Welcome to the Staff / Dagger PvP Build Guide. Staff users are the kings of AoE. Judgment Lightning and Chain Lightning quickly cause massive AoE damage with the correct Skill Specializations. Dagger's skills complement Staff's kit while providing flat offensive stat boosts like Wrathful Edge.
You aren't just a glass cannon though, as you have fantastic defensive options. Salvation Chain with the Redemptive Barrier specialization provides you a hefty barrier, enough to give your healer time to save you. Camouflage Cloak provides an incredible escape tool and can be used offensively for the guaranteed Crit. Shadow Walker and High Focus with the Victorious Energy Specialization offers an incredible boost to your Evasion as well. Played to its fullest potential, you're an incredible asset to your team.
End Game Staff / Dagger PvP Build
With Trait Resonance
If you're interested in PvE, check out our Staff / Dagger PvE Build Guide!
- High AoE Burst
- High Survivability
- Long Range Burst
- Weak to Melee
- Requires Cooldown Speed
Skill Builds
The goal here is to play safe at range, and bomb grouped targets. This Staff / Dagger build is ideal for 48+ player PVP content like ZvZs.
Active Skills
Damage Skills
- Chain Lightning and Judgment Lightning are your instant cast AoE abilities.
- Ice Spear Bombardment is mainly used to nuke down single targets.
- You use Focused Fire Bombs for large burst AoE damage. You can cast it at any point in your charge.
- Inferno Wave is just another AoE skill you can use. While you would do more damage with Burn stacks, Large Scale PvP fights rarely allow you to stack Burn.
- You use Infernal Meteor to bomb large groups of players, either at your own discretion or at certain engage timings.
Utility Skills
- High Focus is a mandatory pre-buff before engagements.
- Phantom Smokescreen, with its specialization, blocks a lot of key Melee engage tools. Shadow Strike, Chain Hook, and Devastating Smash are some skills that count as Melee Projectiles.
- Redemptive Barrier is one of your best defensive skills. It lets you survive long enough for your team to notice.
- Inner Peace is used to regain all your Mana in extended fights and if you lose it all after surviving with Redemptive Barrier. If you don't want to slot this skill, consider using Healthy Milk.
- One of your best CC skills is Icebound Tomb, which also decreases enemy Evasion.
- Frost Smokescreen is your escape tool. Use it preemptively, as it won't break you out of Bind.
- Camouflage Cloak can be used offensively or defensively. It can break you out of Bind or be used to make sure your next skill is a Crit.
Passive Skills
- Assassin's Instincts, Wrathful Edge, and Forbidden Sanctuary are your flat damage boost passives.
- Mana Amp is mandatory for the extra Health.
- While Echoic Barrier isn't too useful for your first CC, it helps prevent multiple follow-up Sleeps and Binds, assuming you survive that long.
- Shadow Walker is essential to keeping high Ranged and Magic Evasion to avoid any incoming ranged attacks. You can constantly upkeep this passive by using Block Blade Roll.
- Assassin's Step helps you move around the battlefield after you get kills or assists.
Alternatives
Area Slow
- This build is best suited for PvP in areas with chokes because of the Use the Designated Location Specialization on Frost Smokescreen. You can cast it at any location, preferably chokes, to slow down enemy advances.
- Phantom Smokescreen can be replaced with Inject Venom. Spec Bonus Damage for Frost Smokescreen if this is the case. Every hit of the slow then applies Poison. Replace a passive with Destructive Fang for the Critical Hit boost.
This Staff / Dagger PvP build is mainly used for small scale fights where players aren't grouped together as much.
Active Skills
Damage Skills
- You want to soften targets with Ice Spear Bombardment, Chain Lightning, and Judgment Lightning. You remove the AoE specializations because players won't be as clumped.
- In smaller-scale PvP, you're less afraid of getting straight into the fight. So we use Shadow Strike, Cleaving Moonlight, and Thunderclouds Bombing to go in and shut down hurt spellcasters.
Passive Skills
- You use Destructive Fang here because your Dagger skills are specced to apply Thunderclouds.
Alternatives
- This alternative build focuses mainly on playing from Range with the ability to go in when necessary.
- Phantom Smokescreen, with its specialization, blocks a lot of key Melee engage tools. Shadow Strike, Chain Hook, and Devastating Smash are some skills that count as Melee Projectiles.
- You don't use Redemptive Barrier because smaller-scale fights are usually shorter. If a greatsword user jumps on you and depletes all your Mana, then what are you going to do? This is different if you do have a pocket healer in your group and use Inner Peace. Healthy Milk also works.
