Phantasmal Blades Crit Machine Reaver (FoA launch-window theorycraft)

The Nightblade throwing skill. The author's reasons are explicit: excellent item conversion options (100% cold/vitality/chaos to pierce), built-in life leech, and strong crit synergy (the Nether Edge modifier adds critical damage). Bind the Assassin's Blade devotion's Assassin's Mark proc here to spread pierce resistance reduction constantly.

The Nightblade recovery/speed/DA buff. The single point in the Elemental Awakening modifier is the fix the author added in the second edition after thread feedback flagged low elemental overcap. Bind the Tortoise devotion's Turtle Shell proc here (an assignment already verified in our Blademaster build).

The Nightblade toggle aura. The base skill lowers enemy offensive ability, but the real point is the Night's Chill modifier's cold/pierce resistance reduction (-33% in the author's RR breakdown — one of the build's main shred pillars). Bind the Behemoth devotion's Giant's Blood proc here.

The Berserker area debuff shout, covering -30% pierce in the author's RR breakdown. The author names this skill — together with Berserker's crit damage scaling and max movement speed — as a key reason for the mastery pairing. Intended host for the Ulzaad devotion's Ulzaad's Decree proc (proc-hosting for new FoA skills unconfirmed; see the step-12 note for the contingency).

The Berserker exclusive skill boosting pierce/chaos/bleeding damage and critical damage — matching this pierce+bleed build. The author doesn't name it in the text, citing only '+70% critical damage from our Exclusive Skill,' but given the pierce/bleed/crit focus no other exclusive fits (the cold-focused Heart of Asterkarn doesn't match). The figure is at the author's ranks in grimtools.

The Berserker shout. The author's defense summary cites 'two active healing spells' — this is the second heal button alongside Pneumatic Burst. The Mystic build's play journal also rates it a near-top leveling priority, so it anchors the leveling adaptation too.

The Nightblade's deployable summon, run as a one-pointer hosting the Unknown Soldier devotion's Living Shadow proc. This division of labor reuses the setup verified in our Blademaster build (same pierce Phantasmal Blades archetype). Whether the author's own grimtools includes it can't be confirmed (client-rendered), but the proc-host pattern itself is proven in the existing build.

• ▸The source is endgame theorycraft only, with no leveling guide. Until play-tested guides appear, two options: (1) adapt the leveling path from our Blademaster build (same pierce Phantasmal Blades) on the Nightblade side, or (2) level as a Werewolf from the Berserker side (see our Mystic build, which has play-tested reports).
• ▸The forum also floats a different starter direction — a cold Onslaught / Ring of Steel Reaver using the Korba set — so the standard Reaver leveling path is not settled yet.
• ▸Note that Veteran purple-name heroes are tougher in v1.3 (see the Mystic build journal's warning).

• ▸The author calls this 'a high-end chase setup' outright — premium gear assumed. New FoA item names stay in English pending the Japanese wiki's update.
• ▸Weapon: Dranghoul Blade (new FoA item; the author's stated inspiration for the build)
• ▸Amulet: a Kaisan amulet (Kaisan's Burning Eye; budget swap: Mythical Will of the Blade)
• ▸Medal: the author offers Mark of Consumption as the budget swap
• ▸Helm: a Ravager helm is mentioned as viable
• ▸Rings: one Bladetwister and/or the new FoA ring Mythical Widow's Bite (the source writes 'Widows's bite'; normalized here — exact name to be re-checked once the Japanese wiki updates)
• ▸Greens are calculated with premium affixes; the author notes cheaper prefixes like 'Shrewd' as the budget compromise
• ▸Scales of Cormac serves as the situational RR source (the -20% slice of the RR breakdown)
• ▸The new FoA 'ascended affixes' are explicitly unresearched by the author and not included in the calculations.

• ▸A mid-range caster spamming Phantasmal Blades. With cast speed near cap, the game plan is volume — constant Assassin's Mark uptime and life leech through sheer throughput.
• ▸Walk targets into Veil of Shadow (Night's Chill) range, layer Bonechilling Cry's pierce RR, then unload.
• ▸Berserker's max movement speed is the comfort core — the author stresses how smooth the caster feels because of it.
• ▸Healing is two buttons: Pneumatic Burst and Rallying Cry. You take hits on 28% dodge / 32% deflect and 2.4k armor — not paper, not a tank. Position first.
• ▸As a crit-dependent build, OA debuffs on you hurt badly — play around them.

The second-edition grimtools trades some HP for more overcap (elemental overcap improved via one point in Elemental Awakening plus augment swaps, after thread feedback). Chaos/aether/vitality overcaps were also flagged as low; the author expects augment choices to shift depending on ascended-affix rolls. No hard numeric targets until real testing data exists.

The biggest caveat: this is pre-release theorycraft the author hasn't played (their own words). Gear dependency is maximal — a chase list of new FoA items (Dranghoul Blade etc.), best-roll greens, and MIs. Overcaps are still being tuned, with ascended affixes an open unknown. No leveling guide exists, so early-mid game borrows from other builds. Crit dependence makes OA-reduction debuffs painful.

Farming sources for the new FoA items (Dranghoul Blade, Mythical Widow's Bite, etc.) are unverified this soon after launch (to be updated). Among existing items, Kaisan's Burning Eye comes from Kaisan (the FG nemesis-tier spawn), while Bladetwister rings and Mark of Consumption drop in existing content. Green hunting runs through monster totems and SR as usual.