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Discover how to create the best Bleed build in Avowed, with recommendations for skills, attributes, weapons, companions and leveling progression!
Avowed is a first-person RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. Set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, the game occurs in the Living Lands, where you uncover a secret mystery. Bleed build in Avowed involves strategic selection of abilities, weapons, companions, and attributes to maximize Bleed Accumulation. From the background, abilities, and weapons to the consumables, everything matters when it comes to inflicting bleed status of effect on the enemies.
Construct a formidable bleed build in avowed that can inflict continuous damage, allowing you to control the battlefield. Synergizing your abilities with your companions is important as it can save your life in tough situations. In this guide, we’ll discuss the best Avowed Bleed build and the best bleed gameplay tips along with the gear to choose from.
Everything You Need To Know About Bleed Build Guide in Avowed
Bleed build in Avowed offers sustained damage and effective crowd control. This makes it advantageous in extended fights and against clusters of foes. Bleed effects continue to damage enemies over time, allowing you to deal with multiple foes. Our Bleed build includes Axe as a primary weapon, Pistol as an off-hand weapon, and Greatsword as a secondary weapon. Greatsword has high damage and stun potential and complements bleed effects. Marius and Kai are the two best companions for this build. Marius’s Binding Roots enhances the effectiveness of bleed damage by keeping enemies within reach.
We chose War Hero as a background because it prioritizes the bleed effect during combat. Might, Constitution, and Resolve are the main attributes to invest in for the Bleed build. Abilities like Bleeding Cuts, Brawn, Marksmanship, and Piercing Thrusts are crucial to unlock if you’re looking to inflict a bleeding status of effect on the enemy. However, bleed effect require time to inflict their full damage. Greatswords often consume significant stamina per swing, allowing you to get vulnerable when the stamina bar depletes. This build also lacks immediate burst damage as compared to the build focusing on direct damage.
| Bleed Build Pros | Bleed Build Cons |
|---|---|
| High Damage Output | Delayed Damage Impact |
| Crowd Control | High Stamina Consumption |
| Weapon Synergy |
Bleed Build Features & Mechanics
Below are the essential best Bleed build features and mechanics for Avowed:
- Background: War Hero
- Attribute Points: Might, Constitution, Resolve
- Weapon Choices: Axe, Pistol, Greatsword
- Best Skills: Bleeding Cuts, Brawn, Marksmanship, Clear Out, Flurry of Blows, Piercing Thrusts
- Recommended Companions: Marius and Kai
- Best Consumables: Springberries, Grog, Skaenclaw Jerky
Related:
Background
War Hero is the best background for the Bleed build in Avowed. This background provides a strong foundation in physical combat, which is essential for a bleed-focused build. The starting weapon for a War Hero is a spear but you can shift to the axes or greatswords to maximize the effectiveness of bleed attacks. War Hero offers a robust foundation for players seeking a formidable melee combatant. This is the best background to choose if your playstyle favors a direct, aggressive, and resilient warrior. Select the War Hero background to unlock unique dialogue options that reflect the character’s military history and esteemed position within the emperor’s forces.
Background plays a pivotal role in shaping your role-playing experience. It affects your dialogue options and determines your starting weapon during the tutorial. Your initial allocation of attribute points across six stats is also influenced. However, they do not restrict your access to any equipment or abilities as the game progresses. Regardless of your background, you can use any equipment and abilities. Avowed enriches your character’s backstory and provides initial attribute distributions and dialogue options by selecting the background.
Attribute Points
Might, Constitution, and Resolve are the best attributes for the Avowed Bleed build. Investing attribute points in might increase your overall damage, amplifying the effectiveness of bleed effects. Constitution boosts your maximum health and resistance to bleeding and poison, making it crucial for close-quarters combat. Resolve, on the other hand, increases stamina and improves Second Wind efficiency. This attribute allows you to sustain combat and have quicker recovery.
You can also invest some points in Dexterity to improve attack and action speed, which is beneficial for executing power attacks. You need to be mindful when allocating points in the attributes as your gameplay depends on it. Also, you can earn additional attribute points upon leveling up, offering opportunities to customize your build. Enhance your attribute points by using the consumables you acquire while progressing. You can select 27 attributes at a max level of 30. Below are the attribute points distribution for the Bleed build in Avowed.
- Might: 11
- Constitution: 6
- Resolve: 5
- Dexterity: 3
- Perception: 2
- Intellect: 0
You can create a potent bleed character by focusing on these attributes.
