Shadow Strike Infiltrator
A cold melee build that reduces the game to almost nothing but holding down Shadow Strike as your default attack. In practice it plays on two buttons — left click to attack, right click to reposition — while still keeping some of the highest mobility in the game. Defense comes from layering Veil of Shadow's Night's Chill modifier with Aura of Censure into a combined 60%+ resistance reduction and damage reduction aura around you.
Shadow Strike
The cited guide is from v1.1.6.2 and has not been re-verified on the current v1.2.1.6. As originally demonstrated, it cleared Crucible 151-170 in under 7 minutes and Shattered Realm 65-66 (with unfavorable mutators); the full campaign was reported as easier still. Reproducibility after several subsequent balance patches has not been confirmed.
Beginner ★★★★☆
Gear need ★★★☆☆ (a few farmable required items)
Skills & Priorities
9The main attack, replacing your default swing. Holding this one button down covers both damage and — thanks to its built-in movement — a lot of your mobility.
An always-on passive that adds a flat % bonus to Cold, Acid, Frostburn, and Poison damage — a direct match for this build's main damage type.
A summoned pet skill, used as the binding target for Amatok's Blizzard proc. It keeps attacking even while you're busy repositioning.
An always-on debuff aura, used as the binding target for Ghoul's Ghoulish Hunger proc — being permanently active, it reliably catches the proc's below-45%-HP trigger.
Veil of Shadow's modifier. Strips cold/pierce/acid resistance, and stacks with Aura of Censure as this build's resistance-reduction core.
The exclusive aura, and the other half of this build's defense and resistance-reduction core alongside Veil of Shadow.
A long-duration heal buff — cast it once and it keeps working, adding survivability without adding to your button count.
A passive that raises max health. Invest spare points here if survivability feels shaky.
An AoE nova that hits everything around you. The guide's author calls skipping it "a gimp to the build," but taking it trades away the build's signature two-button simplicity.
Devotion Route (In Order)
8- 1.1 point in Crossroads (Chaos).
- 2.Complete Ghoul (5pt / requires Chaos 1, grants Chaos +3). Bind its Ghoulish Hunger proc to the always-on Veil of Shadow, so its below-45%-HP trigger stays active.
- 3.1 point in Crossroads (Eldritch).
- 4.Complete Bat (5pt / requires Eldritch 1, grants Chaos +2, Eldritch +3). Bind its Twin Fangs proc to Shadow Strike.
- 5.1 point in Crossroads (Primordial).
- 6.Complete Eel (3pt / requires Primordial 1, grants Primordial +5).
- 7.[Core] Complete Amatok the Spirit of Winter (7pt / requires Eldritch 4, Primordial 6 — accumulated Eldritch 4, Primordial 6 meets the gate exactly; grants Eldritch +1, Primordial +1). Bind its Blizzard proc (100% on critical hit) to Blade Spirit. This uses 23 of 55 devotion points.
- 8.Spend the remaining 32 points freely, keeping in mind that each constellation grants at most one on-attack-type proc and each skill can only hold one bound devotion power at a time. Picking up another attacking skill (such as Ring of Steel) opens up more binding slots for on-attack procs like Wendigo's Mark (Wendigo), Arcane Bomb (Widow), or Raise the Dead (Revenant).
Gear
- ▸Use Shadow Strike as your default attack from early on, and grab the movement rune from Conclave of the Three as soon as possible — between the two, escaping danger is mostly solved.
- ▸Early on, invest in Inquisitor Seal, both auras, and the Word of Renewal line to level safely, then shift toward the final Shadow Strike-centric build in the mid-game.
- ▸Fill resistance gaps with components while building faction reputation with Barrowholm, Cult of Bysmiel, and Malmouth Resistance in parallel.
- ▸2x Loxmere's Frostblade for weapons — an attack speed % affix is ideal, but any other cold dagger works as a placeholder until you find them.
- ▸Fettan Mask (from a hidden area near Korvan Sands) for the helmet. Gargoyle Waistguard (+1 Nightblade skills, converts Vitality damage to Cold damage) is the go-to belt.
- ▸Barrowholm faction gear covers the rings, chest, and shoulders; Cult of Bysmiel crafted pieces cover the amulet and medal. Ascendant Shoulderguards (which carry a +skill to Shadow Strike) are a strong shoulder alternative.
- ▸Look for a relic with +1 Nightblade skills, and buy weapon/jewelry augments from the Cult of Bysmiel and Malmouth Resistance reputation shops. Basilisk Mark (+skill to Nidalla's Justifiable Ends and Ring of Steel, a fairly common Ugdenbog drop) is a fallback medal option.
Playstyle & Notes
- ▸Just hold down Shadow Strike — it covers both damage and repositioning. Kite by continuing to use it when things get dangerous.
- ▸Drop Blade Spirit and let it farm Blizzard procs on its own.
- ▸If you add Ring of Steel or Lethal Assault, pop them together when surrounded by a pack.
- ▸Word of Renewal's long duration means you rarely need to recast it mid-fight.
Veil of Shadow's Night's Chill modifier strips cold/pierce/acid resistance, which stacks with Aura of Censure's own resistance reduction to bring enemies down 60%+ while also cutting incoming damage. If physical resistance runs low, Dual Blades' passive bonus helps; if survivability is still lacking, pull a few points from Merciless Repertoire into Vigor.
The extreme button-count reduction caps single-target damage growth compared to other archetypes, and skipping Ring of Steel or Lethal Assault costs even more damage. Loxmere's Frostblade also has wide affix variance, so getting an ideal pair can take a while.
Farm the boss that drops Loxmere's Frostblade for the weapons. Fettan Mask is in a hidden area near the Korvan Sands rift. Basilisk Mark (a medal fallback) drops fairly often in Ugdenbog. Running Tomb of the Eldritch Sun doubles as Cult of Bysmiel reputation and relic materials.