Quick Links
Being a melee fighter inEnshroudedis risky. Enemies are deadly, and if you fluke your parries or mismanage your stamina, you’ll be in for some heavy punishment. However, if built properly, melee characters can withstand everything the Shroud throws at them.
The following is anEnshroudedtank build that’s capable of absorbing damage while healing the player back up to full health. You don’t need toget toEnshrouded’smax levelto reach the very core of the build, but having at least 50 skill points is recommended to truly make the setup shine.
Updated July 01, 2025 by Marc Santos:Enshrouded’s Melodies of the Mire update brought a number of big changes to combat balancing, including major improvements to melee playstyles. Apart from making two-handed weapons much more viable in the late game, players can now expect parrying to be a much more effective and rewarding tactic following buffs to the parrying power of shields as well as some core skills meant to take advantage of stunned opponents. This guide has been updated to include two parry-focused skills to serve as alternatives for players who want a more reactive playstyle.
Melee weapon damage is increased by 10%
Cutting damage is increased by 10%
Cutting damage is increased by an additional 20%
Melee weapon crit chance increased by 10%
Attack faster with one-handed weapons
Armor mitigates 10% more Physical damage
Tower
Suffer 10% less Physical damage when surrounded by three or more enemies
Earth Aura
Damage received by all players within 10 meters is reduced by 10%
Gain 1 Constitution for every 2 levels of Flame
Evasion Attack
Perform a lunging attack with a melee weapon by attacking after dodging
Battle Heal
Heal 5% of your maximum health after critically striking with a melee weapon
This build makes use of major and minor nodes in two of the four melee-oriented skill tree branches, namely the Warrior and Tank skill lines. A few points are sprinkled into the green skill branches only for the sake of getting Double Jump and some of theother best skills to get first inEnshrouded.
The two most important parts of thisEnshroudedtank build areThick SkinandBattle Heal. The former increases your Constitution based on your Flame level, while the latter restores 5% of your maximum HP every time you critically strike. Combined, these two skills contribute the most to your self-sustain, allowing you to stay in the fight for longer. Every other point spent in this build are self-explanatory boosts to your offensive and defensive stats.
If you have spare skill points, get theWell-RestedandInner Firespassives so you may get free increases to your Rested buff and Shroud timers.Dessert Stomachin theSurvivortree is also a great QoL skill to have.
Following the Melodies of the Mire update, players can expect melee builds to be stronger across the board. This build remains as-is, though players might want to try experimenting with the following skills:
The original build focuses on directly attacking enemies to deal damage and sustain health via lifesteal. These two skills, however, skew the playstyle more toward parrying and overpowering enemies to trigger Merciless Strike, which got significantly buffed from the Melodies of the Mire patch. Shields have also received changes: some now have stronger blocking or parrying power. Keep this in mind when gearing up, and pick the playstyle you prefer.
Recommended Gear
Armor-wise, the best options you can use inEnshroudedearly access are theRadiant PaladinandSoldiersets. Both have comparable stats, though the former is a unique armor set that can only be obtained in the Kindlewastes. If you don’t want torepeatedly farm chests to get the Radiant Paladin armor, craft the Soldier set instead. Equip twoCommander’s Ringsfor more Health or any ring that increases HP and Stamina.
As for weapons,one-handedswordsare preferred for this build. They’re effective against the majority of enemies in the game, and they mostly deal Cutting damage by default, which will get boosted by the Slasher and Butcher passives from the skill tree. If you prefer using other types of one-handed weapon,respec your skillsand get the passives for Blunt and Piercing damage types instead. Themost ideal swordfor this build is one withadditional crit chanceandbonus Cutting damage. Pair it with the strongest shield you have.
To maximize your potential, eat food that grants Constitution, melee damage, and other effects that are beneficial to melee fighters. Some good options include:
