Relic-ing about: how 2 relic blade
 Zealot Build - Warhammer 40k: Darktide 

Hi there, this is how I build around the relic blade to make the zealot a frontline cleaner with a respectable boss dps.

First off: how 2 relic blade, IMO the most versatile 2H weapon on the zealot's arsenal. Incredible range, good single target and amazing horde clear.

Pick the MKX, you really want this one for how the combos will transition together.

Relic blade is a power weapon. You NEED to learn heat management. Don't overspend your heat on poxwalkers or use it only for carapace, you need to be actively activating and deactivating it. Activating the weapon does not stop the chain you are currently on, you will continue your combos where you left them on.

A quirk of the relic blade: when you sprint, you transition into a stance with the sword pointed towards the enemies instead of up. This allows you to access 2 different moves not present in the rest of the kit.

Light attack chain: L1 is a Right->Left sweep, L2 is a Left -> Right sweep and L3 a single target stab. It goes L1->L2->L3->L1 (it repeats)

Heavy attack chain: H1 is a right side vertical chop, H2 a left side vertical chop, H3 a Right->Left sweep and H4 a Left->Right sweep. The heavy chain goes H1->H2->H3->H4->H3 (repeating H3 and H4)

The relic blade's push attack is the L3 stab, but if instead of holding block+attack after pushing you let go both buttons and press attack again, you will execute either L2 swipe or H4 swipe.

When on running stance, you get access to 2 new moves. If you just light attack, you will do a quick Right->Left sweep with an upwards angle which is the equivalent to an L1 swipe in the chain. Running heavy is a stronger L3 stab that will give you extra momentum while running and then slow you down when released. Be aware that you can stop running and strafe, dodge or backpedal wihle doing it and then stab with it's amazing range.

One thing to note about the running stab: it will kill both flamers, both bombers, trappers and dogs without any kind of help. If you see a dog ready to lounge and you are already running, you can just stab it, same with the others if they aren't already shooting.

How the chains interact:

L1->H2 This allows you to cleave a group of trash mobs and then execute a rager with a heavy blow

L2->H3 Light swipe into heavy swipe

L3->H1 Basis of your single target combo

H1->L2 Same as L1->H2 chain but backwards

H2->L3 The other part of your single target combo

H3->L2 Heavy swipe into light swipe

Push attack (stab) -> L2/H1 You can stab a rager's head then either chop someone or swipe for the rest of the pack

Running attack (light swipe) -> L2 The running swipe is worse than just starting with L1 due to the angle

Running attack (light swipe) -> H2 same as above

Running attack (stab) -> L1 executes ragers with some damage boosts or if getting a crit, then swing for enemies.

Running attack (stab) -> H1 good for engaging a carapace enemy or making sure a mutant or strong gunner kill. Without buffs, will drop a crusher in 5 hits (stab, h1 h2 l3 h1).

Easy mode chains:

Light chain: L1->L2, block cancel L2, L1,... (repeat). Good for poxwalkers

Light-heavy chain: L1->L2->H3->L2->H3 (repeat) Not that good but it exists

Light->full heavy chain: L2->H3->H4->H3 (repeat) Good for when you get into groups of gunners. Can do L2 after running light attack.

Single target chain: (Optional: push attack/running heavy) -> H1->H2->L3->H1 (repeat).

To make space and clear: Push -> Release block and attack -> L2 -> Either block cancel to go for the light chain or repeat this sequence.

Why these blessings and perks:

You do not hit anything by bringing maniac and this weapon is not good enough for bossing. That's why we go with flak + carapace. This weapon needs help with flak hordes (unarmored hordes get shredded) and bringing down carapace in a timely manner. It's also not good enough for bossing that you would want to use it for that.

For perks, we are running Cranial Grounding and Rampage. You could run Heatsink or Energy Leakage, but they are both worse number-wise. Even if heatsink looks like it will let you maintain the power state longer, you really don't need that much and the strength of energy leakage is worse than maintaining rampage or hitting weakspots with cranial grounding.

