The Black Swordsman – Redguard NB 2-Hand buil

Armor Types

Gear and Item Set Info

Gear is negotiable, but Vicious Ophidian and Twice-Born are recommended. Lots of good DPS options. This build assumes a Two-Hand sword for max damage output. It performs well in both AvA and PvE. Our Bar 2 (back bar) is for buffs and debuffs. Particularly Rally, Reaper's Mark and so forth. 

Abilities:

Why do I not use Executioner and Wrecking Blow? A few reasons, if you'll hear me out. They cost more, and they tend to stagnate the stamina cycle. The stamina cycle is our regeneration. We get our regeneration from a few places, which I'll talk about later in the build. The NB abilities Surprise Attack is our spammable, and it performs better than Wrecking Blow or Reverse Slice in terms of damage-per-stamina. Our executioner, Killer's Blade, is dirt cheap in cost and does more damage. Wrecking Blow is omitted from this build due to its casting time and its sheer cost. But if you need it, I'd take out Brawler for it. 

For buffs, keep up Relentless Focus and Rally at all times. Reaper's mark is a great debuff for certain situations such as bosses, also great in solo.It costs magicka, so its good to refresh. You want Savagery, Brutality and ideally Berserk at most times running. Use potions to bridge the gaps in the late game.

Passives:

Redguard - Lots of overwhelming win here for resource management, max stam and so forth.

Medium Armor  - Grab them all. Literally all of them.

Two Hand: heavy weapons. battle rush. Forceful is alright too, its free AoE splash. All of them are decent enough

Shadow: Lots of win here. 15% resource regen. Free resistance. Take it all if you want, its all decent
Siphoning: Nothing mandatory.

Assassination: This. This is why we played a Nightblade, boys.Pressure Points gives free crits. Crits beget more crits, and add on DPS for your party. This is what makes NB stand out in the late game, adding to a trial groups DPS.

Fighter's guild: Lots of win here. I'd consider taking them all, but if we slot 2-3 abilities, then at least Slayer makes it worth being in this tree. Also out Ultimate is here, and the coveted Savagery slot bonus from Evil Hunter or Camouflaged Hunter. 

Assault: Only if you're PvP. This line does have Vigor however, a great source of a HoT for healing yourself.

Werewolf: Again we're here for the ultimate. But the abilities aren't bad. I'd recommend not transforming as it actually can decrease your DPS in most situations due to weapon abilities not carrying over. Great for flavor. The passives are sort of meh and mostly require you to be in WW form to see benefit. They are not a priority. Level WW abilities and sink points here in late game, if you're bored.

Undaunted: We're here for the passives, and that's all folks.

General Info

This build is about good old fashioned berserker rage. It plays by starting on Bar 2, throwing down debuffs and self buffs, and heals as needed (self-heal). Bar 1 has our Single-target and multi target DPS abilities. It's strength is in burst damage and in big numbers. It falls behind DW in terms of sheer output, but it makes up for it in how fun it is to play and the big #s. This build shines on boss fights. 

Weaknesses are its squishy, though not as squishy with Elude (dodge) and Resolving Vigor (self heals) as many DPS builds are. It isn't as good at AoE as a DW or Bow build, by game design mechanics in 2.6 

Possible skill alternatives: What comes to mind is Brawler adds little to this build. We could switch it out for a Fighter's Guild ability such as Rearming Trap if you have the STA to support it. It adds another 3-4% DPS as well from the Fighter's Guild passive. Alternatively you could just add in Wrecking Blow or a utility damage ability, or any slot-bonus you care for. Lots of options here. Brawler is here for an AoE option and for its shield. For trash clearing in dungeon runs.

We spend 80% of our time on Bar 1, and only go to Bar 2 for buffs. This all said, while leveling this author suggests you use Pack Leader over Flawless Dawnbreaker. The NB ultimates are sort of "meh" other than Death Blow for our buil. The regeneration is so amazing that even Dawnbreaker might not be "worth it". If you go this route, dump Rearming Trap and keep brawler. The Bererker's Rage ultimate costs a lot and ultimately needs to be reworked IMNSHO. It's simply not worth using for anything other than fluff. It's a good backbar option though if WW isn't your thing! Flawless Dawnbreaker is by no means a bad choice for this build, if you have FG rank 10. I merely opted to not have it.

Champion Point Tips

We aim for resource generation. So prioritize that Green. Reduce costs, then add to regen. Rest is optional.

 

Blue

• Mighty – 100
• Precise Strikes – 33
• Piercing – 10
• Thaumaturge – 44

Green

• Warlord– 100
• Mooncalf– 87

Red

• Elemental Defender – 86
• Hardy – 84
• Thick Skinned – 7
• Quick Recovery – 10

Build Rating