As some of you already know, I’m a Corruption Build enthusiast in no small way. The gameplay factors that drive these Builds create highly focused risk-reward factors more similar to some of my favorite games. I have fun with these Builds despite their volatile nature and am aware of nearly all of their strengths and weaknesses… Not that they’re so inconspicuous. What might be less apparent, though, are some of the synergies that one can commit to in these very Builds to get the most out of them. I’ve recently been around the forums speaking my thoughts on Corruption as a whole and find that some people come away from those discussions with more than they go into them with… myself included! Based on that, it seems to me that it may be useful to post a comprehensive guide of all my thoughts and findings for those who are even just slightly interested in Corrupted Builds to reference or even add to.
Know that this guide is personalized to my own tastes based on my own experiences, which will lead to valuable information for some but incorrect takes for others. I will be ignoring all implications of lore in this guide, though I am not opposed to the lore itself. It simply detracts from the gameplay-focused conversation I’m trying to have.
Also… I capitalize what I believe to be key words despite that being grammatically incorrect. I hope you’ll either benefit from that or be able to look past it.
Previously, I have largely made explanations of my experience in Corrupted Builds and what I’ve done to work with them despite what I feel has been an dramatic decline in their utility. Those posts were crafted mostly in a negative stance with scraps of hope to carry them forward. On the contrary, This will be a far more positive post focusing on all the strengths and bringing out all of my personal best General Builds, featuring Attribute choices and the like to characterize the Builds, Tactics & Playstyles to go alongside each of the Attribute Setups I share, and carefully-picked Armor & Weapon Choices with multiple variations both to provide greater agency of choice and completely craftable alternatives for those where death and loss of gear are real threats. All that said, there will still be a note of all significant nerfs that heavily effect these Builds, as I consider that good information to be aware of.
Initial Warning
Before diving too deep, it really must be said:
You stand a MUCH lower chance at victory using these Builds. Corruption Builds where you fully corrupt are in a very rough spot overall. All things considered, they definitively are not as good as the best of Builds that do not delve into Corruption. There are situational advantages, but far more often than not Corrupted Builds would be at a disadvantage. It’s only fair that I preface this guide like this.
You get to decide how you would like to have your fun…
And another thing:
Corruption Builds in Siptah have FAR better chances at survival than those in Exiled Lands.
How has Corruption been weakened over time?
Let’s look at recent nerfs. As a note, these buffs affect all players. The difference is that the limitations on Stamina and Health for Corrupted Builds already made playing them difficult, though, and you should be aware of every disadvantage. I would say that there are ways that they make up for this, but in truth these nerfs make Corruption play extremely problematic. **If Health was affected but Stamina not, there could be hope.
Let’s take a look at a few nerfs from the Age of War Chapters.
- AoW Chapter 1: The root of all issues… The issues did not begin at this point, but it’s all baked into this change. The following nerfs compounded and escalated the issue.
- AoW Chapter 2: Hyperarmor with Heavy weapons has been nearly cut from the game. Good luck not getting interrupted.
- AoW Chapter 2: Steel Thewed perk change- Maximum damage taken has risen from 25% to 33%. If you get interrupted by daggers in nerf one you might be as good as dead.
- AoW Chapter 4: Rolling Thrust has been nerfed and now the following attack after rolling still consumes Stamina. The timer could have been shortened but instead or stamina cost just be reduced, but now one big avenue for Corrupted play is gone.
- AoW Chapter 4: Stamina regen after rolls was slowed. I actually really agree with this change, but it is still a nerf that hurts these builds.
Your Stamina is an extreme limit now - more than it ever was before. Want to roll twice and then block? Guard broken. Things like this are far too common and it feels like being strangled even when using the maximum amount of Stamina you can get at full Corruption.
Alright, we’ve had our moment to understand our weaknesses and complain a little bit. Let’s focus again on what we can do.
As a final necessary warning, much like this introduction, my post will be rather lengthy. I will be explaining everything to the fullest with no compromise. If you can stomach that, let’s get going!
The best place to start with Corruption Builds (or really any Build for that matter), is at the Attributes. How we want to play dictates how we set ourselves up for success. The thing is, with Builds based around Corruption you have two significant and immediately apparent drawbacks. Your Health and Stamina are both reduced. For the purpose of providing a focused outlook on the effects and abilities of Corruption, these Builds will all be suffering as well as benefiting from the 50% limitations on Health and Stamina that come along with full Corruption. You can of course temper this along with any other aspects of these Builds if it is to your liking. At all points past this, please understand that I am speaking from the perspective of somebody with that set of permanent 50% debuffs.
I have four builds to showcase in the order of what I personally believe is most to least viable:
- A Balanced Warrior Build that deals relatively respectable Damage while also being rather resilient. I find this to be the best Build of these four when it comes to both PvP and PvE content.
- A fragile Supportive Summoner/ Follower-Master Build based around staying particularly out of the fight but playing a strong anchoring role in ensuring your own success through positioning and weakening your opponents in all ways possible.
- An extreme risk-reward Maximum-Damage Warrior Build suited best for either quick player kills or very carefully placed attacks due to its fragility. This is not for those players who struggle with any core mechanics as it demands near- perfect execution at all times.
- Lastly, a Robust Leader Build that plays nearly identically to the other Follower Build that has less agency but more resistance.
Understand that these Builds all perform best in a PvP setting, but in capable hands can be put through the trials of PvE. Through the tips of this guide, you should absolutely be able to piece together a functioning Build for PvE… I would fully advise against using the Maximum-Damage Warrior option in PvE scenarios, though. You’ve been warned.
Also, I will not attempt to give you a Corrupted Farming Build. Look- it’s possible, but while Corrupted Builds in general might be an inadvisable but entertaining deviation from the norm, a Corrupted Farming Build is just flat inexcusable if looking for success. It’s irredeemably bad due to requiring Attribute points to be spent on Expertise, which is otherwise a rather useless stat in these Builds.
I’d prefer holding off on talking about Sigils, but some of their effects play a large part in Perk consideration, so it really should go before that.
These Sigils, while exclusive to Isle of Siptah, are incredibly useful to the Corruption playstyle!
Ideally you will have each of these, but the Stamina & DOT Cancel Sigils are most important.
- Snakemen: Removes two stacks of bleed very frequently.
- Jhil’s Brood: Lowers fall damage.
- Demon: about 50% Stamina cost reduction for sprinting.
- Fiend: 15% less stamina use per strike.
- Twice-Drowned: 10% Chance for an attack to use no Stamina whatsoever.
- Wolfmen: Regain 20 Health after killing an enemy. Good for PvE or a quick PvP diversion for Health if in peril.
- Serpent: Removes two stacks of poison very frequently.
Due to most Builds being low on Health, the most important Sigils for these Builds are those of the Snakemen and the Serpent. Not having to worry about DOTs completely shifts concerns off of an area that demands attention and gives you more time to think about everything else.
Now, in order to craft the best Builds, we need a solid understanding of what exactly matters most to Corruption Builds. Understandably, I try to mitigate the imposed weaknesses of Corruption where possible and that leads to certain similarities between the builds. Let’s first look at the Attributes down to the specifics in order to see what each has to offer a Corrupted Build. I will offer my personal rankings of each Attribute from 1 being the best down to 6 being the worst. Also, I will be ranking each Perk within the confines of each Attribute. It’s important to note that these rankings are based on the context of being a clanless one-man unit (with or without followers), as carrying the concepts forward from that perspective is far easier than working backwards from being in a clan.
