How To Play, Best Build, Powers, and Teams – Destructoid
A fan-favorite given her high-speed gameplay, Joule is also one of the most technical hunters in Supervive, as even a single mistake can spell your doom. But believe me, she is worth the risk. Here’s how to play Joule in Supervive, the best build for her, and her best teams, no matter if you are playing Squads, Duos, or Arena.
Joule’s Kit Explained
Before learning how to play her, it’s a must that you first understand how Joule’s kit and in particular, her Static Charge passive work, as the latter is the foundation of her gameplay and enables her main weapon. You can check out an overview of each of her abilities and a breakdown of her passive below:
How To Play Joule in Supervive
As an attacker specialized in dealing high damage through well-placed Surge dashes, Joule shines when played as a mobile flanker focused on pinpointing targets from afar before diving in, dealing massive damage, and then getting out (if needed). In other words, she must play the cautious game until you can either apply four Static stacks, get a well-placed Voltaic Spear hit, or are sure you will finish the job. The above also makes her exceptional in most 1v1 scenarios, where a simple ability combo will be more than enough to send your target to death’s door, at the very least.
As we know it’s impossible to stay out of range all the time, especially when facing multiple enemies in duos, Joule’s Thunderstorm can be a great tool for escaping dangerous situations, as it allows her to fly past obstacles. Just make sure to only use it in this manner as a last resort, as its effectiveness as both a Hail Mary and a team-wiping finishing move cannot be overstated. The above also applies to Lightning Strike, which can be used to create distance from rush-down hunters in the same way it can pull them closer to you or toward the abyss.
Which Skills Should You Prioritize?
When using Joule, I recommend that you get Surge first to unlock her passive. From there, unlock Static Charge and Lightning Strike in that order, before shifting your focus on further upgrading Surge (as it will be the main star here). Make sure to also unlock and then upgrade Thunderstorm as soon as possible.
The Best Joule Build in Supervive
When playing as Joule in any mode, you must first follow the game’s recommendation and go with the damage loadout, as power is the lifeblood of any attacker. From there. we recommend focusing on using the Amplifier and Mindblade combo so that you can mitigate Joule’s mana-hungry playstyle while also getting a massive boost in Ability DMG/cooldown reduction. Lastly, go with the Soul Drain for your Shoes Upgrade for a healthy situational boost in HP regen.
Picking Grace instead of the Mindblade can also work, as staying quick on your feet will be a must when on the field. The Last Stand is also a great pick in this scenario, given its omnivamp passive and healing boost. Here’s a more in-depth overview of the effects of each of the items above:
| Equipment Name | How to Acquire | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Amplifier | By evolving the Tech Blade | +170 Attack Power +17% Ability Haste Your abilities will refresh 5% faster. The effect will be increased by 5% after each use (up to 10 stacks or a 50% cooldown reduction) but will be reset when alternating abilities. |
| Mindblade | By evolving the Mana Blade | +170 Ability Power +100 Max Mana +1.7 Mana Regen/s The weapon will get +10 max mana and restore its value by twice the DMG dealt after you perform a non-primary attack. After being activated 10 times, you will get an AP value equal to 8% of the bonus mana gained. |
| Grace (Alternative) | By evolving the Quickblade | +170 Ability Power +34 Movespeed +50 Movespeed when at full health. |
| Last Stand (Alternative) | By evolving the Vampiric Blade | +170 Ability Power +9% Omnivamp You will get 5% Omnivamp and a 50% all-healing bonus when under 40% HP. |
| Soul Drain | By evolving the Shoes | +17 Movespeed Stomping and executing whisps heals you by 150/s. |
The Best Powers for Joule
Now that we have her build taken care of, picking the right Powers will also be a must. True to that, I consider the Scuba Gear to be the best Uncommon Power for Joule, as trust me, being able to have the upper hand while over water is a godsend. When faced with rarer finds, Regenerative Armor and Touch of Speed are my absolute favorites. Epic and Exotic-wise, Abyss Specialist, Delicate Disguise, and Armor Shredder are game-changers. You can check out the effects of each of the above, below:
- Scuba Gear (Uncommon): You will move at full speed when over water. If out of combat, you will also be invisible.
- Regenerative Armor (Rare): Will regenerate your armor by 0.6%/s after not taking damage for four seconds.
- Touch of Speed (Rare): Touching an ally will boost the speed of both hunters by 100. The value will then decay within 3 seconds.
- Abyss Specialist (Epic): Resets the cooldown of your first movement ability when used over the Abyss. Ultimates not included.
- Delicate Disguise (Exotic): You will become invisible when out of combat.
- Armor Shredder (Exotic): Deal 5x more damage to armor.
- Fate Rewinder (Exotic): Allows you to go back five seconds in time. Can be used to escape tricky situations and restore your health.
The Best Teams for Joule in Duos, Squads, and Arena
As Joule will benefit the most from a teammate capable of locking or slowing targets, I consider Kingpin to be her best partner when in duos, as apart from the above, he will be able to tank damage and aggro enemies in the frontlines. Using a high-damage zoner like Shrike can also work, as her massive damage per hit will keep most enemies on their toes. As always, using Celeste or Elluna —aka the game’s best controller and support— can also work.
When playing on both squads and arenas, Joule will work as a wildcard set to, in most cases, act on her own but make sure to pick her only when playing in well-balanced teams.
