Arc

Thunderlord — Storm Caller (Arc Hunter)

Overload-stunning add-clear + Bolt Charge storm engine

Your gear best achievable Weapons 161 / 150 target — gear ready

Health 30 · Melee 46 · Grenade 63 · Super 23 · Class 38 · Weapons 161 · armour only; stat mods + fragments add more

✓ Manifest Arc · Heavy · 450 RPM · Overload

Centerpiece: Thunderlord (Machine Gun · Heavy · Arc) · Subclass: Arcstrider · Role: Overload-stunning add-clear + Bolt Charge storm engine Sandbox: 9.7.0 · Updated 2026-07-03

Hold the trigger and the gun gets louder. Kills call lightning from the sky; each strike stuns Overload on its own, stacks Bolt Charge, and partially reloads the mag. On Arc Hunter that loop never stops — every jolt and spark you make feeds the next strike, and the Bolt Charge byproduct becomes your whole ability economy. It is a Heavy weapon you fire like an add-clear primary.

The weapon

Reign Havoc (intrinsic): Final blows with this weapon generate stunning lighting strikes from above. Lightning strikes grant a stack of Bolt Charge. Strong against [Disruption] Overload Champions.

Catalyst — Return Stroke: Causing a lightning strike with this weapon partially reloads the magazine from reserves.

Each kill triggers a lightning strike, and every strike does three things at once: it stuns Overload Champions with no archetype dependence, grants a stack of Bolt Charge, and — with the catalyst — refills the magazine from reserves. In an add-dense room this ramps into a chain: kill triggers strike, strike refunds rounds and a Bolt Charge stack, and the weapon's spin-up means the longer you hold the trigger the faster the next target dies. At 450 RPM it behaves like a self-reloading primary, so a kill-chain barely drains the mag while the Bolt Charge meter climbs to max and discharges as its own jolting strike. The build's job is to convert that Bolt Charge overflow from an occasional discharge into a continuous ability economy.

Loadout

Slot	Pick	Why
Subclass	Arcstrider	Native Bolt Charge / jolt / amplified verbs that Thunderlord's strikes plug straight into.
Super	Gathering Storm	Stick the spear, it jolts the whole pack → jolted kills feed Flow State + Spark of Ions; swap Storm's Edge for tighter add-clear.
Class ability	Marksman's Dodge	Full reload between strikes and arms Lethal Current's next melee.
Movement	Triple Jump	Extra mid-air correction to reposition between packs while the storm loop keeps ticking (flex — any jump works).
Melee	Combination Blow / Disorienting Blow	Post-dodge Arc melee jolts via Lethal Current → jolted kills feed the loop and refund melee.
Grenade	Arcbolt Grenade	Chains + jolts a pack; jolted kills → Ionic Traces → Bolt Charge via Spark of Ions.
Aspect 1	Flow State	Defeating a jolted target makes you amplified (≈15% DR + faster reload/handling); Thunderlord makes jolted kills constantly.
Aspect 2	Lethal Current	Post-dodge melee jolts and leaves an aftershock; more jolted kills for Flow State and Bolt Charge.
Fragments	Ions · Discharge · Amplitude · Resistance	Two Ionic Trace sources + a third Bolt Charge feed + amplified Orbs + surrounded DR.
Exotic armour	Geomag Stabilizers (Leg Armor)	Close Enough: "Sprinting while near max Bolt Charge will grant stacks over time" — traversal tops the meter off for free.
Weapons	Kinetic add-clear primary + Arc Voltshot Special	Build kills while Heavy regenerates; a Voltshot Special gives Flow State / Spark of Ions a second jolt source when Thunderlord is dry.

