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Today, I’m diving deep into one of the strongest builds in Dungeonborne that doesn’t rely on set items. This Death Knight build is all about maximizing damage output and survivability without being tied down by set bonuses. Whether you're new to the game or a seasoned player looking to try something different, this guide will give you everything you need to dominate your opponents in both PvE and PvP. Let’s jump right in!

Core Abilities: Soul Shroud and Grasp of the Grave

The cornerstone of this build revolves around two powerful abilities: Soul Shroud and Grasp of the Grave. While Soul Storm might be tempting, I’ve found that Soul Shroud’s synergy with the Thunder Flask and Long Sword combo is unparalleled. Here’s why:

1. Soul Shroud: This ability allows you to swap between weapon sets seamlessly, enabling you to apply tremendous pressure on your opponents. The ability grants a shield when activated, which can absorb a significant amount of damage—perfect for those critical moments when you’re pushing the offensive.

2. Grasp of the Grave: This ability excels at keeping enemies locked down, particularly when combined with the movement speed debuffs that are a key part of this build. The additional debuff on movement speed makes it nearly impossible for enemies to escape your clutches, allowing you to maximize your damage output.

When you combine Soul Shroud with a well-timed Thunder Flask and Long Sword heavy attack, followed by a swap to dual swords, the damage output becomes overwhelming for most opponents. The speed and ferocity of the attacks leave them with little room to maneuver or retaliate, making this combination incredibly deadly in the right hands.

Stat Priorities: Maximizing Damage and Survivability

Now, let’s talk stats. For this build, you’ll want to prioritize the following attributes to ensure you’re dealing as much damage as possible while staying alive during intense encounters:

1. Strength: This is your primary stat for increasing overall damage. Not only does it amplify your physical damage, but it also enhances the effectiveness of Grim Harvest, which allows you to generate Souls more quickly.

2. Dexterity: Focus on Dexterity to reduce the movement speed of your enemies. The slower they are, the more time you have to land your devastating combos. Dexterity also synergizes well with your dual swords, boosting your attack speed and making it easier to apply consistent pressure.

3. Stamina: Stamina is crucial for this build as it provides a shield for 8 seconds after using Soul Shroud. This shield can absorb a considerable amount of damage, giving you the resilience needed to outlast your opponents in drawn-out battles.

Gear and Stat Recommendations

When it comes to gear, the goal is to find items that complement your stat priorities and enhance the effectiveness of your abilities. Below are the key stats you should be looking for on your weapons and armor:

Weapons:

• Life Steal: This is the core of your sustain. Life steal allows you to recover health with each attack, keeping you in the fight longer.

• Additional Damage: Look for elemental damage bonuses like fire or lightning. These elements add a flat damage increase to each hit, which scales incredibly well with your fast attack speed.

• Legendary Sword: If you can get your hands on a legendary sword with additional life steal, your build will be significantly stronger. However, don’t worry if you can’t—this build is still highly effective with non-legendary gear.

Armor:

• Helmet: Aim for Dexterity, Life on Hit, and All Elemental Resistance. Elemental resistance is vital for surviving against classes that deal elemental damage, such as Cryomancers and Pyromancers.

• Chest Armor: Prioritize Strength, Life on Hit, and Additional Life. Life on Hit is crucial for sustaining your health during prolonged fights, and any extra life will increase your overall survivability.

• Boots: Go for Dexterity, Max Damage on Kill, and Movement Speed. Movement speed helps you stay mobile, while max damage on kill ensures you can dispatch weaker enemies quickly.

• Pants: Focus on Stamina, Life on Hit, and Additional Life. These stats reinforce your survivability, making you harder to kill.

• Gloves: Look for Stamina and Additional Damage (Physical and Fire). These gloves should enhance your overall damage output, making each hit count even more.

• Rings: Equip rings that provide Life on Hit, Additional Elemental Damage, and Strength. Life on Hit is particularly important for maintaining your health during skirmishes.

Weapons and Crafting Tips

For this build, I recommend using a Long Sword as your primary weapon, especially for its synergy with Thunder Flask. This combination allows you to deal significant damage upfront before swapping to dual swords for a flurry of attacks. Here’s a quick rundown of the ideal stats for your weapons:

• Primary Weapon (Long Sword): Look for Max Damage on Kill, Life on Hit, and Movement Speed. These stats will keep you agile and ensure that you’re dealing as much damage as possible with each hit.

• Secondary Weapon (Dual Swords): Focus on Life Steal and Additional Elemental Damage. The high attack speed of dual swords makes these stats particularly effective, as you’ll be hitting your opponents multiple times in quick succession.

If you’re into crafting, consider creating heirloom gear with these stat combinations. Crafting allows you to tailor your gear to your specific needs, though it may result in slightly lower damage compared to top-tier dropped gear. However, the trade-off is worth it for the perfect stat alignment.

Strategy: Dominating the Battlefield

To maximize the effectiveness of this build, you’ll need to adopt an aggressive playstyle that leverages your strengths:

1. Engage with Thunder Flask: Start encounters with Thunder Flask to apply a debuff and set up for your heavy Long Sword attack. This combination is perfect for catching opponents off-guard and initiating the fight on your terms.

2. Soul Shroud and Weapon Swap: Immediately follow up with Soul Shroud to swap to your dual swords. This allows you to maintain pressure with fast, life-stealing attacks while your opponent is still recovering from the initial onslaught.

3. Positioning and Mobility: Use your movement speed to stay on top of your opponents. With the movement speed debuffs applied by your Dexterity, your enemies will struggle to escape, allowing you to dictate the pace of the battle.

4. Sustain with Life Steal: Life steal is your best friend. As long as you’re attacking, you’re healing. This makes it difficult for opponents to wear you down, especially in prolonged engagements.

5. Adapt and Overcome: Be flexible with your gear and stats. If you find yourself struggling against certain types of enemies, consider using Dungeonborne Gold to swap out gear to increase specific resistances or damage types.

Final Thoughts

This Death Knight build is all about flexibility, power, and sustain. By focusing on core abilities like Soul Shroud and Grasp of the Grave, and prioritizing key stats on your gear, you can create a build that’s not only powerful but also versatile enough to adapt to different situations.

If you want to see this build in action, check out my Twitch stream linked in the description. I’m also doing a giveaway for the new weapon skins, so be sure to tune in for a chance to win. Thanks for watching, and as always, leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below. Happy hunting in Dungeonborne!