The Rotborne Duelist is a fast-paced, plague-infused build designed for players who enjoy a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. It centers on a seamless combat loop that converts defensive maneuvers into powerful offensive onslaughts. The core strategy is to use parries to empower devastating rune attacks, and then sustain through massive life steal. This creates a rhythmic flow of combat that rewards precision timing and aggression, turning every fight into a stylish performance of controlled chaos.

1. Spend Health for Runes: The build's cornerstone is the Ring of Determination, which allows you to cast rune abilities by spending health when your Focus is depleted. This ensures your offensive pressure never stops.
2. Parry-to-Offense Conversion: The Glimmering Bulwark shield grants a buff called "Enlightenment" for 6 seconds after a successful parry. This buff significantly increases both your rune damage (by 20%) and Focus gain (by 30%), turning a defensive action into your main damage window.
3. Massive Life Steal & Sustain: The Sinew rapier comes with a base 25% life steal, which is further boosted by a gem on the shield. This allows you to instantly recover the health spent on rune attacks or lost from enemy hits. This is supplemented by an enchantment on the gloves that grants 10% health on every parry.
4. Execute Enchantment: The Torchborne Grip gloves feature a critically important enchantment: Execute infected low-health enemies on damage dealt. This is described as an extremely powerful effect that works on all enemies, including bosses, allowing you to finish them off quickly.

The playstyle is that of a reactive and aggressive duelist who controls the tempo of the battle. Your goal is to stay in the enemy's face, using parries not just to avoid damage but to trigger your "Enlightenment" buff. Once active, you unleash a flurry of rune attacks, weaving in light and charged attacks to maintain momentum.

The core combat rhythm follows these "bread and butter" combos:

• Main Flow: Rune Attack -> Charge Attack -> Rune Attack (to control spacing and damage).
• Focus Builder: Light Attack -> Light Attack -> Rune Attack (to quickly generate Focus and apply plague).
• Sustain Combo: Rune Attack -> Charge Attack -> Light Attack (a balanced approach for damage and life steal).
• High-Risk Burst: Rune Attack -> Rune Attack -> Rune Attack (for moments when an enemy is staggered to maximize damage).

You will constantly be managing your health and Focus, using the Ring of Determination to push your offense and relying on life steal and parries to bring your health right back up. Success with this build comes from mastering its rhythm and flowing seamlessly between defense and offense