This Staff / Dagger PvPvE build's goal is to kill mobs in Dominion Events efficiently while also being able to PvP. Most skills are the same as Small Scale PvP, with a few differences.
Active Skills
Damage Skills
- You use Cleaving Moonlight, Serial Fire Bombs, Inferno Wave, and Chain Lightning to farm mobs.
- Save Ice Spear Bombardment and Judgment Lightning for PvP. You can choose to use them on PvE at your own discretion.
- Use Shadow Strike followed up with Cleaving Moonlight for PvP or chain into Frost Smokescreen to escape.
- Icebound Tomb is used to keep yourself alive.
Passive Skills
- No changes from previous setups.
Alternatives
- If you don't plan on engaging in Melee range with Shadow Strike, you can replace it with Redemptive Barrier. Hopefully, it will let you survive long enough to escape to your team.
Skill Prioritization
- Use Quality Marind Ore to craft Quality Active Skill Growth Book and Quality Passive Skill Growth Book.
- Use Rare Marind Ore to craft Rare Active Skill Growth Book and Rare Passive Skill Growth Book.
- Prioritize getting all these skills to blue first before getting them to purple. These are universal skills you always use.
- Upgrade the rest of your skills as you play the game.
PvP Gameplay and Skill Rotation
Stealth Bomb
- Camouflage Cloak
- Focused Fire Bombs
- Infernal Meteor
- Camouflage Cloak will guarantee that your next skill is a Crit.
- Using either skill will break you out of Stealth, but hopefully, you can get your cast off before the enemy team notices.
Pre Buff
- High Focus
- Redemptive Barrier
- Before engaging in any fight, pre-buff with any of these skills to increase your damage and survivability. If you're a high-value target to enemy players, you might get jumped immediately once you engage. So precasting your buffs is important to surviving your initial engagement.
AoE Skills
- Inferno Wave
- Chain Lightning
- Judgment Lightning
- You can follow up Focused Fire Bombs with Inferno Wave.
Pre Buff
- High Focus
- Redemptive Barrier (If you have it)
- Before engaging in any fight, pre-buff with any of these skills to increase your damage and survivability.
- Be careful when using Redemptive Barrier. If all your Mana gets depleted, make sure you have Healthy Milk to get your Mana back. If you have no Mana, you might as well be dead.
Stealth Nuke
- Camouflage Cloak
- Focused Fire Bombs
- Charging up skills won't break you out of stealth.
- Follow up with other skills like Chain Lightning, Judgment Lightning, or Ice Spear Bombardment.
Assassinate
- Shadow Strike
- Ankle Strike
- Cleaving Moonlight 2x
- Thunderclouds Bombing
- You can lead with Icebound Tomb here to reduce the Evasion on the target, but it's not necessary.
- You use this combo to finish off low HP targets or to silence spellcasters.
Farming Abilities
- Cleaving Moonlight
- Serial Fire Bombs
- Inferno Wave
- Chain Lightning
- These are your main skills for farming mobs. I recommend saving your other skills in case you find yourself needing to PvP.
- If you're feeling especially safe, incorporate Judgment Lightning to farm a bit faster.
Defensive Options
- Icebound Tomb
- Camouflage Cloak
- Frost Smokescreen
- High Focus
- Redemptive Barrier
- Use Icebound Tomb offensively to kill the other player or run away if you feel like you can't win the fight.
- High Focus and Redemptive Barrier are your best combat skills.
Tips
- The Dagger's weapon mastery, Master of Evasion, gives you an additional 105 Evasion while you have a dagger as your active weapon.
- To capitalize on this bonus, always set your dagger as your primary weapon during PvP.
- Time to Kill in this game is short if your opponent is not geared. You usually ignore most combos and setups if this is the case and just focus on spamming AoE. You want to be more conscious of your ability usage once players become more geared.
- Use Frost Smokescreen preemptively, as it does not break you out of Bind. If you do get CC'd, use it immediately after using Precious Purification Stone or once the CC is over.
- Use Camouflage Cloak at your own discretion. Only you can determine when to use it offensively or defensively.
- Always use mobility skills like Block Blade Roll or Frost Smokescreen to proc Shadow Walker.
- If you see someone gunning for you, consider preemptively using Frost Smokescreen.
- You always want to upkeep high Ranged and Magic Evasion to reduce the chances of getting caught.
