This build is up to date for the August 23, 2025 patch.
Overview
This Greatsword and Sword PvE build is specifically designed for tanking in PvE group dungeons. It excels at staying alive while effectively holding the aggro of both mobs and bosses and eing incredibly tanky with a high HP pool while also being capable of dishing out respectable damage thanks to the Greatsword skills. This makes the build a very capable tank for all PVE content including dungeons, open world dungeons and even open world or guild bosses.
Attributes
PRIMARY
Strength
+
Dexterity
SECONDARY
Wisdom
+
Perception
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.
Your attributes priority with this build should be strength and dexterity, as it grants you high max HP and improves your defensive stats, providing ranged, magic, and melee defense, as well as health regen. Your secondary priority should be wisdom and perception as they increase your cooldown speed and damage.
Skills
Depending on which Dungeon/Dimensional Trial you might run, consider using
Rare Roaring Steak,
Rare Thrilling Papillote, and even
Rare Scorpion Tail Fritters to make it easier and also deal a lot more damage.
Since the build makes great use of the greatsword abilities, you should begin building your character by upgrading your damage so its easier to go through the leveling part of your journey in Throne and Liberty. Skills like 
Guillotine Blade and 
Valiant Brawl while 
Gaia Crash is fantastic for both pulling mobs and also buffing yourself.
However, 
Counter Barrier and 
Shield Strike are the most important skills for tanking and shouldn't be neglected. Counter Barrier greatly improves your Shield Block Chance, while Shield Strike serves as your primary single-target aggro-holding ability. It ensures that mobs stay focused on attacking you rather than targeting the rest of your party.
You should prioritize ugprading 
Vital Force and 
Robust Constitution to boost both damage and health! Meanwhile, 
Aegis Shield offers great defense based on your Shield Block Chance, making the build very tanky while 
Spectrum of Agony does damage to all mobs that are affected by your 
Provoking Roar.
Equipment
Blade of the Resistance
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Primary
Broadsword of the Resistance
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Duskblood Mask
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Cooldown Speed
Warlord's Shroud
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Debuff Duration
Plate Armor of the Resistance
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Feathered Drakeskin Gloves
Added Attack Speed
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Trousers of the Resistance
Max Health
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Feathered Drakeskin Boots
Ranged Evasion
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Necklace of Clarity
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Bracelet of Conquest
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Sophia's Ring of Strength
Ring of Precision
Max Health
Skill Damage Boost
Belt of Deftness
Skill Damage Resistance
Max Health
These are the first items you should strive for through the leveling period as they are very easy to get and upgrade or trait as needed. However, you shouldn't try to trait these items too much as you won't be spending too much time playing with this setup before you start changing pieces into the Midgame. The green accessories however are very easy to trait as you can craft many of them quickly in order to get the correct traits so you should consider traiting them until you change into purples. The same goes for the blue ring as you keep it for a long time.
Karnix's Netherblade
Heavy Attack Chance
Max Health
Hit Chance
Primary
Duke Magna's Provoking Warblade
Heavy Attack Chance
Max Health
Hit Chance
Visage of the Executioner
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Mana Regen
Blessed Templar Cloak
Debuff Duration
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Plate Armor of the Resistance
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Resolute Crusader Gauntlets
Max Health
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Trousers of the Resistance
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Max Health
Heroic Shoes of the Resistance
Max Health
Magic Endurance
Melee Endurance
Guardian Torque
Skill Damage Boost
Mana Regen
Buff Duration
Ruby Bangle
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Debuff Duration
Sapphire Dimensional Band
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Imperial Ring
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Flamewrought Bindings
Max Health
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
This is the gear you should transition to once you're leveled to 50 and start grinding gear. It is comprised of gear you can get either from dungeons or by completing Litographs, they are relatively easy to trait up and you will spend most of the time wearing this set before advancing into the late game so traiting these items is very important and should be your main focus.
