Best, or good, Excalibur Builds?

[(PSN)KadzietYagami]

I'm always hearing arguments from three different points of view. Exalted Blade is best. Slash Dash is best because DPS. Radial Blind is best.

I'm in between on all of them, but I do have an Exalted Blade build. Only problem is I do not have the best mods for it, and I do not have a single arcane. Still do decent with it.

So, what's a decent, good, or best Slash Dash build? I hear a good Slash Dash build can have some of the highest DPS.

Currently I have, on my EB build, 108% Duration. 175% Efficiency. 100% Range. 130% Strength. High HP, but low shields. Rage and Life Strike on a Dragon Nikana/Dual Ichor.

 

What are your builds? Or can you give me any tips for a Slash Dash build?

I have 4 forma on Excalibur. 3 Madurai and 1 Vazarin. Gonna add a Naramon at some point. Aura is currently without a polarity.

Edited February 29, 2016 by (PS4)KadzietYagami
Forgot some info.

[RagingGrizzly]

This build has gotten my through some very tough void survivals. :P (And for future reference, keep threads pertaining/asking for help/tips to the Players helping Players subforum)

Edited February 29, 2016 by PUR3K1LL3R

[(PSN)KadzietYagami]

1 minute ago, PUR3K1LL3R said:

This build has gotten my through some very tough void survivals. :P

I really need to try getting some Power Strength mods. Might try the Market, but people charge up the butt for them. I also don't have a Primed Continuity. I might have a Transient Fortitude, but I'll need to check. If not, then to the market.

[RagingGrizzly]

2 minutes ago, (PS4)KadzietYagami said:

I really need to try getting some Power Strength mods. Might try the Market, but people charge up the butt for them. I also don't have a Primed Continuity. I might have a Transient Fortitude, but I'll need to check. If not, then to the market.

If you don't have the primed version of Continuity, the regular one or a rank 6 Narrow Minded would be fine.

Also, if you want a really good slash dash build, get a melee with Body Count and use the Surging Dash augment.

Edited February 29, 2016 by PUR3K1LL3R

[IceColdHawk]

10 minutes ago, PUR3K1LL3R said:

This build has gotten my through some very tough void survivals. :P (And for future reference, keep threads pertaining/asking for help/tips to the Players helping Players subforum)

I see you forma'd it once more to fit power drift into the exilus slot. Good job man ;)

[RagingGrizzly]

4 minutes ago, IceColdHawk said:

I see you forma'd it once more to fit power drift into the exilus slot. Good job man ;)

You motivated me. So Good Job to you too :P

[CeePee]

Here's what I'm always using on my EB Excal. I prefer having just straight up power strength and duration with vitality. Vitality is better than Redirection since you can heal with Life Strike.

Range is good if you like using blind (I don't), you can just aim the slashes through walls and avoid enemies that way. Also, Naramon is just stupid good with EB.

Energy is not a problem, you usually pick up enough orbs from the stuff you kill. Sometimes you might have to use energy pads to top up (remember to shut down EB first)

 

[RagingGrizzly]

Just now, CeePee said:

Here's what I'm always using on my EB Excal. I prefer having just straight up power strength and duration with vitality. Vitality is better than Redirection since you can heal with Life Strike.

Range is good if you like using blind (I don't), you can just aim the slashes through walls and avoid enemies that way. Also, Naramon is just stupid good with EB.

Energy is not a problem, you usually pick up enough orbs from the stuff you kill. Sometimes you might have to use energy pads to top up (remember to shut down EB first)

 

Is your blind still useful? I can see you skimped out on range.

[CeePee]

Just now, PUR3K1LL3R said:

Is your blind still useful? I can see you skimped out on range.

Like I said I don't really use blind, Naramon keeps you alive in solo missions and in parties you'll just kill everything anyways.

[IceColdHawk]

1 minute ago, CeePee said:

Like I said I don't really use blind, Naramon keeps you alive in solo missions and in parties you'll just kill everything anyways.

Blind for more damagez and finishers. In case you won't kill everything anymore ^^.

Edited February 29, 2016 by IceColdHawk

[RagingGrizzly]

Just now, CeePee said:

Like I said I don't really use blind, Naramon keeps you alive in solo missions and in parties you'll just kill everything anyways.

Ah. 

[CeePee]

Just now, IceColdHawk said:

Blind for more damagez and finishers.

Not like you needed more damage when you still oneshot lv100 enemies :D

[IceColdHawk]

Just now, CeePee said:

Not like you needed more damage when you still oneshot lv100 enemies :D

You can never have enough damage >:) *Chroma user approves!* Seriously though, depending on how long you play, you don't wanna miss out on blinding. Also potential to OHKO enemies that are finish-able with a dagger.

