BUILD AT A GLANCE
| Class | Nightblade + Inquisitor = Infiltrator |
| Main Skill | Shadow Strike |
| Damage Type | Piercing |
| Weapon Setup | 2H Bonebleach Halberd, a.k.a. BBC (BoneBleachCamel weapon) |
| Defining Mechanic | Crit-based Shadow Strike cooldown reduction + Time Dilation |
| Mode | Hardcore |
| Ascended Stats | None |
| Content | The Dread, Lokarr, Ultimate SR 20-21, Ascendant campaign |
POST NOTES / COLORED TEXT GUIDE
Part of my Ekkhronosphere Hardcore build experiments. Not intended as a detailed beginner leveling guide; exact skill, devotion, attribute, and item allocation can be found in GrimTools.
| Color | Used for |
|---|---|
| Cyan | Nightblade, Nightblade skills, Cold |
| Yellow | Inquisitor, Inquisitor skills, Elemental |
| Red | Pierce (% Damage / Resistance), Piercing (Damage Type) |
BUILD IDENTITY
2H Piercing Shadow Strike Infiltrator built around Bonebleach Halberd.
Patch 1.3’s Bonebleach changes are what made the build click for me:
- +120% Weapon Damage to Shadow Strike
- 30% Chance on Critical Attack to reduce cooldown of Shadow Strike by 2 Seconds through Aura of Conviction
That 2-second reduction can immediately reset this build’s 1.1s Shadow Strike cooldown.
BONK BIG CRITS
The build intentionally stacks crit damage through skills, devotions, and gear.
BONK BIG CRITS → chance to reduce Shadow Strike cooldown by 2s → BONK AGAIN
DAMAGE CONVERSION
Bonebleach converts Cold damage to Piercing. Bladetwister Signet and Chosen Epaulets add Elemental to Piercing conversion.
Cold → Piercing and Elemental → Piercing are calculated separately, so some Cold remains in Shadow Strike. The remaining amount is small enough that the build is still heavily Piercing-focused.
GAMEPLAY / MECHANICS
Before combat:
- Pneumatic Burst
- Word of Renewal
Gap closer:
- Shadow Strike
- Dread’s Wake
Debuff baddies:
- Word of Pain
- Madness
- Expulsimum
Then spam Shadow Strike.
If Shadow Strike is still on cooldown:
Ring of Steel with Time Dilation → Shadow Strike
Repeat depending on which skills are available.
The build is very fast-paced while clearing. I am almost always moving between groups with Shadow Strike or Dread’s Wake. Against bosses or dangerous packs, I drop Inquisitor Seal when practical.
ITEMIZATION
BUILD-DEFINING ITEMS
Weapon: Bonebleach Halberd
- +4 to Shadow Strike
- +4 to Aura of Conviction
Shadow Strike
- -0.6 Second Skill Recharge
- +120% Weapon Damage
Aura of Conviction
- 70 Piercing Damage
- 5% Physical Resistance
- 30% Chance on Critical Attack to reduce cooldown of Shadow Strike by 2 Seconds
Amulet: Mythical Night’s Embrace
- +1 to all skills in Nightblade
Shadow Strike
- +25% Weapon Damage
- +20% Crit Damage
Veil of Shadow
- -6% Pierce Resistance
- -6% Cold Resistance
Gloves: Mythical Scarmakers
- +2 to Nidalla’s Justifiable Ends
Shadow Strike
- +40% Weapon Damage
Medal: Stormplume Crest
- +3 to Nidalla’s Justifiable Ends
Shadow Strike
- +50% Weapon Damage
- 100% Acid Damage converted to Lightning Damage
OTHER EQUIPMENT
Mythical Mask of Delirium covers flat Resistance Reduction through Madness.
Bladetwister Signet + Chosen Epaulets provide Elemental → Piercing conversion.
The remaining item slots mostly provide % Pierce Damage and fill needed stats such as skill bonuses, OA, DA, Health, resistances, and Attack Speed.
DEVOTIONS
Final setup:
- Aeon’s Hourglass + Azrakaa, the Eternal Sands (Lore power duo back at it again!)
- Tortoise
- Assassin’s Blade
- Kraken
- Hawk
- Toad
- Harpy
- Panther
- Mantis
- Jackal
- Eel
- Hound
- Crossroads (Red)
Aeon’s Hourglass is my usual personal preference. Time Dilation is bound to Ring of Steel so it can bring Shadow Strike back when the crit cooldown reduction does not cooperate.
Azrakaa is a natural fit for Piercing. Shifting Sands is bound to Shadow Strike. Its 0.5s cooldown fits Shadow Strike spam well, giving frequent proc chances. SS bound to SS. 
Assassin’s Blade is bound to Blade Spirit for reliable application of Assassin’s Mark.