Why that blitz? Why that secondary? Why book?

What are the relic blade's weaknesses?

1. Slow at killing carapace balls.
2. Mediocre bossing. Can easily 1v1 them due to being zealot, but it will take time that you do not have and will get swarmed.
3. Can't stab things outside stabbing range.

After picking up this weapon as our melee, we need to address the issues it has. Luckily, zealot has many ways to remedy these, and I will explain why I pick these.

Why the immolation grenades? Because it helps with doing objectives/reviving/mowing down enemy balls by itself. On extremely uncoordinated quickplay/auric maelstrom teams where people will be doing whatever, immolation grenade is a way of confirming you are not gonna get swarmed by a horde from a direction and will only have to contend with weakened enemies. It's way worse in havoc, but it still holds up as a quick clutch. Knives are amazing too, but I rather have the grenades and I do not really NEED them as much. I will explain later.

Why the laspistol? Because with blazing piety and some aim, it SHREDS unyielding bosses. Aim for the head, dodge dodge dodge and they will fall fast. It also helps against reapers, pulls fast enough to be able to kill specials and snipe off snipers and it's reload speed is mad quick. You do not need stability on this weapon, it's a laser.

Why book? Because book is the best team pushing ability in the entire game. It gives your team ample time to go around killing priority melee targets, it allows your team to shoot back without fear and then gives you a lingering gold toughness. Book is love, book is life. SPAM IT.

How 2 fight EVERYTHING:

• Poxwalkers: just light chain.
• Moebians/flak horde: push first, then L2->H3. This will get rid of them.
• Small gunners: run slide, then hit them with the running light into another light. If some didnt die because you missed an attack, just chain into a heavy. Heat-powered will kill with any light attack if you aim for the head.
• Big gunners/shotgunners: run slide, stab the first one then L1->L2 to stagger the mass and finish off with a heavy. If they are buffed you may need another heavy, but they will not shoot you as they will be staggered enough for you to easily kill them. Heat will kill with just stab or heavys. L3 stab also kills one of them.
• Plasma gunners: (ACTIVATE HEAT) Running stab will kill with a little bit of help from any other source of damage. If you are just by yourself, with no buffs active, you can running stab->light to guarantee a kill (heat activated). Heavy attacks can oneshot with an orange crit.
• Naked ragers: this is a skill check. Perfect block or dodge their attack, then push attack them and do H2->L3 then. This will get rid of them. If you don't have your weapon activated, you can perfect block, then activate, then push attack and H2 will kill (no buffs).
• Scab ragers: NO HEAT: you will need either stab + heavy and sometimes a light attack afterwards to guarantee a kill. HEAT guarantees that you will need stab + heavy. As with naked ragers, your best bet is to perfect block them or dodge and punish. It all depends on your aim and if you hit their head or not.
• Maulers: we start to get into hard to fight territory. If you can, get a running start then do 2 heavies with heat activated and they will fall. If you can't, you need to push attack -> heavy and keep moving. You can do the full single target chain on them as long as you have time, but don't overcommit and make sure you don't have chaff with you. If you do, clean it with heavy chains and heat active.
  • TIP FOR MAULERS ON HORDES: with heat active, you can clear the horde by swinging the whole horde and then hitting the carapace. This will clear space for you to dodge side to side.
• Bulwarks: standard bullwark experience. Wait for the attack, then perfect block or dodge and push attack->heavy->light stab them. With heat active they will die in that chain.
• Reapers: Use the single target chain. Honestly, I don't bother with killing reapers in melee, I always get my trusty laspistol for them. Approach them as you would other enemies.
• Crushers: Without any buffs, crushers need running stab->h1->h2->l3->h1 or push attack->h2->l3->h1->h2 to drop WITH HEAT ACTIVE. Do not fight them without heat as you will need extra single target chains to do damage and it's extremely inefficient. If you need to fight them, do it, but I would rather book and let a class with better carapace dps take them while they are stunned.
• Mutants: 
  • No heat: push attack-> heavy->light stab will take care of them. This is considering you push attack the head and hit the rest of the body. Running stab the head then heavy will also drop them.
  • Heat: push attack the head then heavy will get them. Running stab can sometimes kill them, if it doesnt just light attack
• Rest of specialists: most of them you will not be in normal melee to fight them. As I explained in the running stance section, NO HEAT RUNNING STAB WILL DROP THEM, ALWAYS.