[RagingGrizzly]

1 minute ago, CeePee said:

Not like you needed more damage when you still oneshot lv100 enemies :D

That's cool and all, but I would use it for the CC it has :P

[IceColdHawk]

1 minute ago, PUR3K1LL3R said:

That's cool and all, but I would use it for the CC it has :P

I hope with "CC" you have meant "Dead enemies" and NOT "Blinded Enemies". ^^

[RagingGrizzly]

1 minute ago, IceColdHawk said:

I hope with "CC" you have meant "Dead enemies" and NOT "Blinded Enemies". ^^

I mean in the time that your blade waves get to the enemies, their bullets already killed you. Blind is a good way for instant CC which means protection from the affected enemies.

[CeePee]

4 minutes ago, IceColdHawk said:

You can never have enough damage >:) *Chroma user approves!* Seriously though, depending on how long you play, you don't wanna miss out on blinding. Also potential to OHKO enemies that are finish-able with a dagger.

 

3 minutes ago, PUR3K1LL3R said:

That's cool and all, but I would use it for the CC it has :P

I can see it having its uses with stupid high endless missions with lv1000 enemies, but if you plan on going that high then you usually have some other frame taking care of the CC part, and in solo Naramon is still enough to keep you alive.

[IceColdHawk]

Just now, PUR3K1LL3R said:

I mean in the time that your blade waves get to the enemies, their bullets already killed you. Blind is a good way for instant CC which means protection from the affected enemies.

Yeah i know what you mean. Just wanted to say that dead enemies is a better cc...*cough cough*. Anyway, yeah, an excal for high level should prepare enough range for his radial blind in order to brawl that enemies before they can brawl you.

[RagingGrizzly]

Just now, CeePee said:

 

I can see it having its uses with stupid high endless missions with lv1000 enemies, but if you plan on going that high then you usually have some other frame taking care of the CC part, and in solo Naramon is still enough to keep you alive.

Yeah, there's that.

[Kalvorax]

1 hour ago, CeePee said:

Here's what I'm always using on my EB Excal. I prefer having just straight up power strength and duration with vitality. Vitality is better than Redirection since you can heal with Life Strike.

Range is good if you like using blind (I don't), you can just aim the slashes through walls and avoid enemies that way. Also, Naramon is just stupid good with EB.

Energy is not a problem, you usually pick up enough orbs from the stuff you kill. Sometimes you might have to use energy pads to top up (remember to shut down EB first)

 

why the jet hammer (my nickname for jat kittang, never know the 2nd word hahh) and not a nikana or dual swords or sing swords, since excal has the 10% dmg and speed passive for those?

[RagingGrizzly]

1 minute ago, xcynderx said:

why the jet hammer (my nickname for jat kittang, never know the 2nd word hahh) and not a nikana or dual swords or sing swords, since excal has the 10% dmg and speed passive for those?

He's a swordsman. Nikanas, swords and dual swords will take the effect only.

It's Jat Kittag btw.

[IceColdHawk]

1 minute ago, PUR3K1LL3R said:

He's a swordsman. Nikanas, swords and dual swords will take the effect only.

It's Jat Kittag btw.

That's what he meant. WHY is the guy in the video using the Jat Kittag and NOT the Swords?

[RagingGrizzly]

Just now, IceColdHawk said:

That's what he meant. WHY is the guy in the video using the Jat Kittag and NOT the Swords?

Oh. I misread. XD

Why use the Jittag when EB spam is better? :P

[IceColdHawk]

2 minutes ago, PUR3K1LL3R said:

Oh. I misread. XD

Why use the Jittag when EB spam is better? :P

Exactly. Cuz EB also profits from the passive when wielding a sword, dual sword etc. :P

Edited February 29, 2016 by IceColdHawk

[(PSN)kobetroy]

Here's My all around build. It's focused on making EB  stronger without destroying the other abilities..you should be able to reach 200 power strength which combined with RB is more then enough. only thing missing is stretch as i feel the range of radial blind and radial javlin is good enough without i

http://goo.gl/7S8P8J

 

[(PSN)blue23454]

For my build (PS4, subject to much change once blood rush/body count come out
Excalibro:
Corrosive Projection (Shield Disruption for Corpus) (-)|Power Drift
Transient Fortitude (V) | Constitution (-) |Streamline  | Primed Flow          (-)
Quick Thinking        (D) | Vitality        (D) | Rage         | Primed Continuity (V)
Focus: Naramon or Vazarin
Nikana Prime:
Blind Justice (V)
Pressure Point (V) | Life Strike (D)| True Steel       | Virulent Scourge
Jagged Edge         | Spoiled Strike | Focus Energy | Fever Strike

All mods maxed except Transient Fortitude (R8), Primed Flow (R8), and Primed Continuity (R9) with 6 points to spare, so plenty of room to max those out
Since making this build I have yet to encounter anything Excal can't handle

