Sonic Daggers Elf Brawler

Open this build in the planner

The planner opens Phase Duelist with the tree and the attributes of this guide. Its Damage tab gives a damage per second estimate for your own gear and target.

Level 25 gives 48 points; the last 12 come from first boss kills.

Sonic Daggers is the keystone players name most often in the build and balance channels. A player's build tier list puts the Elf Brawler Sonic Daggers build in tier A, based on a clip of the build clearing a boss after the latest patch. Two video guides show it at level cap. The newest patch lowered the Sonic Bolt proc, so the build now leans more on Bleeding and crits than on the bolts alone.

• Build and balance messages that name Sonic Daggers: 30
• Build and balance messages that name the Elf Brawler: 62
• Messages anywhere that name the sonic daggers build: 42

Counted on our copy of the official Dimraeth Discord, bot messages left out. A count shows how much players talk about a build, not how strong it is.

• Sonic Daggers turns every attack into extra damage that passes through the pack, so Attack Speed is worth more here than on most builds.
• Backstep Strike gives Surge, Temporal Cleave spends it on your Final Attack, and spending it refreshes Sonic Daggers.
• The official notes for the newest patch lowered the Sonic Bolt proc from 0.58 to 0.26. Players read that as roughly half the bolt damage. The build keeps working because Temporal Cleave, Echoes Of Mutilation and Dismantle add a Bleeding burst on top of the bolts.
• Most crit in this tree only works against Bleeding enemies. Temporal Cleave keeps every target Bleeding, so those nodes are always on.

The nodes that make it work

The first line under each node is the game text.

• Sonic DaggersWhen spending 5 Temporal Surge, gain Sonic Daggers for 5 seconds. While Sonic Daggers is active, hitting enemies with your attack shoots out a sonic bolt that passes through enemies and deals split Thrust Damage and Blunt Damage.The keystone the build is named for. Each time you spend Surge you get a few seconds of Sonic Bolt on every attack. Players note it has no cooldown, so you can refresh it before it ends.
• Temporal CleaveHitting an enemy with your Final Attack spends your Temporal Surge to apply Bleeding to all nearby enemies, equal to the Temporal Surge spentYour Final Attack spends the Surge. That keeps the daggers going between casts and puts Bleeding on the whole pack.
• Repeating BackstepAt the end of the dash, strike again in a larger area. If both attacks hit, reduce the cooldown of Backstep Strike by 50%.Landing both hits halves the cooldown of Backstep Strike, so you build Surge more often. Players report that the second strike gives Surge too.
• Surging Backstep Increase IIncrease the Temporal Surge gained from Backstep Strike by 1 per point. (not mutually exclusive with other Effect Milestone Modifiers)More Surge per Backstep Strike hit. Take all three.
• Harvesting MutilationConsume all Bleeding on enemies hit by the final strike. For each Bleeding stack consumed, gain 1 Double Strike, up to a cap of 10. Echoes of Mutilation no longer gains Double Strike from Temporal Surge.Echoes Of Mutilation eats the Bleeding from Temporal Cleave and turns it into Double Strike.
• DismantleWhenever Bleeding is consumed on an enemy, its remaining damage over time is dealt at once.When Bleeding is consumed, its remaining damage lands at once. It pairs with the Bleeding you build and consume.
• Elven Martial FlowIncrease the damage of your Attacks by 12% Increase your Critical Chance against Stunned enemies by 12%A cheap node that raises the damage of your attacks, the hits that fire the bolts.

• Backstep StrikeFrom the skill tree · cooldown 3 sA start spell and the engine. Each hit gives Temporal Surge. Its base cooldown is 3 seconds, and the tree shortens it.
• Echoes Of MutilationFrom the skill tree · cooldown 12 sYour burst. With Harvesting Mutilation it consumes Bleeding for Double Strike stacks. Base cooldown 12 seconds.
• Quick JabFrom the skill tree · cooldown 4 sA start spell. A fast extra hit that also raises your Physical Damage for a moment.
• DashFrom the skill tree · cooldown 0.35 sA start spell. Your way out when a boss winds up.
• Tendon SliceFrom Spellbook Tendon Slice · cooldown 4 sA spellbook your Agility and Energy already allow. It is a cheap Bleeding hit with a short cooldown, so Echoes Of Mutilation always has stacks to consume.
• DevourFrom Spellbook Devour · cooldown 8 sA spellbook that needs only Strength. It hits harder the lower the enemy's Health, and a kill with it gives you a shield.
• VanishFrom the skill tree · cooldown 0.25 sYour defensive key. A perfect block teleports you behind the attacker and grants Temporal Surge, which also feeds Sonic Daggers.

