Fire Cadence & Blitz Commando

Soldier's core melee combo attack. Bind the Solael's Witchblade devotion's Eldritch Fire proc here (15% chance on attack).

A modifier for Cadence that converts its Physical damage into Fire/Cold/Lightning Elemental damage, making it essential early on. Once gear reaches 100% Physical-to-Fire conversion, though, refund these 3 points — community testing (using a damage-display mod) found that removing Discord at that stage gives a clear DPS increase (roughly 500K to 700K), since damage no longer gets split off into Cold and Lightning and stays fully Fire instead.

A charge skill used to close the gap. Bind the Alladrah's Phoenix devotion's Phoenix Fire proc here (100% chance on crit, wrapping you in a damage-absorbing barrier while burning nearby enemies).

A Demolitionist placed bomb — the opening resistance-reduction debuff after charging in. Bind the Rhowan's Crown devotion's Elemental Storm proc here (25% chance on attack, applying an Elemental resistance reduction debuff to nearby enemies).

A Demolitionist thrown bomb. Combine its High Potency and Demon Fire modifiers to cut enemy damage output while stripping armor and resistance. Bind the Ulzuin's Torch devotion's Meteor Shower proc here (30% chance on attack).

Soldier's exclusive buff. Usable with either a shield or a 2H melee weapon, it boosts damage absorption and health regen — one of the pillars of this build's tankiness.

One of several support passives unlocked along the Soldier mastery bar. Invest here alongside Squad Tactics to round out resistances and physical damage.

An always-on Demolitionist passive. Round out offense alongside Vindictive Flame.

A Demolitionist defensive passive. Invest more heavily here for Hardcore.

• ▸Start as Soldier and equip a 2H weapon (buy one at Devil's Crossing, or use Hevill's Greatsword found in a house in Lower Crossing). Invest in the mastery bar every level to unlock Tremor, then invest in Forcewave and the mastery bar, with 1 point each in Menhir's Will and Fighting Spirit, plus 1 in Blitz once it unlocks. After Rending Force unlocks, invest in Rending Force, Forcewave, and the mastery bar in turn.
• ▸Before finishing the 'Lost Elder' quest in Act 1, chase Shambler's Heart (from the Ancient Shambler in Flooded Passage). Once you've restored your first 6 devotion shrines, spend 1 point in Crossroads (Primordial) and complete Imp, binding its proc to Forcewave.
• ▸After defeating Warden Krieg, lie during the Lost Elder quest to get the Bone Talisman relic (useful for early energy regen and damage). Head straight into Forgotten Gods afterward, chasing Sunherald's Claymore (this build's weapon) and Chosen Visage (a helm used well into the late game) from Astros the Sunherald in Sunward Spire. Once you have the weapon, respec at Devil's Crossing and switch your main skill to Cadence (don't forget 3 points in Discord to convert its Physical damage to Elemental).
• ▸Prioritize Menhir's Bulwark on the Soldier mastery. Once Squad Tactics unlocks, put 1 point in Field Command and 1 in Squad Tactics, then alternate 1 in Squad Tactics and 2 in the mastery bar until Menhir's Bulwark unlocks, then 1 point there. After that, pour everything into the Demolitionist mastery bar. On devotions, work through Crossroads (Chaos) 1, Jackal, Crossroads (Eldritch) 1, and Behemoth.
• ▸After finishing the DLC, return to the main campaign. Chase Martin's Crest (from 'Moneybags' Martin) in Cronley's Hideout. Put at least 1 point each into Flame Touched and Vindictive Flame, and keep investing in the Demolitionist mastery bar until Thermite Mine unlocks. Prioritize Thermite Mine up to 16/16, then split points between Cadence's modifiers, Menhir's Bulwark, Flame Touched, Blast Shield, and Vindictive Flame. On devotions, complete Solael's Witchblade (bind its proc to Cadence), complete Viper, refund Jackal, complete Wretch, spend 1 in Crossroads (Order) and complete Lotus, refund Imp, complete Tortoise, then refund the Primordial and Order Crossroads points.
• ▸After reaching Homestead, chase Gollus' Ring (obtained during the quest to kill the Dermapteran Queen in Den of the Lost) and Fleshwarped Pauldrons from Fleshwarped mobs nearby. After defeating the Loghorrean, chase Ugdenbog Girdle in Ugdenbog (a guaranteed drop from Carraxus Foul). After reaching Malmouth, chase Galakros Dread Plating near the entrance to the Malmouth sewers. If the Juggernaut relic blueprint hasn't dropped yet, try resetting Hyram's shop after completing the Malmouth Resistance quests. On devotions, complete Alladrah's Phoenix (bind its proc to Blitz), complete Hammer, complete Crab, spend 1 in Crossroads (Ascendant), then refund Hammer.

• ▸Upgrade the weapon chasing Fire-damage and attack-speed affixes. Chase a well-rolled helm in Forgotten Gods. Farm the medal from the "rich friend" in Cronley's Hideout.
• ▸Farm Gollus' Ring for a couple of hours. For pants, the rare campaign drop Mythical Leggings of Arcane Currents is ideal; the reliable Dreeg-Sect Legguards works as a substitute.
• ▸Mythical Turin's Grips or Mythical Handguards of Justice are ideal gloves; Elite Rhowari Grips or crafted Plagueguard Grips work otherwise. Elite Legion Greaves is a fine stopgap for boots, with Mythical Boots of Primordial Rage as the ideal target.
• ▸Chase a late-game roll of Shambler's Heart for the amulet. After clearing SR26-27, buy the Shattered Guardian set from the Shattered Realm vendor and transition into a more survivability-focused setup (some damage lost, but a big gain in health, physical resistance, and overall toughness).

• ▸Charge into the thick of the fight with Blitz, then layer on debuffs with Thermite Mine and Blackwater Cocktail.
• ▸Keep swinging Cadence to smash everything down. The core playstyle is facetanking through heavy incoming damage.
• ▸Few buttons and simple execution make this controller-friendly.
• ▸After clearing SR26-27, transition into the Shattered Guardian set for a more survivability-focused setup.

Since the build is designed to absorb a lot of incoming damage, fill resistances up to the cap. Thermite Mine and Blackwater Cocktail cut enemy resistance and damage output, while Menhir's Bulwark and Blast Shield keep incoming damage down.

Since the build is built to soak up hits, gaps in resistances or armor can spiral quickly. Damage relies partly on the Discord conversion, so output lags somewhat until 100% Physical-to-Fire conversion is reached from gear.

Farm the Ancient Shambler in Flooded Passage for Shambler's Heart, Astros the Sunherald in Sunward Spire for the weapon and helm, "Moneybags" Martin in Cronley's Hideout for the medal, the Den of the Lost area for Gollus' Ring and Fleshwarped Pauldrons, Carraxus Foul in Ugdenbog for the belt, and near the Malmouth sewers entrance for the chest piece.