- In small-scale PvP, your role isn't as defined. Sure, you can still do as you do in Large Scale PvP, but you have so much more potential with using your Melee abilities as well. You won't be as protected since you won't be in a ball; thus, you must use your utility skills wisely.
- Camouflage Cloak can still be used offensively, but be careful not to get yourself in a precarious situation when it's not up.
- Phantom Smokescreen, with its specialization, blocks a lot of key Melee engage tools.
- Shadow Strike, Chain Hook, and Devastating Smash are some skills that count as Melee Projectiles.
- If you do get Chain Hooked, cast Phantom Smokescreen to give yourself time to survive attacks.
Stat Priorities
Use the following stat priorities when playing a Staff / Dagger build in PVP:
- Primary Stats
- Strength and Perception
You have 49 Stat Points you can freely allocate to any of the 4 primary Stats. Once you put 20 points into an individual Stat, it takes 2 points to increase the Stat by 1. Do not put more than 20 points into a Stat unless you are trying to reach a certain breakpoint.
You get bonuses for every 10 Stat Points you invest from 30 to 60. You invest our points based on acquiring these bonuses.
Early Game Gear
In PvP, Hit and survivability are incredibly important. So, with full green gear, you want 30 Perception for 100 extra Hit and 30 Strength for 750 extra Max Health.
Mid to End Game Gear
You want to start working towards hitting the 60 Perception for the additional 120 Hit and 50 Strength for the extra 100 Heavy Attack Chance.
PvP Gear Progression
Acquiring Gear pieces and upgrading them is incredibly expensive and time-consuming. If you enjoy both PvE and PvP content, just use these sets for PvE as well.
If you're interested in PvE Gear Progression, check out our Staff / Dagger PvE Build Guide here!
Game
Transition
Transition
Reaper's Pants
Solo Self Found
Early Game Staff / Dagger PvP Build
Melee Evasion Focus
Early Game Staff / Dagger PvP Build
Ranged Evasion and Magic Evasion Focus
This Green gear is only for the first few days of Global Launch where Traiting your blue gear isn't as easy. Move on as soon as possible.
Both builds above have their upsides and downsides. End Game logic dictates that it is foolhardy to build all 3 Evasions because you only have enough to get 2 up to high enough Stats. But early in the game, people don't have that high Hit. So you can try and build against all 3 Evasions. The Melee Evasion focus build makes you feel like a god against non-geared players as you transition to your Mid Game build.
Melee Evasion Focus
- With Victorious Energy, you'll achieve up to 1700 Melee Evasion, achieving a ~45% Evasion Rate versus Melee with 800 Melee Hit.
- To make up for your low Ranged and Magic Evasion, you need to use Victorious Energy and Shadow Walker to boost your Ranged and Magic Evasion. Assuming you have all your buffs active, versus Longbow users with 800 Hit, you have a ~45% Evasion Rate, and versus Staff users with 800 Hit, you have a ~35% Evasion Rate. Icebound Tomb Evasion debuff is not being factored here.
- You're trying to be a jack of all trades but not really excelling in any capacity.
Ranged and Magic Evasion Focus
- With all your buffs active against 800 Ranged Hit Longbow users, you achieve a ~55% Evasion Rate.
- With all buffs against 800 Magic Hit Staff users, you achieve a ~40% Evasion Rate.
Gear Sources
All of these gear pieces are acquired from Lithograph Book completion.
- Elite Resistance Knife
- Sharp Blades that Cut Through Darkness
- Armadillo in Moonlight Desert
- Lethal Fortune Ring
- Rustic Mother Nature Rings
- Elite Resistance Mask
- Hawk's Eye
Alternative
- Robert's Focus Bracelet if you want more Magic Evasion.
- Sophia's Strength Bracelet if you want more Ranged Evasion.
Hybrid Evasion Staff / Dagger PvP Build
Ranged Magic Evasion Staff / Dagger PvP Build
These builds are meant to be used during the first few weeks of Global Launch. The Ranged Evasion build provides an easier transition to your Mid and End Game builds.
- If you're looking for a dagger alternative that is easier to farm, consider Immortal Severance Blade. You will have less Critical Hit, but you can farm the crafting materials from grinding Open World Dungeons.
Hybrid Evasion vs Ranged Magic Evasion
Whichever one you want to use depends on your server meta.
- The Hybrid Evasion build leverages all three Evasion stats. The downside is the much lower Magic Defense. This can be precarious if your server meta consists of mostly Staff users in Large Scale PvP.
- With Victorious Energy, you'll reach up to 2000+ Melee Evasion. Adding on Shadow Walker to Victorious Energy, you'll reach up to 1900+ Ranged Evasion and 1700+ Magic Evasion.
