Build Guides: Top Executor, Raider, and Revenant Builds After the 1.03.2 Buffs

Hook: You need builds that work now — post-1.03.2

If you battled through Nightreign's messy raids and felt your Nightfarer get outpaced by steadier metas, you're not alone. Patch 1.03.2 (late 2025) changed the playing field: Executor, Raider, and Revenant all received meaningful buffs, raid events were made less punishing, and several relic/spell tweaks shifted the 2026 meta toward aggressive hybrid playstyles. This guide gives three tuned builds — Executor, Raider, and Revenant — optimized for both PvE and PvP, with exact stat targets, gear choices, rotation templates, counterplay, and advanced strategies for high-rank arenas.

TL;DR — The most important takeaways

• Executor: Now a top-tier bleed/crit champion. Prioritize Dexterity/Arcane, fast stance breaking, and critical windows after the buff to execution skills.
• Raider: Benefits from attack speed and relic synergy tweaks. Build as a burst skirmisher with stamina economy and hit-and-run pressure.
• Revenant: Defensive sustain plus scaled soul-siphon mechanics means Revenant can run hybrid Faith/Strength or Intelligence/Strength depending on gear.
• Raid events like Tricephalos and Fissure in the Fog are less punishing, making aggressive clearing viable — farm relics more safely and test builds in live content.

Patch 1.03.2 — What matters to builders

FromSoftware's patch 1.03.2 (rolled in late 2025) adjusted several Nightfarer skills and global mechanics. You don't need every line of the notes — you need the changes that affect playstyle:

• Buffs to Executor, Raider, and Revenant core kits — improved damage multipliers, faster stance recovery, and reduced startup on key arts.
• Raid event tuning:

  "Decreased the continuous damage received by player characters during the 'Tricephalos' Raid event. Adjusted the visibility during the 'Tricephalos' Raid event."

  and similar changes for Fissure in the Fog, making open-world raids less punishing.
• Relic and spell adjustments that favor aggressive proccing and mixed-status builds (bleed + frost/poise combos).

Those bullet points are why many Nightfarer builds that were borderline are now viable in both PvE and PvP. Below you'll find three build blueprints that exploit the new reality.

Build 1 — Executor: Bleed Crit Specialist (PvE & PvP)

Overview

The 1.03.2 Executor tuning accelerated its killing windows: quicker execution stance follow-ups and improved crit multipliers. The result: a fast, combo-forward Nightfarer that punishes positional errors and excels at burst-openers. This build converts bleed stacks into reliable one-shot threats while staying competitive in duels.

Stat targets (endgame / goal)

• Vigor: 40 — survivability for PvE and PvP netplay
• Mental/Fortitude: 18–20 — resistances and skill usage
• Endurance: 30 — stamina + equip load to wear light armor
• Strength: 12–16 — meet weapon requirements
• Dexterity: 70 — primary scaling stat for bleed weapons and weapon arts
• Arcane: 50 — boosts bleed build-up and item discovery in PvE

Core weapons & upgrades

• Primary: Bloodrazor Fang (or equivalent fast bleeder) +10/+25 infusion tailored to Dex/Arcane scaling
• Secondary (back-up): Curved Dagger or Katar for riposte windows
• Socketed ash: Shadowstep Ash (for position resets) and Bleed Echo (for stacking)

Armor, talismans, and relics

• Armor: Light-to-midweight set to keep agility and fast-rolling (e.g., Nightwind Herd set)
• Talismans: Quickstrike Talisman (increases critical), Hemofilm Seal (bleed build-up), Stamina Loop (faster recovery)
• Relic: Executioner's Sigil — increased state damage during execution window (post-buff synergy)

Playstyle & rotation

Executor wants windows. Your opening goal is to proc bleed while reserving an execution art for the kill:

1. Use Shadowstep ash to close distance and bait a parry/roll.
2. Throw a light -> heavy -> light chain to build bleed quickly (use weapon art to shorten recovery).
3. When the opponent is staggered, use Executioner Art to trigger the improved critical multiplier, then swap to Katar for instant follow-ups.
4. In PvE, weave in Bleed Echo when fighting multiple adds to stack faster.

PvP tips and counters

• Be unpredictable: feint heavies to bait parries and exploit the new execution follow-ups.
• Against shield-turtlers, aim for guard breaks and quick stepbacks; don't get locked in a trade.
• Countered by high poise and bleeding resistance builds — switch to frost-supplement or chip-swing when facing them.

Build 2 — Raider: Burst Skirmisher (PvE & PvP)

Overview

Raider received attack-speed and relic-synergy buffs in 1.03.2, turning it into a top-tier skirmisher. This version uses rapid hit pressure, stamina management, and hit-and-run to dominate small-scale engagements and clear elite mobs in PvE.

Stat targets

• Vigor: 36
• Endurance: 36 — essential for heavy barrage and armor swaps
• Strength: 22
• Dexterity: 55
• Arcane/Intelligence: 18 (depending on weapon infusion)

Core weapons & upgrades

• Primary: Raider's Pike (buffed scaling) — high reach, fast recovery
• Secondary: Throwing axes or a mid-range skewer for zoning and poke
• Infusion: Choose raw or dex infusion depending on weapon scaling; +25 for late game

Armor, talismans, relics

• Armor: Medium armor to balance mobility and poise
• Talismans: Haste Loop (attack speed), Raider's Crest (stamina regen on hit), Momentum Band (increases damage after dodge)
• Relic: Skirmisher's Horn — grants burst damage window after a perfect evade (synergizes with 1.03.2)

Playstyle & rotation

Raider is about windows and disengagement:

1. Open with ranged poke or a charging heavy to test stamina.
2. Use sprint-lunge combos and cancel into backstep to bait counters.
3. Capitalize on the patch's attack-speed buff by chaining light combos then finishing with a heavy when opponent's stamina dips.
4. In PvE, use reach to pull single targets and avoid group clumps; in raids, use Raider to split bosses and kite add spawns.