Weapon Choices
Axe, Pistol, and Greatsword are the best weapons for the Avowed Bleed build. Choosing these weapons is crucial for maximizing a bleed-focused build. The Greatsword offers increased attack speed and inflicts a bleeding effect on the nearby enemies. The game offers several pistols that deal bleed damage, overcoming enemy resistance. You can get your hands on useful weapons later in the game that deal high bleeding status of effect in a battlefield.
Axes
Axes are potent melee weapons known for their high damage and stun capabilities. This weapon consumes significant stamina and has a slower swing speed. Axes can inflict a Bleed effect on enemies, causing them to take damage over time. You need to unlock the passive ability “Bleeding Cuts” in the Fighter’s skill tree. This ability allows the power attacks from the axes to apply Bleed Accumulation. This leads to the Bleed status effect while fighting enemies in melee combat. Some unique axes come with enchantments that can apply status effects. We recommend you use the axes with special enchantments to apply bleed to your enemies in Avowed.
Pistols
Pistol in the off-hand complements axes used by providing options to engage enemies at a distance. You can even use abilities like Marksmanship to improve firearm accuracy and damage. Pistols are one-handed ranged weapons that deliver high damage, leading to a bleed effect. However, the locking isn’t possible unless paired with a shield while wielding a pistol. Headshots with pistols result in automatic critical hits. You need to invest in Dexterity to boost shooting and reloading speeds. This makes the pistol effective for the bleeding effect. Pistols like The Disappointer come with the “Bleeding Lash” enchantment. This adds a 10% bonus for Bleed damage to each hit.
Greatswords
Greatswords are two-handed weapons and a perfect choice for inflicting a bleeding status of effect on the enemy, causing enemies to suffer damage over time. The Bleeding Cuts is also essential here for the Greatsword as well. You need to combine Bleeding Cuts with Greatswords to maximize the Bleed damage output, effectively weakening enemies over time. This weapon type is designed for high-damage output and crowd control. Use this weapon to get a balance between reach, power, and blocking capability, making them effective for both offense and defense. It is effective against multiple enemies due to its longer reach than smaller melee weapons. This is ideal for players who prefer heavy-hitting melee combat due to their damage, crowd control, and bleed effects.
Bleed Status Effect
The bleed status effect in Avowed causes afflicted enemies to suffer damage over time. This effect is created when an enemy’s Bleed accumulation reaches its maximum threshold. Weapons like axes and greatswords can inflict Bleed accumulation. Bleeding Cuts passive ability in the Fighter skill tree enables power attacks with these weapons. This allows you to apply Bleed accumulation, leading to the DoT effect. Investing attribute points in the Constitution increases your character’s resistance to the Bleed status effect. Several gear and consumables grant you additional resistance or immunity to Bleed effects.
Bleeding Cuts
Bleeding Cuts in Avowed is a passive ability within the Fighter class. It allows you to increase your combat effectiveness with specific weapons. You can unlock this skill when you reach level 5. At Rank 1, your power attacks with axes and great swords inflict Bleed Accumulation on enemies. At Rank 2, this ability increases the Bleed Accumulation effect from Bleeding Cuts. And at Rank 3, it further amplifies the Bleed Accumulation effect significantly. This ability synergizes well with builds focusing on axes and great swords. It offers sustained damage through bleeding effects, allowing you to dominate enemies in tough combat.
Skill Selection
The game allows you to unlock skills at each level, starting at 2. One level gives you one more skill point to place in one of three skill trees. You can mix and match skill trees, but Fighter and Ranger synergize. Moreover, you can reset skills at any time with gold, though it gets more expensive the more levels you increase.
Levels 1-10 Skills
Charge, Piercing Thrusts, Bleeding Cuts, Brawn, and Finesse are the best skills to unlock during the initial stages. Invest skill points to gain the skills that can keep you alive in the initial stages of the game. Passive skills are used to increase damage or survivability, while active skills require essence, and you can’t use them due to their cost.