Other options to consider:

On the blitz side: you can change to blades if you like the quick kill aspect against specials.

On the secondary side: IF you picked blades, you could easily take a carapace/unyielding heavy bolter. You need the blades to take care of distant targets. In a premade team where you know you will have 2 other people taking care of gunners you could forego blades and still use immolation grenades, but not having a ranged option hurts.

Flamer is an option, again with blades, but then it will not allow you to boss properly. Bossing it's extremely important in havoc, so just make sure if you want to go the flamer route (absurdly op weapon) you have the others to cover for your weakness. I would need to test more the relic blade-flamer build, but I don't like to use the flamer personally.

About other abilities: 

• Charge (Fury of the faithful). This is an amazing option for more boss kiling potential for the laspistol AND a way to keep you fighting with your toughness up. DO NOT USE THIS TO ENGAGE ACROSS AN ENTIRE HALLWAY PLEASE. It's most effective way to be used is as a toughness replenish or an upgrade to one of your attacks.
• Stealth (Shroudfield). I do not recommend you play public matches with shroudfield if you are planning on frontlining, and also to maximize the potential of shroudfield you need to take right side talents for backstab damage. A running stab with shroudfield blows up tons of enemies, but so does charge. The biggest problem on taking shroudfield is that you will reset aggro, and that does not go well with certain other frontliners. If you are planning on using shroudfield, please take into consideration:
  1. The other frontline characters can take a surprise hit. This means another zealot, an ogryn or an arbites. Frontline psyker, vet and scum rely on dodging or blocking and will get folded by a surprise hit if you lose aggro.
  2. Be mindful of what is targeting you and where your allies are looking. When you shroudfield, you lose aggro and the enemies will instantly focus another teammate. You may get a vet that's focused on killing some gunners with their plasma into big trouble because they trusted you to keep watching flank.
  3. Do not go alone forward. This game punishes people being alone by spawning extra DISABLERS (Mutants, dogs and trappers) near the alone players. This can also backfire and end up with you netted or a sneaky extra trapper respawn behind the rest of your team. You will also trigger extra packs and hordes.
  4. Ultimately, it is your decision if you want to go shroudfield. It's an undeniably good ability for rezzing people, traversing blobs of enemies to get priority targets and a good way of bursting down, but there are noticeable downsides for your teammates if you decide to pick it. You yourself may be doing good with shroudfield, but most mistakes you make with it are noticed by the others in the lobby, and I can tell you it's not fun when a crusher 180's an overhead into you because the zealot made a positioning mistake, popped shroudfield with their back against a wall and the charging crusher decided you were next in line.

Curios and talents:

I will not delve much on curios and talents because some of them are really more on the personal side than strictly meta/perfect. Both health and toughness can be argued to be good and better than the other when stacked, and I really like to have extra stam to run/block with the relic blade. Getting ally revive speed on zealot I feel is worse than other options if you are already taking the revive speed talent on zealot.

Aura wise, with this talent disposition you may take whatever aura, but for havoc specifically (and pox gas missions) the cleansing aura is extremely appreciated.

Punishment talent is too good not to take it with relic blade. 2H weapons are slower than their 1H counterparts and being uninterruptible is too valuable for me on horde clear.

Keystone wise, be sure to get invocation of death (unless you go shroudfield backstab build) and don't go memedom pls.

Consider this guide an invitation to my book club, where we read about the emperor, worship the emperor, explore hatred against xenos and how to make unwanted heretics and their sinful books burn.