Last Epoch Season 3: Best Bear Beastmaster Endgame Build Guide

The Bear Beastmaster in Last Epoch Season 3 is a force of nature-literally. This primal juggernaut combines tankiness, single-target burst, and devastating AoE potential into one of the most fun and rewarding builds for endgame farming and bossing. While many Primalist archetypes rely on summoning multiple companions, the Bear Beastmaster focuses on a single, incredibly powerful partner: the Summoned Bear.

With the buffs to minions and companion mechanics in Season 3, this build has quickly risen in popularity. It's not just about letting your Bear do all the work-you'll be actively cycling buffs, managing cooldowns, and synergizing your own attacks with the Bear's Earthquake casts. Done correctly, you'll tear through Monoliths, Dungeons, and endgame bosses with relative ease.

This guide breaks down everything you need: skills, passives, rotation, gear, idols, blessings, and stat priorities for mastering the Bear Beastmaster in Last Epoch Season 3.

Why Play Bear Beastmaster?

The Bear Beastmaster excels at:

·Endgame bossing thanks to reliable single-target burst.

·Durability, with layered defenses and a beefy companion.

·AoE farming, with double Earthquakes smashing enemies to dust.

·Flexibility, since it doesn't demand a full set of unique abilities to function.

However, it's not without drawbacks:

·Buff management is key-miss rotations and damage falls.

·Reliance on your Bear's cooldowns, especially Earthquake.

·High gear ceiling, as legendaries unlock their true potential.

If you enjoy companion-based builds with active play, this one will feel rewarding.

Core Skills for Bear Beastmaster Build (Season 3)

The build runs a full five-skill setup, with each choice reinforcing the Bear's raw power or adding survivability.

1) Summon Bear

·Your core companion and the backbone of the build.

·With Groundshaking Might, your Bear casts Earthquake on a 6-second cooldown.

·Through Forceful Swipes, it also uses Swipe every 2 seconds, scaling off your Swipe tree.

·Talent recommendations: Primal Precision and Unstoppable Force, once you gain bonus points from gear.

2) Swipe

·Your spammable attack.

·Talents like Aspect of the Panther grant stacking damage buffs (lasts 4 seconds).

·With Duality of Nature, Swipe generates mana-synergizing perfectly with Seed of Ekkidrasil boots (which convert damage taken to mana).

·Core buffs gained from Swipe sustain your endgame DPS.

3) Earthquake

·The build's signature AoE, but only the Bear casts it.

·Your skill tree enhances its damage to compensate for the -50% penalty when used by companions.

·Key talents: Seismic Tide, Rupture, Concussion, The Harder They Fall, Crushing Wake.

4) Warcry

·A flexible crowd-control + buff skill.

·Knocks back and stuns enemies.

·With Berserker, it boosts damage and attack speed.

·With Whirlpool, every Warcry also casts MMaelstrom, a massive synergy.

·Optional: Purging Shout adds a cleanse for defensive utility.

5) Maelstrom

·Normally, cold damage, but with Cyclone, it converts to physical damage.

·Synergies: slows enemies, boosts damage, and stacks with Beneath the Waves for additional free casts.

·When combined with Bear's Earthquake + Warcry, you'll spawn multiple Maelstroms simultaneously.

Skill Rotation - How to Play Bear Beastmaster

The playstyle is straightforward but requires timing.

1. Keep Summon Bear active at all times.

2. Swipe continuously to:

·Build the Aspect of the Panther stacks.

·Sustain mana with Duality of Nature (if running Seed of Ekkidrasil).

·Cast Maelstrom when you have 3 Beneath the Waves stacks.

3. Use Warcry right after your Bear casts Earthquake:

·Proc Berserker buff.

·Procs free Maelstroms via Whirlpool.

·Fury Leap (optional swap-in) can replace Earthquake on your bar as mobility.

Bossing Tips

·Use Warcry reactively against big telegraphs for CC and mitigation.

·Maintain buff uptime-Panther, Lynx, and Shark aspects all stack into huge multipliers.

·Save Maelstrom bursts for when your Bear chains Earthquake for maximum synergy.

Passive Tree Setup

The Bear Beastmaster dips into three mastery trees: Primalist, Beastmaster, and Shaman.

Primalist

·Gift of the Wilderness (6/6) - companion survivability.

·Primal Strength (8/8) - strength scaling.

·Hunter's Restoration (5/5) - sustain.

·Cornered Beast (4/4) - damage under pressure.

Beastmaster (Main Tree)

·Use Last Epoch gold for Core investment for pet buffs, personal survivability, and aspects.

·Prioritize the aspect of the Panther synergy nodes and companion damage nodes.

Shaman

·Shamanic Infusion (8/8) - physical/elemental enhancements.

·Sky Warrior (5/5) - scaling with melee.

·Tempest Form (2/5) - extra dodge and mobility.

Gear & Itemization Guide

This build doesn't require uniques, but buying Last Epoch gold enough to buy several pushes it to the next level.

Ideal (but not mandatory) Uniques

·Yulia's Path (Boots) - Maelstrom casts grant minions Necrotic damage.

·Seed of Ekkidrasil (Boots) - Damage taken drains mana instead of health.

·Naal's Tooth (Sword) - Companion DPS boost.

·Red Ring of Atlaria (x2) - Companion scaling.

·Inheritance of the Erased (Amulet) - Defensive synergy.

·Mantle of the Pale Ox (Chest) - Extra survivability.

Stat Priorities (Offensive)

·Minion Flat Melee Damage

·Minion Attack Speed

·Minion Damage

·Minion Crit Chance

·Minion Crit Multiplier

·Strength (scales with multiple nodes)

·Armor Shred Chance

Stat Priorities (Defensive)

·Health

·Armor

·Endurance

·Leech (life + mana, if using Seed of Ekkidrasil)

·Health Regeneration

Blessings & Idols

Best Blessings for Bear Beastmaster

·Grand Memory of Light (The Black Sun) - damage scaling.

·Grand Survival of Might (Reign of Dragons) - defensive layer.

·Grand Body of Obsidian (Spirits of Fire) - armor scaling.

·Grand Bulwark of the Tundra (Age of Winter) - resistances and toughness.

·Grand Rhythm of the Tide (Ending the Storm) - damage uptime.

Best Idols

·Large Nomad Idols - look for increased Aspect of the Shark Effect.

·Humble Weaver Idols - great for survivability.

·Heretical Nomad Idols of the Predator - offensive push.

·Weaver Idols of Antivenom/Chitin - defensive layering for specific encounters.

Strengths & Weaknesses of Bear Beastmaster

Strengths

·Extremely tanky with companion + defensive layers.

·Strong single-target and AoE damage.

·Doesn't require a full unique set to start the endgame.

·Active, engaging rotation.

Weaknesses

·Requires buff management for optimal performance.

·Damage is partly tied to Bear cooldowns (Earthquake uptime).

·Can feel gear-dependent at higher tiers (legendaries).

Final Thoughts - Is Bear Beastmaster Worth It in Season 3?

The Bear Beastmaster build in Last Epoch Season 3 is one of the most rewarding ways to experience endgame content. It offers the best of both worlds: a loyal companion capable of seismic destruction and an active playstyle that keeps you engaged.

If you're a fan of companion-focused builds but don't want to be overwhelmed by micromanaging an army of minions, this build strikes the perfect balance. With buff synergies, Earthquake spam, and massive defensive scaling, the Bear Beastmaster is an excellent choice for both farming and tackling high-tier bosses in Season 3.

Whether you're new to Primalist or a seasoned Beastmaster main, now is the perfect time to unleash the primal fury of the Bear.