Been trying some more build options lately, got a couple spicy brews that I think are being slept on:
1: Puppet Saber Blade + Booster Glaive Handle
Booster Glaive Handle is pretty well-known to be really damn good, but the Puppet Saber Blade is a bit slept on post-patch. The blade has very good range for its speed, and thanks to the damage boost it got it is essentially a longer range but slightly lower damage version of the Bramble Curved Sword Blade. This combines very well with the Booster Glaive Handle which already has a super strong moveset, giving it very good dps and range while being very fast and easy to control.
2: Black Steel Cutter Blade + Salamander Dagger Handle: Definitely a weird one that is very easy to use improperly, but it's IMO the best setup for using the Black Steel Cutter Blade, which is an otherwise fantastic blade that's harmed by lack of strong Advance handle options to pair it with. The key here is that all of the Salamander Dagger Handle's heavy and charged heavy attacks count as slashing attacks, meaning that the Black Steel Cutter doesn't get a penalty for it. (The running heavy does count as stab though so probably should stop and do a regular attack instead if possible) What you end up with is a curved sword-style moveset reminiscent of the Puppet Saber, Bramble Curved Sword, or the Dancer's Curved Sword with great range, speed, damage, and of course fire buildup. I think it might be the best Fire setup in the game, even over Salamander Dagger Blade + Acidic Crystal Spear Handle.
3: Live Puppet Axe Handle in general: The moveset is for the most part unremarkable, but its charged heavy is goated. It has fantastic reach, great damage and stagger, and comes out surprisingly fast if you pair it with a faster blade. Master Chef Knife are probably the two blades I'd look at to pair with it, but the Bramble Curved Sword Blade is a solid option too if you want more damage than range. If you want to use one of the slower handles I think this is a solid option over the Pipe Wrench or Coil Mjolnir.
1: Puppet Saber Blade + Booster Glaive Handle
Booster Glaive Handle is pretty well-known to be really damn good, but the Puppet Saber Blade is a bit slept on post-patch. The blade has very good range for its speed, and thanks to the damage boost it got it is essentially a longer range but slightly lower damage version of the Bramble Curved Sword Blade. This combines very well with the Booster Glaive Handle which already has a super strong moveset, giving it very good dps and range while being very fast and easy to control.
2: Black Steel Cutter Blade + Salamander Dagger Handle: Definitely a weird one that is very easy to use improperly, but it's IMO the best setup for using the Black Steel Cutter Blade, which is an otherwise fantastic blade that's harmed by lack of strong Advance handle options to pair it with. The key here is that all of the Salamander Dagger Handle's heavy and charged heavy attacks count as slashing attacks, meaning that the Black Steel Cutter doesn't get a penalty for it. (The running heavy does count as stab though so probably should stop and do a regular attack instead if possible) What you end up with is a curved sword-style moveset reminiscent of the Puppet Saber, Bramble Curved Sword, or the Dancer's Curved Sword with great range, speed, damage, and of course fire buildup. I think it might be the best Fire setup in the game, even over Salamander Dagger Blade + Acidic Crystal Spear Handle.
3: Live Puppet Axe Handle in general: The moveset is for the most part unremarkable, but its charged heavy is goated. It has fantastic reach, great damage and stagger, and comes out surprisingly fast if you pair it with a faster blade. Master Chef Knife are probably the two blades I'd look at to pair with it, but the Bramble Curved Sword Blade is a solid option too if you want more damage than range. If you want to use one of the slower handles I think this is a solid option over the Pipe Wrench or Coil Mjolnir.
