What makes Liberator so good?
Short answer: AM3 and Insurgency
Long answer: Liberator TPs faster than any other Drk weapon thanks to a combination of Aftermath level 3 and high weapon delay. It comes built-in with Insurgency, which is a surprisingly strong weapon skill which has gotten even more powerful recently. Also it excels when you need to self-skillchain, land spells on resistant targets, spam physical AoE damage, or for whatever reason need to spam magical weapon skills. On top of that its tons of fun to use in general.
Long answer: Liberator TPs faster than any other Drk weapon thanks to a combination of Aftermath level 3 and high weapon delay. It comes built-in with Insurgency, which is a surprisingly strong weapon skill which has gotten even more powerful recently. Also it excels when you need to self-skillchain, land spells on resistant targets, spam physical AoE damage, or for whatever reason need to spam magical weapon skills. On top of that its tons of fun to use in general.
Mythic Aftermath
Mythic weapons have three levels of Aftermath, but only one of them is truly relevant. Aftermath level 3 (AM3) grants the user 40% chance to attack twice, and 20% chance to attack three times. This does work on weapon skills, but does not stack with double and triple attacks. This makes gearing for Liberator significantly different than gearing for other dark knight weapons, so lets get down to it.
You need an AM3 TP set.
While multiattack builds rule in most other situations, they are somewhat redundant with Liberator's AM3. While it is down you want to build to 3000 TP with a standard issue multiattack set, weaponskill with Insurgency, then swap to a set of gear that prioritizes accuracy and store TP over all other stats. Ideally this will put you into a 3 hit build (Weapon skill plus 3 melee hits).
Its important to note that quadruple/triple/double attack procs from gear take priority over AM3 procs from Liberator. This means that a double attack from gear may override a triple attack from AM3 for instance. QA/TA/DA in gear are still stats that are good to have overall, but their efficacy is diminished. As a rule of thumb, consider gear DA to be worth 20% of it's listed value, gear TA to be worth 60% of its listed value, and QA to be worth about 73% of its listed value. These numbers are not perfectly accurate, but suffice for general use.
Its important to note that quadruple/triple/double attack procs from gear take priority over AM3 procs from Liberator. This means that a double attack from gear may override a triple attack from AM3 for instance. QA/TA/DA in gear are still stats that are good to have overall, but their efficacy is diminished. As a rule of thumb, consider gear DA to be worth 20% of it's listed value, gear TA to be worth 60% of its listed value, and QA to be worth about 73% of its listed value. These numbers are not perfectly accurate, but suffice for general use.
To actually create a 3hit AM3 build, you need loads of store TP.
To make that easier, I put together a google spreadsheet to calculate just how much Store TP you need in TP and WS sets:
Liberator 3hit build calculator
To use it, make sure you have 528 delay set, then input your WS phase store TP and the number of hits you expect to land with your WS. The blue cell at the bottom will show you how much store TP you need for a 3hit build. Note, this does not assume Samurai sub, so make sure you factor in an extra 15 store TP.
For reference, here is the AM3 set Icurrently use used when this guide was posted:
ItemSet 360024
The Abyssal Beads +2 are rank25 with store TP +7
The Ankou's mantle is augmented with Store TP +10, dex +20, accuracy +30, and attack +20.
89 total store TP including /Sam sub
This particular gearset is aimed at being able to maintain a 3hit build even while using a single-hit weaponskill, assuming 22 store TP in the WS set, from /Sam and the Abyssal Beads +2.
Now lets look at something more accessible:
ItemSet 360020
This entry level set has 83 store TP with sub and assumes 0 store TP in the WS set, outside of /Sam. It requires all 4 hits of Insurgency to land. For every 3 store TP in gear beyond 83, it becomes tolerant of another hit missing.
Other gear options:
There is a ton of wiggle room when putting together your ideal build. Here are some alternatives:
Grip: bloodrain strap, nepenthe grip, nepenthe grip +1 Utu grip is by far best in slot, but these other options will do in a pinch.
