This build is up to date for the September 23, 2025 patch.
Overview
The Spear and Dagger PvE build focuses on delivering high single-target sustained DPS, making it ideal for dungeons and PvE events where maximizing damage against individual targets is crucial for a DPS role. Additionally, the build retains strong AoE potential with skills like 
Cyclonic Fury, which excel at dealing significant damage to multiple mobs during AoE farming or the trash-clearing phases of dungeon runs.
Attributes
PRIMARY
Dexterity
+
Strength
SECONDARY
Wisdom
+
Perception
With the unique stats and attributes system in Throne and Liberty, it can be difficult to determine exactly where to invest your attribute points at each stage of the game. This is because gear pieces provide attributes just like leveling up does, meaning everyone will have a different number of attribute points depending on what gear they are wearing at the time.
Given this variation, it's best to reset your attributes regularly to adjust to the new gear you acquire. Aim to reach the achievement effects, which provide extra benefits at milestones like 30, 50, and 70 points.
To maximize damage, focus on Strength and Dexterity. Start by putting points into these stats and keep adding as you upgrade gear. This boosts crits, heavy attacks, and max HP. Go for 50 Strength and stack rest to Dexterity. Perception and Wisdom offer minor bonuses but are secondary and not nearly as important.
Skills
Depending on which Dungeon/Dimensional Trial you might run, consider using
Rare Roaring Steak,
Rare Thrilling Papillote, and even
Rare Scorpion Tail Fritters to make it easier and also deal a lot more damage.
The Spear & Dagger build is a great choice for newer players that are looking to perform well in all PVE scenarios, capable of performing well without much experience in the game as long you stick to build's simple rotation.
Your main damage skills are 
Culling Arc but also Cyclonic Fury alongside 
Rising Slash. These are the skills you should be upgrading first for early damage increases. On other hand, 
Vicious Fury is an incredible single target DPS skill on its own.
Keep enhancing your skills with 
Abyssal Cleave and the dagger abilities 
Cleaving Moonlight and 
Brutal Incision. Always start your rotation with 
Inject Venom to apply poison, which reduces enemy resistances and boosts your damage output. This skill also activates the 
Destructive Fang, increasing your critical rate when attacking poisoned enemies. As the stacks build up to 20, the effect becomes significantly stronger.
Brutal Incision synergizes well with poisoned targets, delivering extra damage and making it an excellent option for finishing off enemies. 
Fatal Stigma is another important skill to keep in mind as it pairs with the poison stacks to deal very high damage.
For passives, you should focus on upgrading 
Malice Surge for that extra heavy attack chance. 
Imposing Form matches well with the many attacks of the spear, buffing you a great deal. 
Retaliatory Strike is another important passive that increases your critical chance and is a very important skill for the build.
As far as dagger passives go, 
Assassin's Instincts and Destructive Fang add extra crit rate and lower defenses. Meanwhile, 
Wrathful Edge helps the build deal even more critical damage whenever you hit critical hits, pairing well with the multiple critical hit incrasing sources of the build.
Equipment
Tier 3 (Work in progress)
Crimson Hellskewer
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Cooldown Speed
Primary
Bercant's Whispering Daggers
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Cooldown Speed
Crowned Skull of Victory
Max Health
Mana Cost Efficiency
Ranged Evasion
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Starlight Fur Cloak
Mana Regen
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Imperial Seeker's Tunic
Max Health
Magic Evasion
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Devious Hellfire Grips
Hit Chance
Ranged Evasion
Magic Evasion
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Feral Prophet's Pants
Buff Duration
Melee Evasion
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Imperial Seeker's Boots
Magic Evasion
Ranged Evasion
Movement Speed
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Earrings of Forlorn Elegance
Front Heavy Attack Chance
Side Heavy Attack Chance
Side Critical Hit
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Death Knell Gorget
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Primal Golden Cuffs
Mana Regen
Skill Damage Resistance
Debuff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Ring of Eternal Flames
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Runed Band of the Black Anvil
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Hero's Legacy Warbelt
Max Health
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Info
Equipment is being updated, if tier 3 items are in the tier 3 tab, it means the equipment on this build was updated.
Crimson Hellskewer
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Cooldown Speed
Primary
Bercant's Whispering Daggers
Heavy Attack Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Hit Chance
Resonance Effect: Cooldown Speed
Crowned Skull of Victory
Max Health
Mana Cost Efficiency
Ranged Evasion
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Starlight Fur Cloak
Mana Regen
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Imperial Seeker's Tunic
Max Health
Magic Evasion
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Devious Hellfire Grips
Hit Chance
Ranged Evasion
Magic Evasion
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Feral Prophet's Pants
Buff Duration
Melee Evasion
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Imperial Seeker's Boots
Magic Evasion
Ranged Evasion
Movement Speed
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Earrings of Forlorn Elegance
Front Heavy Attack Chance
Side Heavy Attack Chance
Side Critical Hit
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Pendant of Barbaric Rage
Skill Damage Boost
Max Health
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Barbed Cuffs of the Tormentor
Max Health
Skill Damage Resistance
Debuff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Ring of Spirited Desire
Skill Damage Boost
Mana Regen
Buff Duration
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Runed Band of the Black Anvil
Skill Damage Boost
Buff Duration
Max Health
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Undisputed Champion's Belt
Mana Regen
Debuff Duration
Skill Damage Resistance
Resonance Effect: Max Mana
Weapon Masteries
Spear
Dagger
You should be aiming to reach and unlock masteries (the corner nodes) as soon as possible as they usually make the largest impact in the build. While minor nodes shouldn't be forgotten, make sure to unlock masteries as fast as possible before spreading out and spending into less important nodes.
Artifacts
Chaos Harbinger Talistone I
Damage: 10
Critical Hit Chance
Melee Critical Hit Chance
Melee Heavy Attack Chance
Chaos Harbinger Solarstone
Weaken Chance
Silence Chance
Weaken Chance
CC Chance
Chaos Harbinger Talistone III
Max Health: 1750
CC Resistance
Weaken Resistance
Amitoi Healing
Chaos Harbinger Talistone II
Defense: 200
Ranged Evasion
Evasion
Heavy Attack Evasion
Chaos Harbinger Lunarstone
Weaken Resistance
Collision Resistance
Weaken Resistance
CC Resistances
Chaos Harbinger Talistone IV
Max Health: 1750
Melee Heavy Attack Chance
Melee Critical Hit Chance
Critical Hit Chance
Rotations
- Prebuff yourself with
Unyielding Sentinel, Inject Venom & 
Umbral Spirit so all your follow-up attacks will also apply poison and deal extra damage.
- Use
Gale Rush to dash to the target and increase your attack speed. Put Fatal Stigma on the target/boss before using Abyssal Cleave to boost damage done with the next 3 recasts of Vicious Fury. Follow up with Cyclonic Fury next. Continue with Cleaving Moonlight to max out the poison stacks.
- Use Brutal Incision to maximize the damage done before using Culling Arc and increase the damage done with Rising Slash.
Useful Information
- An alternative is to select Lady Knight Kamarshea as your guardian; it provides essential protection with its shield, which absorbs damage equal to 50% of your mana. While the shield is active, you also gain a 40% Cooldown Speed boost. Although the shield is valuable, ensure to maintain it for as long as possible to maximize the duration of the increased cooldown speed. Remember, the guardian will be lost if the shield is depleted, so be mindful of that!
Other Shadowdancer Builds
PvPEasyMeleeDPS
PvPModerateMeleeDPS