Strength
Tied for Rank 3
| Gains/Point | +5% Strength Weapon Damage | +0.5% Agility Weapon Damage | +3 Carrying Capacity |
Strength is great for Corruption Builds, because as I mentioned above, I find Expertise to be a relatively useless endeavor in most Builds that don’t deal primarily with of farming and constructing. Strength can offer back some of that necessary Carrying Capacity at 3 per point while also increasing overall damage of Strength weapons by 5% and Agility Weapons by 0.5% per point. This practically allows the use of Strength Weapons which otherwise tend to (with exceptions) be outshined by Agility weapons. The Perks offered here also have moderate to relatively high value.
Level 5
Heavy Blows [Rank 7]
Heavy and Special Attacks deal 10% more Damage.
This perk will apply to both Strength and Agility weaponry - a nice touch. That said, while not terrible, it is simply outshined by its Corruption counterpart…
Scourge Corruption Level 5 [Rank 1]
Deal additional Damage that scales with your Corrupted Strength at a rate of +1%/Point of Corrupted Strength.
At the point of unlocking this perk, it’s perhaps worse than Heavy Blows, however this attack bonus applies to Heavy and Special attacks with the addition of Light attacks (again, with both Strength and Agility weaponry). While I said this perk is weaker at base level, it can extend up to a massive 20% Damage bonus to all attacks. In both Fighter Builds I use, this Perk will cause 10%-19% extra damage with each attack.
Level 10
Combo Master [Rank 8]
Combo finishers deal 20% more Damage.
Like Heavy Blows, I find that this Perk is just not worth it when it comes to Corruption Builds. With cut Stamina, it is difficult to execute a full combo. Even if you do, you’re not guaranteed that finishing blow and this damage payoff. That lesser chance is this Perk has less value than Heavy Blows.
Second Skin [Rank 9]
Equipped Armor weighs 25% less.
So this might be useful to other Builds, but these Builds in particular are likely to take a maximum amount of damage each hit even in Heavy Armor due to Steel Thewed. Because of this, the fact that these builds can utilize the near-weightless Abyssal Armor, and the fact that Light Armor typically has the greatest stat boosts, I exclusively use Light Armor for the Builds (outside of the Follower Build). With only Light Armor and the use of Scoutwrights, there’s hardly a use for this Perk.
Mule Kick Corruption Level 10 [Rank 3]
Your kicks knock enemies back farther.
Now the knockdown of kicks used to be nice as an exclusive to Corrupted Builds but this last update has freely dispersed that ability to everybody. That docks this ability a few points… But not many. See, kicking people farther can launch them straight to their death. Kick them off a cliff. Kick them into a hazard. Kick them into that stunlocking group of Skeletons! But wait, there are two other huge uses for this ability. If playing with a Weapon that allows kicks, you can use it as an opportunity to get some distance from your foe if you are in peril and in need of a heal. Inversely, you can kick, and then follow up with a devastating attack or series of attacks. This Perk at face value seems weak, but it has a vast use case.
Level 15
Berserker [Rank 5]
While below 50% health, you deal 25% more damage and gain 100 armor.
This one hurts. I love Berserker, but the amount of time you’ll likely spend under 50% Health** is rather low because you’ll either heal quickly… or you’ll be super dead. It just doesn’t have the same appeal in a Build like this rather than one with say… 900 Health where at 50% you still have plenty of room to barter. We’re looking at 50% health which means you are FOR SURE 1-or-2-tap. Still, the significant Damage boost here is excellent and has a partially viable use case in the Maximum-Damage Warrior Build, so I will give it some credit.
Wrack Corruption Level 15 [Rank 7]
After striking an opponent or ally, the target’s Damage will decrease by 25% for 4 seconds.
This perk will not really change the damage dealt by opponents to one of these Builds and that makes this Perk nearly useless. If you were in a group, however, there is in fact a use case for this Perk if playing a supportive role. That said, it’s far too much of an investment to use in the Follower Builds.
Level 20
Blood-Mad Berserker [Rank 10]
While below 25% Health, you cannot be staggered nor knocked down. Additionally, your Damage is increased by an additional 10% and Armor by an additional 50. The Damage bonus counts towards DOTs like Bleed, Gouge, Poison, and Noxious Gas. If Berserker is Corrupted over, this perk will also not add any Damage.
If you consider what I said about Berserker, it should come as no surprise that I find this Perk to be completely useless in Corruption Builds, especially when paired with the addition of the Damage loss on this Perk if Berserker is Corrupted into Wrack. You will oh so very rarely be at low enough Health for it to be useful. It’s not worth it.
Crushing Swings [Rank 5]
Your heavy attacks stagger for 25% longer and no longer rebound off shields.
Crushing Swings is a partly useful Perk due to its boosted staggers. With the new nerf of Great Axes where shields can’t experience cleave-through damage, this is the next best option. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as useful as that cleave-through damage, but it’s your current best option against somebody with Shieldmaster.
Desecrate Corruption Level 20 [Rank 6]
On strike, (including Ranged attacks) there is a 5% chance to cause a blast of Corruption around the user which knocks nearby enemies/players into the air and does a scaling 50 Damage. This ability has a 1.5 second cooldown.
You already saw me complain about how the useful Perk Berserker is nearly useless and Blood-Mad Berserker is far worse still in these Builds. Well… This Perk goes one huge step further in twisting the knife. Desecrate is next to useless even in a fully Corrupted Build due to its incredibly low proc rate…
But oh if it does proc and work like it’s supposed to, it is beautiful.
If its activation chance was even just doubled, it might be one of the best Perks in the game… if an activation of the skill even worked in the target the way it’s supposed to. Sometimes, however, even if a target is hit with the Perk’s activation, they are not launched into the air, which is the real Perk here…
With the slim chance of this Perk working (properly, mind you) I just find it a rough sell due to what you give up in order to get a low chance proc even with the fantastic effect.
Agility
Rank 2
| Gains/Point | +5% Agility Weapon Damage | +0.5% Strength Weapon Damage | Act more quickly after rolling | +1 Stamina Point (0.5) |
Agility is just short of being the most useful Attribute, but deserves its high position due to the near retirement of being able to move around quickly during combat. In Corruption Builds, taking any Damage is significant. This Attribute also makes it far easier to dodge attacks and then return a few of your own just as well! Each point in Agility also provides 0.5% Damage per point with Strength Weapons, so there’s a bit of a boost there. Lastly, You’ll get 1 Stamina/ point (0.5 per point in Corruption Build, which still can add up to being a small but meaningful amount).
Level 5
Backstab [Rank 4]
Deal 15% increased Damage when attacking a target from the 180° “Cone” behind them. Affected Damage again includes DOTs.
Backstab might be an unavoidable Perk, but it’s a good one! Any time you can get behind an opponent whether it’s by quick movements, dodges, or the target has decided to run, you now have many more opportunities to deal Damage. This is even a great addition on servers with Target Lock, believe it or not. This perk wins out over Deadshot because it is not chosen over Precision Strike and it costs less to opt into.
Level 10
Deadshot [Rank 5]
Arrows and thrown weapons travel twice as quickly and deal 15% more Damage to targets over ~6 foundations away.
Deadshot is a hard sell to a player who is always in close-proximity battle, but while the advantage of this Perk is generally worse than the flat upgrade of Precision Strike, the projectile speed boost is an absolute Godsend when using a Bow or Throwing Weapons. This makes this perk a good choice for the Follower Builds and a reasonable choice over Precision Strike depending on your own playstyle.
