SSF Pierce Phantasmal Blades Reaver

Main throwing spell. Dranghoul Savage Blade and Jarinthor's Head push it into pierce; at close range, overlapping projectiles provide single-target burst. Bind Assassin's Mark here.

Close-range pierce resistance reduction and enemy OA reduction. Bind Inspiration to Veil of Shadow for recurring offensive and defensive bonuses.

Area pierce resistance reduction. Apply it to bosses and packs, stack it with Night's Chill, then throw PB.

Active healing plus avoidance and DA. Stagger it from Rallying Cry to preserve two separate recovery windows.

Exclusive skill supporting pierce, bleed, and critical damage. Bind Turtle Shell here for an emergency barrier.

Permanent DA, armor, cast-speed, and resistance support. Bind Tip the Scales to Amatok's Pact.

Second active heal and movement support. Refresh it alongside PB pressure and Bonechilling Cry.

Unlike the old Living Shadow route, the finished calc binds Shifting Sands here. The roaming summon helps trigger it automatically.

One of three mobility tools alongside Leap and the medal augment. Bind Blades of Wrath to trigger on engagement.

Passive pierce/bleed, Cunning, and defensive support. Max Anatomy of Murder in the final setup.

Minimal investment for passive support and prerequisites rather than transformation gameplay. The author forgot it at level 98, but it is present in the finished setup.

Low-cost emergency, passive, energy, and mobility utilities. Untamed Rage and Turtle Shell create escape windows.

• ▸Use the author's linked Soulpiercer pierce-PB Blademaster guide for early levels. Put Ectoplasm in jewelry/head, take the Lost Elder energy-regeneration relic, and use Battle Surge to support energy costs.
• ▸Level 71: finish all Normal plus part of Elite, prioritizing capped resistances, health, armor, and some OA/DA. This setup carries smoothly to about level 84.
• ▸Level 90: make the first major faction-gear respec. Defensive-affix crafted pants, gloves, and belt provide a large damage/survival jump; farm reputation first.
• ▸Level 98: use The Spite as a temporary power spike with no devotion changes. Do not switch to the final Dranghoul/off-hand setup too early—the off-hand's Spirit requirement takes points from Cunning and OA.
• ▸Finish the Ultimate campaign and clear SR15 for points before starting targeted MI farming.

• ▸Weapon: Dranghoul Savage Blade. Target-farm bases early in Tyran Hold and seek cast-speed/pierce affixes.
• ▸Off-hand: Jarinthor's Head, target-farmed from Jarinthor the Sandstorm.
• ▸Head: Packla's Visage from Packla in Gloomwald; shoulders: Kra'vall Shoulderguards from Kra'vall in Ugdenbog.
• ▸Chest: Bloodbound Armor from Ironeye Hideout/Black Citadel while gathering Bloodbound Totem materials; pants: Grava'Thul's Legguards in Mourndale/Cinder Wastes.
• ▸Belt: Gargoyle Waistguard before Korvaak from Eldritch Gate; medal: Gutworm's Mark from Gutworm.
• ▸Rings: two Vine Rings from Ancient Grove vendor rolls/drops, prioritizing pierce, Cunning, and resistance coverage.
• ▸Gloves: Emberguard Gauntlets; boots: Intrepid Warboots, crafted at Devil's Crossing. Prefer the %Physique smith bonus so more attributes can go into Cunning.
• ▸Amulet: Kaisan's Burning Eye from Eldritch Nemesis farming.
• ▸Relic: Aurora; target-farm the blueprint from Igron Worldbreaker or Ulderthorm Tempestborn.
• ▸For Ascended-affix rerolls, favor cast speed on weapon/off-hand/jewelry and health or Physique elsewhere. The author targets one rare plus one useful magic affix per slot.

• ▸Cycle the medal teleport, Shadow Strike, and Leap to traverse maps quickly while spamming PB.
• ▸Refresh Pneumatic Burst, Rallying Cry, and Bonechilling Cry. Attack after stacking Night's Chill range with Bonechilling Cry's pierce shred.
• ▸Shotgun enemies you can safely tank by overlapping PB projectiles. Against hard bosses, Tempest Totems, or huge packs, create distance and kite while throwing.
• ▸Use the seconds bought by Turtle Shell and Untamed Rage to heal, Evade, and reposition—not to keep standing still.
• ▸Ascendant Nemeses are dangerous; use terrain and all three movement tools to create attack windows instead of face-tanking.

From level 71 onward, prioritize capped resistances plus a healthy life and armor pool. Before Ascendant, patch gaps with MIs and augments. The documented flask setup uses absorption barrier + damage reduction + cooldown reduction on health, and max movement speed + armor + potency on energy; the armor potion modifier is farmed from Yuda Moonwhisper.

This is an active build requiring Evade, three movement skills, two heals, debuffs, and range control. Standing still against hard bosses, Tempest Totems, or huge packs can cause burst deaths, and this version is not HC-oriented. Although SSF-capable, the author used targeted MIs, Bloodbound Totems, about 150 Ashes of Awakening, and roughly eight million iron bits for rerolls. PB is weak early and needs one respec; close-range shotgunning is powerful but risky.

The author reports 25-30 hours to the Ascendant-ready intermediate setup and about 48 hours to the finished character at self-described average speed. Route Gloomwald troves/totems/Packla, Ugdenbog Kra'vall, Eldritch Gate-to-Korvaak Gargoyles and Eldritch Nemeses, Gutworm, Ancient Grove vendors, early Tyran Hold Dranghoul bases, and Jarinthor. In Ascendant, gather about 150 Ashes of Awakening from Gloomwald totems, Voidmarked Chests, and Ascendant Troves, while adding Grava'Thul runs in Mourndale/Cinder Wastes.