[1.1.8.0] Blitz Krieg - 2H melee aether Death Knight using Blitz and Krieg set, easy SR 80+

[Duchy]

INTRODUCTION

The reason behind this build is to create a two handed melee aether Death Knight using the Krieg set and the Scion of the Screaming Veil. As main damage skills I rotate a couple of nukes - Blitz, Will of the Fallen Kings (Vire like skill from rune), Bone Harvest, Reaping Arc and Krieg’s Wrath. These nukes have all nice AoE and their cooldowns are OK for rotating them all the time. For life sustain the build has huge lifesteal, Siphon Souls and Scales (devotion). The build fully converts vitality damage to aether using the Scion and a monster infrequent belt. Build is easy to play and very strong. It kills things fast and you have to try very hard to get yourself killed. SR 80 is easy.

I have other aether melee builds here. All my builds are here.

GRIMTOOLS https://www.grimtools.com/calc/xZyg8Yb2

Build uses one monster infrequent item for conversion. It doesn’t really matter what affixes you have. I have chosen the best so that they are not double rare. Crafting bonus on the amulet and one ring is to slow resistance and on the medal is to stun resistance.

Stats of the build

OFFENSE

high base weapon damage

you have 5 nukes that deal a lot of single target and AoE damage

OK critical damage 39 %

OK OA - above 2900 OA base (up to 3200 OA with Fighting Spirit)

270 DA reduction to enemies from Blitz

nice aether resistance reduction from Spectral Wrath, Arcane Bomb, Mythical Band of the Eternal Haunt and Scales (or Krieg’s Wrath) - up to -97 %

damage from devotions - Spear of the Heavens, Arcane Bomb and Scales

DEFENSE

huge life 20000 HP

OK DA - around 2950 DA

up to 322 OA reduction to enemies from Siphon Souls and Arcane Bomb

huge lifesteal 31 %

lifesteal from Siphon Souls and Scales

damage reduction to enemies from Ill Omen

aether and chaos damage absorption from component

high CC resistances with crafting bonuses

reasonable overcap of resistances

at least +3 to maximum all resistances

OK armor - close to 2500

OK physical resistance 23 %

Mark of Torment

Ghoul

Prismatic Rage

Menhir’s Will

image from the game with passive buffs only

image from the game with passive buffs + Fighting Spirit and Soul Harvest

SR, CRUCIBLE

I play SR with camera pointed away from enemies and I try my builds only in SR 65-66 and SR 80. I play around 10 SR runs per character.

This build does SR 80 easily. Only Reaper is quite tough but doable. I don’t push my characters higher but it can go higher if you are a skilled player.

I don’t play Crucible so I don’t have a time number for it.

Images from SR 80

[malawiglenn]

Polish players beware!

Is Tip of scales is there mostly for life steal, not RR?

[Knife]

Damn dude, this is a cool build! Wish I had all the gear to run it! One more build to look forward to! You’re always throwing up neat builds. Thank for sharing, man.

[Duchy]

Yes it is for lifesteal. Very good devotion generally. I like to use it.

[Duchy]

This build is really easy to gear up.

[Knife]

What do you recommend for lower leveling the build (say from level 50 to 65/75)?

[Duchy]

I would do Cadence plus Blitz with Soulsplitter epic 2H axe. That should carry you easily the whole game to level 94.

[malawiglenn]

Isn’t transmuted 2H forcewave “THE” way to level DK?

[Duchy]

Perhaps, I don’t like that skill much though. I like Cadence + WPS.

[Knife]

Looks like fun! Never used that weapon before. What about armor and skill
/stat prioritization in that same level range?

[Duchy]

Go for Cadence + Siphon souls, 1 point blitz. Take also field command and fighting spirit. I have this character (one of my first chars), very unpolished and unoptimezed still (didn’t have time to finish it) but still I got with him easily to level 90. Didn’t play it since. With better optimazation it will be absolutely easy.

[Evil_Baka]

2-handed Blade Arc works well for most Soldiers I level as well in practice, even magic-based ones if you’re able to pickup a pure damage MI with attack speed (like a Searing Korvan Burning Halberd of Alacrity for Fire-based Soldiers). Aether has Fleshwarped Core which is what I’d be looking out for if I can’t get a Soulsplitter.

Great build as well Duchy!

[malawiglenn]

I am leveling witchblade now with 2H blade arc. Level 62 now and feels very bad compared to FW imo

[Duchy]

I have a physical Blade Arc Warlord and it kills extremely fast everything.

[Evil_Baka]

What kind of Witchblade? If Physical, a Korvan Celestial Halberd should do well enough and allows you to max Second Rite (though, I do admit it, grabbing one means going way off of track with gathering Morg’s Seals).

I had no problems whatsoever on damage or survivability taking a Vitality Witchblade (memey I know) to 94 in Lokarr with a Decaying Spectral Warmaul of Alacrity.

[Knife]

Holy crap, that sounds amazing… Have you posted this build? (The vitality witchblade) that uses 2h blade arc? Id love to see it!!

[Evil_Baka]

I was just levelling with a 2-handed weapon, I swapped to Howl of the Wendigo at 94. Though, maybe a 2-handed version would be stronger.

[TheBigHam]

Build looks really fun to play! I’ve actually been browsing builds to try out Scion of the Screaming Veil lately (Deathknight, Spellbinder, Oppressor). Any thoughts on how comfy the build is to play vs, say, Callidor’s Tempest Spellbinder with basically the same gear?

Also, maybe I’m missing something, but am I correct in assessing that you skip Bone Harvest transmuter because you value additional AOE range over damage there?

[Duchy]

I have not played a CT spellbinder, so I can’t compare but it is really easy gameplay with it. It could go a lot higher in SR. Yes BH is because of the range.

[Kolonel]

Hello everyone,

Very dynamic and fun build. Thank you Duchy. I was looking for an aether build, it’s a very good one.
I’m presently using the same items but the helm, because Krieg’s Mask didn’t want to drop … if someone got one to trade … i’ve put a Ravager’s Dreagaze in place, the -15% aether resist seems to be not so bad.
One more time, very thank you !