Build:DOT Spellblade

Full Build Details
Specific Build Details

Remember to get Fire Affinity and Cool (skill) as well as all the other Tier 1 passives for this build to be most effective. Levant is the kingdom of choice because it gives +15% damage to everything, giving a solid boost to Torment's DPS, and an additional +15% Physical damage and 25 max health, improving basic attack damage and making this build a bit beefier. The end result in terms of damage mods is Fire: +75%, Physical: +30%, Lightning: +20%, Everything Else: +15%. In terms of mana allocation, I recommend going +2 for mana to get the sexy stats of Health: 175, Stamina: 150, and Mana: 75. Movement speed also ends up at +23% without weight factored in, making travel much quicker.

Combat Guide

The combo for this build is to use Shield Charge and Shield Infusion (where applicable) to create the opening necessary to use Puncture and The Technique, applying six of the seven possible hexes in the game. After the hexes are applied, use Torment to apply several debuffs and DOTs. After this combo, you can basically do whatever and still win. The enemy will be slowed, deal less damage, and take ~50% of its Hp in damage, so there should be no problem. This build does best against a solo enemy, but it does decently against multiple enemies as well. Just try to apply hexes to one or more enemies, then kite, Torment, and Elemental Discharge till they die.

Armor

The above armor was chosen because it looks the best in my opinion and, with some help from a Fur Tent, it will be able to withstand any temperature. Just remember to keep casting Warm and Fire Infusion when it is cold. That said, feel free to change the armor up depending on what you're fighting.

Shields

The shields I recommend are the Tsar shield, for its fantastic stats and infinite durability, and the Inner Marble Shield, for its ability to inflict Confusion, maxing out the effectiveness of Torment.

Swords

For switching swords, I recommend changing The Technique to Scorch Hex and using either a Meteoric Sword, a Vampiric Sword, or an Iron Sword with Unsuspected Strength. The Meteoric Sword deals the most on-hit damage (when factoring in the various damage increases) and removes the hassle of relying on Torment like the above build, while also allowing for a powerful DOT in the form of Holy Blaze. The Vampiric Sword is good for sustain with its life steal, but it is such a pain to get that I only recommend it to the very dedicated. The Unsuspected Strength Iron Sword is good for the same reasons Tsar equipment is good, except you have much less impact damage in exchange for much higher attack speed. Overall, each of the above swords adds a unique and powerful change to the playstyle and can even be used in conjunction with the Rainbow Hex Steel Sabre by changing mid-combat.

Co-op Viability

Whilst originally conceived as a Spellblade build, I have found remarkable success when playing with my rune mage friend; the constant DPS from all the DOTs ensures that aggro will almost always be on you, allowing anyone you are playing with free reign, not to mention the easier time applying hexes if you have your friend distract them. Overall, a surprisingly effective Tank/Support Co-op build.

Overview

The main key to this build is patience. Try and study the opponent's attack pattern before trying to fight them, look for moments where they are particularly vulnerable to the relatively slow Shield Charge. A good example of the aforementioned vulnerability is when they pause for a heavy attack, as Shield Charge blocks attacks in its first few frames. Do this well enough and the enemy will be staggered before they recover from their attack. All in all, I hope you enjoy this build as I myself have found this to be a joy to play.