Precision Strike [Rank 3]
Adds a 10% additive bonus to Armor Penetration when Carrying Capacity is at 75% or less.
Precision Strike adds a great passive effect to Damage dealt by whittling away at Damage Reduction every attack. While it is clear that the actual Damage of Deadshot might make for more Damage, the distance requirement easily allows Precision Strike’s general use case to hold greater value nearly all the time.
Level 15
Quickfooted [Rank 1]
Running & Sprinting speed are 10% faster all while using 20% less Stamina. Jumping Stamina consumption is reduced to one third of its cost. Standard swimming speed is three times as fast and “fast” swimming speed gets a 20% increase as well as a Stamina cost reduction of 20% Climbing speed also gets a nice boost of 20% and Stamina consumption reduction of 10%.
Now why is this #1? In what world does being able to move faster win over a massive boost in Armor penetration like that of Rolling Thrust? Well… in a world where having this Perk makes you faster than everybody who doesn’t and slower if the roles were reversed. It’s nearly unfair that a Perk like this is so high up in Agility, but you’re going to want the Attribute for roll speed anyways so it ends up working out!
Level 20
Extended Leap [Rank 6]
Gain the ability to do a double jump.
This is a fine gimmick, but it being so high up this Attribute tree is strange. If you plan on being at 20 Agility, consideration of this Perk should not happen in your mind. That’s because its contender is:
Rolling Thrust [Rank 2]
After dodging, your next damaging attack has 25% increased penetration.
Rolling Thrust may have received a huge nerf when the Stamina bonus was stripped away, but that Armor Penetration is still going strong. It’s one of the best Perks in this tree, and each point of Agility gives you a nice bonus to Damage and action recovery time after rolls. If you go to 20 Agility, there is no choice to be made here.
Now to something that might be odd to those who haven’t done anything experimental in Corruption Builds. It may be a shock to think that in these builds we will be aiming for low Health totals. As I mentioned in the listing for Second Skin, we will be relying not on our armor value nor Health. You will instead be relying almost entirely on the Perk Steel Thewed. Considering all of this, you might be led into believing that you don’t need Vitality. Well in some ways you’d be right- some of these builds won’t use it. In others though, the regenerative properties of slightly investing into Vitality is a solid way of sustaining yourself. Even in a low Health build, Vitality can be king!
This is a good spot to remind that my rankings are solely based on how I perceive their use-case in Corruption Builds. If these were my rankings of the Perks in general, these values would change significantly.
Level 5
Fierce Vitality [Rank 9]
You gain passive Health regeneration of +0.5.
This Perk would absolutely be far higher on the list if it didn’t have a far better version of itself that takes up the exact same slot, which is:
Grotesque Excrescence Corruption Level 5 [Rank 1]
You gain passive health regeneration of +0.2 Health regeneration per point of Corrupted Vitality.
Placing this Perk in the top ranking was extremely tough given its competition Resurgence, however Grotesque Excrescence is much more useful in the Robust Leader Build, and will always be taken in a Corruption Build that invests in Vitality at all. Passive healing when you have low maximum Health and are using Steel Thewed are incredible. This same principle is shared with the following Perk.
Level 10
Resurgence [Rank 2]
When your Health hits 50%, you receive a one-time heal of a flat 80 HP. This Perk may be used again after reaching maximum health.
When equipped with this Perk and dodging properly, Health management in a battle becomes far more manageable in the Balanced Warrior Build. It can be the decisive difference between a single slip-up resulting in life or death. Resurgence makes combat much more comfortable at the cost of just 10 Attribute points. I can confidently say that there are no other Perks of equal value at level 10 in other Attribute trees.
Fast Healer [Rank 3]
You receive 50% increased healing from active healing effects like food, potions, and select Perks. Passive regeneration effects from Perks are not affected.
Fast Healer is a very good Perk when using active heals like Feasts to Yog and Glutton for Punishment.
Twisted Flesh Corruption Level 10 [Rank 5]
You have a chance to deflect Damage equal to 0.5% per point of Corrupted Vitality.
This Perk is relatively useful… Give or take. Much again like Desecrate earlier, if this proc chance per point invested was doubled it would absolutely be worth getting in certain Builds, but it currently only feels like it has a place in either the Robust Leader Build or a build which just dips into Corruption like @Tephra’s build here:
The chance that an attack bounces damage back to your opponent but more importantly doesn’t deal Damage to you is a great opportunity, but given it’s chance based and a defensive ability, it’s much harder to take advantage of like an offensive Perk. Think of the difference in timing and attention required between taking advantage of a perk like this and one like Desecrate and you’ll understand what I mean. One other reason this Perk is not favorable is the fact that it will overwrite Resurgence, and this Perk makes a Build with 10 Vitality much less survivable than one with that had stuck with Resurgence and 9 Corrupted Vitality.
Level 15
Robust [Rank 10]
Increases maximum Health by 100.
When using builds where having more Health is an issue, this Perk is to be avoided… Luckily, it shares a slot with:
Petrified Corruption Level 15 [Rank 4]
You are immune to most status effects including bleed, poison, alcohol poisoning, noxious gas, disease, and sunder
Petrified comes at a cost I consider too high for most full Corruption Builds in terms of how much Health you’re gaining (remember, we favor less). Not only that, but taking this Perk means that Resurgence and Fast Healer will be forfeited. Again, the potential best use case of a Build like this seems to be something like what is seen in @Tephra’s.
Level 20
Last Stand [Rank 7]
When your Health drops below 50%, you remove all negative effects and gain 95% damage mitigation for a short time.
Using Last Stand is a decent option with a Build like this considering that being invincible for a moment could allow you time to take a potion or even apply wraps, but the duration being nerfed from 5 seconds to three seconds really hurt that situational use case. Not only that, but the Perk has a one minute long cooldown which is a bit too long in the heat of battle. It just doesn’t allow the Build to be what I might consider useful enough. This could definitely use some more experimentation- I feel there is more to be tapped into here. That said, it currently seems to fall behind its powerful alternative:
Glutton for Punishment [Rank 6]
When you take an instance of Damage (4 or more?), you regenerate the Health lost in that instance over the course of 15 seconds.
Glutton for Punishment is a Perk I have had a disdain for in many ways up until finding a counter to it. While this Perk absolutely would add value to all Builds, especially if you can prevent follow-up hits and regenerate all health from the last. it seems to have less value for lower Health builds- mostly because you aren’t really healing as much Health as a Build that is crafted into having high Health to begin with. One thing that may be worth experimenting with is using Fast Healer, which causes the last bit of Damage dealt to be healed 150% rather than 100%, which can be to your benefit.
Tainted Vessel Corruption Level 20 [Rank 8]
Upon taking Damage, you expel Corruption, dealing AOE Damage of 30 (which scales) and Corrupting those around you. The Perk has a 1.5 second cooldown.
Unlike Desecrate, this Perk hardly has a driving force behind it at all, as its effect is less than useful in general. If even just the Corruption cloud happened every hit, perhaps there would be an argument to be made, as it might make others consider how they approached you, but it just seems like the Perk is not strong enough to be useful, infrequent enough to lose even more effectiveness, and worst of all requires a huge Attribute point investment which causes other complications in the Builds.
