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Though not quite as fast as the Rogue, the Swordmaster is equally deadly swinging their two swords in Dungeonborne, but that’s not what sets them apart from other melee classes like the Fighter. The Swordmaster has a unique sword belt that holds four swords altogether, which they can fling with magic or have one orbit their body. In both groups and solo, the best build in Dungeonborne for the Swordmaster relies heavily on their role and passives.
Solo Swordmaster Build: Best Passives and Skills
| Passives | Effect |
| Deflection (requires 36 Stamina) | While Whirling Blade is active, all damage taken is reduced by 50%. |
| Momentum (requires 35 Dexterity) | Psionic Blades increase your critical strike chance by 50% for 5 seconds after hitting an enemy. |
| Healing Scabbard (requires 54 Strength) | Psionic Blades restore 30 life to the Swordmaster when it deals unblocked damage. |
As for skills, you’ll be using the only two the Swordmaster has right now in Dungeonborne:
- Psionic Blades: Summons 4 Psionic Blades from your unique sword slot. Release them to fire all four blades, one after another. The quality of your weapons can improve the damage further.
- Whirling Blade: Summons a magical blade (using a sword from your sword slot) that orbits you for 8 seconds. It’ll automatically attack nearby enemies.
Swordmasters are what I like to call “crit machines,” which is something they share with Rogues. What separates your solo build from the group build isn’t your skills, but the passives you prioritize. By yourself, you’ll want to focus on keeping damage taken to a minimum.
For that reason, Deflection is prioritized first since you have no choice but to use Whirling Blade. It’s a good source of damage, but that 8 seconds of 50% damage reduction is fantastic when you’re in the thick of a fight. And Healing Scabbard can fill some of the health you’ll inevitably lose.
Then there’s the Momentum passive, which you’ll benefit from after you cast Psionic Blade and hit your target. That’s when you rush in with Whirling Blade, take advantage of the increased critical strike chance and damage reduction, then duck out for another cast of Psionic Blades.
Group Swordmaster Build: Best Passives and Skills
| Passives | Effect |
| Momentum (requires 35 Dexterity) | Psionic Blades increase your critical strike chance by 50% for 5 seconds after hitting an enemy. |
| Deflection (requires 36 Stamina) | While Whirling Blade is active, all damage taken is reduced by 50%. |
| Flurry of Blades (requires 27 Will) | After simultaneously firing 3 or 4 Psionic Blades, the skill cooldown is reduced to 10 or 15 seconds, respectively. |
Whether it’s solo or groups, the best build for the Swordmaster doesn’t change much, other than the passives. You’ a’re still swinging your blades in a wild fashion and you can afford to use Psionic Blades far more often, assuming you don’t hit your friends. More importantly, it’s possible to take on the role of a tank, too.
Momentum and Deflection aren’t moving; the passives are just that strong. However, you’re prioritizing Momentum first if you’re sticking to the role of DPS; if you’re rolling with a sword and shield as a tank, go with Deflection first.
Flurry of Blades is going to give you a little more value than Healing Scabbard. It lets you sling magical blades far more often, though you’ll want to make sure your group knows to give you any and all swords. There will be plenty when you loot them from the corpses of your enemy!
Healing Scabbard is still good in a group setting, but since having a Priest is more or less a requirement, they can do the healing for you. Although depending on the gear you get, you might end up unlocking Healing Scabbard, anyway.
