Deadeye - Pistol Pistol Payback Deadeye

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Open World and Open World General

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on August 12, 2023 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A power deadeye build that dual wields pistols. This build is tailored for general open world content, map completion, and story content, performing absolutely fantastic at chain killing trash mobs while buffing itself with many boons. When killing trash mobs, this build can sustain permanent Quickness and Fury with 0 boon duration and considerable Might.

The main goal is to chain kill enemies non-stop with a never ending supply of boons and initiative to pew pew with Unload, resetting your cooldowns with Payback to spam Thieves Guild or any other skill.

Permanently fighting from range with Unload, this build has low AoE damage, and is vulnerable to enemies that block or reflect projectiles. With some minor trait adjustments, it can also be used against bosses, but nevertheless is best suited for quick fights against trash mobs.

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Skill Bar

Pistol/X

X/Pistol

Utility

Weapon Variants

None. To function, this build requires that you equip a pistol and nothing on your first weapon set, and nothing and pistol on your second set. This combination of pistol/empty - empty/pistol lets you fight permanently with 2 pistols, turning Weapon Swap into a source of initiative through Quick Pockets.

Skill Variants

Heal Skill

Signet of Malice is suggested as it works great with the multihitting Unload attack.

• Hide in Shadows - defensive option
• Withdraw - low cooldown, good heal, evades, and disengages.

Utility skill

Shadow Flare is your only real AoE damage, it is advisable not to swap it. Mercy and Roll for Initiative are both stun breaks and sources of initiative, but they are not mandatory. You can consider other skills:

• Binding Shadow boon removal, minor CC, and good vulnerability application.
• Infiltrator's Signet - good when chain killing trash mobs to teleport to your next target.
• Shadowstep - amazing mobility plus stunbreak and condi cleanse.
• Shadow Refuge - long duration of stealth for channelling Hero Challenges.
• Signet of Agility - if conditions are a problem.

Specializations

Variants

• Deadly Aim - overall a dps loss, but works great when fighting groups of tightly packed enemies.
• Invigorating Precision - little bit of sustain at the cost of damage.
• Trickster - if conditions are a problem. Switch to Withdraw if you need even more cleanse.

Bosses and other durable enemies

When fighting bosses and other durable enemies where you cannot keep refreshing your Deadeye Mark by killing enemies, use the following traits and skill:

This provides yet another source of initiative from Maleficent Seven. When you run out of initiative, use your stolen skill to enter stealth and use Malicious Sneak Attack. This will reset Maleficent Seven so you can charge it again and regain initiative. Thanks to One in the Chamber, your Shadow Flare now provides another stolen skill to also enter stealth and reset Maleficent Seven, though this will only be necessary if you miss your bullets and thus do not get initiative back from Unload.

Equipment

Ascended gear and stat infusions are not required; you can use exotic gear with the same stats.
This set uses gear similar to Daredevil - Power DPS, making it excellent for general PVE.

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Pistol
Berserker

Sigil

Pistol
Berserker

Sigil

Rune
x6

With Fury and Keen Observer, this gear setup provides 99% critical chance, even overcaping when benefiting from Twin Fangs.

Variant Equipment

Gear

• Marauder trades some damage for higher health.

Sigils

• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Air - good alternative to Impact sigil.

Consumables

Food

• Any ascended food is superior to any other food you could use. Steak for power, flatbread for conditions. Budget versions of these foods exist and are acceptable.
• - farming
• , - DPS
• - defense

Utility

• (and variants) - farming
• , - dps

Usage

Deadeye's Mark and Malice

The most important part of the build is correct usage of Deadeye's Mark. Make sure to mark your target before you start firing. Deadeye's Mark increases your damage against that target by 10% and reduces the damage you take from that target by 15% due to Iron Sight; and gives you +200 power, +200 precision, and Quickness with Be Quick or Be Killed.

By killing your marked target, you will proc Payback, which greatly reduces the recharge of your skills, most notably Thieves Guild and Shadow Flare. You also reset Deadeye's Mark, letting your mark your next target.

This provides never ending initiative when combined with Kleptomaniac and Quick Pockets by weapon swapping, permanent Quickness, and permanent Thieves Guild.

Rotation

The rotation couldn't be more simple.

1. Deadeye's Mark
2. Unload spam this
3. Shadow Flare if AoE is needed.
4. Weapon swap to regain initiative to continue using Unload.

Bosses and other durable enemies

When fighting bosses and other durable enemies where you cannot keep refreshing your Deadeye Mark by killing enemies, change your deadeye traits to One in the Chamber, Premeditation, and Maleficent Seven. Your playstyle is largely the same, spamming Unload, but now you will eventually run out of initiative. When that happens, you will have to enter stealth to use Malicious Sneak Attack to spend your malice so that you can again start to charge Maleficent Seven. You should only need to do this once every Deadeye's Mark cooldown, but if you miss your bullets and do not regain initiative from Unload}, then One in the Chamber can provide you with another stolen skill.

Notes

• Try to stay above 90% health to benefit from Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar, Keen Observer (75%), and Twin Fangs.
• When fighting bosses in a group, try to attack from behind to benefit from Twin Fangs.
• Each bullet from Unload has a 20% chance to be a projectile finisher so, when fighting with nearby players, try to make your bullets fly through a combo field for some additional bonuses.
• Never cancel Unload. Landing all 8 shots will replenish 2 initiative. Be carefult not to weapon swap too fast.
• Weapon swap is used to replenish 3 initiative. Don't interrupt yourself, only weapon swap when not casting skills.

Defense

The best defense is to kill your enemy before it can kill you. This build is very aggressive and has little defense.

• You are a fully ranged build, always keep your distance and stay on the move.
• Dodge incoming attacks.
• Disengage with stealth.
• Against trash mobs, you can always use Black Powder to blind them.

Crowd Control

• Head Shot - 2 second daze.
• If you need more crowd control, slot Prepare Pitfall.