Slot 1Backstep Strike

Slot 2Echoes Of Mutilation

Slot 3Tendon Slice

Slot 4Quick Jab

Slot 5Devour

Dash keyDash

Defensive keyVanish

The spell bar has five slots, then the dash and the defensive spell of your race on their own keys (the game HUD: Spell1 to Spell5, DashSpell, DefensiveSpell).

Pet

Carrion Parrot · casts Carrion Sweep every 8 seconds

It swoops on Bleeding enemies and adds Bleeding to the target and one more enemy. More stacks mean more Double Strike from Harvesting Mutilation and a bigger burst from Dismantle. One video guide also suggests it.

A pet can reach level 8 while you are level 25: one pet level per 3 of yours, and never above 20.

Item bar

The item bar has 4 slots.

• Lesser Health PotionA healing draft brewed with enchanted water and herbs.Your main heal. The tree has no healing.
• Lesser Stamina PotionA revitalizing tonic scented with mint and wild herbs.One video guide notes that Stamina runs out now and then. Your spells and your guard all cost Stamina.
• Copper Throwing KnifeA finely balanced copper throwing knife that passes through enemies. Favored for its precision and weight in combat.Applies Bleeding from range to every enemy it passes, so Echoes Of Mutilation has stacks even before you close in.
• Hunter's StewA warm, nourishing stew slow-cooked with care. Often shared at village hearths after long days of labor.Food that raises max Health and Stamina for a long time. Eat it before a boss.

Each level gives 2 skill points, and the first kill of some bosses gives one more. The level shown is the first level with enough points for the step, before any boss point.

1. Level 6 10 points

   Build the Surge engine first. Go up to Backstep Strike, take the three Surging Backstep Increase I nodes and Repeating Backstep, which strikes a second time and halves the cooldown when both hits land. Crippling Backstep sits on the path and costs a little damage.

   The nodes of this step

   Health Boost, Stamina Boost, Stamina Boost, Stamina Boost, Elven Form, Crippling Backstep, Surging Backstep Increase I, Surging Backstep Increase II, Surging Backstep Increase III, Repeating Backstep

2. Level 12 12 points

   Take the Backstep Strike cooldown nodes, then climb the Attack Speed path and two Thrust Damage nodes to unlock Echoes Of Mutilation. Until the keystones, it spends your Surge and gives you a burst.

   The nodes of this step

   Backstep Strike Cooldown Reduction I, Backstep Strike Cooldown Reduction II, Backstep Strike Cooldown Reduction III, Attack Speed Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Finesse of the Graced, Thrust Damage Increase, Thrust Damage Increase, Echoes of Mutilation, Echoes of Mutilation Max Stacks Converted Increase I, Echoes of Mutilation Max Stacks Converted Increase III

3. Level 15 6 points

   Walk the Attack Speed path to Sonic Daggers. Every node on the way raises Attack Speed, and more attacks mean more bolts.

   The nodes of this step

   Attack Speed Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Timebound Palms, Sonic Daggers

4. Level 21 11 points

   Take Temporal Cleave through the Thrust Damage path, so your Final Attack spends Surge and keeps Sonic Daggers running. Add Rending Backstep for more Bleeding, then the Echoes Of Mutilation hit nodes and Harvesting Mutilation, which turns the Bleeding into Double Strike.

   The nodes of this step

   Thrust Damage Increase, Thrust Damage Increase, Timeless Butcher, Temporal Cleave, Rending Backstep, Rending Backstep Increase I, Repeating Mutilation, Echoes of Mutilation Hit Increase I, Echoes of Mutilation Hit Increase II, Echoes of Mutilation Hit Increase III, Harvesting Mutilation

5. Level 25 and 4 boss points 13 points

   Now the crit and Bleeding ring. Elven Martial Flow raises the damage of your attacks. The ring gives Critical Damage and Critical Chance against Bleeding enemies, Blood Borne and Accelerated Hemorrhage. It ends at Dismantle, which deals the rest of a Bleeding at once when it is consumed.