- You will evade around 50% of Melee abilities against enemies with 1000+ Melee Hit. You'll need to make sure Victorious Energy is up at the right times against those players.
- The Ranged Magic Evasion focuses more on Ranged and Magic Evasion, making sure that you have more survivability in Large Scale PvP.
- You reach up to 2500+ Ranged Evasion and 1950+ Magic Evasion, reaching a higher evade rate against Longbows and Staffs.
Hybrid Evasion
- Lithograph Book completion
- Elite Resistance Visor
- Overhead Protection
- Sandworm in Sandworm Lair
- Orc Brawler in Fonos Basin
- Elite Resistance Visor
- Impure Witch's Linen Pants
- Ant's Nest (Open ~1 week after launch) (Acid Ant)
- Can use Elite Resistance Leather Pants as a replacement.
- Can use Deadly Barrier Chain Gaiters as a replacement.
- Elite Assassin's Cloak
- Mitran in Purelight Hill
- Contaminated Mitran in Purelight Hill
- Elite Retainer's Belt
- Grayclaw Sentry in Grayclaw Forest
- Gray Lycan Sentry in Grayclaw Forest
- Shade Wizard in Temple of Sylaveth
- Reflection Alter Ego Secret Art Armor
- Cave of Destruction
- Reflection Breakthrough Leather Boots
- Cursed Wasteland
- Blessings of Mother Nature Cloth Gloves
- Temple of Slaughter, Cave of Desperation
- Destiny Worship Barbaric Staff
- Butcher's Canyon
Ranged Magic Evasion
- Lithograph Book completion
- Moonlight Grace Leather Boots
- Power that Pushes Through
- Cave of Destruction, Specter's Abyss
- Sluggish Zombie in Shattered Temple
- Elite Tracker's Belt
- Sources of Abdominal Strength!
- Evil Eye in Manawastes
- Hermit's Shroud
- Cloak that Protected a Hero
- Moonlight Grace Leather Boots
- Insightful Ring of Dimension
- Precious Epic Accessory Selection Chest.
- Requires Dimensional Essence: Salvation to craft. You need 10 Tokens from each Co-Op Dungeon to craft.
- Precious Epic Accessory Selection Chest.
- Deadly Barrier Chain Gaiters
- Tyrant's Isle
- Blessings of Mother Nature Cloth Gloves
- Temple of Slaughter, Cave of Desperation
- Robert's Focus Bracelet
- Complete all Temple of Sylaveth Exploration Codex Quests.
Lequirus Staff / Dagger PvP Build
High HP Staff / Dagger PvP Build
After more Milestones unlock, you farm Open World Dungeons (Abyss Dungeons) for gear. As other players get more geared, you need higher Defenses and need to focus on 2 Evasions. You also need to balance your Stats to include a healthy amount of Hit, Critical Hit and Heavy Attack Chance. So you choose pieces that are good for PvP and help you transition to your End Game build.
Chest Options
- Ghost Wolf Alter Ego Armor
- More Magic Evasion
- Miracle of Mother Nature Clothing
- 338 Heavy Attack Chance (25% chance)
- Reaper's Concealing Shroud
- 260 Heavy Attack Chance (20% chance)
- More Ranged Evasion
- Extra Critical Hit Damage
Glove Options
- Ghost Wolf Incision Gloves
- More Ranged Evasion and Attack Speed
- Special Resistance Hawk Gloves
- More Hit and Magic Evasion
- Flying Dragon Scale Gloves
- More Range
- Blessings of Mother Nature Cloth Gloves
- More Range
- This build uses Transcendent Magic Ring and Tycan's Bloodlust Belt. Normally these are difficult to acquire, as they drop from Field Bosses that unlock from Milestones. It is possible to acquire them earlier by using Substance Transformation. Accessories are the easiest ones to acquire from Substance Transformation, whereas getting the armor piece you want is more difficult.