Authority is one of my least favorite Attributes, mostly because I veered away from using thralls a couple of years ago. That said, I do have a reasonable understanding on how a Build can benefit from the Attribute as well as each of the Perks. In truth, there’s a lot to like here. The biggest problem I see is that most PvP players with some experience will have very little trouble avoiding thralls on their way to you. Let that not take away from each Follower’s ability to provide if nothing else a solid distraction, because as mentioned before, avoiding Damage is far more important than dealing it.
Level 5
Irritate [Rank 8]
Active followers will triple their aggro from enemy NPCs, attempting to draw in all attacks towards them. The ability has a 3 second cooldown.
While Irritate holds some potential to be useful in PvE or PvP against somebody with a thrall, it also has no other effect in PvP. This can lead to a relatively ineffective perk when also paired with the fact that there is a cooldown of 3 seconds to go with the ability. That’s all without saying how taking this perk also bars you off from all Corrupted Perks in Authority.
Frenzy Corruption Level 5 [Rank 4]
When you deal Damage, your Followers gain “Frenzy”. Frenzied followers deal increased Damage scaling with Corrupted Authority at 3% per point. The effect lasts for 10 seconds.
Frenzy, while not the most effective Perk from the start, becomes increasingly more powerful up to a cap of 60% increased Follower damage, which is a significant boost. Even at the point this perk is claimed, it will allow your thralls to deal 15% extra damage, which I believe is far more worthwhile than Irritate.
Level 10
Commanding Presence [Rank 9]
*Your Followers have their health restored when you deal damage in combat.
On a base level this Perk has a relatively good premise. It fails, though, due to that heal being far too low. If improving Follower healing is something you aim to do, direct your focus towards other means like:
Healthy Diet [Rank 5]
Your Followers +10 Health regeneration after not taking Damage for 10 seconds.
Healthy Diet is a great natural heal for Followers equivalent to having the best healing food active at all times. This can stack with all available other heals for Followers and is a very decent Perk overall. This Perk is best for PvE content considering the breaks you get between. That said, if you’re looking to have a more combat-effective Follower, Healthy Diet will do nothing for you.
Flesh Bond Corruption Level 10 [Rank 6]
33% of Damage received by the Player is redirected to each Follower in whole.
Flesh Bond is in an odd place for my flavor of Corruption Builds. It’s another one of those Perks similar to Petrified in the way that it is probably more useful to a less Corrupted Build, but it has its use in my Robust Leader Build to mitigate some Damage. With all of the Perks in the level 10 slot of Authoritybeing focused around Follower healing it certainly is welcome to see a change, however it’s not as effective when even with max HP as a Corrupted Build you’re still likely to take the full one-third Damage with Steel Thewed. It makes sense for those without Steel Thewed, but that… is not us.
Level 15
Attentive Care [Rank 7]
Your Followers receive 50% increased healing from all sources except for passive regeneration or Perk-related healing effects.
As another perk focused on thrall healing, this is okay for healing thralls but not superbly useful versus the increased Health regen from having Healthy Diet. I feel I would be much more inclined to choose another Perk if the choice existed… Or just Corrupt into:
Devour Corruption Level 15 [Tied for Rank 1]
* 2% of raw Damage dealt by Followers heals you. The Damage is calculated before any perks, damage reduction, or debuffs are taken into account.*
This is, in my experience, the best perk for Corrupted Authority Builds when used properly. It is not necessarily the best alone, though, and is made much better the more hits are done. I consider this perk Best when using War Party and getting maximum hits on the board to maintain Health. It’s tough to maintain Health in these builds, but the more opportunities you get to be healed the better. I’ll talk more about this in War Party’s description, because the duo really does create interesting synergies. The same is true for Well-Trained, and the balance will come down to Follower/ Weapon choice.
Level 20
Well-Trained [Tied for Rank 2]
Your active Followers gain +20 to all Attributes.
I usually prefer having just one Follower over two when that Follower is extremely buffed. It usually makes controlling them easier due to simplicity. Having a warrior that can one-hit kill many enemies in the game is a great asset to any style of gameplay, and this Perk can make that a reality very quickly. If you want a few buffed walls of flesh on the field, use this and a few Resurrected Corpses. All three of them will benefit from Well-Trained, and they’re easily replaceable. I may not have mentioned this so much with Devour, but this Perk also makes a solid pairing and can turn your Resurrected Corpses into distracting Health leeches to topple your opponents.
War Party [Tied for Rank 2]
You can now use up to 2 Followers or 4 Resurrected Corpses. All Follower Damage boosts coming from the Player is now negated.
With such a long list of negatives that come with this Perk, I find it really hard to recommend… Typically. While Well-Trained wins with its three buffed zombies over for standard zombies due to having no stat boosts whatsoever, the utility of being able to use two Followers with weapon choice or a pet with knockdown/useful attack patterns can get you very unique advantages that may catch opponents off-guard. I’ll delve into Follower use more later.
Demon-Lord Corruption Level 20 [Rank 10]
When a Player lands an attack, there is a 7% chance for an uncontrolled demon to spawn. More than one demon can be spawned at a time and there’s a 20% chance for each summon to be an elite demon. Each individual summon lasts 22.5 seconds.
I openly consider this Perk to be one of if not the absolute worst of Authority because it doubles as both chance-based as well as uncontrollable otherwise. The demons don’t have enough power to them either, so It just feels like a lose-lose-Lose-out-on-both-War-Party-and-Well-Trained-lose situation when taking this Perk. At least now we can put all the top-level Corruption Perks in a box together and kick them off a cliff… Until those Proc chances make them worthwhile.
Grit is your best friend in Corruption Builds. Not only does it have the amazing Steel Thewed I mentioned before, but it also adds more ever-important Stamina every single point.
Level 5
Tenacity [Rank 4]
Increases your Armor by 40 and Stamina by 20.
Tenacity gives you an immediate boost of 10 Stamina, which while I could just pass off, is a nice addition to all Builds I am talking about. You will be getting this along with many other Perks in Grit if you really want to survive in a Corruption Build.
Level 10
Endurance [Rank 3]
Your Stamina regenerates 25% faster.
This Perk, much like Tenacity, is not ridiculously useful, however the boost to Stamina regeneration is very useful when compared to:
Stout [Rank 6]
Increases your armor by 1/5 of your current Stamina.
Look, Stout is pretty bad when you aren’t Corrupted and is FAR worse when you are. Enough said.
Level 15
Defensive Posture [Rank 5]
Incoming Damage is reduced by 15% while you are attacking or blocking.
This Perk, just like all other perks that raise your Armor value, is next to useless, however it gives you a slight boost in resilience when it comes to the Robust Leader Build.
Level 20
Shield Master [Rank 2]
You can block unblockable attacks at a higher Stamina cost and you react twice as quickly after successfully blocking.
This Perk was always very good if you had no need for Steel Thewed. If you somehow can deal without that Perk, then Shield Master will allow you to block all attacks including kicks and Great Axe Heavies… Great Axes should be able to go through shields still. Funcom says that the piercing effect they used to have was unintentional but it’s been around for years and has become a core combat tactic for dealing with turtles… But hey- If you can block them now, you should block them now.
Steel Thewed [Rank 1]
You cannot take more than 33% of your maximum Health in Damage per hit.
I’ve explained this throughout this post plenty already, but just in case I didn’t say it enough, Steel Thewed is KING. If you’re going to be at 20 Grit for the Stamina anyways, the Perk is going to prevent you from tons of 1-hit kill situations. It deserves your attention and if you’ve chosen a Corruption Build you deserve it.
