opinions ??

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slightly manlier than before

Check out the full interview at Altyegmusic.com

The Berserking Paladin

https://preview.redd.it/udtdlcfz6nvb1.png?width=719&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2b38093ceedaf11a55d6cdd5e738b1d08a1ca0f
Lets start this off by saying I've played the game for around 70 hours, experimented with numerous builds, and haven't found anything more effective than this setup at the moment. So I'm going to try and do an easy to follow breakdown of how to create the true gatsu but if he was a paladin experience. With pictures for all you fellow apes out there!
Starting Class:
- Dark Crusader
- Condemned
- Hallowed Knight
- Orion Preacher
Items You'll Need:
- Ravager Gregory's Sword
- Exacter's Scripture
- Princess' Sting
- Lucent Beam
- Lacerating Weapon
- Crafter's Essence
- Umbral Eye of Loash
HEY! YOU! That's right! YOU! Do you wanna do this to end-game enemies with a single heavy attack when they're not even weak to the element you're using?
https://preview.redd.it/j3o7mek78nvb1.png?width=454&format=png&auto=webp&s=dfd4908f042359e2eb4c2d2f34931bb166acb039
Well let me tell you there's a way to get the best of both worlds, Miley Cirus, in both OP magic, and massive honking... Greatswords!
Firstly, for stat distribution, you're gonna want something like this!
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This is at level 113, so the stats aren't as even as I'd like them to be.
Basically you're gonna have 3 primary stats, Strength, Vitality, and Radiance. What massive fuck off sword scales with STR and RAD instead of STR and AGI? Ravager Gregory's baby.

Equipment Breakdown

https://preview.redd.it/stdjlfws8nvb1.png?width=703&format=png&auto=webp&s=784a54c81900a5e5acef2dc596409b6dfdfa6095
This thing scales off of STR and RAD, while dealing Physical, Holy, AND Wither damage!
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https://preview.redd.it/ue2hn2fw8nvb1.png?width=226&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e545ea459f24408e26cb70428de0b1c7dd52bde
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Its also very sexy.
You can get Ravager Gregory's Sword from Lower Calrith, you do this by acquiring his Rosary which you then trade to Exacter Dunmire and he will sell the weapon. At base it has a stat requirement of 30 STR and 30 RAD so not an early game weapon at all! Luckily, by lower calrith you'll probably have plenty of disposable stats to either respec or spec into it. Remember to keep AT LEAST 20-30 vit! Unless you like getting one shot 4head.
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https://preview.redd.it/419up7ad9nvb1.png?width=45&format=png&auto=webp&s=5be0ac6c1b8393dc6ac70c05841c2b08518ca703
I see you've noticed this cheeky 0.0 weight. Aren't Grand swords supposed to be oppressively heavy? Well! Completing Gerlinde's questline, acquiring all the rune tablets, and giving them to her (not sparky) will unlock a special rune called Crafter's Essence. This not only REMOVES stat requirements when slotted, it also completely removes the weight off a weapon, making your heavy load, or medium load with bone ring, character, low medium weight! Freeing a ring slot from the bone ring, and transitioning into why we use the next item. As for the other runes, we have a simple Ativ and Devoth, for strength and radiant scaling respectively.
https://preview.redd.it/avbqn3ts9nvb1.png?width=666&format=png&auto=webp&s=363a9326b86c6cc2dcd4ff5e8665e56db338d86d
I've experimented with a lot of the different amulets, and at the weight we're at in part heavy part medium armor, this gave the best damage returns at this weight level.
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https://preview.redd.it/k5kdh9ew9nvb1.png?width=306&format=png&auto=webp&s=38cac0e8a3c745bec49dd58799cd13b3e5ed19f2
You could, theoretically, forsake the fashion for even lighter armor to get encumbrance EVEN LOWER to deal more damage with the sword, as well as boost your rolling.
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https://preview.redd.it/b2kh3ta1anvb1.png?width=147&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea3a32777c6e954c3acfdf4e494591e2f0c7bfa5
As for the other jewelry I go with Mineowner's Ring, and Orion Sorcerer's Ring. Mineowner's gives bonus stamina and stamina regen, which is useful with the heavy Grand Swords, and the sorcerer's ring gives bonus holy damage, which both boosts our grand sword and our spells! The minowner's ring can be found early in the redcopse, while the sorcerer's ring can be bought off Stomund once he moves to the Abbey of the Hallowed Sisters.
As for our spells...
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https://preview.redd.it/szjatnajanvb1.png?width=721&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb7b1fd20354b6e9e1d7a5f64d1ecb36c67cf70e
We use the Exacter Scripture! Which you get for completing Dunmire's quest. Go to Fextralife or your preferred source for a detailed breakdown of how to do that. We pick it because it has incredible Radiant scaling that we'll need for our spells. Which we only really need 2 of specifically, lets break them down shall we!
https://preview.redd.it/icdd3k0qanvb1.png?width=716&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd92c9b9168e97e4419cdf098980d08099ea18e3
Lacerating Weapon imbues our grand sword with blood! Since we already deal holy damage wielding it, it simply diversifies our damage output. However, you could easily swap it out, and for early game use the radiant imbuement. You can get Lacerating Weapon in the Abbey of the Hallowed Sisters.
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https://preview.redd.it/u3savh4ybnvb1.png?width=716&format=png&auto=webp&s=266b10b34cf04478035ed15b9b1fd7f6defa1f87
Our second spell, and truly a juicy one, is Lucent Beam! Have you ever wanted to evaporate those holy shield guys? Well there seems to be a currently bugged interaction with them and the beam that causes them to take ludicrous damage when they try to block the beam, this applies also to the armored warhounds and certain other armored enemies like the heavy mace guys. Even besides that, it is probably the most effective spell in the game for just evaporating enemies of all types, even those resistant to its damage. It is especially effective, however, against Rhogar enemies. You can get this spell from Dunmire after progressing his quest, just check in with him.
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https://preview.redd.it/i5a8zhtrfnvb1.png?width=730&format=png&auto=webp&s=1eacaac1bbb99ca9ad77966f2fbe55343acab1b3
As for armor? Wear whatever you like really! I personally blend heavy and medium to get maximum performance from both DRIP and DAMAGE.

