Beta build for Patch 1.0.0
Guide notes |
February 17, 2020 -Beta version created |
This is the most interesting and unique playstyle we have tested in Wolcen so far. It combines Melee Attacks with Spells, which lets you forget about Willpower/Rage management, as spending one resource will increase the other, and you can easily alternate between Infinity Blades and Slayer's Flurry, depending on the situation and the level of your resources. It also benefits from the Duskglaives Passives, increasing your Attack Damage by a percentage of your Spell Damage increases and vice versa. It's the most unique build, which only proves how deep character customization in Wolcen can go, and makes it a build definitely worth trying out. It's also one of the most difficult to master, and learning how to keep the balance between Lure of Darkness and Lure of Light stacks can be challenging but also very rewarding.
You can check all the best Wolcen builds made by our team here: Best Wolcen Builds by Odealo
Important note: This is a beta version of our Shadow Duskglaive Build that we have just recently started working on. It breezes through the campaign and even on lower levels you simply forget what Willpower/Rage generally is, as you can freely cast all your abilities. As mentioned earlier, we have just started this "project" so we are still far away from determining the perfect balance between the two main skills and how they should be used for maximum DPS (Duskglaive's stacks and Willpower/Rage transition) as well as, we are yet to determine how capable this build is of taking down end-game Bosses - but judging by how fast we can progress through campaign, it should be more than fine.
This build offers the most unique and challenging playstyle. It is based on balancing between Attacking with Slayer's Flurry and casting Infinity Blades to maintain the balance between Lure of Light and Lure of Darkness stacks. When your stacks are in balance (maximum 3 to 7 ratio) your Attacks will benefit from Spell Damage bonuses and Spell Damage will benefit from Attack Damage bonuses. Also, by switching between Attacks and Spells, you will always have enough Resources (whether it's Willpower or Rage) to efficiently use your primary DPS Skills, making this build extremely self-sustainable. You also get to use Wings of Ishmir, Sovereign Shout, and Aether Jump which grant additional bonuses generate resources and help you maintain the balance between the Stacks. In general, it's a Melee build that utilizes purely Shadow Damage and stacks multiple damage-amplifying Ailments on enemies, greatly increasing your overall DPS output.
PROS |
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CONS |
*some may find those to be actually desired traits of this build |
For this DPS build you want to focus Ferocity for increased Attack and Spell Critical Strike chance, and the highest DPS bonus. You want to reach as high Crit. Chance as possible because of the Merciless Lethality Passive that you are going to use. The remaining stats are also important, but since you rely on Dodge for defenses, you want to keep the Toughness at a minimum comfortable level (with some cases, not spending any Points in there is also acceptable).
Attribute priorities | ||
Ferocity | 80% | |
Toughness | 0% | |
Agility | 10% | |
Wisdom | 10% |
Below you will find the recommended Passives for our Infinity Blades/Slayer's Flurry Duskglaive build. It primarily utilizes Agility Classes, but also Warmonger for global Leech (we get 4% Life Leeched from both Spells and Attacks, just by picking up a few Passives there) and Cabalist which maximizes the effectivness of your Shadow Ailments and grant very potent damage bonuses.
SOLDIER | |
The Wild Card | Which greatly increases your Critical Hit Chance Score for both your Attacks and Spells which is twice as beneficial for this build |
ASSASSIN | |
Merciless Lethality | Grants very high bonus Critical Damage. It's not that effective on lower levels, but as you get to increase your Critical Strike Chance it becomes an insane DPS bonus |
Phantom Strike | Doubles the Critical Hit Chance of Dash Attacks - meaning you will be oneshotting most of the monsters you Dash to with Slayer's Flurry |
Clandestine Execution | Greatly increases your Boss Damage. This Passive can be taken later on, after you get the ones from Duskglaive part |
Slipping Shadow | Allows you to Dodge roll through enemies, and if you take Tethered Shade later on, it will also damage them in the process |
DUSKGLAIVE | |
Life's First Movement | The build-defining Passive, which allows you to generate Lure of Light and Lure of Darkness stacks for a massive DPS bonus to both your primary Skills. The Limited Breath passive just behind it has to be taken ASAP |
Waltzing Smoke* | Dodge Roll will turn you invisible for 5 seconds and your next Skill will deal increased damage. This Passive offers a decent defensive utility allowing you to escape from dangerous situations and prepare a counter-attack with increased force. |
Tethered Shade* | Whenever you Dodge Roll you will create a decoy that will attract enemies |