   The nodes of this step

   Elven Martial Flow, Timedrifted Hemorrhage, Critical Damage vs. Bleeding, Critical Damage vs. Bleeding, Critical Damage vs. Bleeding, Critical Damage vs. Bleeding, Blood Borne, Critical Chance vs. Bleeding, Critical Chance vs. Bleeding, Critical Chance vs. Bleeding, Critical Chance vs. Bleeding, Accelerated Hemorrhage, Dismantle

6. Level 25 and 12 boss points 8 points

   Spend the last points on Thrust Damage and Focused Assault, which raises attack damage after each Elf ability, plus two more Attack Speed nodes and one more point of max Temporal Surge.

   The nodes of this step

   Thrust Damage Increase, Thrust Damage Increase, Physical Damage Increase, Focused Assault, Thrust Damage Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Attack Speed Increase, Max Temporal Surge Increase

Strength gets the most points: it gives the most Physical Power per point, and the Elf Brawler passive adds Attack Speed for each point of Strength. A few points of Physique add Health so you survive a stray hit. Agility gives less power, but it adds Attack Speed, which fires more bolts.

Points are trained cheapest first: each one goes to the attribute whose next point costs the least XP at that moment. Trained this way, the points leave XP to spare before level 25, so 2 more points go to Agility. That makes 49 points for 122594 XP. The order the guide started from bought 47 points for 124623 XP.

Stat priorities

• Strength first. It gives 1 Physical Power per point, twice what Agility gives, and the Elf Brawler passive adds Attack Speed for each point of Strength.
• Agility next. It gives 0.5 Physical Power and 0.5 percent Attack Speed per point, and Attack Speed means more bolts.
• Keep some Physique. Each point adds 10 Health.
• On gear, Attack Speed and Thrust Damage on the damage pieces, then crit. Attack Speed has a base roll of 3, Thrust Damage 6.
• Critical Chance matters more than usual. The tree gives crit mostly against Bleeding enemies, such as Accelerated Hemorrhage, and the Lionspear bonus needs crits.

The planner link trains them in this order up to level 25. A point costs base x (1 + (points above your start - 1) / 3) ^ 1.1 + 100 x your level in XP, so the order changes the total.

Every slot, as a target: Mythical, 3 stars, forge level 12. That is the best piece a player can own in this version of the game. The planner link carries this gear, so the planner shows its totals and damage.

The bolts fire on hits, so Attack Speed is a main stat on a Ring and both Bracers. Thrust Damage leads on the Rune and the other Ring, because Backstep Strike, Echoes Of Mutilation and Lionspear all work with Thrust. Crit fills the Amulets and Badges: Critical Damage has a base roll of 8 against 3 for Critical Chance, but the Lionspear six piece bonus needs Thrust crits to trigger, so one Amulet takes Critical Chance. Attack Damage appears as an extra wherever it can, since it raises the attacks that fire the bolts. Defence slots take Health and Armor.

The stat values follow the game's forge rule for each piece's stars and forge level. The planner uses the same rule.