Head: flamma zucchetto +2 So good its worth mentioning twice. Don't bother with anything less.
Neck: combatant's torque or ainia collar
Body: valorous mail Potentially best in slot, depending on augments and your accuracy target.
Hands: odyssean gauntlets or valorous mitts Augmented with at least store TP +6, to a maximum of +8
Rings: chirich ring, chirich ring +1, moonlight ring, petrov ring, Niqmaddu ring Niqmaddu ring is so good its worth building around, despite not having any store TP. Consider something like a dedition earring to offset the store TP you lose by not having store TP in this ring slot.
Earrings: enervating earring, neritic earring, tripudio earring Try to get earrings from one of the sets above, these alternatives mostly suck.
Back: Ankou's mantle Another item worth mentioning twice. Store TP +10, dex +20, accuracy +30, attack +20. Don't bother TPing in anything else.
Waist: ioskeha belt, ioskeha belt +1 Better than sailfi belt +1 if you are a high-buff situation and Last Resort is up. Personally I do enough low-buff content that I prefer to have at least 25% haste in gear at all times, your mileage may vary.
Legs: odyssean cuisses Augmented with at least store TP +3, maximum +8. With the right augments these can be best in slot.
Feet: valorous greaves Augmentable with store TP 1-8. If the extra store TP on these feet make or break your build, these can be a more appropriate than flamma gambieras +2.
Liberator 3hit build calculator
To use it, make sure you have 528 delay set, then input your WS phase store TP and the number of hits you expect to land with your WS. The blue cell at the bottom will show you how much store TP you need for a 3hit build. Note, this does not assume Samurai sub, so make sure you factor in an extra 15 store TP.
For reference, here is the AM3 set I
ItemSet 360024
The Abyssal Beads +2 are rank25 with store TP +7
The Ankou's mantle is augmented with Store TP +10, dex +20, accuracy +30, and attack +20.
89 total store TP including /Sam sub
This particular gearset is aimed at being able to maintain a 3hit build even while using a single-hit weaponskill, assuming 22 store TP in the WS set, from /Sam and the Abyssal Beads +2.
Now lets look at something more accessible:
ItemSet 360020
This entry level set has 83 store TP with sub and assumes 0 store TP in the WS set, outside of /Sam. It requires all 4 hits of Insurgency to land. For every 3 store TP in gear beyond 83, it becomes tolerant of another hit missing.
Other gear options:
There is a ton of wiggle room when putting together your ideal build. Here are some alternatives:
Grip: bloodrain strap, nepenthe grip, nepenthe grip +1 Utu grip is by far best in slot, but these other options will do in a pinch.
Head: flamma zucchetto +2 So good its worth mentioning twice. Don't bother with anything less.
Neck: combatant's torque or ainia collar
Body: valorous mail Potentially best in slot, depending on augments and your accuracy target.
Hands: odyssean gauntlets or valorous mitts Augmented with at least store TP +6, to a maximum of +8
Rings: chirich ring, chirich ring +1, moonlight ring, petrov ring, Niqmaddu ring Niqmaddu ring is so good its worth building around, despite not having any store TP. Consider something like a dedition earring to offset the store TP you lose by not having store TP in this ring slot.
Earrings: enervating earring, neritic earring, tripudio earring Try to get earrings from one of the sets above, these alternatives mostly suck.
Back: Ankou's mantle Another item worth mentioning twice. Store TP +10, dex +20, accuracy +30, attack +20. Don't bother TPing in anything else.
Waist: ioskeha belt, ioskeha belt +1 Better than sailfi belt +1 if you are a high-buff situation and Last Resort is up. Personally I do enough low-buff content that I prefer to have at least 25% haste in gear at all times, your mileage may vary.
Legs: odyssean cuisses Augmented with at least store TP +3, maximum +8. With the right augments these can be best in slot.