Lantern Eyes

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https://preview.redd.it/1eolt096dnvb1.png?width=341&format=png&auto=webp&s=33c353fc4099cdaca3584592b947e18c4d6e29f3
The Umbral Eyes of Loash, Rosamund and Eliard, are what we're gonna be using for this build. With Loash being the bread and butter of the whole thing!
Umbral Eye of Loash - Main Socket:
"While charging a heavy attack, all damage is received as wither damage and your posture cannot be broken."
Now, a caveat, when it says "while charging" it really means the initial part of the charge. You need to use it like a parry, the grand sword will do so much damage you're pretty much guaranteed to take 0 damage if you pull it off successfully, while delivering upwards of 2500 damage with the final impact. So when enemy starts swinging, start charging, often times it will also break THEIR posture.
You see why this is so good for this? Its essentially free damage if you time it correctly.
Umbral Eye of Rosamund - Secondary Socket:
"While in Umbral, +15% withered health regain upon striking an enemy."
Fairly straight forward, to make sure we get as much withered health return as we can get while un Umbral.
Umbral Eye of Betrayed Eliard - Secondary Socket:
"+25% healing efficiency while in Umbral."
Also fairly straightforward, makes ourselves more survivable when we're down to 1 life in umbral.

Tactics

Two handing Ravager Gregory's Sword, the tactics might be obvious but there's actually some interesting nuances between attacks. While two handing, add clear is not as efficient but your damage is increased. So remember this! There's two attacks you should focus on, charge attack which you use as a parry like mentioned earlier, and the multi-attack input, which for the sword we're using is actually just one really big strike, dealing almost as much as a charged attack! Well, why would we use it over a charge attack? Well you can't transition into a charge attack from dodge but you CAN transition into the multi-attack input attack from dodge.
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Virgin dodge light
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Chad dodge multi
As for spells, you wanna probably be buffing before tough fights, elites, bosses, etc.. The lucent beam should be something you use when a boss makes distance and begins channeling something, just be prepared to stop and dodge on time! As there's a slight delay between stopping casting and trying to move.

Conclusion

Ultimately, its your game! So if you have any suggestions, changes, improvements, etc... Feel free to post a comment! I'd love to hear people's opinions, or if anyone else is having fun being a bonkadin through Mournstead! Adyr's minions ain't gonna like what I'm cooking.
https://preview.redd.it/7jkq6xargnvb1.png?width=1515&format=png&auto=webp&s=9618dcb8bcb6f6fcdb1a8042051fdffb6a5c5f0b