3.5-5% Strength for 3.5s on Hit. Stacks 5 times.
4.25-5% Strength for every Enemy you Stagger. Stacks 5 times.
I've run this on damnation and found it to work quite well for clearing out rooms full of shooters while still being able to deal decently well with hordes and ogryns. The only thing it really struggles with is monstrosities. This class is best played with a psyker or another vet that is set up to deal with threats at greater range.
Weapons:
-Rashad: I like the Rashad for the faster swings but if you swap out for an Antax you wouldn't be doing yourself a disservice. Entirely personal preference on that end. Whichever axe you decide to run, headtaker and brutal momentum are essential to deal with hordes in a pinch as the power increase helps you hit break point across all types of melee trash in damnation. I run flak as my first perk but this could also be unarmored or even stamina. Maniac damage is more essential as its helps you quickly deal with ragers, flamers, and trappers at close range. It also lets you kill a mutant in 3-4 quick heavy swings to the back after sidestepping them.
-Auto pistol: The heart and soul of this build. Your dump stat will be either mobility or collateral. (as long as it doesn't fall below 60%) The auto pistol stagers everything thus it can be used to quickly burst fire specials, staggering them while you close in for the kill. It will also suppress entire groups of shooters locking them in place, allowing you to deal with them more efficiently. Pinning fire is a no brainer on this one as it takes maybe one burst of 5 rounds to get to max stacks on anything but mutants and unyielding enemies. Blaze away helps it keep up damage on everything else that it doesn't stagger. For perks, flak is essential to make up for the auto pistols penetration values and maniac helps rip up ragers as they advance.
Curios: With the toughness reduction feat I find its best to stack your toughness to minimize chip damage. Wounds help survivability but you could honestly go with health or stamina if you'd like. For the rest I like to have combat ability regen to pop volley fire as often as possible. Gunner damage reduction helps for those situations you get caught out right in front of one. Sniper damage reduction is also useful since they'll be your biggest threat outside of monstrosities.
Feats: Confirmed kill is great for replenishing toughness in volley fire if you pop it while low. Sniper helps you make up for damage drop offs at range. Bio optic targeting helps your team see specials that might be a threat to you at a distance. Obiously unwavering focus is a must for this build. One after the other helps you get your gun back up quicker to extend volley fire. Counterfire is essential for the same reasons as bio optic targeting.
Make sure to manage your ammo carefully and don't mag dump into hordes too often. You don't want to be that guy scooping up all the ammo. Remember to DSP (dodge, slide, and purge). Happy hunting everyone.