Read on for reasoning
 

Spoiler

• Used Rejuvenation + Coaction Drift until I got Life Strike
  Switched to Steel Charge never noticed a huge difference
  Main Problem was always slash resistance, never had a problem with melee damage on previous build, so I switched to Corrosive Projection and so far I love it
• Transient Fortitude+Power Drift for 160% strength, not as high as I'd like but Radial Blind allows for more damage
• Constitution+Primed Continuity-Transient Fortitude for blind duration and energy drain on Exalted Blade, 156% duration
• Constitution+Power Drift for Knockdown, because nothing killed me more often before using these as times when I got knocked down and took forever trying to get back up, also it always feels great when your three teammates go flying and you either sit there looking like Thor from the Avengers or do a handspring and keep moving
• Streamline for Radial Blind cost and Exalted Blade activation cost, combined with duration for a 1.13 energy drain per second on Exalted Blade
• Primed Flow for energy store + extra health with Quick Thinking
• Vitality for health + Rage for emergency energy safety net
• Rage + Life Strike for God Mode
  At a certain point, your energy bar and your health bar will constantly be polar opposites of each other, with your health constantly moving from max to 2
  Then, finally, you will get one shotted. This is your cue to A) leave or B) spam blind
• True Steel for Shadow Step
• Virulent Scourge+Focus Energy+Fever Strike for high corrosive (more so than slash) high status (high chance to proc) and increased channeling efficiency (to counteract Life Strike)

I'm hoping to get my hands on a buzzkill soon (once Umbra is released I absolutely will get the slash set), and once I do I'm replacing Focus Energy, Virulent Scourge, and Fever Strike with Buzzkill, Rending Strike, and Primed Reach

The Nikana Prime build required no formas with 11 points leftover
Alternatively you could use Dragon Nikana (also no forma, if memory serves), but I think most people would recommend Broken-War over that.
I utilize RB and EB very frequently with this build, the slide blind is useful for most engagements but every so often I have to spend energy on Radial Blind, which with R8 Primed Flow generally doesn't hit me very hard
Primed Flow and Primed Continuity can be swapped out for Flow and Continuity if you don't have them or don't want to add more polarity slots, I ran those on this build for a long time with satisfactory results, but the Primed versions are easily preferred
Some mods are definitely worth switching out, using Rage with Naramon is a bit wasteful at times so swapping that out for Intensify wouldn't be the worst decision
My only complaint is I'm using too many polarity slots on Excal which doesn't offer much room to play around with mods (7 formas but 3 are from changing the aura slot, so 4 forma build)

This is not an extremely high damage build, but it's a solid build for just about anything you encounter
You can definitely survive to Rotation C on any mode
I've solo'd 80 minutes on a T1 survival with this before my first death which, in fairness, is a T1 survival and enemies aren't that hard, but they did get upwards of lvl 120 and I didn't have any spare T3/T4 keys to just test myself
I can tell you that I like this build over previous builds I've done, and this is probably my best so far, and two-manning a T3 survival I have made it to 80min before I was at a point of constantly getting downed with my buddy playing Valkyr. This was before I started using (not primed) flow or naramon, both have significantly increased my survivability.
It did also get me through 50min of Tycho, Earth (Shield Disruption instead of Corrosive Projection) before my team bailed on me, and I was still very bored
and though the power strength isn't quite as high as I'd like, I do 3-shot Shadow Stalker with my standard Excal loadout

• One hit with Exalted Blade takes him to half if you time it right (final hit on the final combo)
• One headshot with Vectis Prime takes him to a quarter
• Another headshot with Vectis Prime finishes him
• He adapts to damage like Sentients, EB takes him to the first gate with slash, Vectis is almost equal parts puncture and impact, second gate with puncture, flees the battle with impact

Finally, I've never failed a Sortie, solo, with Excal and this build (though, honestly, I haven't tried since getting Primed Flow, but that means that it only got easier). It may not always be easiest with Excal, but it's always been doable. Like, rescues I always prefer Limbo, Survivals I always prefer Valkyr, but if I don't feel like switching, I'm always confident I can do it with Excal. Honestly, with my standard loadout, I generally don't have to use EB until after about Rotation C (30min survival) on most games I play. Enemy levels are rarely my problem, enemy density on the other hand is.

Fun story, almost completely off-topic, I did accidentally one-shot the cryopod on a Radiation Defense, but that was before I sacrificed power strength for duration

It's also worth noting that this build compliments my playstyle more than it compliments Excal. I imagine higher damage would yield much better results with the right player, but I'm wasteful with energy and reckless with enemies so my main focus is efficiency and survivability. 

Edited March 1, 2016 by (PS4)blue23454