Nirma's Sword of Echoes
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Primary
Adentus's Gargantuan Greatsword
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Shock Commander Visor
Mana Regen
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Forsaken Embrace
Max Health
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Shock Commander Plate Armor
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Shock Commander Gauntlets
Added Attack Speed
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Phantom Wolf Breeches
Max Health
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Shock Commander Sabatons
Max Health
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Thunderstorm Necklace
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Mana Regen
Bracers of Unrelenting
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Collision Resistance
Sapphire Dimensional Band
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Etched Alabaster Band
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Flamewrought Bindings
Max Health
Collision Resistance
Skill Damage Resistance
While runes can be applied to different types of gear, you should make sure that you invest into the gear pieces that you plan on using for a long time. However, if the build you are using uses the same items between Mid Game and End Game, you can invest into adding runes to them as early as you get the items.
This is the current endgame gear you should aim for, and while it isn't easy to acquire, it offers great power without the need of acquiring archboss gear pieces. However, items like 
Tevent's Fangs of Fury or other archboss weapons are superior but difficult to acquire for the majority of players. If you do manage to get the archboss weapons for your build, feel free to use them over the weapons shown here.
Nirma's Sword of Echoes
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Primary
Adentus's Gargantuan Greatsword
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Shock Commander Visor
Mana Regen
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Forsaken Embrace
Max Health
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Shock Commander Plate Armor
Max Health
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Shock Commander Gauntlets
Added Attack Speed
Melee Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Phantom Wolf Breeches
Max Health
Magic Endurance
Ranged Endurance
Shock Commander Sabatons
Max Health
Ranged Endurance
Melee Endurance
Thunderstorm Necklace
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Mana Regen
Bracers of Unrelenting
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Collision Resistance
Sapphire Dimensional Band
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Etched Alabaster Band
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Flamewrought Bindings
Max Health
Collision Resistance
Skill Damage Resistance
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
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: 10
Hit Chance
Heavy Attack Chance
Melee Heavy Attack Chance
Ancestral Armor Solarstone
CC Chance
Stun Chance
Bind Chance
CC Chance
Abyssal Beast Talistone III
Max Health: 1750
Max Stamina
CC Resistances
Healing Received
Abyssal Beast Talistone II
Defense: 200
Endurance
Magic Endurance
Magic Heavy Attack Evasion
Greedseeker Lunarstone
CC Resistance
Collision Resistance
Weaken Resistance
CC Resistances
Ancestral Armor Talistone IV
Max Health: 1750
Endurance
Magic Heavy Attack Evasion
Melee Hit Chance
Rotations
- You want to buff yourself with
DaVinci's Courage first, granting yourself and the other party members some extra HP to work with before engaging the boss with your first Shield Strike and using 
Blood Devotion to increase party damage. Follow up with Provoking Roar and Gaia Crash to maintain aggro while also buffing yourself further with extra attack speed. Finish the initial rotation with 
Willbreaker and Guillotine Blade before beginning to weave between Shield Strike and Valiant Brawl to maintain your aggro on the boss.
Stalwart Bastion: This ability functions as your panic button when you're taking excessive damage and your passive skills aren't enough to sustain you. It's also the ability you use when the boss casts a high-damage spell, and it's recommended that your party members gather close to benefit from its protective effect.
Provoking Roar: Your main AOE taunt ability, you should reserve this for drawing the attention of multiple smaller enemies, typically appearing as ads during boss encounters or as trash mobs before reaching bosses.
Immortal Pride: Another ability that can serve as a panic button or boost your health to survive boss damage that would otherwise be fatal.
Blood Devotion: This spell enables you to redirect damage intended for another party member toward yourself, while also reducing the overall damage you take. However, Blood Devotion also greatly increases the damage your party members do.
Useful Information
- Select Lady Knight Kamarshea as your guardian; it provides essential protection with its shield, capable of absorbing damage equal to 50% of your mana. This not only aids in mitigating damage but also increases your cooldown speed, assisting in holding aggro and ensuring your survival.
Other Crusader Builds
PvPEasyMeleeAoEDPS