*You can leave Waltzing Smoke and Tethered Shade Passives for higher levels as they won't be that useful when you are still around Act 1/2 when you can first allocate them. You should have any problems with survivability here | |
CABALIST | |
Grievous Afflictions | Allows you to apply two different Ailments with each Hit |
Power of the First Men | Gives you a chance to double the number of Ailments inflicted which greatly increases the number of debuffs on enemies and increase your DPS through Shadow Damage Ailments stacking |
WARMONGER | |
Feast for the Crows | Grants very high Global Life Leech, including the smaller nodes on the sides, you will get 4% from both your Spells and Attacks |
SENTINEL | |
Backline Raider | Grants very high bonuses to both Attack and Cast Speed Score |
Covert Operative | Increases your chance to Dodge by 100% after getting hit, greatly increasing your survivability |
ALASTOR | |
Intravenous Neural Cord | Grants very high bonus Attack Speed - sadly no Cast Speed Score on this one, but still a very strong Passive for this Crit. build |
SCHOLAR | |
Attrition Strategist | Increases your chance to inflict Ailments greatly |
ABYSSAL SHAPER | |
Occult Affliction | Greatly increases your DPS based on the number of Curse Stacks on enemies which are applied by your Shadow Damage |
[PRIMARY DPS] Infinity Blades | |
Infinity Blades is one of the two primary DPS Skills. Infinity Blades are like Melee Attacks but have the Spell Tag and cost Willpower to use. They deal solid AoE damage to all enemies around you. You should use modifiers that will help you regen Willpower to maintain the correct amount of | |
Timeline Selection which generates Willpower as your Critically Hit with Infinity Blades - it is much more convenient to use than Sublime Cut when you reach a higher level and higher Crit. Hit Score | |
Gusts In Dark Space converts the base damage to Shadow which is your primary DPS type in this build | |
Rehearsal For Armageddon increases the damage of your next ability after using Infinity Blades (this will usually apply to Slayer's Flurry) |
[PRIMARY DPS] Slayer's Flurry | |
Slayer's Flurry the primary Attack used in this build which generates Lure of Light stacks and allows you to quickly Dash to new packs of monsters. Your goal is to alternate between Slayer's Flurry and Infinity Blades to achieve the balance between Duskglaive's stacks | |
Final Eclipse increases Slayer's Flurry Critical Chance Score | |
Resentment's Foe increases Critical Damage | |
Piercing Shadows converts the base Damage to Shadow type | |
Crashing Moons grants the skill Melee Splash effect | |
Trail of Dust makes all enemies that you Dash through to get hit (also nice but entirely optional as you need to target the most far away monsters for it to have a decent effect) |
[UTILITY] Sovereign Shout | |
Sovereign Shout grants substantial buffs to both your defenses and DPS. It increases your Attack and Cast Speed, All Elemental Resistances, and Critical Strike chance if you choose the recommended modifiers for it. It also helps you maintain Lure of Light Stacks as it counts as an Attack | |
Hold the Line which grants a buff to All Resistances per enemy hit by the shout. | |
Infectious Determination increased the duration of all buffs granted | |
A Princep's Lead grants a buff to Critical Strike Chance | |
Hostile Inspiration increases the effectiveness of all buffs granted | |
Dawnbreaker applies Weakness to all enemies in the radius |
[SECONDARY] Winter's Grasp | |
Winter's Grasp is a Cold/Area Spell which can have its' damage converted to Shadow, and by using the Hail the Ice Queen modifier, you get a decent buff to all Shadow damage dealt. It also helps you manage Lure of Darkness stats | |
Concentrated Shadow converts the base damage to Shadow | |
Hail the Ice Queen increases your Shadow damage globally (assuming you have converted the base damage to that type) | |
Numbness in Onset that increases the chance to inflict Ailments on enemies Hit |
[MOBILITY/UTILITY] WINGS OF ISHMIR | |
Wings of Ishmir is a great mobility Attack that increases your DPS upon landing and generates Rage. It also helps with managing the Lure of Light stacks and to jump out when you are blocked by monsters and can't Dodge Roll | |
Stunning Apparatus grants you extra buffs for each enemy hit | |
Meritorious Crew increases your (and your allies) DPS upon landing for a short duration | |
Rippling Impact creates Shockwave upon landing for some extra DPS |
We are still working on this section, as the number of Unique and Legendary Items that we came across for this build is very limited. You can find a Stat Priority table below which will give you a general idea of what you should look for when trying to upgrade your gear. This section will be thoroughly reworked as we get more details for you.
Stat priorities |
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If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are going to continue our work on Wolcen characters to fill up the list with all major build archetypes in the following weeks. Stay tuned
Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Wolcen Studio.