Fragments

Spark of Ions jolted / Bolt-Charge kill → Ionic Trace
Spark of Discharge Arc weapon kills → Ionic Traces; collecting one → +1 Bolt Charge
Spark of Amplitude amplified rapid kills → Orbs
Spark of Resistance (DR while surrounded, +10 Melee). Swap in Spark of Frequency (+reload on melee) for harder content**

Why it works (the mechanics)

Thunderlord's strikes ARE a Bolt Charge generator, and Arc Hunter is the class built to spend Bolt Charge from gunfire. Every kill = a strike = a Bolt Charge stack. Hit max and it discharges as a jolting lightning strike, which makes more jolted kills, which Flow State turns into amplified. The gun seeds its own subclass loop.
The catalyst closes the ammo problem. Return Stroke partially reloads from reserves on every strike, so a kill-chain barely drains the mag. A Heavy that reloads itself off kills behaves like a primary in add-dense rooms — exactly where it stacks Bolt Charge fastest.
Overload is handled intrinsically — no archetype tax. Reign Havoc carries "Strong against Overload Champions" on the weapon, independent of Anti-Champion 2.0 archetype rules. You spend no frame slot or subclass verb on Overload; Thunderlord stuns it while your other two weapons cover Barrier/Unstoppable.
Flow State makes the jolt loop pay survivability. Jolted kills (Thunderlord strikes, Arcbolt, Lethal Current melee) → amplified → ≈15% DR plus faster reload and handling on the gun that wants to keep firing. The DR is gated behind the thing you already do nonstop.
Geomag removes the only dead time. Bolt Charge normally needs generation to climb; this build is already saturated, so Geomag's "sprint near max → stacks over time" means traversal between packs tops the meter instead of idling it. You arrive at the next room pre-charged.
Two Ionic Trace sources keep abilities full. Spark of Discharge (Arc weapon kills) and Spark of Ions (jolted / Bolt-Charge kills) both spawn Traces; collecting a Trace via Spark of Discharge also grants +1 Bolt Charge — a third feed plus a steady drip of melee/grenade/dodge energy.

Stats & mods

Weapons 200 → Health → Class. Weapons for PvE add-clear damage on a gun that lives on bodyshots; Health for the amplified DR floor; Class to keep Marksman's Dodge (reload + Lethal Current arming) on a short leash. Lean the Grenadier/Gunner archetype favouring Weapons + Class. Mods:

Boots (Geomag): Machine Gun Scavenger to keep reserves topped (the catalyst spends reserves to refill the mag) + Orbs of Restoration.
Arms: Heavy Ammo Finder / Scavenger — keep the reserve tank full for the catalyst to draw from.
Chest: Arc Resistance ×1–2 stacked under the amplified DR layer.
Class item: Powerful Attraction (dodge vacuums Orbs) + Bomber/Outreach; Spirit of the Coyote (extra dodge charge) doubles Lethal Current arming if you chase an exotic class item.
Surge: Arc Weapon Surge ×2 (≈+17% Arc weapon damage onto Thunderlord).
Anti-Champion: none needed for Overload (intrinsic); source Barrier/Unstoppable from your Kinetic/Special archetype frames.

Artifact — Tablet of Ruin

The Arc / Bolt-Charge artifact, a one-to-one match for Thunderlord on Arcstrider: it turns the gun's strikes and jolts straight into more Bolt Charge and amplified, and the Champion mod bridges the intrinsic Overload stun into the same loop while the Heavy-MG tier keeps reserves and survivability up.

Picks (2/3/2):

Tier 1: Dielectric · Hold the Line
Tier 2: Flashover · Gold From Lead · Harsh Refraction
Tier 3: Defibrillating Blast · Heavy Ordance Regeneration

Dielectric grants Bolt Charge for defeating Arc-debuffed targets and spawns Orbs + a heal on rapid kills — a direct Arc feed onto the jolt you spread everywhere.
Hold the Line gives Machine Guns reload speed, stability, and heals while surrounded — built for the add-dense rooms this gun farms.
Flashover makes you amplified when you reach max Bolt Charge and buffs lightning damage — doubles Flow State's payoff and hits every discharge.
Gold From Lead lets Special pickups grant Heavy — refilling the reserves the catalyst spends.
Harsh Refraction adds damage to Arc-debuffed targets — the jolt/blind you spam across the pack.
Defibrillating Blast grants maximum Bolt Charge on stunning a Champion, and its Bolt Charge bolts jolt + heal — bridging the intrinsic Overload stun straight into the storm engine.
Heavy Ordance Regeneration grants DR and grenade/melee energy on sustained Heavy Machine Gun damage — keyed to Thunderlord itself.

