Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is extremely difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover the unique Build:Duelist. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Duelist - Rogue Build
TheDuelistis a high risk, high rewardBuildwhereby the character focuses on high damage andDodging. Because players are more inclined toDuel Wieldwhen playing a rogue-like character (withDaggers) there is a natural synergy here with theTalentParry Masterwhich increasesDodgingby 10% whenDuel Wielding. Players wishing to play this sort ofBuildshould also pick theDwarfrace for this character, as they get an additional 5% toDodgingfromSturdy. You won’t have quite as good ofDodgingas aStormbringer, but it’ll still be quite good.
Level 15 Duelist. I haven’t quite gotten Warfare maxed out yet, but I’m getting there. You can see I have 45% Dodging with out any help and with many pieces not having Dodging on them yet. I am also not a Dwarf, so I’d have 5% more if I were.
Duelist Attributes and Equipment
TheDuelistwill focus onFinesseandWits.Finesseis the primaryAttributeof yourDaggers, so you’ll need this to increase your damage.Witswill grant youCritical Chanceas well asInitiativeand is useful for spotting traps and other valuable items around the map. I recommend putting points into these twoAttributesin a roughly 2:1 ratio. You can also put a few points intoMemoryand/orConstitutionas needed.
Finesse and Wits are the two most important Attributes for this Build. You want to hit hard and often, as well as go first in combat with the Duelist.
DuelistsutilizeArmourthat requiresFinesse, which means you will have a balance ofPhysicalandMagical Armour. Ideally you’d have moreMagical ArmourthanPhysical, because with the amount ofDodgeyou’re going to have you shouldn’t be getting hit byWeaponattacks often, so keep that in mind when selectingArmour. You’ll also want to find pieces of gear that have eitherDodgingon them orDual Wieldingand stack pieces with these bonuses as high as you can.
In terms of Weapons, as previously covered, you’re going to want toDual Wield Daggers. This will ensure you get the bonus from Parry Master, as well as allow you to utilizeScoundrel Skills. There are a couple good pairs of Daggers you can get early on.Kniles the Flenserdrops the Unique Daggers:ChastityandAbstinenceinFort Joy Prison. If you defeatDorotya, the Decadent Onein theUndertavernofDriftwoodyou will getTerrorbiteandVenombite, which are also very good. These will help get you going until there is a better selection of gear to choose from.
One of several pairs of Unique daggers you’ll find through out the game. The bonuses aren’t ideal on these two, but the damage is quite good for the stage of the game they can be found.
Duelist Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aDuelist.
As aDuelistyou will want at least 3 points intoScoundrelso you can use the bulk of theSkillsthere (5 points if you wantMortal Blow) and you want 10 points intoDual Wieldingand 10 points intoWarfare.Dual Wieldingwill not only increase your damage, but will also increase yourDodging, which is important for thisBuild. DespiteWarfare’stooltip, it will enhance your piercing damage, as well as your physical damage, so it gets high priority here. Keep in mind you will need 1 or 2 points inWarfareearly on so that you can useWarfare Skillsas well.
Dual Wielding will not only increase your damage, but your Dodging, which is key for this Build. Warfare will not only increase your Physical Damage, but your Piercing Damage as well.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Parry Master- I think this one is obvious by now, but I have to mention it here because it belongs in this section. The oneTalentthisBuildcannot live without, so take this first thing.
Opportunist- Pretty much a must for any melee sort ofBuild. You’ll get use out of thisTalentnearly every battle, so take it early.
The Pawn- Excellent for any melee character. Helps you get in range so that you can use a gap closer to start the fight without using any AP. Since we have points inScoundrelanyway, it’s a no brainer.
Hothead- A great way to increase your overall damage output. Since you’ll have high initiative with thisBuildyou should make good use of it.
Picture of Health- You’ll be maxingWarfarewith this setup, so this is a natural fit. This won’t happen until the later half of the game though, so you don’t need to take it right away.
Duelist Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Duelistswill use a mix ofScoundrelandWarfareSkillsto deal damage and stay alive. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Scoundrel Skills
Adrenaline- Gives you AP at the cost of AP next round. Very good for this sort ofBuild, because you will have very high DPS, so you may be able to burn down a target or at least CC them before they get an attack using this skill.
