MAD GARDENER
Easily one of my favorite builds to play among my 5 runs in the game. It is versatile, strong, and it looks very funny.
I like to combine a cohesive build regarding stats and some kind of proposal of lore and aesthetics. With that in mind, this build is composed of a gardener-looking Tarnished, maybe related to the Perfumers, that was consumed by the madness of the Frenzied Flame and sided with the Three Fingers.
STATS
- Vigor (60): To survive the absurd damage of the DLC.
- Mind (22): In my playstyle, most of the damage comes from the Shadow Sunflower Blossom, the Incantations are there for healing, damage in reach and crowd control. They tend to be secondary, that is why we have a relatively low level here.
- Endurance (25): Enough to attack and dodge without managing stamina too much. We also do not need much more than that here because our armor is light, with the exception of the Greatjar helm.
- Strength (45): To reach the cap.
- Dexterity (14): Just to meet the requirements for the Shadow Sunflower Blossom.
- Intelligence (9): Unchanged.
- Faith (45): To reach the cap.
- Arcane (9): Unchanged.
POSSIBLE CHANGES: Take some points of Vigor away and spread them between Mind and Endurance depending on your playstyle.
ARMOR
The main components of the build’s gardener aesthetics. A big plant pot on our heads (Greatjar); a yellowish robe dirtied by earth and with small sacks (of seeds?) hanging from its apron (Omenkiller Robe); gloves and boots to revolve ground and dead bodies (Omenkiller Boots and Gloves).
POSSIBLE CHANGES: Alternative helms can be the Jar and Pumpkin Helm. The Perfumer Set is the alternative for the body.
TALISMANS
- Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Since our armor is not very heavy in defense.
- Two-Headed Turtle Talisman: For the heavy-hitting attacks of the Shadow Sunflower Blossom that eat away on our stamina.
- Two-Handed Sword Talisman: To boost the attack power of the Shadow Sunflower Blossom.
- Flock’s Canvas Talisman: To boost the potency of all of our offensive incantations.
POSSIBLE CHANGES: Swap the Two-Handed Sword Talisman for the Sacred Scorpion Charm; Swap the Flock’s Canvas Talisman for the Fire Scorpion Charm. I did none of this because I think it does not add much in terms of synergy.
WEAPONS
- Shadow Sunflower Blossom (Right Hand 1): Our main damage output and one of the reasons for me to create a whole build around the gardener theme. I almost did not use its ash of war and my talisman choices show it.
- Clawmark Seal (Right Hand 2): This is our catalyst since its scaling with Strength is very good.
- Frenzied Flame Seal (Left Hand 1): Leave it offhand to boost the potency of the Frenzied Flame incantations.
POSSIBLE CHANGES: While you do not reach the DLC, use the Great Club as a substitute for the Shadow Sunflower Blossom.
INCANTATIONS
- Heal: A fantastic emergency incantation used mainly during long explorations.
- Stone of Gurranq: Very underused by me and admittedly it is here more to come together with the gardener theme than anything else.
- Frenzied Burst: By far my most used incantation due to its immense reach and damage. Excellent for dealing with difficult enemies from a far, or lowering their health enough before approaching and finishing them with melee attacks.
- The Flame of Frenzy: Good for crowd control.
POSSIBLE CHANGES
A weapon that I think would add both in the gardener side and the madness side of this build is the Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle. I could not, however, add it in an organic way to the current disposition of this build. For that, I think we would have to lean more strongly into fire damage.
None of my options for Great Rune or Mix of Wondrous Physick I would say is essential, so any change here is welcome.