Feet: valorous greaves Augmentable with store TP 1-8. If the extra store TP on these feet make or break your build, these can be a more appropriate than flamma gambieras +2.
Thats a lot about AM3, now what about putting it to use?
Weapon Skills
Insurgency
Liberator's bread-and-butter weapon skill. It consists of four hits, the first having an fTP multiplier ranging from 0.5 at 1000 TP to 6.0, subsequent hits having fTP values of 1.0 each. Liberator grants a hidden 30% damage boost to all hits, and augments can apply an additional 15%. Its stat mods are 20% Str and 20% Int, making raw stat stacking less than appealing. Because the first hit scales so well, and also because stacking multiattack is somewhat redundant, it made sense to stack this WS with all the +Weapon Skill Damage % gear you could get your hands on, even before the September 2018 update that made WSD% gear apply to all hits of weaponskills. After said version update, gearing Insurgency is a no-brainer:
ItemSet 360043
The Ankou's Mantle can be either STR+30 Acc/Att+20 WSD+10% or Dex+20 Acc+30 Att+20 WSD+10%
I have both backs and am currently using the high accuracy Ankou's to bring Insurgency's accuracy closer to parity with my TP set. At 3000 TP swap out moonshade earring for Telos, Cessance, Brutal, or another earring of your choosing.
Gear alternatives:
Ratri cuisses +1 These pants are amazing and worth taking extra time to talk about. They have higher accuracy than fallen's flanchard +3 and one less WSD% which makes them very competitive, but what really sets them apart is the store TP +10. Since 3hit builds are so thirsty for store TP, having an extra 10 in the WS set is potentially build-enabling. Do the math, look at your store TP options, and judge for yourself whether these are best-in-slot for you.
Belt: I feel like Fotia is good, but not that good. As it is most effective at low TP when Insurgency's initial hit is weak. Unfortunately, the competition for the belt slot just doesn't seem to stack up either. If anyone knows of a better belt, please let me know.
Sulevia's leggings +2 Better than NQ Ratri.
NQ Ratri set: The budget option
ignominy burgonet +3, ignominy gauntlets +3: Swap these in when you need the extra accuracy.
Valorous/Odyssean with WSD augments: I don't actually recommend these pieces because they tend to trail Ratri in accuracy and attack. And even Ratri+1 is lighter on accuracy than I would personally like. Remember that Insurgency has at least 3 extra hits that need to land, so try not to gear it like Torcleaver.
Niche WS
Spinning Scythe
What? Really? Spinning Scythe?
ItemSet 360043
This was written during the WSD bug, during which multiattack and AM3 procs on weapon skill would inherit the Weapon Skill Damage values normally restricted to the primary hit. This has been fixed and while Spinning Scythe still does decent damage, for AoE Physical damage look to Fell Cleave with Lycurgos.
Shadow of Death and Infernal Scythe
ItemSet 360660
Ankou's Mantle with Str+30 Magic Acc+20 WSD+10%
I wasn't kidding when I said this section was niche. Liberator's huge TP gain and native magic accuracy make it Drk's go-to weapon for spamming tons of magic WS. Yes, its rare that you will want to spam magical WS, but there are times when its beneficial, such as blue eye statues in Dynamis San d'Oria D, abusing the attack down on Infernal Scythe or when you are opening a solo light skillchain.
Now, I will be up front and say I don't know much about magical weaponskills. The above gear set should be pretty good, but I don't know the proper ratios of MAB to WSD and the like, please let me know how this set can be improved.
Neat things you can do with a Liberator that are not spamming Insurgency
Boosted Absorbs!
Solo self skillchains!
Dedicated sleeper for Lowman Dynamis
Credit to Sapphire for this one. If you are in a pinch, Liberator Drk/Blm makes a great sleeper. Drain 3 plus Dread Spikes makes us highly survivable. I figure there isn't much point in posting an enfeebling gearset as that should be in the primary Dark Knight guide.