For Expertise In particular, I am going to skip over the majority of Perks due to them being useless in all regards in the combat-centric context I’ve maintained thus far. There are two Perks that I could consider useful in a hunt-style situation, and I will briefly mention them.
Level 5
Survivalist: [Rank 2]
Tool durability, hunger, and thirst all deplete at half their normal rates.
This Perk has just a little bit of use in the sense that it will help you survive longer in the wild, but it’s hardly worth talking about.
Level 20
Beast of Burden: [Rank 1]
*When over-encumbered, you can dodge and move at full speed.
Again, this might help you in certain situations where you’re trying to loot, but I would never suggest a Corruption Build for farming. It’s also worth mentioning that you can’t do running attacks while over-encumbered even if you have this Perk!
Dodge First, Attack Second
This might sound like I’m telling you how to use Rolling Thrust, but in truth it’s just to say that landing an attack on an opponent is never as important as dodging their attack. If you are staggered, you could be dead in a single flurry. It might be upsetting when the entire fight has gone perfectly and you fumble because you get greedy.
Glutton Canceling
Doing very low Damage to opponents on your first strike can typically be a good idea, as it will test if they have Glutton for Punishment and also, if they do, nearly cancel out the heal they will receive from the Perk for its 15-second duration. This must be repeated, but denying your opponent regeneration can be very worth your while. Many players don’t know how to react to that dip in their healing capabilities.
Roll-Switching
Some Weapons have much different reaches than others, and your opponent will usually only consider the Weapon you currently have equipped. You can use this to your advantage by switching Weapons mid-roll. I’ll give a few immediate examples of effective switches I’ve used:
- Switching from Great Axe to Spear or Short Sword due to the difference in reach
- Kicking an opponent, then roll-switch into a Greatsword Special to ensure you land the attack
- Switching between a Shield or an off-hand Weapon just to save time
- Switching to Bow if your opponent has put just a bit too much distance between the two of you
- Switching during a roll away from opponent into a lunging Katana Special attack.
Know when it’s too much:
You (alone) might be able to take two opponents on at once. Maybe even 3 if you’re good or they’re inexperienced, but the resource of attention is finite in any given moment. Know that if you miss a subtle detail, death might come abruptly. If you see large groups and aren’t confident, it’s fine to flee.
I might judge you, but it’s fine to flee.
Balanced Warrior Strategies
This, being my favorite Build, is the one I can elaborate most on. You’ll have a good deal of Stamina for a Corruption Build and you’ll therefore have some freedom there. Each attack you land will do a reasonable amount of Damage, but you should never get careless. You’ll want to slowly whittle down opponents and perhaps get more aggressive depending on how they play. If they keep distance, draw a Bow, but get ready for a close-quarters retaliation. Resurgence will nearly top you up on Health if you get low, but you should eat a feast each and every time you get hit. If Resurgence does go off, make sure to cautiously top your Health off before becoming aggressive again. Counters are huge, and baiting your opponent into a Heavy attack will quickly turn the tide. React in a way that promotes your own self-preservation first while never letting up otherwise. DOTs are a great way to keep your opponent hesitant, so apply them whenever possible.
Supportive Summoner/Follower-Master Strategies
This Build takes a large departure from the last one. You have even less Health and you’ll need to make up for that… Or… your Follower(s) will. You need to become a strong supportive unit to play this Build. Bows are a great way to do this from a safe distance. Shoot the opponent’s legs to slow them down and apply status effects. It’s a good idea to use Thralls that use crippling Weapons like the Dueling Blade of the Hawk with its severe cripple and/or sundering Weapons so that each hit hurts that much more. Remember, the Damage your Followers do is your lifeblood, so keeping them able to hit your opponent is key. You might also consider a Shield and Short Sword to block your opponent into being swarmed and also being able to get some powerful hits from time to time. You will lose one third of your Health every hit, but on the flipside will require little healing from yourself or your Companions to regain what was lost.
Maximum-Damage Warrior Strategies
Compared to the Balanced Warrior Build, this Build does quite a bit more Damage (depending on active Perks. If you chose To Corrupt Strength to 14, Be ready to cautiously use Berserker when you can. If you Corrupted to 20, be prepared to strike people after Desecrate procs. Hit them while they are mid-air and don’t let up. As with the last Build, you don’t regen Health… So it’s up to just your feasts (or a quick basic-level Aloe Pot if you can pull it off). There’s a lot of pressure there, so be careful and use your opponent’s awareness of your power to your advantage. Stalling earns you Health back, and it’s necessary when you play this Build.
Robust Leader Strategies
This Build plays similar to the Supportive Summoner/Follower-Master Build, but with more Health and Health regeneration. You’ll hit significantly less hard though. If there was a build that I would think fits the idea of a Sorcerer, it’s something close to this. You need to support your Followers and your armor will still award you some Damage Potential of your own. If you get hit, maybe take the time to heal straight away! That’s what Glutton for Punishment is for, after all. Again, if the opponent gets close, a Shield and Short Sword can do wonders. The more pressure is on the opponent, the easier you can pull off a stunluck, a debuff, personal heal, or another kind of meaningful hit - Stamina Damage, anybody?
This may apply to the first Follower Build as well, but running your opposition dry of Stamina at any point will place you in a position of power. Use what you know to piece-by-piece rip your opponents apart.
As a general rule with these any of these Builds, not taking damage is the ultimate goal with the secondary goal of dispatching the opposition. Living simply carries greater weight than killing. In order to help, I’m including basic attack styles/patterns. Whether or not this section is helpful will depend on your experience and your willingness to adopt a new attack style. The biggest deal here is that you need to understand the available attack patterns of yourself and your enemies. That includes all the way from the timespan and the reach of each attack all the way to the cancel times in order to both lure enemies into baits as well as not get caught in them.
One-Handed Maces
I feel the need to note that while the 1H Maces seemed like they could fit in as a quick attack with their Lights and a way to combat Shields, the overall speed of the Weapon and the amount of hits to actually break a guard leave a lot to be desired. Momentum might be good enough here, but I’m just not going to list any 1H Maces due to personal experience. Some weapons, like 1H Axes, are left off due to being just relatively bad in general. I feel that 1H Maces deserve a mention, but don’t match well with these Builds.
Short Swords
Short Swords are in a spot where their attack direction is precise, but their Damage potential and ability to quickly recover from attacks makes them one of the best Weapons in the current state of the game. The lunging attacks get it ridiculous chase distance when countering a roll, and the Light flurry after the first Heavy attack is pretty powerful. Since it’s one-handed, a Shield or Throwable Weapon might also be to your benefit. With so many options and a high base Damage, Short Swords are easy to recommend and easier still to hate.
1H Swords
Again, using Shields to your advantage makes these Longswords a good balance between offense and defense. You will not have nearly the power of a Short Sword, but you will have a greater reach and a circular AoE third Heavy attack that can be good for baits. The first Light also makes for good chip Damage after rolling. Unlike the Short Swords, you also can kick while using the Longswords, and that kick can save you if you’re tactical about it.
Shields
Shields are imperative when fighting against opponents using Weapons with rapid attacks. The greatest offenders are Daggers, and you’d do well to remember that. I made the mistake of trying to fight a Dagger-wielder in a PvP tournament yesterday and was immediately eliminated. Even with a bunch of experience you’ll need to try to be good at identifying quick counter opportunities.
