Physical Blitz Skater Warlord (THE BONKFATHER)
A physical / Internal Trauma Warlord with a simple rotation: smack with Blitz, use Vire's Might for extra damage and to shorten Blitz's cooldown, then smack again. It is built around the Awakened Stonefather set, and the author says nearly everything can be target-farmed, bought from faction vendors, or crafted rather than left to random drops. It needs few buttons and is controller-friendly. The author (Ralfhskz / S.E.P_Ralf) published it as a v1.3.0.8 guide and it is listed as a beginner guide in the new Fangs of Asterkarn compendium. The evidence is from v1.3.0.8; no update or re-verification after v1.3.1.0 could be confirmed.
Blitz
The author shows video clears of the Skeleton Key dungeons (Steps of Torment, Ancient Grove, Tomb of the Heretic, Port Valbury, Bastion of Chaos), Shattered Realm 26-27, The Dread, Lokarr, Callagadra, Ravager, Avatar of Mogdrogen, and others, and the author says it farms Ascendant Mode well. These are results shown by video titles; the text gives no kill times or depths. For the new FoA superbosses, a reply says the author had not tried them with this build yet.
Beginner ★★★★☆
Gear need ★★★☆☆ (a few farmable required items)
Skills & Priorities
9The centre of the endgame rotation: Blitz, then Vire's Might for extra damage and a shorter Blitz cooldown, then Blitz again.
Around levels 20-30 you respec from Forcewave into it to use the weapon from The Steward, whose +1 charge to Vire's Might is the point.
Maxed at levels 40-50, after Celestial Presence is at least 12/12 (on the Soldier mastery bar).
Levels 30-40: put points in as soon as it unlocks until it reaches at least 12/12 (on the Oathkeeper mastery bar).
Levels 50-60: maxed after Oleron's Rage.
Maxed alongside Field Command.
One point after the level 20-30 respec away from Forcewave, used as the new home for the Assassin's Blade proc.
Used when heavily surrounded to absorb damage and, when needed, to max up all crowd-control resists.
If you want one more skill in the rotation and do not have the boots' granted skill, put a few points here.
Devotion Route (In Order)
16- 1.[Core] Take one Order Crossroads point (Order 1) after restoring the first 6 shrines (levels 10-20). Refund it later.
- 2.[Core] Complete Assassin's Blade (requires Order 1, grants Ascendant 3 / Order 2; 5 points). Bind its proc to Forcewave at first, then rebind it to Summon Guardian of Empyrion (1 point) after the level 20-30 respec away from Forcewave.
- 3.[Core] Complete Dryad (requires Order 1, grants Order 3; 5 points). Bind its proc to Blitz. Levels 20-30, after entering Forgotten Gods.
- 4.[Core] Complete Tortoise (requires Order 1, grants Order 2 / Primordial 3; 5 points). The running Order 8 meets the gate.
- 5.Refund the Order Crossroads point. Order stays at 7 (Assassin's Blade 2 + Dryad 3 + Tortoise 2), above the Order 1 each completed constellation needs.
- 6.Take one Ascendant Crossroads point (Ascendant 4) and complete Hammer (requires Ascendant 1, grants Ascendant 4; 3 points). A temporary pick that lifts you to the Ascendant 6 that Crab needs.
- 7.[Core] Complete Crab (requires Ascendant 6 / Order 4, grants Ascendant 3; 5 points). Levels 30-40, after finishing the DLC and returning to the main campaign.
- 8.Refunds: take back Hammer (-3) and the Ascendant Crossroads point (-1). Ascendant stays at 6 (Assassin's Blade 3 + Crab 3), exactly Crab's requirement.
- 9.[Core] Complete Lizard (requires Primordial 1, grants Primordial 4; 3 points).
- 10.[Core] Complete Harvestman's Scythe (requires Ascendant 3 / Order 3 / Primordial 5, grants Ascendant 3 / Primordial 3; 6 points).
- 11.[Core] Complete Ulzaad, Herald of Korvaak (requires Ascendant 8 / Primordial 6, grants Ascendant 2 / Eldritch 2; 6 points). The running Ascendant 9 meets the gate. Bind its proc to Vire's Might.
- 12.[Core] Complete Eel (requires Primordial 1, grants Primordial 5; 3 points). Levels 40-50.
- 13.[Core] Complete Sailor's Guide (requires Primordial 1, grants Primordial 5; 4 points). The running total is 42 points and Primordial 20.
- 14.[Core] Complete Tree of Life (requires Order 7 / Primordial 20; 6 points). Order 7 / Primordial 20 meets the gate exactly, for 48 points in total. Levels 50-60.
