This build is up to date for the September 23, 2025 patch.
Overview
This Greatsword and Sword build is designed for large and small-scale PvP content such as Riftstones and Sieges. It's particularly effective at dealing significant AoE damage as a frontline melee combatant, while the Sword & Shield provides added protection. The build also offers agile movement, allowing for easy navigation between groups of enemies and quick retreats when necessary.
Attributes
PRIMARY
Strength
+
Perception
SECONDARY
Wisdom
+
Dexterity
With the unique stats and attributes system in Throne and Liberty, it can be difficult to determine exactly where to invest your attribute points at each stage of the game. This is because gear pieces provide attributes just like leveling up does, meaning everyone will have a different number of attribute points depending on what gear they are wearing at the time.
Given this variation, it's best to reset your attributes regularly to adjust to the new gear you acquire. Aim to reach the achievement effects, which provide extra benefits at milestones like 30, 50, and 70 points.
With this build, prioritize investing points into Strength and Perception as your primary stats. Strength not only increases your maximum HP but also enhances your defensive stats when coupled with Perception increasing your buff duration and hit chance, making it much easier to stay alive in PVP by keeping your buffs active throughout the duration of the fight.
Skills
As the build focuses on being a tanky front-line fighter, you should focus on upgrading 
Counter Barrier and 
Shield Strike first as you make great use of them a lot early on and throughout the time you play this build. 
Stalwart Bastion is another important skill, both for your party and yourself, helping a great deal during pushes. You should aim to always be with your group in order to make use of this and keep them alive as much as possible.
Focus on passives next as they quickly increase your resistances and allow you to remain in a fight for longer and do your job of causing chaos in the enemy group. 
Vital Force and 
Robust Constitution should be the first ones you upgrade though as they provide a nice damage boost while also increasing your HP, synergizing perfectly with eachother.
Equipment
Tier 3 (Work in progress)
Bulwark of Invulnerability
Heavy Attack Chance
Max Health
Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Primary
Immortal Titanic Quakeblade
Heavy Attack Chance
Max Health
Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Auric Vanguard's Barbute
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Cloak of Victorious Destiny
Max Health
Weaken Resistance
Skill Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Auric Vanguard's Full Plate
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Auric Vanguard's Gauntlets
Hit Chance
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Auric Vanguard's Gaiters
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Royal Praetor's Sabatons
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Gilded Granite Teardrops
Front Heavy Attack Chance
Front Critical Hit Chance
Side Heavy Attack Chance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Noble Birthright Brooch
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Bangle of the Clearest Night
Max Mana
Skill Damage Resistance
Debuff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Solitare of Purity
Max Health
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Honor's Promise Signet
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Hero's Legacy Warbelt
Max Health
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Info
Equipment is being updated, if tier 3 items are in the tier 3 tab, it means the equipment on this build was updated.
Calanthia's Aegis of Dominance
Hit Chance
Collision Chance
Max Health
Primary
Junobote's Blade of the Red Colossus
Mana Cost Efficiency
Cooldown Speed
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Steel Juggernaut Great Helm
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Cooldown Speed
Resonance Effect: Magic Endurance
Calanthia's Confession
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Collision Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Health
Steel Juggernaut Platemail
Max Health
Buff Duration
Melee Endurance
Resonance Effect: Magic Endurance
Righteous Gauntlets of the Resistance
Max Health
Hit Chance
Melee Endurance
Resonance Effect: Magic Endurance
Auric Vanguard's Gaiters
Max Health
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Resonance Effect: Magic Endurance
Auric Vanguards Plate Boots
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Resonance Effect: Magic Endurance
Earrings of Umbral Petals
Max Health
Side Hit Chance
Front Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Collision Chance
Necklace of Exceptional Greed
Collision Chance
Max Health
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Collision Chance
Shackled Twilight
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Collision Resistance
Coil of Corruption
Collision Chance
Max Health
Heavy Attack Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Collision Chance
Ring of Falling Dusk
Collision Chance
Max Health
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Collision Chance
Belt of Echoing Chants
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Collision Resistance
Resonance Effect: Collision Resistance
Weapon Masteries
Sword
Greatsword
You should be aiming to reach and unlock masteries (the corner nodes) as soon as possible as they usually make the largest impact in the build. While minor nodes shouldn't be forgotten, make sure to unlock masteries as fast as possible before spreading out and spending into less important nodes.
Artifacts
Greedseeker Talistone I
Damage: 9
Hit Chance
Melee Hit Chance
Melee Heavy Attack Chance
Ancestral Armor Solarstone
Weaken Chance
Collision Chance
CC Chance
Ancestral Armor Talistone III
Max Health: 1600
Stamina Regen
Collision Resistance
CC Resistance
Greedseeker Talistone II
Defense: 160
Magic Heavy Attack Evasion
Heavy Attack Evasion
Endurance
Greedseeker Lunarstone
Weaken Resistance
Collision Resistance
CC Resistances
Greedseeker Talistone IV
Max Health: 1600
Heavy Attack Evasion
Endurance
Magic Heavy Attack Evasion
Rotations
Single Target Kill Rotation ↴
- This is your primary single target damage rotation by catching enemies out of position and pulling them with
Annihilating Slash to kill quickly. Instantly use 
Stunning Blow to pin them down with a stun before following up with 
Death Blow to deal quick damage so you can follow up the CC combo with 
Ascending Slash before finishing them off using 
Guillotine Blade.
- This is your main engage rotation. Start with
Devastating Smash to engage on a group of enemies that are stacked together so you can stun them all at the same time before following up with AOE damage by using 
Gaia Crash. A lot of attention will be drawn on you when you push in like this though, which is the perfect time to use Counter Barrier to negate some of that damage while also using Shield Strike to deal damage to enemies caught in its path, repeatedly using this skill as it gets reset while you are being hit.
Counter Barrier: Use when you start drawing focused attention. Utilize your defense skill to reflect damage when you're under pressure or when an engagement doesn't go as planned.
Stalwart Bastion: Use when initiating a push with your team or when being pushed by the enemy. It's typically requested by your shotcaller, but you can also initiate it yourself if your shotcaller doesn't give the command.
Chain Hook: Use it to pull enemies into your group in order to kill them quickly.
Useful Information
- Select Green Ranger Elowen as your guardian; it roots people around you and can assist in executing your rotation. If you manage to root enemies using this guardian, you can effortlessly execute both rotations and eliminate groups of enemies on your own.
Other Crusader Builds
PvEEasyMeleeTank
