Zealot: Hierophant
Build for Darktide

Support Zealot build that provides a team with corruption cleanse, toughness regen, toughness dmg reduction, and a respectable damage boost while still enabling one to perform as a formidable frontline fighter with bleeds, high crit, high stagger, and enough crowd control to dominate every fight.

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BLITZ: IMMOLATION GRENADES

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Your anti-ambush insurance, and is otherwise a blitz best used during high density fights to clear fodder while softening tougher targets. The grenade's unique aspect is it's lingering duration, which coupled with a relatively smaller ~5m radius compared to it's other lethal-type cousins, means effective use must be deliberate and calculated. The best value from a single immolation grenade comes from trapping chokepoints and 'sanctifying' the area at your team's feet when caught in more open spaces.

• In general, it's best to use these conservatively and for those precise moments you get the most value from a single grenade. Using more than one at once may cover more of a surface area, though proper placement and team positioning with just one can cut through a horde just the same. Note: stacking them atop each other does not increase damage.
• Enemy AI will sometimes attempt to navigate around the flames in more open spaces, but will otherwise attempt the shortest route through when no other direct path is possible. 
• The immolation grenade has an often overlooked function when it's flames collide with walls and other objects, extending along the length of the colliding surface. This means the total 'area' of a single immolation grenade can fill the entire length of a narrow hallway, and is a quick fact you should exploit for those and every other similar chokepoint.

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ABILITY: CHORUS OF SPIRITUAL FORTITUDE

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An excellent support tool that overheals toughness and applies a minor stagger with each pulse. In comparison to other support abilities like the Veteran's Voice of Command or the Psyker's Telekine Dome, the Chorus relic largely benefits from both it's long channeling duration and stronger toughness regen. This ability will channel for ~5s and 7 total pulses, and as a mobile ability, means the entire duration can be spent repositioning with the team into better cover and vantages. Though it's great at generally preventing damage, it shines for this purpose specifically, and especially when under heavy ranged assault. 

• Shield of Contempt and Beacon of Purity are other nice coherency bonuses for your team, which coupled with proper use of the Chorus relic, will ensure your team takes as little (and reversible!) damage as possible in between every major fight.

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KEYSTONE: BLAZING PIETY

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Amounting to what is effectively a consistent 25% bonus crit chance, means we're able to proc Invocation of Death more often, decreasing the cooldown of our Chorus Relic. This will also help us proc Scourge for further crit chance.

• 80%+ total crit chance is possible with:
  • 5% Base
  • 25% from Blazing Piety
  • 30% from three stacks of Scourge
  • 20% from five stacks of T4 Shred (or a 30% base with a Combat Knife)
  • An optional 5% from weapon perk

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LOADOUT

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First and foremost: Nothing wrong in using what you like.

RANGED:

With Anoint in Blood being the only talent that boosts this Zealot's ranged arsenal, it's a good practice to inhabit as small an ammo footprint as possible without sacrificing that ranged utility for your team; expect to prioritize your fellow Gungryns and practically any Veteran for ammo pickups. 

• Mk III Flamer | Blaze Away & Overpressure | +Flak +Maniacs +Unyielding
  • Despite being a Zealot exclusive, it's a niche pick for teams that are heavy on ranged weapons but light on horde clear. It's a bit risky to use with this build regularly, as this leaves you with virtually no options on dealing with long ranged threats save your ability to dodge their shots. 
• Mk IIa Revolver | Surgical & Hand-Cannon | +Flak +Maniacs +Unyielding
  • One of few viable options that can perform consistently at long range, and with a good penetration stat and the Hand-Cannon blessing, one of only two anti-armor weapons in the Zealot's ranged arsenal.
• Mk III Shredder Autopistol | Blaze Away & Pinning Fire/Powderburn | +Flak +Maniacs
  • Gone are the days of Pinning Fire's insane damage output, but a good autopistol can still deliver decent damage with the best handling and mobility of all automatic weapons in the Zealot's arsenal.
• Mk II, Mk IV, Mk VIII Braced Autogun | Fire Frenzy & DumDum | +Flak +Maniacs
  • Inhabiting a similar space as the Autopistol, the greater damage output and hip-fire handling of braced autoguns in comparison to their infantry variants only better fits the playstyle of Zealots who prefer to stay fast and loose.
• Mk IIb Bolter | Pinning Fire & Surgical/Shattering Impact | +Maniacs +Unyielding +Carapace
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MELEE:

With Blazing Piety as our chosen keystone, it's only optimal to pick melee weapons that can be built for even more crit chance, which will in turn improve the uptime of Chorus relic.

• Mk II, Mk XV Heavy Eviscerator | Shred & Rampage | +Flak +Unyielding
• Mk III, Mk VI Combat Blade | Flesh-Tearer/Lacerate & Mercy Killer/Uncanny Strike | +Flak +Unyielding +Crit Chance
• Mk VII Tactical Axe | Shred & Brutal Momentum/Decimator | +Flak +Unyielding