Below is a list, in order, of the skills for the Best Bleed Build for Avowed from levels 1 to 10:
| Level | Skill Name | Tree | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | ||
| 2 | Charge Rank 1 | Fighter | Dash forward and smash into anything in your way, interrupting enemies and dealing Explosive Damage to break enemy Blocks, destroy walls, and shatter frozen enemies for bonus damage. |
| 3 | Constant Recovery Rank 1 | Fighter | After taking damage, slowly regenerate 50% of the last amount of Health lost. |
| 4 | Evasive Rank 1 | Ranger | Reduces the Stamina cost of Dodge by 25%. |
| 5 | Piercing Thrusts Rank 1 | Ranger | Power Attacks with daggers, swords, and spears deal +25% damage. |
| 6 | Finesse Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases damage with one-handed melee weapons by 25%. |
| 7 | Barbaric Scout Rank 1 | Fighter | Let out a fearsome roar that interrupts enemies and empowers you against larger foes. Your weapon attacks become Uninterruptable and deal higher Stun. |
| 8 | Bleeding Cuts Rank 1 | Fighter | Power Attacks with axes and great swords deal Bleed Accumulation. |
| 9 | Devastating Criticals Rank 1 | Fighter | Critical Hits with melee weapons deal 30% more damage. |
| 10 | Brawn Rank 1 | Fighter | Increases damage with two-handed melee weapons by 25%. |
Levels 11-20 Skills
Critical Strike, Quick Switch, and Marksmanship are the best skills to unlock after reaching level 11. Upgrade your equipped abilities to make them more effective in combat. You need to enhance the Bleed hit chance as you’ll be encountering high-level enemies equipped with heavy armor.
Below is a list, in order, of the skills for the Best Bleed Build for Avowed from levels 11 to 20:
| Level | Skill Name | Tree | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Bleeding Cuts Rank 2 | Fighter | Increases the Bleed Accumulation dealt by Bleeding Cuts. |
| 12 | Devastating Criticals Rank 2 | Fighter | Critical Hits with melee weapons deal 50% more damage. |
| 13 | Unbreakable Rank 1 | Fighter | Decreases the Stamina cost when Blocking by 30%. |
| 14 | Quick Switch Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases your Equip Speed by 50%. |
| 15 | Marksmanship Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases damage with bows and guns by 25%. |
| 16 | Critical Strike Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases your Critical Hit Chance by 10%. |
| 17 | Marksmanship Rank 2 | Ranger | Increases damage with bows and guns by 40%. |
| 18 | Brawn Rank 2 | Fighter | Increases damage with two-handed melee weapons by 40%. |
| 19 | Barbaric Scout Rank 2 | Fighter | Barbaric Shout grants Temporary Health and Taunts all nearby enemies. |
| 20 | Piercing Thrusts Rank 2 | Ranger | Power Attacks with daggers, swords, and spears deal +35% damage. |
Levels 21-30 Skills
Upgrade your abilities to the higher rank to make them more effective and deal more Bleed hits during intense combat. The more your abilities are of high level the more you get chances for the Bleed hits.
Below is a list, in order, of the skills for the Best Bleed Build for Avowed from levels 21 to 30:
| Level | Skill Name | Tree | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Clear Out Rank 1 | Fighter | Spin in a dangerous whirlwind, becoming Uninterruptable and hitting all nearby enemies with your currently equipped melee weapons. |
| 22 | Flurry of Blows Rank1 | Ranger | Gain maximum Attack Speed, rapid Stamina regeneration, and increased Move Speed for 10 seconds. |
| 23 | Staggering Shot Rank 1 | Ranger | Power Attacks with bows and guns deal +40% Stun. |
| 24 | Clear Out Rank 2 | Fighter | Clear Out lasts for 2 full rotations. |
| 25 | Bleeding Cuts Rank 3 | Fighter | Greatly increases the Bleed Accumulation dealt by Bleeding Cuts. |
| 26 | Devastating Criticals Rank 3 | Fighter | Critical Hits with melee weapons deal 60% more damage. |
| 27 | Piercing Thrusts Rank 3 | Ranger | Power Attacks with daggers, swords, and spears deal +40% damage. |
| 28 | Brawn Rank 3 | Fighter | Increases damage with two-handed melee weapons by 50%. |
| 29 | Clear Out Rank 3 | Fighter | Clear Out lasts for 3 full rotations. |
| 30 | Flurry of Blows Rank 3 | Ranger | Increases the duration by 5 seconds. |
Best Bleed Skills Explained
Bleeding Cuts, Brawn, Marksmanship, Clear Out, Flurry of Blows, and Piercing Thrusts are the best skills for the Avowed Bleed build. Clear Out is an active skill within the Fighter class that allows your character to perform a powerful spinning attack. It allows you to attack all nearby enemies with your equipped melee weapon. Marksmanship is the passive ability that increases your proficiency with bows and firearms. Piercing Thrust is a passive skill that boosts your effectiveness with specific melee weapons. Staggering Shot is a passive ability that enhances your proficiency with bows and firearms.
