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Being a melee fighter in Enshrouded is risky. Enemies are deadly, and if you fluke your parries or mismanage your stamina, you'll be in for some heavy punishment. However, if built properly, melee characters can withstand everything the Shroud throws at them.
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The following is an Enshrouded tank build that's capable of absorbing damage while healing the player back up to full health. You don't need to get to Enshrouded's max level to reach the very core of the build, but having at least 50 skill points is recommended to truly make the setup shine.
Updated June 7, 2024 by Marc Santos: Enshrouded's Melodies of the Mire update brought a number of big changes to combat balancing, including major improvements to melee playstyles. Apart from making two-handed weapons much more viable in the late game, players can now expect parrying to be a much more effective and rewarding tactic following buffs to the parrying power of shields as well as some core skills meant to take advantage of stunned opponents. This guide has been updated to include two parry-focused skills to serve as alternatives for players who want a more reactive playstyle.
Core Skill Setup
Major Skill Node | Effect |
|---|---|
The Warrior's Path | Melee weapon damage is increased by 10% |
Slasher | Cutting damage is increased by 10% |
Butcher | Cutting damage is increased by an additional 20% |
Veteran | Melee weapon crit chance increased by 10% |
Swift Blades | Attack faster with one-handed weapons |
Shiny Plates | Armor mitigates 10% more Physical damage |
Tower | Suffer 10% less Physical damage when surrounded by three or more enemies |
Earth Aura | Damage received by all players within 10 meters is reduced by 10% |
Thick Skin | Gain 1 Constitution for every 2 levels of Flame |
Evasion Attack | Perform a lunging attack with a melee weapon by attacking after dodging |
Battle Heal | Heal 5% of your maximum health after critically striking with a melee weapon |
This build makes use of major and minor nodes in two of the four melee-oriented skill tree branches, namely the Warrior and Tank skill lines. A few points are sprinkled into the green skill branches only for the sake of getting Double Jump and some of the other best skills to get first in Enshrouded.
The two most important parts of this Enshrouded tank build are Thick Skin and Battle Heal. The former increases your Constitution based on your Flame level, while the latter restores 5% of your maximum HP every time you critically strike. Combined, these two skills contribute the most to your self-sustain, allowing you to stay in the fight for longer. Every other point spent in this build are self-explanatory boosts to your offensive and defensive stats.
If you have spare skill points, get the Well-Rested and Inner Fires passives so you can get free increases to your Rested buff and Shroud timers. Dessert Stomach in the Survivor tree is also a great QoL skill to have.
Enshrouded - Melodies of The Mire Official Update Trailer
The new Melodies of the Mire update for Enshrouded features a new biome for players to explore, including some enormous trees and new instruments.
Following the Melodies of the Mire update, players can expect melee builds to be stronger across the board. This build remains as-is, though players might want to try experimenting with the following skills:
- Merciless Strike: Perform a power attack against an overpowered (stunned) enemy.
- Opportunity: Adds 100% to the damage multiplier of Merciless Strike and Sneak Attack.
The original build focuses on directly attacking enemies to deal damage and sustain health via lifesteal. These two skills, however, skew the playstyle more toward parrying and overpowering enemies to trigger Merciless Strike, which got significantly buffed from the Melodies of the Mire patch. Shields have also received changes: some now have stronger blocking or parrying power. Keep this in mind when gearing up, and pick the playstyle you prefer.
Recommended Gear
- Armor: Radiant Paladin/Soldier
- Weapon: Any sword with high Cutting damage and critical hit chance
- Shield: Any shield with strong defense or parry power
- Rings: 2x Commander Rings
Armor-wise, the best options you can use in Enshrouded early access are the Radiant Paladin and Soldier sets. Both have comparable stats, though the former is a unique armor set that can only be obtained in the Kindlewastes. If you don't want to repeatedly farm chests to get the Radiant Paladin armor, craft the Soldier set instead. Equip two Commander's Rings for more Health or any ring that increases HP and Stamina.
As for weapons, one-handed swords are preferred for this build. They're effective against the majority of enemies in the game, and they mostly deal Cutting damage by default, which will get boosted by the Slasher and Butcher passives from the skill tree. If you prefer using other types of one-handed weapon, respec your skills and get the passives for Blunt and Piercing damage types instead. The most ideal sword for this build is one with additional crit chance and bonus Cutting damage. Pair it with the strongest shield you have.
To maximize your potential, eat food that grants Constitution, melee damage, and other effects that are beneficial to melee fighters. Some good options include:
- Open Sandwich: +4 Strength, +2 Constitution
- Meat Wrap: +5 Constitution, +1 Intelligence
- Flat Bread: +4 Strength
- Fruit Bowl: +6 Health Regeneration, +3 Stamina Recharge
- Sugar: +20 Stamina Recharge
Enshrouded
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- January 24, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Keen Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival , Open-World , Action RPG
- Engine
- Holistic