Chakrams
These make for decent running attacks and effective follow-up attacks, but are otherwise much slower and in my opinion are worse than Daggers.
Claws
Claws have fantastic running attacks and can go from misdirecting running to immediate dives towards an opponent. Following up with a heavy after that first hit can also result it rather high Damage between the pair of attacks.
Daggers
As mentioned before, Daggers are brutal against these Builds… But they are also pretty good to use if you’re skilled at dodging and quick to react. Running attacks are pretty good and chasing fleeing opponents is just as effective in these Builds as the next… Though more effective in another way. If you have Mule Kick, sprinting attacks that are done using the Special attack button/key will cause you to knock your opponent down. After the initial knockdown, you may score two or even three more hits on the opponent before they are able to retaliate.
Great Axes
I love love love Great Axes, but this new nerf where they lose their ability to pierce through Shields is silly. They’ve been the one most reliable counter to turtles, and I really can’t see why the ability would be stripped away even if it was originally unintentional. It added a layer of tactics to a fight. Anyways, the Lights with the Great Axes are relatively quick and can be decent interruptions, but the Heavies will always do a way better job at cutting down opponents. The second Heavy is pretty effective for baiting opponents into a rude awakening… or eternal slumber.
Katanas
I find that Katanas are actually really tough to use in these Builds. They do decent interruptions and their Heavies are incredibly powerful. Still, it feels like the Katana attacks are typically too difficult to connect against skilled opponents in a meaningful combo. I do find that Rolling into the dash Special attacks can be effective against individuals or groups. Also, a good way to pivot into dealing high Damage is to start with a Light attack or two and then strike with a Heavy. The second and third Heavies have a much less apparent tell than the initial Heavy.
Two Handed Maces
Hammers are one of my loves right now. Not only can you do brutal Heavies or relatively quick Lights, but there are other options. Experiment with the baits with the Hammers, as you might be surprised just how far you can go. With the knowledge of you being Corrupted, it seems opponents always believe you’ve run out of Stamina. Use that to your advantage, and retaliate hard when they aim to strike in your false exhaustion. If the bait is starting to fail… Why not use more of the combo? you can use the entire combo, and rotating your character to score extra hits can make the last two attacks absolutely insidious. On a different front, you can kick opponents into oblivion with the Mule kick and then rush their airborne body to get another hit or maybe even a second before they get to their feet.
Spears
In Builds where your main aim is to not be struck, the Spear has certain inherent value to it. You can stagger opponents from a distance while carefully backing away. If you’re using a status-inflicting Spear, their advance will likely become more cautious. If it does, react in way that is relevant. I believe that Spears should not be used as an assaulting Weapon in these Builds. Between the reaching pokes and a launching kick, they can be a solid balance between defensive and offensive.
I do not yet have enough experience to comment on the new move set for Spears, but my general impression is that while they have excellent AoE attacks and can deal high Damage, they’re tough to avoid retaliatory Damage while using.
Two Handed Swords
Two-Handed Swords are in a tough spot at the moment, but they can be used relatively effectively. The Light attacks are rather effective and are very quick to use in between rolls or after. I advise against using the Special attacks, as your Stamina going into the negatives will absolutely get you killed. Baiting with a first attack into a Heavy can again be very useful in dealing considerable Damage in these Builds.
Bows
Using Bows in combat can draw in opponents they have been primarily keeping distance, and this can be a distinct advantage for you. Roll-switching into and out-of using a bow can give you strategic advantages at times. Other times, using a fully-drawn shot can be effective. Waiting for the perfect moment, even if that moment is when they drop the Shield to attack you, can deal insane damage with Bows. I particularly like them in close-quarters fights. You may be surprised what the “minimum effective range” really is.
Throwing Weapons
These Weapons don’t have exceptionally high Damage or anything, but they can provide a good way to strike back from afar while not switching to Bow. Switching over to a Shield while still having a primary Weapon can be a great time-save of sorts too. Methods like this can prevent your opponents from healing or provide chip Damage when the opponent might expect to take no Damage. They also work exceptionally well after roll-switching.
Feasts to Yog or Feasts of Set (13HP/sec)
These feasts serve as your healing during combat while you’re trying to during active movement. Between Yog/Set, pick whichever feast you find easier to craft, because by all means they achieve an identical effect.
Infused Aloe Potions
These are actually extremely beneficial. They heal a bit less than others, but very quickly. Feel free to exchange these for Pure Aloe Potions instead if you find yourself low on Scales of Dagon.
Grotesque Excrescence
a completely passive HP Regen that compliments our other heals nicely.
Resurgence
The big dog! As previously mentioned, this perk recovers a flat 80 HP when the player hits half HP and it is able to be used again as soon as the player fully recovers Health. The heal cannot be stopped by damage!
Glutton for Punishment
While I don’t love Glutton for Punishment for a number of reasons, the fact that its ability to regenerate Health is unique in the way that it functions. If you’ve been hit once and effectively protect afterwards, you can at least regenerate that Health back. That should not be overlooked.
We are using exclusively Light armor. That lets us do 6 rolls from full Stamina and helps us make or break contact swiftly.
We also gain boosted Regen from the previously- mentioned Feasts. Those boosts in Stamina regeneration are key to performance.
A few Sigils also amplify our Stamina management capabilities:
Sigil of the Demon: about 50% Stamina cost reduction for sprinting.
Sigil of the Fiend: 15% less stamina use per strike.
Sigil of the Twice-Drowned: 10% Chance for an attack to use no Stamina whatsoever.
I am going to leave this up to the reader. That’s right. Open-ended. Here are some thoughts, though:
You’re hurting for Stamina. Maybe buff that and score yourself another 21 Stamina?
Otherwise, choose one of these:
- Throw everything towards your preference in damage for an extra 30% Buff.
- If you’re in one of the Follower Builds, buff that.
One thing that I can’t stress this one enough: DO NOT BUFF HEALTH. It will hinder your healing and thus survival capabilities. Not only that, but Health buffs are also rather buggy and tend to disappear when the sated buff wears off.
Armor
I’m taking a rather general approach to Armor for this post despite going in-depth almost everywhere else. Sometimes things just work and I find no reason to change them, you know? Note that all Armor was made using a Scoutwright to retain lowest weight possible.
Abyssal Helm:
STR+10%, AGI +10%, Follower DMG +12%, Concussive DMG+15%
Bestial Regalia (Scoutwright w/ Armor Reduction Kit):
STR +8%, AGI+8% (Currently labeled AGI +8%, AGI +8%, and seems act that way as well…)
Abyssal Gloves:
STR+10%, AGI +10%, Carrying Capacity +30
Leggings of Kurak (Scoutwright w/ Armor Reduction Kit):
Follower Damage +10%, Stamina +32
Abyssal Boots:
STR+10%, AGI +10%, Stamina +15
If preferable, use Gliding Joints on the Bestial Regalia and the Leggings of Kurak.
Tip:
If you are in either Follower Build and you aren’t using War Party, you can instead use the Skelos Cultist Master set in place of the Abyssal Gloves and Abyssal Boots. This will net you a little extra Follower Damage but you will lose Armor value, a bit of Agility Damage, a bit more Strength Damage, 30 points of Carrying Capacity, and 7.5 Stamina. I will continue this post as if you have chosen to remain using the Abyssal set for those pieces.