- Piercing Thrusts- Enhance damage with daggers, swords, and spears.
- Bleeding Cuts- It allows your power attacks with axes and great swords to deal bleed accumulation.
- Brawn- Increases damage with two-handed melee weapons.
- Marksmanship- This ability allows you to boost damage with bows and guns.
- Clear Out- Involves spinning in a whirlwind to hit all nearby enemies, remaining uninterruptable during the attack.
- Flurry of Blows- Grants maximum attack speed, stamina regeneration, and movement speed.
Companions
Marius and Kai are the best companions for the bleed build in Avowed. These companions increase your damage output and control over enemies. Marius is a bleed specialist due to his abilities like Binding Roots and Wounding Shots. He can use his Binding Roots ability to immobilize enemies and create opportunities for bleed attacks. His Wounding Shots ability inflicts bleed accumulation and can slow enemies, enhancing crowd control. These abilities are perfect for the bleed build, increasing damage over time in combat.
Kai excels at drawing enemy attention and absorbing damage. His Leap of Daring ability allows him to charge into battle and gather enemies. This creates opportunities for you to attack from a distance. Kai’s tanking abilities, combined with Marius’s crowd control, create a dynamic. Use this setup to maximize your damage output while minimizing risk. The Second Wind ability allows Kai to revive himself once per encounter, and Fire and Ire taunt enemies. Each of these companions brings unique abilities and backgrounds to your journey.
Marius
| Skill 1 | Skill 2 | Skill 3 | Skill 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binding Roots | Heart Seeker | Shadow Step | Wounding Shots |
| Entangle enemies | Increases damage dealt to low-health enemies | Devastating Blow | Damage over time |
Kai
| Skill 1 | Skill 2 | Skill 3 | Skill 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire and Ire | Unbending Defense | Leap of Daring | Second Wind |
| Fires a powerful shot from his blunderbuss | Regenerate Health and increase his Damage Reduction by 25% | Crashes down upon the enemy, Stunning and Taunting all nearby enemies | Revives himself when his health is reduced to zero |
Bleed Gameplay & Tips
Use Marius and Kai as your supporters while fighting a cluster of enemies in intense combat. Use the abilities and weapons strategically to inflict bleed effects on the enemies. Unlock the Bleeding Cuts at level 5 and upgrade it to the higher ranks, maximizing its effectiveness. Axes and Greatswords pair with Bleeding Cuts to apply bleed effects through Power Attacks. Allocate attribute points in Might for increased damage, Constitution for survivability, and Dexterity to enhance weapon handling and attack speed.
Use the Charge to initiate the fight and close the gaps and disrupt enemies. Use Marius’s crowd control to immobilize high-level enemies. This them susceptible to sustained bleed damage. We recommend you combine bleed effects with other effects like frost to deal significant damage. You need to upgrade your weapon and armor regularly to maintain optimal damage output and defense. Choose the gear that complements your Bleed build and increases bleed effects or overall damage.
Weapons and Armor
Beginner
| Slot | Item | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon 1 | Drawn in Winter | 189 Physical Damage 182 Stun 25 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chance |
| Off-Hand | The Disappointer | 69 Physical Damage 80 Stun 20 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chance |
| Secondary Weapon | Horsecutter | 284 Physical Damage 260 Stun 20 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chance |
| Armor | Stelgaer’s Pride | 18% Damage Reduction -35 Maximum Stamina -30 Maximum Essence |
| Gloves | Bracers of Bloodletting | Hits deal +5% bonus Bleed Damage |
| Boots | Boots of the Bricklayer | +10% Dodge Distance |
| Trinket | Night-Mistress’ Favor | Slowly regenerate Essence while close to a Companion |
| Ring | Ring of Pain Amplification | +15% Critical Damage |
| Ring | Ring of the Founder | +10% Damage Against enemies with full health |
Locations
- Drawn in Winter (Axe)- Location is Dawnshore. Found in the center of the pool in Watcher’s Mirror.
- The Disappointer (Pistol)- Location is Dawnshore. Purchased from Extremely Legal Goods north of Philosopher’a Alley in Northern Paradis for 3,600 Skeyt.
