Staff Dagger Leveling Build Guide

by | Last updated Sep 17, 2024

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Introduction

Welcome to our Staff and Dagger Leveling build guide. In this guide, we’ll go over the process of leveling with this weapon combination and the best way to utilize it. This includes quest rewards. Staff and Dagger is the perfect magic/assassin power fantasy.

Skill Prioritization

Below is our go-to for Skill Prioritization with Staff and Dagger during leveling:

A large majority of your core Skills begin the journey with you at Level 1. This includes:

  • Serial Fire Bombs
  • Inferno Wave
  • Cleaving Moonlight
  • Brutal Incision
  • Inject Venom
  • Chain Lightning

You can use any filler Skill you wish, however, begin to fit & replace higher level Skills as you continue. For example, Ice Spear at level 18 and High Focus at level 30. The same applies to Passives. Start with Assassin’s Step and Manaball Eruption, replacing Manaball Eruption with Assassin’s Instinct and more later on.

Skill Specialization Priority

At Level 15, you’ll unlock Skill Specialization. This system awards you with 10 starting points to allocate and empower your existing Skills. You’ll earn 2 additional points per level up until level 31, where you then start to earn 3 additional points per level. We recommend the following set-up:

The most important ordering priority in the Skill Specializations is to get Chain Thunder online as soon as you hit Level 15 and to work on fully activating the Serial Fire Bombs Specializations above. In the mid-leveling experience, Specializing Ice Spear and Judgement Lightning is ideal for nuking targets.

Skill Upgrade Priority

Every Skill in Throne and Liberty starts at “Uncommon Level 1“. By using Active and Passive Skill Growth Books obtained from the MSQ and Side Quests or crafting them with Marind Ores of different rarities – you can level up each Skill until Epic Level 5. Below is our recommended upgrading priority for your Skills while leveling:

Once you have upgraded these Skills to Rare and then Epic, upgrade the rest as you see fit. However, if you’re looking to prioritize PVP-mandatory Skills, such as the “Shadow Walker” Passive – check out our PVP guide for Staff and Dagger.

Stat Allocation

While leveling 1-50 with the Staff and Dagger leveling build guide, we recommend the following stat allocation:

  • Dexterity – 20 Points
  • Wisdom – 20 Points
  • Perception 9 Points

This spread helps you to deal as much damage as possible while maintaining Mana

Weapon Mastery

Weapon Mastery in Throne and Liberty takes some time to grind up to the maximum level. For the sake of the Staff and Dagger leveling build guide, we’ve set our goal as Level 7 Mastery. For leveling, follow the Mastery lines below:

These are some of the more offensive masteries of both weapons that’ll assist you in pushing through content.

Gearing and MSQ Rewards

Early on in leveling, crafted Uncommon gear is something you’ll only have to worry about upgrading, rather than looking for specific pieces. Around Chapter 4 of the MSQ, you’ll have enough materials and Lithographs to craft a full Uncommon set of gear. We recommend crafting gear with Melee Evasion or Mana Regen if you’re struggling. Melee Evasion gear (especially the Accessories) can be quite powerful early on in PVP too – so consider crafting them for this reason too!

If you craft the Worshiper’s Staff early on, you can use it later in the Lithograph Book for a free Elite Resistance Staff!

MSQ Reward Selection

While the large majority of gear you’ll receive from the MSQ is Rare, we do not recommend moving straight over to them until you’re at least Level 50. Ultimately, this gear will be replaced with BIS Epic Tier 1 gear, but for now – we recommend the following rewards:

How to Play The Staff and Dagger Leveling Build

During the very early levels playing Staff and Dagger, both weapons immediately put in work from Level 1. The weapon combination might feel a little single-target heavy at the start with small bits of cleave (namely Inferno Wave). However, the combination truly opens up at level 15 onward. Skill Specializations help to turn this combination into an AoE powerhouse. Once you have your Chain Lightning and Judgment Lightning full Specialized alongside Serial Fire Bombs – you’re really cooking.

The Dagger is definitely the supporting act overall in this build while leveling, the Passives hold more power and priority over Dagger Skills. As a result, you should only look to use Skills such as Cleaving Moonlight or Brutal Incision (Thunderclouds Bombing) if an enemy reaches you.

Skill Rotations

Your bread and butter rotation comes mainly from the Staff. We recommend getting used to the following short string:

  • Chain Lightning
  • Serial Fire Bombs x3
  • Inferno Wave
  • Chain Lighting (if it is off Cooldown)

While short and sweet, this rotation uses every aspect of the Staff’s kit. Both Chain Lightning and Inferno Wave gain power based on the amount of Burn stacks your target has. Serial Fire Bombs spreads Burn stacks on targets. As a result, building Burn stacks and then using your empowered Inferno Wave and Chain Lightning is the key to dealing optimal damage.

From the Dagger’s side of the kit, Brutal Incision (Thunderclouds Bombing) and Cleaving Moonlight can easily finish targets off while waiting for Staff cooldowns. If you find yourself surrounding by a several mobs, a helpful melee rotation is:

  • Pop Inject Venom and Umbral Spirit (Thunder Spirit)
  • Cleaving Moonlight x2
  • Brutal Incision (Thunderclouds Bombing)

Umbral Spirit with the Thunder Spirit Specialization applies a small chain of lightning to multiple targets upon landing Melee Critical Hits. This helps to spread Poison stacks as well as dealing AoE in general. Cleaving Moonlight & Brutal Incision burst and clean-up the remaining targets.

To navigate and move from quest to quest faster, you can also consider slotting Frost Smokescreen and Shadow Strike. However, you only need to do this if you want to speed run or min/max.

Skills such as Ice Spear with the Ice Spear Bombardment Specialization and Judgment Lightning are quick yet powerful single-target nukes. However, Judgment Lightning also doubles up as a cleave tool.

Leveling Tips

Finally, a few additional leveling tips to keep in mind on your 1-50 journey:

  • Check out our general Leveling guide for more information
  • Focus on the MSQ as much as you can, however, make sure to do a couple of Side Quests in each area to avoid any leveling walls.
  • Do not skip on crafting Uncommon gear, it’ll be important to put into your Rare gear or the Lithograph book.
  • As a Staff and Dagger, make the most of the Dagger Block to regain bursts of Mana (after blocking a Fury Attack).
  • During the Resistance Contracts quest from the MSQ, try to pick out any Accessory or Weapon Lithograph rewards. These can help you massively in getting good early game gear.

Staff and Dagger Leveling Build Guide Conclusion

That concludes our Staff and Dagger Leveling guide. Now that you’re Level 50, consider checking out our PVE (Solo or Group) and PVP guides for the build. For more information on Throne and Liberty, check out our main page.

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