Kraken is mandatory value for the 2H setup.
Tortoise stays for Hardcore safety.
Hawk, Harpy, Panther, and Kraken also contribute to the build’s crit damage stacking.
ALTERNATIVE DEVOTIONS: HAWK TOAHD VS GHOUL
During theorycrafting, I compared a Ghoul + Raven route against a Hawk + Toad + Jackal route.
Ghoul was the stronger emergency defensive option, but Hawk Toahd won for this build because I preferred the crit damage, other stats, and affinity efficiency.
Match result: Hawk Toahd spat on that Ghoul thing.
ENEMY DEBUFFS
Pierce RR: up to -122% stacking Pierce Resistance + 24 flat Reduced target’s Resistances
| Source | Effect |
|---|---|
| Blade Spirit → Assassin’s Mark | -36% Pierce Resistance |
| Night’s Chill 20/10 | -35% Pierce, Cold, Poison & Acid, and Vitality Resistance |
| Mythical Night’s Embrace → Veil of Shadow | -6% Pierce Resistance -6% Cold Resistance |
| Word of Pain → Death Sentence 12/12 | -25% Pierce, Aether, and Chaos Resistance |
| Bladetwister Signet → Mark of the Blade | -10% Physical Resistance -10% Pierce Resistance |
| Mythical Sigil of the Stone Thane → Mark of the Stone Thane | -10% Physical Resistance -10% Pierce Resistance |
| Mythical Mask of Delirium → Madness | 24 Reduced target’s Resistances for 6 Seconds Confuse target for 1-6 Seconds |
| Veil of Shadow 10/10 | 200 Reduced target’s Offensive Ability -25% Total Speed |
| Azrakaa → Shifting Sands | 140 Reduced target’s Offensive Ability for 3 Seconds 25% Chance of Impaired Aim for 3 Seconds |
| Nemesis → Summon Nemesis | 150 Reduced target’s Defensive Ability for 5 Seconds |
| Seal of Annihilation → Annihilation | -55 Offensive Ability -55 Defensive Ability 50% Reduced Health Regeneration |
| Energy Potion → Expulsimum | 30% Reduced target’s Damage for 4 Seconds Knockdown target for 3 Seconds |
Same-category reduced OA/DA effects do not stack; the strongest active value applies.
IN-GAME PERFORMANCE
The Dread
Testing conditions: Patch 1.3.0.8 • Hardcore Ascendant • Elixir of the Dranghoul + Ugdensalve used
First ~30 seconds were spent clearing the surrounding area before focusing on The Dread. 
- Highest observed crit: 1,414,864 (x2.78)
- Lowest observed HP: 7,477
The fight also showed why I still consider the relatively low DA a weakness. The build rewards active piloting and repositioning rather than brain-off facetanking.
Lokarr
Testing conditions: Patch 1.3.0.8 • Hardcore Ultimate • No consumables used
Ultimate SR 20-21
Testing conditions: Patch 1.3.0.8 • Hardcore Ultimate • No consumables used
OVERALL REVIEW
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| • Bonebleach finally makes 2H Shadow Strike feel convincing • Shadow Strike happens so often that it almost feels like the default attack • High crit chance and crit damage; 1.4m+ crit observed against The Dread • Fast-paced, highly mobile gameplay that rewards active piloting in dangerous content • Very strong Pierce RR |
• Relatively low DA; not a brain-off facetank build • Nightblade without Dual Blades means no % Armor from the skill. Armor? More like Ar-less  • Cannot use my beloved Belgothian’s Carnage relic with a 2H weapon  |
PERSONAL CHECKLIST (1.3.0.8)
Personal benchmarks, not universal build requirements. Values are from the in-game character sheet with permanent + temporary buffs active.
| Category | Goal | This build | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Strike and Nidalla’s Justifiable Ends | Hard capped | 26/16 and 22/12 |  |
| OA | 3000+ | 3.8k | |
| DA | 3000+ | 2.7k |  |
| Health | 15000+ | 16.9k | |
| Resistances | All capped; 25%+ overcap when practical | All capped |  |
| Main Damage Modifier | 2000%+ | 2.7k% Pierce Damage | |
| Main Damage RR | Multiple strong sources | -122% Pierce RR + 24 flat RR | |
Got what I was aiming for; if possible, the more the better.
Good enough for me.
We make do with what we have.
FINAL VERDICT / CLOSING
Patch 1.3’s Bonebleach changes turned this from an interesting 2H Shadow Strike idea into a build I genuinely love playing.
BBC hits hard, crits hard, and turns crits into another Shadow Strike. The gameplay is fast enough that Shadow Strike often feels like the default attack rather than a cooldown skill.
Thanks for reading!
It’s TIME to think about my next Aeon’s Hourglass / Shadow Strike build. 