Weapon Sources
- Toublek's Thunderous Soul (Tyrant's Isle)
- Lequirus's Thorny Edge (Cave of Destruction)
- Grieving Hand of Death
- Syleus's Abyss 5F-6F
- Demonhoof Tracker
- Demonhoof Head Shaman
- Precious Epic Equipment Chest: Abyss
- Syleus's Abyss 5F-6F
Armor Sources
- Special Resistance Hawk Hood
- Black Boars in Purelight Hill
- Crown Blessed by Moonlight Lithograph Book entry
- Precious Blessing Pouch
- Special Resistance Hawk Gloves
- Gallu Archers in Shattered Temple
- Blessed Moonlight Touch
- Precious Blessing Pouch
- Miracle of Mother Nature Clothing
- Cave of Destruction
- Hermit's Shroud
- Shadowed Crypt (Dark Enforcer)
- Precious Epic Equipment Chest: Shadow
- Cloak that Protected a Hero Lithograph Book
- Reaper's Footsteps
- Avolos Tracker and Avolos Umbramancer in Sanctum of Desire
- Craft Precious Epic Equipment Chest: Desire with 40 Abyss Currency.
Accessory Sources
- Insightful Ring of Dimension
- Precious Epic Accessory Selection Chest.
- Requires Dimensional Essence: Salvation to craft. You need 10 Tokens from each Co-Op Dungeon to craft.
- Precious Epic Accessory Selection Chest.
- Beast King's Gilded Bracers
- Cave of Destruction
- Abyss Conqueror's Necklace
- Craft Precious Epic Equipment Chest: Abyss with 40 Abyss Currency.
- Substance Transformation
- Transcendent Magic Ring
- Queen Bellandir, Substance Transformation
- Tycan's Bloodlust Belt
- Aridus, Substance Transformation
Lequirus Staff / Dagger PvP Build
With Trait Resonance
High HP Staff / Dagger PvP Build
With Trait Resonance
This build centers around Reaper's Interring Pants and focuses on hitting that 60 Perception breakpoint and 50 Strength breakpoint.
- Use Toublek's Thunderous Soul if you want more Crit at range.
With 50% Buff Duration, your Victorious Energy lasts 18 seconds, granting you 460 Evasion at max level. Combine that with Shadow Walker, your Ranged and Magic Evasion reaches well over 2000. This lets you evade around 50% of all Ranged and Magic skills versus someone with 1000 Hit.
Chest Options
- Ghost Wolf Alter Ego Armor
- More Magic Evasion
- Miracle of Mother Nature Clothing
- 338 Heavy Attack Chance (25% chance)
- Reaper's Concealing Shroud
- 260 Heavy Attack Chance (20% chance)
- More Ranged Evasion
- Extra Critical Hit Damage
Glove Options
- Ghost Wolf Incision Gloves
- More Ranged Evasion and Attack Speed
- Special Resistance Hawk Gloves
- More Hit and Magic Evasion
- Flying Dragon Scale Gloves
- More Range
- Blessings of Mother Nature Cloth Gloves
- More Range
Gear Sources
- Talus's Resonance Staff (Talus)
- Reaper's Interring Pants (Junobote)
- Transcendent Magic Ring (Queen Bellandir, Substance Transformation)
- Tycan's Bloodlust Belt (Aridus, Substance Transformation)
Reaper's Mask Alternative
If you can't get yourself the pants but you have the mask, this is the build for you. This build centers around Reaper's Black Mask and focuses on hitting that 60 Perception breakpoint just like the build with Reaper's Interring Pants.
This is a slightly inferior version of Reaper's Interring Pants. You have less less Hit and less Critical Hit, nothing too big. Other than these two, most of the other Stats are the same.
Melee Evasion Staff / Dagger PvP Build
With Trait Resonance
High HP Staff / Dagger PvP Build
With Trait Resonance
Gear Sources
- Reaper's Black Mask (Adentus)
End Game SSF Staff / Dagger PvP Build
No Rune Synergies or Resonance
- This build's primary purpose is to allow you to be able to PvP without using Substance Transformation, Auction House, or attending Guild Bosses.
- Everything here can be found or crafted yourself. Technically, you can get drops by going to Field Bosses, but since there's such a low chance the drop goes to you, no pieces that drop from them are included.
Guardians
Guardians are special transformations that add offensive or defensive buffs or attacks to your character for 30 seconds. These are the recommended Guardians for this class in both PvE and PvP situations.
- Lady Knight Kamarshea is a useful Guardian while you learn new dungeons. It helps in dangerous situations as an emergency button to survive fights.
Summary
- Combining Staff skills with Dagger skills like Camouflage Cloak and Wrathful Edge makes you an effective nuker.
- There is an emphasis on a backline playstyle in Large Scale PvP versus an assassin playstyle in Small Scale PvP.
- Constant use of Shadow Walker by using Block Blade roll is crucial to staying alive in any form of PvP.
- The ideal stat breakpoint you should make your goal is 60 Perception.
Credits
Written by Yaen
Reviewed by Tenkiei and Nymphellas