ItemSet 362414
Carmine Mask path D
Ankou's Mantle with Magic Accuracy +30
Dark Knight gets a ton of gear to support Absorbs. Unfortunately, almost all of that gear is generally lacking in magic accuracy. We have Dark Seal, but if you aren't using that on Drain 3, you're doing it wrong. Chances are that if you need to cast Absorb-Accuracy on a target, it will have high enough magic evasion that you need all the magic accuracy you can get; there's no point stacking Absorb potency or duration if you are just going to get resisted. So stack all the magic accuracy you can get!
That said, even with Liberator, Absorbs are still too weak for general use, especially with the pitiful mods on Insurgency. Don't waste precious swing time casting them in combat. That said, they make great spells for pulling, and if a target is Perfect Dodging, Invincible, or just being kept asleep, absorb away!
Carmine Mask path D
Ankou's Mantle with Magic Accuracy +30
Dark Knight gets a ton of gear to support Absorbs. Unfortunately, almost all of that gear is generally lacking in magic accuracy. We have Dark Seal, but if you aren't using that on Drain 3, you're doing it wrong. Chances are that if you need to cast Absorb-Accuracy on a target, it will have high enough magic evasion that you need all the magic accuracy you can get; there's no point stacking Absorb potency or duration if you are just going to get resisted. So stack all the magic accuracy you can get!
That said, even with Liberator, Absorbs are still too weak for general use, especially with the pitiful mods on Insurgency. Don't waste precious swing time casting them in combat. That said, they make great spells for pulling, and if a target is Perfect Dodging, Invincible, or just being kept asleep, absorb away!
Solo self skillchains!
Yes, you can do these without a Liberator. But those other weapons don't have Liberator's insane TP generation, and thus can't skillchain as reliably.
If you are soloing mobs, are the only DD on a particular target, or the situation demands a skillchain, Liberator is there.
4 Step Solo Darkness
Insurgency to Entropy to Cross Reaper to Quietus = Gravitation, Darkness, Darkness.
You can string all the WS together for massive overall SC damage, or cut out Insurgency for a 3 step double darkness if you're short on time or patience.
3 Step Solo Light
Shadow of Death to Shadow of Death to Insurgency = Fragmentation, Light.
Bet you didn't think you could make Light with a Scythe. Then again, why would you want to when Torcleaver exists? Situations like the Mamool Ja Ambuscade come to mind when you need to crank out either Light or Darkness on a moment's notice without changing weapons.
If you are soloing mobs, are the only DD on a particular target, or the situation demands a skillchain, Liberator is there.
4 Step Solo Darkness
Insurgency to Entropy to Cross Reaper to Quietus = Gravitation, Darkness, Darkness.
You can string all the WS together for massive overall SC damage, or cut out Insurgency for a 3 step double darkness if you're short on time or patience.
3 Step Solo Light
Shadow of Death to Shadow of Death to Insurgency = Fragmentation, Light.
Bet you didn't think you could make Light with a Scythe. Then again, why would you want to when Torcleaver exists? Situations like the Mamool Ja Ambuscade come to mind when you need to crank out either Light or Darkness on a moment's notice without changing weapons.
Dedicated sleeper for Lowman Dynamis
Credit to Sapphire for this one. If you are in a pinch, Liberator Drk/Blm makes a great sleeper. Drain 3 plus Dread Spikes makes us highly survivable. I figure there isn't much point in posting an enfeebling gearset as that should be in the primary Dark Knight guide.
Got any crazy/silly/off-meta things you do with your Liberator? Let me know so I can add them to the list!
Neat things you can do with a Liberator that are in fact spamming Insurgency
Did I mention Insurgency is really strong right now?
Insurgency is really strong right now. You should use it, it hits really hard.
Insurgency is really strong right now. You should use it, it hits really hard.
That's all I can think of at the moment, please let me know what I can improve in this guide.
