Bonk and Bolt v3 │Fury │StunStorm │ Martyrom ░ run 'n' gun
 Zealot Build - Warhammer 40k: Darktide 

BONK AND BOLT GUIDE V3

► PLAYSTYLE:
This is a fun Auric Damnation, Thammer build with a focus on Elite Killing, boss bonking and booming/zooming around the field like the little speedy zealot we are. This build was originally created to get some use out of the Stunstorm Grenade , but it has become one of my favorite non-meta builds, both in its unique playstyle, and its breakpoint optimizations. 

As we are going down the Stunstorm Grenade path we have to manage special killing and survivability WITHOUT the Throwing Knive's, and Enduring Faith Keystone nodes that make up most Zealot builds (for good reason). 

So what 'unique' tools help us stay alive without Enduring Faith  (ignoring the meta regulars like Benediction, Until Death , and Sustained Assault )?

1. The Godwyn-Branx Mk IV Bolt Pistol with Run 'n' Gun : This is both what makes the build fun and survivable. Treat the Bolt pistol more like a control utility than a core damage dealer (though is a good special killer in its own right). Any time you want to close distance against ranged enemies fire single controlled shots into cluster of gunners just before they shoot. This will stagger them and any surrounding ranged enemies giving you time to safely close the gap then bonk em' to death. The Bolt pistol is so quick to ready and hip fire, that this process becomes almost seamless with practice and you primary method to get from one pocket of enemies to another. The combination of Run 'n' Gun AND Dance of Death also grants bursts of very high accuracy so you can really reach out with the pistol.
    
    
2. Bleed for the Emperor + Vicious Offering : Vicious Offering is generally great with the Thunder hammer as you are heavy chaining most hordes anyways. Bleed for the Emperor is a nice control valve for damage, so your not loosing 2/3'rds of your health to a single pox burster. While Martyrdom is improved with lower health, I find no benefit in rushing to lower it. If you aren't getting hit, then you don't need the stacks. Just play like normal, and you will naturally get stacks as the challenges grow.
   
   Lastly, Holy Revenant synergizes well with Bleed for the Emperor as you consistently recover more than 1 wound when Holy Revenant activates. This offers you just a bit more survivability during Until Death 's cooldown. 

- BOSSES -
Fury of the Faithful + charge attack +  Thrust can deliver insane damage to bosses, but without multiple stamina curious you shouldn't be striving to stay toe to toe with them. FotF into them with max thrust then dodge and block back until you can reset and do again. 


► EQUIPMENT:

- Godwyn-Branx Mk IV Bolt Pistol -
As mentioned this is our survival utility weapon. Run 'n' Gun is core to the theme of the build so that's non-negotiable. For our second Blessing Puncture + Anoint in Blood is also extremely important as together you can consistently 1-tap Dreg Shotgunner / Scab Shotgunners. You stagger bullets are so important to maintaining your safe movement that having to spend a second shot anywhere we don't need is welcome.


- Ironhelm Mk IV Thunder Hammer - 

If you are newer to bonking, the Crucis Mk II Thunder Hammer is easier to learn, but I find the Ironhelm Mk IV Thunder Hammer (though it has a higher skill ceiling), is better at managing hordes, elites, and specials, at the cost of not 1-shotting max health crushers. The more I play, the less I miss this breakpoint as most of the time your teammates supporting attacks/grenades/smite will kill crushers before you can get a second hit in anyways. 

Thrust is a requirement. It's great against elites/bosses, but its also easy to sneak 1-2 stacks into your heavy horizontal swings, so it affects every enemy type.
 
Hammerblow: While Slaughterer and Headtaker seem nice for damage, the ability to stunlock multiple ragers mixed in a horde is insanely helpful, and the heavy combo can dispatch human elites MUCH faster than the Crucis Mk II Thunder Hammer. 

Against Mixed hordes  -->
Combo 1: Chain 3 heavy attacks. The first 2 will stunlock the horde, and the last is an overhead you direct towards the closest rager/berserker which will usually kill them. Then flow back into the horizontal chain which will hit before the enemy can recover. Repeat until all human elites/specials are dead.

Against pure hordes -->
Combo 1:  chain start with 2 horizonal heavies, OR a light + heavy, then follow up with a light for the 3rd attack. This enters you into a light - heavy - light - heavy repeating horizontal sweep.
Combo 2: chain 2 horizontal heavies then do a block push and restart the chain. 

Against Elite human mobs -->
Stun grenades are helpful here, but if not available, charge up your hammer then Fury of the Faithful heavy attack into the mob to break them up. Follow up with your heavy chain until the unreachable ragers recover. Jump back, charge your hammer, then block push to counter. 

You can see there are multiple combos and variations of these combos to learn. Learning how and when to weave these into eachother is key, but it is such a rewarding feeling when you do. 

Finally, Hammerblow stagger is helpful for getting some Pious Cut-Throat activations. charge light/heavy + Fury of the Faithful is extremely effective at clearing everything in front of you, so the more you can use it, the better of you will be. 

► CURIOS:

Wounds +1 across the board to maximize Bleed for the Emperor . This is an OK control lever to manage large swings in health damage. That said, if you want more survivability through blocking could could sub a +1 wound for a +2 stamina curio. 

► ALTERATIONS:

If you want boss kill more, you can swap out Punishment , or the stray Toughness Boost for Purge the Unclean.