A melee build that focuses on out healing damage taken while shredding enemies to death with the Butchering Knife.
The way this Build works is that you'll stack healing over time effects so that you keep gaining health while trading damage. Icon Shield and Blessed Dew Talisman both heal you over time, and Butchering Knife heals you for 1% of your max HP per strike. When combined with high Armor you are extremely tough to kill.
Wild Strikes is a fantastic Ash of War for this Weapon because it strikes rapidly helping to trigger that 1% heal more often as well as increasing your Attack Power via Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, and it has hyper Armor making it difficult for you to be interrupted. Additionally you can R1 or R2 out of Wild Strikes for more attacks that can often finish off enemies and Boss or minimally stagger them depending on how much you've hit them already.
Dexterity & Vigor
Dexterity
Vigor
Endurance
Spellblade is a quality build that utilizes Claymore and Glintblade Phalanx Ashes of War. Primarily scales with strength and intelligence and heavily relies on periodic stance-breaking and critical hits. Rendering enemies unable to retaliate.
A Dexterity/Intelligence build that uses the Nagakiba and the Chilling Mist Ash of War.
A pure ranged Build that focuses on ranging enemies down from afar, without the need to ever engage in melee combat.
Note: since patch 1.03, Determination no longer applies its buff to any source of damage other than the weapon to which the Ash of War is applied. It can no longer be used to increase the damage of sorceries or incantations. The written guide below has been updated and contains minor changes to the build in the video guide.
A melee-focused Mage Build that uses magic to enhance and deal damage up close to enemies.
A melee-mage Build that uses Scholar's Armament and Glintstone Phalanx to deal Critical Damage to enemies.
A medium-armor melee-based sorcerer Build that allows you to Block with a Shield while attacking with Carian Sword Sorceries in your right hand.
The Sword Sage is a combination of Intelligence and Faith, using the Sword of Night and Flame and Death Sorceries.
A melee mage build that focuses on the use of the Dark Moon Greatsword and other Glintblade Sorceries to destroy its enemies.