Basic Stats before Buffs:
Balanced Warrior
Health: 200 (215 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: (200 [Base] + 200 [20× 10 Levels of Vitality]) ÷ 2 [Corruption debuff because Crom loves you]
Stamina: 123 (132 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: (100 [Base] +60 [3×20 Levels of Grit] +32 [T4-Crafted Leggings of Kurak] + 20 [Grit Perk: Tenacity] + 20 [20 Levels of Agility] + 15 [Abyssal Boots])/2 [Corruption debuff because Crom hates you]
Strength Damage: 208%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 50% [5%×10 Levels of Strength] + 10% [1% × 10 Corrupted Strength with Scourge] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 10% [0.5% × 20 Levels of Agility] + 8% [Bestial Regalia]
Agility Damage: 258%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 100% [5%×20 Levels of Agility] + 10% [1% × 10 Corrupted Strength with Scourge] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 8% [Bestial Regalia] + 5% [0.5% × 10 Levels of Strength]
Follower Damage: 122%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 12% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Leggings of Kurak]
Carrying Capacity: 155
Breakdown: 95 [Base] + 30 [3 × 10 Levels of Strength] + 30 [Abyssal Gloves]
Concussive Damage: 115%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 15% [Abyssal Helm]
Supportive Summoner/Follower-Master
Health: 100 (115 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: 200 [Base] ÷ 2 [Corruption debuff]
Stamina: 123 (132 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: (100 [Base] +60 [3×20 Levels of Grit] +32 [T4-Crafted Leggings of Kurak] + 20 [Grit Perk: Tenacity] + 20 [20 Levels of Agility] + 15 [Abyssal Boots])/2 [Corruption debuff*]
Strength Damage: 148%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 10% [0.5% × 20 Levels of Agility] + 8% [Bestial Regalia]
Agility Damage: 258%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 100% [5%×20 Levels of Agility] + 10% [1% × 10 Corrupted Strength with Scourge] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 8% [Bestial Regalia] + 5% [0.5% × 10 Levels of Strength]
Follower Damage: 202% (Temporarily 259% with Frenzy)
Breakdown: 100% [Base] 80% [4% * 20 Levels of Authority] + 12% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Leggings of Kurak]
Carrying Capacity: 155
Breakdown: 95 [Base] + 30 [3 × 10 Levels of Strength] + 30 [Abyssal Gloves]
Concussive Damage: 235%
Breakdown: 120% [6% * 20 Levels of Authority] + 100% [Base] + 15% [Abyssal Helm]
Maximum-Damage Warrior
Health: 100 (115 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: 200 [Base] ÷ 2 [Corruption debuff]
Stamina: 123 (132 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: (100 [Base] +60 [3×20 Levels of Grit] +32 [T4-Crafted Leggings of Kurak] + 20 [Grit Perk: Tenacity] + 20 [20 Levels of Agility] + 15 [Abyssal Boots])/2 [Corruption debuff because Crom hates you]
Strength Damage: 262-268%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 100% [5%×20 Levels of Strength] + 14-20% [1% × 14-20 Corrupted Strength with Scourge] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 10% [0.5% × 20 Levels of Agility] + 8% [Bestial Regalia]
Agility Damage: 258%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 100% [5%×20 Levels of Agility] + 14-20% [1% × 14-20 Corrupted Strength with Scourge] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 10% [0.5% × 20 Levels of Strength] + 8% [Bestial Regalia]
Follower Damage: 122%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 12% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Leggings of Kurak]
Carrying Capacity: 185
Breakdown: 95 [Base] + 60 [3 × 20 Levels of Strength] + 30 [Abyssal Gloves]
Concussive Damage: 115%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 15% [Abyssal Helm]
Robust Leader
Health: 350 (365 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: (200 [Base] + 400 [20× 20 Levels of Vitality]) + 100 [Vitality Perk: Robust (?)]÷ 2
Stamina: 123 (132 w/ Sated)
Breakdown: (100 [Base] +60 [3×20 Levels of Grit] +32 [T4-Crafted Leggings of Kurak] + 20 [Grit Perk: Tenacity] + 20 [20 Levels of Agility] + 15 [Abyssal Boots])/2 [Corruption debuff*]
Strength Damage: 138%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 8% [Bestial Regalia]
Agility Damage: 138%
Breakdown: 100% [Base] + 10% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Abyssal Gloves] + 10% [Abyssal Boots] + 8% [Bestial Regalia]
Follower Damage: 202% (Temporarily 259% with Frenzy)
Breakdown: 100% [Base] 80% [4% * 20 Levels of Authority] + 12% [Abyssal Helm] + 10% [Leggings of Kurak]
Carrying Capacity: 125
Breakdown: 95 [Base] + 30 [Abyssal Gloves]
Concussive Damage: 235%
Breakdown: 120% [6% * 20 Levels of Authority] + 100% [Base] + 15% [Abyssal Helm]
I made a post previously about Weapon choice, and I’m spoiled so I just spoke about my favorite Weapons… but a voice of reason pointed something out to me:
… Bet you thought I’d forgotten, huh, @stelagel?
That said, it seems it’s quite relevant to give craftable options where possible as well. Also, just like with Sigils, these Builds become more viable with access to Weapons and items from Siptah. I have done my best to consider both of those concepts in my Weapon selection and try to offer everybody options.
My Weapon choices will be primarily heavy-hitting options with the addition of a few utility Weapons sprinkled in. If there are special properties to a Weapon, I will note them.
Assume that all weapons are created by a Bladesmith or Bowmaker unless otherwise noted.
NOTE: Lots of good choices here, unfortunately all of the craftable options are from Siptah until Star Metal.
Sword of Champions
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Oil of Penetration
Alligator Bite Siptah Exclusive
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Oil of Penetration
Bad Karma Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
NOTE: This weapon will remove poison from yourself when equipped and will also remove one of your opponent’s buffs on strike.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Legslicer Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Voidforge Gladius Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Star Metal (or equivalent) Short Sword [Craftable]
NOTE: Yes. Even A Star Metal level short sword is worth having right now. This weapon type is powerful and quick to get in and get out.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Lloigor Fang Siptah Exclusive
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Oil of Penetration
Ancient Lemurian Sword [Craftable]
NOTE: *This weapon cripples every hit including Light attacks.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
NOTE: I use a Scoutwright to craft my Shields and then use the Paring Blade to lower their weight as much as possible, but if weight is no issue, using a Temperwright and a Master Durability Kit could be a better option for you!
Black Braughr’s Fury
w/ Paring Blade
Ancient Lemurian Shield [Craftable] [Crafted by Scoutwright]
w/ Paring Blade
Shield of the Grey Ones Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Paring Blade
Obsidian Shield [Craftable] [Crafted by Scoutwright]
NOTE: Easier to get than Shield of the Grey Ones
w/ Paring Blade
Berserker’s Fistblades
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Rip and Tear Siptah Exclusive
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Featherlight Chakram Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
NOTE: These Chakrams take a single point of stamina less per swing than others.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Serpentes Chakram Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Blood Crystal Chakram [Twitch Drop Exclusive] [Craftable]
NOTE: *These Chakrams are available from a Twitch Drop until May 14th (2024). Did you like Rip and Tear? If so, rejoice, because for now these are a better, craftable version of those. Thanks for placing these on my radar, @PhilC.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Oil of Penetration
Black Claws
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Claws of the Great Wolf Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Hound Fang Daggers Siptah Exclusive (Poisonable)
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Lloigor Fang Daggers Siptah Exclusive
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
The Grim (Poisonable)
NOTE: These daggers can also be used to toggle Glutton while uncharged, also, they become incredibly powerful after the full twenty hits of escalating charge. Entering PvP at full charge will make you a nightmare on the field.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
NOTE: *I know, I know. This makes no sense… But they are SO POWERFUL. I had to list this option!
