed directly increases detonation frequency. Ensure you have sufficient mana regeneration or reduced skill cost to sustain continuous casting without stalling.

Skill Links and Aura Setup

Link your primary synthetic minion skill with supports that amplify burst hit damage and cast responsiveness rather than damage-over-time effects.

Primary Summon Setup

• Active Skill: Summon Machine Guard or Spiderling Minions
• Support 1: Minion Damage (scales base hit explosion damage)
• Support 2: Efficient Summons or Rapid Assembly (reduces skill mana cost and cuts cast animation time)
• Support 3: Elemental Fusion or Physical-to-Fire Conversion (aligns damage type with elemental penetration passives)
• Support 4: Critical Strike Damage Multiplier (multiplies detonation burst instances)
• Support 5: Mania or Precision Strike (improves critical consistency against elite enemies and bosses)

Secondary and Defensive Skills

• Mobility: Leap Attack or Spiral Strike linked with Quick Mobility for map traversal.
• Defense: Stoneskin linked with Auto Defense to absorb burst physical damage.
• Auras: Run Weapon Amplification or Fire/Elemental Energy Imbue to increase base output. Add Fearless for minion critical strike rating, and slot an elemental resistance aura if your early gear lacks defensive caps.

Talent Tree Progression

Allocate points through three trees: start in God of Machines, transition through Machinist, and complete your setup in Alchemist or Steel Muse.

Path through minion cast speed nodes in God of Machines early to minimize cast animations. In Machinist, prioritize the nodes granting bonus minion skill levels and Overload effectiveness, as these provide the largest damage increases when entering Netherrealm Timemark stages. Use your third tree to round out elemental penetration and survival stats like barrier and maximum resistances.

Day 1 Gear Priority

Reaching multi-trillion burst output during early progression relies on targeted rare item affixes obtained from Timemark 6 and 7 maps rather than high-cost legendaries.

• Weapons (Dual Scepters or Wands): Prioritize +1 to Level of All Minion Skills or +1 to Spell Skills. Fill remaining affixes with minion cast speed, minion critical strike rating, and minion critical strike damage.
• Chest & Helmet: High armor, hybrid life and energy shield, and elemental resistances. An early corrupted chest piece rolled with +1 to Active Skill Level serves as an ideal budget upgrade.
• Gloves & Boots: Boots must have at least 30% movement speed alongside resistance suffixes. Gloves should target minion cast speed and defensive stats.
• Amulet & Rings: Seek an amulet with +1 to All Minion Skill Levels or minion critical strike multiplier. Use ring slots to cap elemental resistances and secure flat mana regeneration so summon spam remains uninterrupted.

Combat Execution

When clearing Netherrealm maps, stutter-step forward and cast your minion skill directly into enemy packs. The landing and subsequent cap detonations eliminate regular packs instantly, preserving movement momentum.

Against Netherrealm Watchers and Timemark 8 bosses, stand slightly outside point-blank melee range. Apply your curse or vulnerability utility, trigger your hero trait Overload buff, and hold down your minion summon skill directly over the boss's hitbox. The continuous wave of cap-forced detonations concentrates burst damage in rapid succession, phasing bosses quickly without exposing your character to extended combat hazards.