- 15.Light of Empyrion: the author says to finish with this (7 points, 55 in total). Following the text and refunding the Crossroads point leaves Order at 7, one short of its Order 8 requirement, so we could not reproduce this step. It may be reachable in the author's calculator (final build linked below), but the acquisition order cannot be checked here. Verify this part in the calculator.
- 16.The text states these bindings: Assassin's Blade to Forcewave (later rebound to Summon Guardian of Empyrion), Dryad to Blitz, and Ulzaad to Vire's Might. Check the calculator for the rest.
Gear
- ▸Start as Soldier and pick up Hevill's Greatsword to use Forcewave without a cooldown. The author explains that Forcewave's Tremor modifier lets you spam it with a two-handed melee weapon.
- ▸Keep the helmet that Milton Hart drops in Wightmire; it stays in use all the way to the endgame.
- ▸Levels 20-30: work through the Forgotten Gods quests toward the Tomb of the Eldritch Sun and farm the weapon from The Steward, whom you fight right after Uroboruuk's son (on the Path of Ascension side, guarding the tomb entrance). Its +1 charge to Vire's Might makes it a strong pick from around level 30 (a reader reports the +1 charge does not appear without the FoA DLC).
- ▸Levels 30-40: finish the Pine Barrens quests before Homestead to farm your main amulet, and take the medal from Harvoul at the end of the Tomb of Korvaak in Asterkarn Valley.
- ▸Levels 40-50: use the belt Carraxus the Foul always drops in Ugdenbog. Get the Juggernaut Relic blueprint by repeatedly resetting Hyram's shop in the Steelcap District (not mandatory, but useful for damage, Offensive Ability, and survivability).
- ▸Collect at least four pieces of the Epic Stonefather set (Totem drops, or buy the blueprint from Benevald in Blood Grove by resetting his shop and craft it). The finished build wears the Awakened set.
- ▸The weapon comes from Bargoll in Ugdenbog. The author also tried an Awakened Midwinter Memento and a Mythical Gavel of Ravenous Souls but found the Bloodbriar amulet and Bargoll's weapon give clearly higher damage and crits.
- ▸Budget setup: Dreeg-Sect Legguards (from the Guardian of Dreeg near the Lower Crossing), Elite Legion Greaves, Elite Harvest Grips or crafted Emberguard Gauntlets, rings such as Coven Storm Seal, and chest and shoulders bought from the Malmouth Resistance vendor.
- ▸Pieces the author planned for the final build but had not yet dropped: Mythical Sigil of the Stone Thane and a Bladetwister signet as rings, Mythical Titan Pauldrons, and Mythical Colossal Grasp. A reader also suggests the Menhirian ring.
- ▸For the belt, farm a level-94 Ugdenbog Girdle from Carraxus and collect the Stoneplate Waistguard blueprint.
- ▸For green-item affixes, look for physical or Internal Trauma bonuses (Imposing, Devastating, Earthbound, Barbaric, Rampage, of Ruin, of Oleron's Wrath, of Abomination, of Supremacy, of Soulwarding, and so on).
- ▸The final calculator is the link above (ZP4odzGZ). The level-94 budget setup is ZR9n79xV and the level-100 intermediate build is VWPq59yZ.
Playstyle & Notes
- ▸Endgame rotation: Blitz, then Vire's Might for extra damage and a shorter Blitz cooldown, then Blitz again. Use Ascension when surrounded to absorb damage and, when needed, to max your crowd-control resists.
- ▸To add one more skill, use the skill granted by the boots (or put a few points into Judgment if you lack them).
- ▸Early to mid game: activate every Monster Totem, check every corpse, rock, and chest, and sell unwanted loot, because the endgame needs a lot of iron bits.
- ▸Crafting the four Stonefather pieces eats that iron, so save it up beforehand.
The guide states no resistance target in its text. At levels 50-60 it only says to check resistances and upgrade gear, and to buy a Writ from any faction at Honored to speed up reputation. (Site note) Because this is a hardcore guide, capping the main resistances is the safe approach; see the calculator's gear for numbers.
The endgame needs four pieces of the Stonefather set (drops or crafting), and damage does not peak before that. A reader without FoA reports the weapon's +1 charge to Vire's Might never appeared, and the author says that might be the cause (not confirmed). The author says they had not yet tried the new FoA superbosses with this build, so avoid strong hardcore claims. The effect of v1.3.1.0 is unconfirmed.
The Steward (at the entrance to the Tomb of the Eldritch Sun), Milton Hart (Wightmire), Carraxus (Ugdenbog), Harvoul (Tomb of Korvaak), Ol' Bloodbriar's hideout, Bargoll (Ugdenbog), and the Guardian of Dreeg near the Lower Crossing. Get blueprints by resetting Benevald's shop in Blood Grove and Hyram's shop in the Steelcap District.