Balancing Daggers Siptah Exclusive [Craftable] [Crafted by Tempersmith]
NOTE: These are utility both for taking away Drunk/Poison & doing minimal Damage to cancel out opponent’s Glutton for Punishment for 15 seconds.
w/ Paring Blade
Daggers of the Outer Dark Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
NOTE: These daggers deal Sunder which makes them a great way to apply 1-5 quick stacks and then switch to using a powerful weapon like a Great Axe to do maximum Damage.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Daggers of Dagon [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
NOTE: Great Axes are another great way to punish a turtling player, but instead of breaking down the guard just switch (maybe roll-switch) into a Heavy attack to cleave right through.
Scythe of Thag
w/ Oil of Agony:
w/ Oil of Penetration
Sorcerer’s Great Axe Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
NOTE: *This weapon deals additional Damage based on your level of Corruption, so with full Corruption it hits like an absolute truck.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Hamstringing Great Axe Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
NOTE: This weapon Cripples the opponent so that maybe they’ll think twice about turtling again.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Star Metal (or equivalent) Great Axe [Craftable]
NOTE: Another time where Star Metal is the best craftable option for EL, but again, even this Weapon will destroy an opponent’s Health pool if you can manage to land a heavy.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
NOTE: Crafted Katanas with this build feel a bit underwhelming without access to Siptah gear, but if you’re skilled you may be able to use them effectively. I do have a great choice if you’re invested into the Bazaar, though!
Musashi’s Black Blade
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Jagged Edge
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Venomcoated Blade Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Dragonbone Katana [Bazaar Exclusive] [Craftable]
NOTE: If you were lucky enough and willing to be pay to acquire the Dragonbone Katana, its ability to interrupt attacks quickly paired with its sunder on every hit can get crazy for a crafted weapon you can make from level 0.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
NOTE: Another Weapon that’s great for piling on heavy Damage. Just make sure you strip the target’s Glutton, or you might end up just healing them.
Baal-Pteor’s Lodestone (Poisonable)
NOTE: This weapon also deals Stamina damage!
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Blackheart Hammer [Craftable]
w/ Oil of Agony
Abyssal Maul [Summonable]
NOTE: While I do not recommend this weapon at all over the Blackheart Hammer, it absolutely is worth noting as a Weapon you can bring to PvP and not worry about losing to an opponent. It can work effectively to gauge a new enemy’s power and skill before deciding to pull no punches which is effectively the point of running crafted Weapons anyways.
Mordlun
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Oil of Penetration
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Long Lloigor Fang Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Oil of Agony
Voidforge Pike [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Oil of Penetration
Baal-pteor’s Razor
NOTE: *This is solid option for those without Strength.
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
Blackheart Blade [Craftable]
w/ Oil of Agony
NOTE: *if using Bows with Oils on them, be sure you unequip them immediately. The Oils provide a greate damage boost, but that timer is rather slim.
Reach of the Red Mother
w/ Oil of Agony
w/ Master Weapon Fitting:
Voidforge Bow Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
w/ Master Weapon Fitting
w/ Oil of Agony
Twice Upon an Arrow Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
NOTE: This bow shoots two arrows at once! This can be used to fire two high-Damage Arrows or two status-inflicting Arrows
w/ Master Weapon Fitting:
w/ Oil of Agony
Mandibles of Atlach Nacha
Huntress Arrows Siptah Exclusive
Star Metal Arrows [Craftable]
Serpent-man Arrows [Craftable]
Snake Arrows [Craftable]
Note: These Arrows poison on strike, and are great to use with Twice-Upon-an-Arrow.
Note: Throwing Axes are used in the off-hand whereas Javelins are used in the main hand.
Throwing axe of Nergal Siptah Exclusive [Craftable]
Note: This throwing axe can be thrown 17 times!
Dragonbone Throwing Axe [Craftable]
Dragonbone Javelin [Craftable]
Thuunha Javelin Siptah Exclusive
Slow Fall
Works as a perfect ambush given that you have both the drop and are outside of earshot. That last part is unlikely.
Invisibility Self
Using this can be another great way to sneak up on a target even if they hear the initial cast!
Creeping Darkness
Much like Invisibility Self, this can be used to have an advantage against an opponent even if they hear you cast it. Furthermore, it can buy time to cast another spell if you’d like to do so.
Lightning Storm
This spell is the ultimate form of passive Damage on multiple targets that can effect them throughout a fight, just make sure that you give yourself enough time to cast since it’s a top-tier Sorcery.
Join in!
Now I’ve said… too much here.
…Which means I’m surely wrong somewhere.
If anybody has something crucial that I overlooked, or anything to add/question at all, please speak!
There’s gotta be some huge typo in there somewhere. Point and laugh!
Final Thoughts:
I make this post to show that I really do care for this aspect of the game. I might have some frustrations and be using Corruption in a completely unintended way, but then what really is the right way? Using my favorite Build, the “Balanced Warrior” Build, I still have an insane level of difficulty when fighting. I used to win well over half my fights but now even using all my best strategies, playing just seems too difficult. I’ll never give up, because since their release, I’ve loved many aspects of Corruption including a good bit of what Sorcery itself has to offer. I think the level of detail I’ve gone into shows that I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about these topics.
My ask, Funcom, is that I’d love to see Corruption given a little love. Maybe even a lot. People don’t use it because of the hurdles it asks the player to make. Not the hurdles of building up Sorcery, but the hurdles of every aspect of gameplay. I have made these hurdles. More than anything, I would love to see other players give this an honest shot.
This all seems to have stemmed from the Age of War Stamina changes and while I actually appreciate a good deal of the changes this Age has brought to the game, I also have a lot of growing pains I’ve been dealing with. I’ve been into this game since 2019, and have been into PvP combat since the early release of Siptah on PC. I actively play on both PC and Xbox.
I don’t expect a rework, but do want your attention.
I want the distress to be understood.
Please at least give it thought.
Thank you.
-Omni
This section will be an attempt to briefly note all proposed Corruption Build solutions mentioned after my initial post as well as exceptionally meaningful or thoughtful ideas I find elsewhere) in order to have quality and additive further discussion.
-
Consumables that quickly regenerate Stamina faster than how the Feasts or Herbal Tea do
-
Intruduce a Stamina “Siphon” that gains Stamina back in one of these ways:
A. Steals Stamina from hit target based on damage amount or a flat value
B. Generating an amount back after hitting a target based on damage amount or a flat value -
Creating Corrupted Perks for all other Attributes
-
Particular traits givin to certain summoned Weapons similar to the unlimited ammunition the Abyssal Bow has. Noted examples thus far:
A. The Abyssal Maul takes Stamina in a similar way to one of the siphons listed above. -
Potential Corrupted Perks:
A. Agility/Grit/Expertise: Each swing takes a certain amount less Stamina. This could be the first perk in one of these lines that scaled with each Corruption point. If it was a 2.5%/point difference, it would match up to the current Corruption takeaway from Health and Stamina per pointwould go to 50% Stamina Drain.
Minor clean-up in phrasing & formatting
Added Change Log and Proposed Solutions
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