Backlash- A great gap closer that guarantees aBackstab Critical, albeit with a 15% damage reduction vs a basic attack. This should be the first skill you use at the beginning of the fight, if you are in range of your target.
Throwing Knife- A decent ranged skill for thisBuild(85% damage vs basic attack). It canBackstab, so try to aim for an enemy whose back is already facing you for best results.
Corrupted Blade- A 115% damaging skill with 2 negativeStatus Effects, both of which are resisted byPhysical Armour. Hard to find manySkillsthis good with no downside.
Rupture Tendons- A great way to prevent targets from getting away from you and making them pay if they try. Deals the same amount of damage as a basic attack and piercing when they move.
Sawtooth Knife- This attack piercesArmourand is a great way to finish off a target, or deal damage to a target with highPhysical Armour, that can be finished by a Mage character on its turn. Deals the same damage as a basic attack.
Sleeping Arms- This skill deals 100% damage and setsAtrophyon the target, preventing it from attacking on its turn. You can never have enough of these type of Skills.
Mortal Blow- The best finisher in the game. It’s up to you if you want to invest 5 points intoScoundreljust for this skill or not. Personally I think it works better in anAssassintypeBuild, but it deals staggering 140% damage vs. a basic attack.
Warfare Skills
Battle Stomp- A decent AoE skill that comes with aKnockdown, which is good. Wait until turn 2 to use this skill, as you’ll want to get in andBackstabturn 1. It will also allow enemies to group up first.
Whirlwind- Absolutely excellent for AoE damage as you don’t suffer a damage reduction from using it. In other words, this will deal the same amount of damage as a basic attack, just to every target it hits.
Crippling Blow- Another skill that can be used to prevent your target from getting away from you. Deals 115% damage vs. a basic attack, and hits targets adjacent to your initial target.
Miscellaneous Skills
Bless– This Skill provides you with an additional 15% Dodging while the effect lasts for 1 AP and 1 SP. This is a great way to buff yourself at the start of combat to help ensure you are not struck, especially during Act 2.
Final Tips
With 10 points intoDual Wielding, theParry MasterandSturdyTalents, you should be at 25%Dodgingwithout any gear, which is pretty good. You want to shoot for 50% or better near the end of the game with your own equipment. This isn’t overly difficult to do, since that’s essentially 3 pieces ofArmourwith +7%Dodgeon them. Also, keep in mind thatLeadershipincreases yourDodging, so having aSummonerin the party or someone with a decent amount of points into thisAbility, you will further increase yourDodging. This makes it possible for you to to hit over 75%Dodgingnear the end of the game. Not bad…
At 10 Leadership you will grant other friendly characters 20% Dodging and 30% resistances. Ideally you’d have this on a Summoner type character who Summons a lot of Totems and a Pet.
Chicken ClawandRupture Tendonswhen combined are one of the most deadly combinations in the game. Chickens will move around a lot and take piercing damage in mass quantity whenRupture Tendonsis applied. So much so that Larian recently nerfed the amount of steps chickens take so that this specific combo will deal less overall damage. Consider adding a point intoPolymorphto get this skill just for that combo.
Blindingyour enemies reduces their accuracy by 35%, which can essentially make you actually unhittable later on in the game when you’ve acquired some decent gear. BecauseBlindis aStatus Effectthat is resisted byMagic Armour, it’s difficult to pull off with thisBuildso consider having a party member put some points intoGeomancerto take theThrow DustandDust Blastskills to help you out (or use Razzle Dazzle Grenades).
Because these scale off Intelligence and Blind is blocked by Magic Armour, it is advised you have your Geomancer learn these Skills at some point.
Thunder Runesincrease yourDodgingwhen slotted into necklaces that haveRuneslots. Be sure to find ones that do and slot the bestThunder Runeyou can in there and it will increase yourDodgingby up to 6%. Although that isn’t a huge amount, it all adds up to a much larger number! Also, one of the benefits ofDual Wieldingis that your offhandWeaponwill also have aRuneslot, which won’t be the case if you’re aTwo-Handed Buildof some sort (Shieldshave aRuneslot too).
Lastly, consider dropping a point intoHydrosophist, so that you have a way to replenishMagic Armour(Armour of Frost), since that will be your one vulnerability. This will also grant you access to at least 1 heal, which can also come in handy.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