• Rune · Lionspear · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 16.5 Thrust Damage
  Extra stats: 8.2% Physical Damage, 10.3 Thrust Piercing, 6.2 Physical Piercing, 9.8% Attack Damage, 5.6 Attack Speed, 14.1 HP
• Under-coat · Gorehorn · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 22 HP
  Extra stats: 12.4 Armor, 12.4 Thrust Armor, 12.4 Strike Armor, 11.8 Blunt Armor, 11.2 Resistance, 14.1 Stamina Regen
• Belt · Gorehorn · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 22 HP
  Extra stats: 12.4 Armor, 12.4 Resistance, 12.4 Strike Armor, 11.8 Blunt Armor, 14.9 Stamina, 14.1 Stamina Regen
• Charm · Gorehorn · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 22 Stamina Regen
  Extra stats: 16.5 Stamina, 16.5 HP, 12.4 Armor, 11.8 Resistance, 5.6 Spell Haste, 10.6 Strike Armor
• Ring 1 · Lionspear · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 16.5 Thrust Damage
  Extra stats: 8.2% Physical Damage, 10.3 Thrust Piercing, 6.2 Physical Piercing, 9.8% Attack Damage, 5.6 Attack Speed, 14.1 HP
• Ring 2 · Lionspear · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 8.3 Attack Speed
  Extra stats: 12.4 Thrust Damage, 8.2% Physical Damage, 10.3 Thrust Piercing, 5.9 Physical Piercing, 9.3% Attack Damage, 14.1 HP
• Amulet 1 · Lionspear · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 8.3% Critical Rate
  Extra stats: 16.5% Critical Multiplier, 12.4 Thrust Damage, 8.2% Physical Damage, 9.8% Attack Damage, 5.6 Attack Speed, 14.1 HP
• Amulet 2 · Lionspear · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 22% Critical Multiplier
  Extra stats: 6.2% Critical Rate, 12.4 Thrust Damage, 8.2% Physical Damage, 9.8% Attack Damage, 5.6 Attack Speed, 14.1 HP
• Badge 1 · Lionspear · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 22% Critical Multiplier
  Extra stats: 6.2% Critical Rate, 12.4 Thrust Damage, 8.2% Physical Damage, 9.8% Attack Damage, 5.6 Attack Speed, 14.1 HP
• Badge 2 · Pitfighter · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 22% Critical Multiplier
  Extra stats: 6.2% Critical Rate, 8.2% Physical Damage, 10.3% Attack Damage, 5.9 Attack Speed, 14.9 HP, 10.6 Armor
• Bracer 1 · Pitfighter · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 8.3 Attack Speed
  Extra stats: 8.2% Physical Damage, 10.3% Attack Damage, 6.2 Spell Haste, 15.7 HP, 11.2 Armor, 14.1 Stamina Regen
• Bracer 2 · Pitfighter · Mythical · 3 stars · +11 (forge level 12)
  Main stat: 8.3 Attack Speed
  Extra stats: 8.2% Physical Damage, 10.3% Attack Damage, 6.2 Spell Haste, 15.7 HP, 11.2 Armor, 14.1 Stamina Regen

While levelling

• While levelling, wear pieces with Thrust Damage, Physical Damage or Attack Speed. Goblins such as Goblin Ripper drop Moonthorn at one star early, and two pieces already add Thrust Damage.
• In the Wildwood, Wildwood Wolf and Wildwood Aetherfang Wolf drop Gorehorn. Three pieces give Physical Damage and Attack Speed.
• Lionspear drops only from Wildwood Aetherfang Wolf and from some Wildwood chests. Start farming it as soon as you can beat those wolves, and move to it at four pieces for the Attack Speed step.
• At level cap, aim for six Lionspear, three Gorehorn and three Pitfighter, all at three stars. The chests are the only source of Lionspear Amulets, Badges and Bracers in the files.

A character wears 12 runes. The bonuses listed are the ones these piece counts switch on.

• Lionspear 6 pieces

  The set both video guides aim for. It adds Thrust Damage, Critical Chance and Attack Speed, and the six piece bonus raises your Thrust Damage after a Thrust crit. Keep all six.

  • 3 pieces: +10 Thrust Damage, +4% Critical Rate
  • 4 pieces: +5 Attack Speed
  • 6 pieces: +30% Critical Multiplier, Lionsurge: critical hits with Thrust Damage grant you Thrust Damage +20% for 5 seconds

  Where it drops: Wildwood Aetherfang Wolf: 3% per kill.

  Where to farm it · Every source in the drop finder

• Gorehorn 3 pieces

  Three pieces add Physical Damage and Attack Speed. The videos run five for the Bleeding bonus, but twelve slots do not fit six, five and a bonus step, so this guide keeps the Lionspear bonus and stops here.

  • 3 pieces: +6% Physical Damage, +4 Attack Speed

  Where it drops: Wildwood Wolf: 5% per kill; Wildwood Aetherfang Wolf: 3% per kill.

  Where to farm it · Every source in the drop finder

• Pitfighter 3 pieces

  Fills a Badge and both Bracers. It adds max Health, Physical Damage and Armor, which a melee build with little Health needs.

  • 2 pieces: +3% HP, +5% Physical Damage
  • 3 pieces: +10 Armor

  Where it drops: Dryad Beastwarden: 33.33% per kill; Dryad Beastwarden Corrupted Beast Key: 33.33% per kill.

  Where to farm it · Every source in the drop finder

Everything the tree and the target gear add, stat by stat. Tree nodes give a flat amount or a percent; gear counts each piece at its target stars and forge level, plus the set bonuses the piece counts switch on.

Conditional stats (against Bleeding, Burning or Stunned targets) only count against those targets. Spell upgrades and keystones are not stats and are listed under the key nodes.