The Greatsword-Staff build makes the most of the utility and bust damage that the two weapon classes bring to the table in Throne and Liberty. While the combo might not have as much burst damage as the best Longbow-Dagger Thunderclouds build, it does, however, come with a lot of CC and a bit more consistent DPS.
So if you are looking to main the Greatsword-Staff weapon combination then here is one of its best build options that you can try.
Greatsword-Staff build overview (Bind and Melt)
The current best PvE Greatsword-Staff build in Throne and Liberty makes the most of the binding skills of the Staff and the bonus damage that the Greatsword brings to the table. It follows a hit-and-run strategy and you will be able to melt any enemy as long as you are getting your rotations right.
The build also has low mana consumption, so resource management is not something that you will have to worry about. However, it does have longer cooldowns so if you are missing out on opportunities to damage the enemy you will be struggling a fair bit. Hence, mastering this build takes a fair bit of practice and gameplay knowledge.
To maximize the DPS output of the best Greatsword-Staff build, make sure you are getting Strength to 50. This will give you an additional Heavy Attack chance which most of your skills will rely on.
Once Strength is maxed, take Dexterity to 50 for the critical chance and then take Perception to 30 for some additional DPS.
Best Skills and Specialization for the Greatsword-Staff build in Throne and Liberty
Here are the best Skills and Specializations
Active Skills:
 Precision Dash | – | ||||||
 Stunning Blow |  Hit Rate ▲ Additional Damage Boost | ||||||
 Death Blow |  Damage ▲ Damage Collection | ||||||
 DaVinci’s Courage |  Instant Healing | ||||||
 Gaia Crash |  Critical Hit ▲ Frost Cleaving | ||||||
 Willbreaker |  Damage Area Change | ||||||
 Ascending Slash |  Effect Duration ▲ Additional Damage Boost Cooldown ▼ Charging Slash | ||||||
 Devastating Smash | – | ||||||
 Guillotine Blade | Cooldown ▼ Area Damage Damage Collection | ||||||
 Ice Spear | Damage ▲ Bind Ice Spear Bombardment | ||||||
 High Focus | Base Damage Boost | ||||||
 Judgement Lightning |  Chain Damage Guaranteed Damage Transfer |
These Greatsword skills will help you get a damage boost by exploiting the Bind, Stun, or Shock status effect that you can inflict on enemies with the Staff. Death Blow and Guillotine Blase in particular will be a core part of your combo rotation so make sure you are leveling them to make the most of the status effect.
You will start your combo rotations with the Staff’s Ice Spear Bombardment because it applies the Binding status on the enemies. You can further combine that with Judgement Lightning which will help you further capitalize on your Heavy Attack and Crit chance.
Now to provide this build with a bit more sustain and not to completely make it a glass cannon loadout, you will need to have DaVinci’s Courage. It will make your character a bit more tanky while increasing their overall Attack Speed.
For dealing with mobs, make sure to have Devastating Smash. You can always swap that out if you want to focus more on single-target DPS.
Passive Skills:
- Robust Constitution
- Cold Warrior
- Vital Force
- Raging Frenzy
- Victor’s Morale
- Mana Amp
- Asceticism
- Mana Amp
- Forbidden Sanctuary
The Passive skills that you should be looking to go for with this build should be the ones that maximize the abilities of the weapon combinations. So the two passives that you should be having without fail are Mana Amp and Vital Force.
This will significantly increase the overall HP and Mana of your build, allowing you to have an easier time scaling into the late game.
To increase your tankiness and survivability, you will need to add Robust Constitution and Victor’s Morale to the mix. Cold Warrior, on the other hand, will maximize the Stun and Shock that your Staff inflicts while Raging Frenzy will help you have an easier time clearing mob content.
You can also look to run the Forbidden Sanctuary passive which will increase your damage at the cost of Mana Efficiency. However, you can couple this with Asceticism, which can offset a lot of the debuff.
Defensive Skill
- Iron Point Parry
Best weapons for the Greatsword-Staff build
Here are the best weapons that you should be looking to farm for the Greatsword-Staff build in Throne and Liberty:
Primary Weapon:
| Weapon | Best Traits | Effect |
|---|---|---|
 Duke Magna’s Fury Warblade | Heavy Attack Critical Hit Hit |  Duke Magna’s Berserk:Melee Heavy Attack 95 ▲ for 6s upon applying Stun or Shock with Stunning Blow |
Duke Magna’s Fury Warblade will be the best primary weapon for the Greatsword part of the build. It will help increase your Maximum Health and Strength, while the Duke Magna’s Berserk weapon effect will be able to multiply your weapon skill damage by two more consistently.
