(https://img00.deviantart.net/2c15/i/2015/017/1/f/akame_ga_kill_esdese_esdeath_by_hazzy5-d8e9xlk.jpg)
As I am currently stuck progressing my characters, waiting for my little brother to catch up for co-op, I was toying with the idea of starting a caster character (I currently only have melee/pet characters and an elemental archer). This brought me to remember my pre-AE playthroughs, the characters of which I've since deleted. One of them was a sharder,.. and man, that character was OP. So, another sharder seemed fun, but other than that I had no idea about how that character's build would look. My previous one was a Sage, but my elemental archer is allready a Sage, elemental archer being by far the most fun way to play a Sage. Now, what would be an ideal sharder?.. I know:
(https://pa1.narvii.com/5963/719ef1384b4c3d904612c411f6f8a0b1b4146e9a_hq.gif)
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/akamegakill/images/a/a7/Esdeath_accepting_her_defeat.png)
This immediately causes a problem though: Esdese is, apart from an ice manipulator, also quite an accomplished melee fighter. Giving her a physical damage melee weapon would also synergize extremely well with Freezing Blasts -100% physical resistance debuff on enemies. Yet, true hybrids simply don't work in TQ. Thus, the most obvious class choices such as a Thane or a Sorcerer can be forgotten about. We simply can't invest the stat- and skillpoints to make dual-wielding or piercing damage worthwile. Also, a Paladin isn't really an option, because a buff shield carrying character is the last thing we want.
The easiest would be to just give up the melee aspect, and go for an Oracle (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/TitanCalc6eba6eba6eba.html?mastery=Oracle&master1=2&master2=8&sa=30&m1=32-6-0-0-8-1-1-0-0-16-1-0-8-0-1-0-1-1-1-1-16-0&m2=32-12-10-0-0-8-0-8-0-8-0-0-0-12-0-8-1-12-0-8-0). ask Leone; Deathchill aura seems just so befitting, and there'd even be points to spare for Enslave Spirit or Dark Convenant with Unearthly Power, muahahahaha,..
A Thunderer (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/TitanCalc464c464crunee80e.html?mastery=Thunderer&master1=10&master2=8&sa=30&m1=32-10-6-0-16-10-0-10-6-0-0-0-10-0-0-12-0-8-6-0-0-0-0&m2=32-12-10-0-0-8-0-8-0-8-0-0-0-12-0-8-1-12-0-8-0-0) appears to provide a very interesting alternative though. Rune Weapon allows us to get closer to a true hybrid character than any other skill ingame, and Runeword: Feather allows us to equip weapons we otherwise would have had the statpoints to invest in for. It's a bit deceitfull though, since we'd still not be doing much actual physical damage, and that taken into consideration Freezing Blast's debuff would remain only marginally effective, unless ofcourse we're playing co-op (yeah, someone else can start a thread about a Tatsumi build then), in which case the whole physical requirement argument becomes mute and we could pick pretty much any secondary, which would most likely end up being Spirit. Anyway, Sacred Rage with Frightining Power sound at least as good as Deathchill Aura.
Finally, we might actually have to rethink Thane (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/TitanCalc7f0a7f0a7f0a.html?mastery=Thane&master1=8&master2=3&sa=30&m1=32-12-10-0-0-8-0-8-0-8-0-0-0-12-0-8-1-12-0-8-0-0&m2=32-6-12-8-6-8-6-0-6-12-0-0-6-6-12-0-0-0-6-6-16-0). Take some points out of Battle Rage, Onslaught, and some of the dual wielding procs, and skillpoint-wise it'd be doable. That way we're sure we won't be temped to equip a shield (any other melee character will, because the off-hand remains free otherwise). Statpoint-wise I just can't figure this one out though. Full Int. is the way to go, and would work for damage, but we wouldn't be able to equip any half decent weapons.
What do you guys think? Oracle (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/TitanCalc6eba6eba6eba.html?mastery=Oracle&master1=2&master2=8&sa=30&m1=32-6-0-0-8-1-1-0-0-16-1-0-8-0-1-0-1-1-1-1-16-0&m2=32-12-10-0-0-8-0-8-0-8-0-0-0-12-0-8-1-12-0-8-0), Thunderer (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/TitanCalc464c464crunee80e.html?mastery=Thunderer&master1=10&master2=8&sa=30&m1=32-10-6-0-16-10-0-10-6-0-0-0-10-0-0-12-0-8-6-0-0-0-0&m2=32-12-10-0-0-8-0-8-0-8-0-0-0-12-0-8-1-12-0-8-0-0), Thane (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/TitanCalc7f0a7f0a7f0a.html?mastery=Thane&master1=8&master2=3&sa=30&m1=32-12-10-0-0-8-0-8-0-8-0-0-0-12-0-8-1-12-0-8-0-0&m2=32-6-12-8-6-8-6-0-6-12-0-0-6-6-12-0-0-0-6-6-16-0), or something else alltogether?
So, I've been thinking about weapons, and these are the swords that seem, at least on paper, to work well:
(https://i.imgur.com/M8u7eJm.png)
In fact, the whole Crystalline Array set (https://www.tq-db.net/set/crystalline-array) seems great (even though Rimescythe by itself is not thát great), which would just leave one more weapon or shield slot to fill, plus jewelry. It buffs precisely the skills we're not using, it add skills from Storm mastery we don't have the point for to commit to in ourselves, it reduces requirements, it regenerates energy, and it provides some much needed defense, not just as armour, but also by reflecting damage, and debuffing enemies.
For our second weapons slot, I'd go for:
(https://i.imgur.com/A2ReDD8.png)
Squall is another skill we otherwise can't really commit to, and the +44 Str. is really nice.
Then, there are these tertiary options:
(https://i.imgur.com/tDBjm6r.png)(https://i.imgur.com/AfM6oe5.png)(https://i.imgur.com/mQbaPwy.png)
They aren't really good, but they have no stat requirements, other than level. Out of these the Dagger of Bashona is by far the most interesting, because of the recharge and +100% Total Damage. Since most of our damage will be coming from elemental additions, the latter might actually matter much more than the Bashona's rather mediocre base damage.
Finally, I completely forgot about throwing weapons. Personally, I have absolutely zero experience with them, so I just don't know, but maybe they'd work, but since a lot of them are short blades, they would definitely work character wise.
just to be clear, i had no influence on the skills he decided or will decide to take ;D except that less str is needed if you get +4 to all skills.. one look at my storm guide (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=456.0) and one would know it completely goes against what i said about storm skills.. Dude, that build is too glass cannony.. it was widely said in the manga that esdese does not give an opening while fighting offensively.. it was evident in the final battle the way they planned how to beat esdeath.. yeah i decided to read it anyway
in the manga, esdese makes an ice shield which is really an ice wall to block incoming attacks.. iirc she used it against tatsumi and again against akame.. menhir wall is the closest thing although it doesn't look like ice.. and wave was really cool in the kurome vs akame fight i bet kurome's panties fell off ;D
edit:
found it
against Tatsumi
(https://titanquestfans.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FbnYbRjI.jpg&hash=1900daca8beaf34ad71833ddb187ae4de98f4037)
against akame
(https://titanquestfans.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FHMP9mFM.jpg&hash=1f6a3e0fa5c99d39e1c21bd2760fe24f1eecab35)
btw this is a good way of attacking with her ice shards, how akame only got hit on the leg i don't know
(https://titanquestfans.net/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCpxQVT2.jpg&hash=5fc588e0397f7a04480b0e99cc387f0afbc9b233)