- Horsecutter (Greatsword)- Location is Emerald Stair. In the Wavesculpt Hollow along the shoreline to the west of Fior mes Iverno Docks. You’ll have to fight a gauntlet of skeletons to claim this.
- Stelgaer’s Pride- Location is Dawnshore. Found in a boarded-up cave underneath Watcher’s Mirror on the eastern cliff as part of the Treasure Map.
- Bracers of Bloodletting- Location is Shatterscarp. Complete all Shatterscarp Bounties.
- Boots of the Bricklayer- Location is Dawnshore. Found inside of the Pargrun Cache east of the Overgrown Expanse Party Camp in Dawnshore.
- Night-Mistress’ Favor- Location is Dawnshore. Received as a reward for ignoring talking about Giuliana’s contraband in Giuliana’s Shipment as part of the Side Quest.
- Ring of Pain Amplification- Location is Emerald Stair. Obtained from Dolina as a reward for defeating Amadio and the Xaureps in the Fortified Xaurep Camp in the northeastern Grim Wetlands of Emerald Stair.
- Ring of the Founder- Found in the Ancient Grotto, on the body of the Idol of Secret Hatred Totem Piece.
Advanced
| Slot | Item | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon 1 | Shida Le Subi | 189 Physical Damage 182 Stun 25 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chance |
| Off-Hand | Magic Mistol | 173 Physical Damage 200 Stun 20 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chance |
| Secondary Weapon | Limb-Taker | 336 Physical Damage 286 Stun 22 Stamina Cost 6% Critical Hit Chance |
| Armor | Sentinel Mail | -30% incoming Fire, Frost, and Shock Damage |
| Gloves | Wolf Gloves | +1 Dexterity |
| Boots | Greaves of Exalted Stride | +10% resistance to Poison and Bleed Accumulation |
| Trinket | Poisoner’s Kit | Your weapons deal +5% bonus Poison Damage |
| Ring | Ring of Elemental Balance | +10% Fire, Frost, and Shock Accumulation |
| Ring | Ring of the Founder | +10% damage against targets with full health |
Locations
- Shida Le Subi (Axe)- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Found directly next to the Ancient Memory on the very south side of Slumbering Fields.
- Magic Mistol (Pistol)- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Found on a lower floor at the entrance of the Ekidan Workshop behind a boarded-up wall.
- Limb-Taker (Greatsword)– Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Choose to kill the ogre as part of the Side Quest “A Cure for Rage.”
- Sentinel Mail- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Found in the Pargrun Cache east of the Living Archives.
- Wolf Gloves- Location is Emerald Stair. Found in the southern tower of the Naku Tedek Grounds west of Maxim’s Claim in Emerald Stair, in the area where you fight the Xaurips.
- Greaves of Exalted Stride- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Sold by Merchant Alonya at Oddments and Oddities south of the Living Archives for 9,500 Skeyt.
- Poisoner’s Kit- Location is Shatterscarp. Wasteland Courier Side Quest – Test the “goods” you receive from Aiko, and tell Daiko nothing happened.
- Ring of Elemental Balance- Inside the Shrine of Wael. Enter the shrine proper in a large room, and near the back will be a gated area you can access by using Frost.
- Ring of the Founder- Found in the Ancient Grotto, on the body of the Idol of Secret Hatred Totem Piece.
Consumables
Springberries are a consumable that grants 15 Health Regeneration, and 15 Essence Regeneration, and Cures Poison and Bleed Accumulation. Grog is another best consumable that cures poison, bleed, and elemental. Skaenclaw Jerky is a Consumable that grants 70 health regeneration. You need to take three points into the survivalist skill in the ranger tree. Once unlocked, you can craft advanced food and buffs that drastically increase your survivability, damage, and regeneration.
FAQs about Bleed in Avowed
What is the best Bleed build in Avowed?
The best bleed build in Avowed uses Axe as a primary weapon, Pistol as an off-hand weapon, and Greatsword as a secondary weapon. Might, Constitution, and Resolve are the best attributes for the Avowed Bleed build.
Which is the best Background for Bleed build?
War Hero is the best background for the Bleed build in Avowed. This background provides a strong foundation in physical combat, which is essential for a bleed-focused build.
Which are the best skills for Bleed build?
Bleeding Cuts, Brawn, Marksmanship, Clear Out, Flurry of Blows, and Piercing Thrusts are the best skills for the Avowed Bleed build.
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