Duke Magna’s Fury Warblade is a craftable Epic Greatsword in Throne and Liberty which also has a chance to drop from a chest you open at the end of the Butcher’ Co-Op Dungeon. Its crafting recipe includes the following:
- Dimensional Essence: Salvation x2
- Precious Manasteel x10
- Precious Magic Powder x10
- Precious Polished Crystal x12
Secondary Weapon
| Weapon | Best Traits | Effect |
|---|---|---|
 Toublek’s Shattering Quarterstaff | Cooldown Speed Heavy Attack Hit Heavy Attack Chance |  Toublek’s Boost:Magic, Melee, and Ranged Critical Hiy 30 ▲ per 1m of distance between you and the target |
The Toublek’s Shattering Quarterstaff will help give a good boost to the critical hit rate when you start a combo rotation. This coupled with maxed-out Dexterity will let you get crits off more often in Throne and Liberty.
You will be able to get your hands on the staff by either crafting it or getting it as a drop from the chest at the end of the Tyrant’s Isle Co-op Dungeon. If you are looking to craft it, here are the materials that you need for its recipe:
- Dimensional Essence: Salvation x2
- Precious Mystwood x10
- Precious Magic Powder x10
- Precious Polished Crystal x12
Best Armor for the Greatsword-Staff build
| Armor | Best Traits |
|---|---|
 Ascended Guardian Hood | ・Melee Endurance ・Magic Endurance ・Mana Regen ・Max Health |
 Forsaken Embrace | ・Max Health ・Skill Damage Resistance ・Debuff Duration |
 Swirling Essence Robe | ・Max Health ・Melee Endurance ・Ranged Endurance |
 Ascended Guardian Gloves | ・Melee Endurance ・Magic Endurance ・Max Mana/Attack Speed ・Max Health |
 Greaves of the Field General | ・Ranged Endurnace ・Magic Endurance ・Debuff Duration ・Max Health |
 Sabatons of the Field General | ・Melee Endurance ・Ranged Endurance ・Max Mana/Move Speed ・Max Health |
You will need to focus on armor pieces which will help increase your survivability in an encounter while letting you maximize your DPS. Cooldown reductions can also make it easier to take out enemies even if you miss your rotation on priority targets.
Best Accessories for the Greatsword-Staff build
| Accessory | Best Traits |
|---|---|
 Collar of Decimation | ・Max Health ・Skill Damage Boost ・Buff Duration ・Max Mana |
 Bracers of the Primal King | ・Max Health ・Skill Damage Resistance ・Debuff Duration |
 Amber Dimensional Band | ・Max Health ・Skill Damage Boost ・Buff Duration |
 Etched Alabaster Band | ・Max Health ・Skill Damage Boost ・Buff Duration |
 Belt of Endless Slaughter | ・Max Health ・Skill Damage Resistance ・Debuff Duration |
You will need to focus on damage and survivability as well when it comes to picking the right accessories for the build. Make sure you are picking the ones above to make the most of the Greatssword-Staff combination.
Best Weapon Mastery
You should be picking the following weapon mastery for the weapon:
Greatsword:
- Charge (6 Pts)
- Face Off (9 Pts)
When it comes to the Greatsword Mastery you will need to focus on the Face Off tree which will significantly improve the amount of damage that your weapon does. It will also provide you with more heavy attack chance.
After that invest points in the Charge tree to get the ideal Cooldowns for your build as well as dulity.
Staff:
- Mana (6 Pts)
- Destroy (9 Pts)
For Staff Mastery you will need to focus on Cooldown Speed, Skill Damage, and Critical Hits. Once you are done with the Destroy team, invest points in the Mana three to gain additional mana and improved defenses.
Best Guardian for the Greatsword-Staff build in Throne and Liberty
| Guardian | Ability |
|---|---|
 Shade Revenant Stheno | Launches 5 projectiles at random enemies within a 10m range every second. A single enemy may be hit with multiple projectiles at the same time. Each projectile deals 52% of Base Damage. |
As you will be making the most of Crits and Heavy Attacks Chance, the Shade Revenant Stheno will be the best pick for Guardian. This is because the 5 projectiles that she fires all have a chance to deal a critical hit while doing double damage which which scales with your Heavy Attack chance.
Best skill rotation
1) Best mobbing rotation
- Devastating Smash > Willbreaker > Frost Cleaving > Ascended Slash > Guillotine Blade > Judgement Lightning
2) Best Single Target skill rotation
- Ice Spear Bombardment > Ascending Slash > Guillotine Blade > Stunning Blow > Death Blow > Judgement Lightning
Pros and Cons of the “Bind and Melt” Greatsword-Staff build in Throne and Liberty
Pros:
- Has incredibly high burst damage with consistent DPS on targets inflicted with bind.
- Couples DPS with sustain allowing it to be a good frontline.
- Low Mana consumption.
- Has good CC in the kit.
Cons:
- Longer cooldowns mean you can’t mess up your combo rotations. Makes this build a bit hard to master.
- Not many ranged DPS options, you are often going to be in melee range.
- Not enough sustain to keep tanking damage for your team.