Where it shines

Match Game / add-dense GMs & Nightfalls: intrinsic Overload stun + self-reloading Heavy + amplified DR clears rooms and answers a champion type with no build tax.
Patrol / Onslaught / wave content: the kill → strike → Bolt-Charge → strike chain is at its best with bodies everywhere; Geomag tops the meter as you reposition.
Single-target / boss: weakest case — it is add-clear and champion control, not a DPS Heavy; lean on Gathering Storm + your Special for priority damage.
Champion coverage: Overload — intrinsic to Thunderlord (breaks it on its own via Reign Havoc). Bring Barrier and Unstoppable on your Kinetic/Special archetype frames (Anti-Champion 2.0); jolt + blind from the Arc kit soft-controls the rest.

Verify notes

Weapon facts manifest-confirmed via `data/weapon_facts.json`: Thunderlord — Arc, Heavy, Machine Gun, 450 RPM, intrinsic Overload breaker. The build's original prose matched these; no correction needed.
Reign Havoc intrinsic + Return Stroke catalyst quoted verbatim from `docs/encyclopedia/exotics.md` (line 335) and `docs/encyclopedia/catalysts.md` (line 146). NB the intrinsic text carries the manifest's own spelling "stunning lighting strikes" — quoted as-is, not corrected.
Geomag Stabilizers Close Enough text verbatim from `exotics.md` (line 164). The synergy (Thunderlord keeps you near max Bolt Charge) is inference from stated mechanics, not a manifest number.
Aspects (Flow State, Lethal Current) and fragments (Ions, Discharge, Amplitude, Resistance) verified against `docs/encyclopedia/aspects.md` / `fragments.md`; Arcstrider aspect legality cross-checked vs `docs/knowledge/subclasses_and_aspects.md`.
Numbers flagged manifest/tuning: amplified DR (≈15%), Arc Weapon Surge ×2 (≈+17%), per-strike Bolt Charge gain, catalyst reload %, and the Bolt Charge stack cap are behaviour, not confirmed values — verify in-game. Bolt Charge / amplified verb interactions confirmed in `docs/encyclopedia/clarity_build_numbers.md`.
Artifact Tablet of Ruin 2/3/2 all real mods per `docs/encyclopedia/artifacts_structured.md` (audit-legal). Mod names kept at manifest spelling, including "Heavy Ordance Regeneration".

Mod selection (masterworked — full allocation)

Piece	Mod · cost	What it does
Helmet (7/10)	Heavy Ammo Finder 1e	Increases the effect of all contributions towards the Heavy ammo meter.
	Arc Siphon 3e fill	Rapid Arc weapon final blows create an Orb of Power.
	Ashes to Assets 3e fill	Gain bonus Super energy on grenade kills.
Arms (6/10)	Utility Kickstart 3e fill	When your class ability energy is fully expended, your Armor Charge is consumed and you gain class ability energy for each Armor Charge used.
	Momentum Transfer 2e fill	Causing damage with a grenade reduces your melee cooldown.
	Fastball 1e fill	Increases grenade throw distance.
Chest (5/10)	Arc Resistance 1e	Reduces incoming Arc damage from combatants.
	Concussive Dampener 3e fill	Reduces incoming area-of-effect damage from combatants.
	Sniper Damage Resistance 1e fill	Reduces incoming damage from combatants that are at long range.
Legs (3/10)	Arc Weapon Surge 1e	Your Arc weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
	Orbs of Restoration 1e	Picking up an Orb of Power grants a small amount of energy to your ability with the least energy.
	Arc Weapon Surge 1e fill	Your Arc weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
Class Item (4/10)	Outreach 1e	Reduces melee cooldown when using your class ability.
	Bomber 1e	Reduces grenade cooldown when using your class ability.
	Powerful Attraction 2e	Automatically collects nearby Orbs of Power when you activate your class ability.

All 15 sockets used, 10 energy per masterworked piece; costs from the manifest. Core mods are the build's engine; fill mods are strong defaults — swap freely (chest resists should match the activity's damage types).