PvP tips and counters

• Raider beats slow hyper-armored builds if you maintain stamina pressure and mobility.
• Aggro-heavy tanks with extreme poise will neutralize you; swap to bleed arrows or frost support to cut through defenses.
• Practice perfect dodges to trigger Skirmisher's Horn reliably — timing makes this build shine.

Build 3 — Revenant: Hybrid Sustain & Zone Control (PvE & PvP)

Overview

Revenant gained sustain buffs and improvements to its soul-siphon mechanics in 1.03.2. That lets Revenant build lean into hybrid damage and self-heal windows — perfect for solo PvE and drawn-out PvP matches. The Revenant now controls space with persistent fields and punishes aggression with counter-siphon.

Stat targets

• Vigor: 44 — high longevity
• Endurance: 28
• Strength: 30
• Dexterity: 20
• Faith or Intelligence: 50 — pick based on relic scaling (Faith for holy-siphon, Int for void-siphon)

Core weapons & upgrades

• Primary: Revenant Greataxe (heavy-scaling, adds soul-siphon proc)
• Secondary: Sigil Shield or Mirror Aegis for reflect windows
• Infusion: Quality or Strength/Int hybrid depending on spells

Armor, talismans, relics

• Armor: Heavy set to maximize poise when needed; use medium if you want more roll-cancel damage
• Talismans: Lifeforce Mantle (healing on hit), Bulwark Charm (poise), Mana-Leech Amulet (reduces FP cost)
• Relic: Revenant Chalice — enhances soul-siphon drain and grants short invuln during fields (post-buff synergy)

Playstyle & rotation

Revenant plays as a field-controller and attrition specialist:

1. Start fights by laying down a siphon field to zone approaches.
2. Use heavy, measured strikes to convert field damage into heals via the Revenant Chalice.
3. Dodge and shield-counter on approach; use Mirror Aegis to bait over-commits and riposte.
4. In PvE, Revenant shines against bosses with long telegraphs — stay patient, sip heals between phases, and push during cooldown windows.

PvP tips and counters

• Watch out for burst meta builds that can outpace your sustain. Preemptive fields and spacing matter.
• Use environment to force favorable trades; Revenant struggles in cramped arenas against fast dash builds.
• Countered by penalty-heavy magic or disabler builds; carry an anti-magic charm or spellbreaker relic to pivot.

Advanced strategies and configurator tips (2026 meta)

As 2026 evolves, three trends matter for Nightfarers:

• Hybridization is king: Combining weapon scaling with a single spell type (buff/field) yields better returns than pure-stat focus. All three builds here can take small hybrid tweaks — add 18–24 spell stat points to unlock powerful utility spells without losing core scaling.
• Relic synergy: Patches in late 2025 emphasized relics. Match relic effects to your kit (execution relics for Executor, speed relics for Raider, sustain relics for Revenant) rather than chasing raw numbers.
• Raid-safe farming: With Tricephalos and Fissure tuned down, single-player and small-group relic acquisition is more consistent. Use early morning rotations on weekends to farm rare relics — community logs in early 2026 show higher drop rates post-fix when raid visibility is stable.

Configurator checklist (how to test builds quickly)

1. Set a baseline at +25 or max upgrade for your primary weapon — stats change drastically with upgrades.
2. Save a PvP build template and a PvE template; small swap of relic/talisman often flips performance. Save templates to your configurator for quick swaps.
3. Test against three archetypes: turtle (high poise), burst (glass cannon), and hybrid (mixed status). Record wins by matchup to iterate — community runs and community runs are great for live testing.

Matchups — who beats who?

Understanding where your build wins or loses speeds your climb.

• Executor: Wins vs. glass ranged and sloppy rollers; struggles vs. hyper-poise tanks.
• Raider: Wins vs. slow heavy-hitters and zoning casters; struggles vs. relentless bleed procs and heavy counters.
• Revenant: Wins vs. multi-phase bosses and attrition matchups; struggles vs. rapid interrupting kiting builds.

Patch-aware tips (apply these after every hotfix)

• Always re-evaluate weapon art startup frames after a patch; a 0.1s change can flip PvP viability.
• Track relic reworks: small buff to relic procs amplifies hybrid setups. Keep a changelog and test relics on training dummies; consider tools that help track frame and netcode changes similar to those discussed in fine-tuning playbooks.
• Join community runs and watch tournament replays — many 2026 metas originate from pro scrims and speedrun innovations that crossover into PvP theorycraft.

2026 Predictions: Where Nightreign meta is headed

Looking into 2026, expect these trends to influence Nightfarer design and the higher-level meta:

• More frequent micro-patches for balancing Nightfarers, making modular builds (easy to swap talismans/ relics) essential.
• Hybrid builds continuing to outpace single-stat extremes as relic/spell systems deepen.
• Esports and high-level tournaments accelerating meta changes; expect top players to popularize off-meta relic pairings by mid-2026.

Practical takeaways — What you should do right now

• If you're a former Executor player, respec into the Dex/Arc route and test bleed-critical combos in duels.
• Raider mains should farm Skirmisher relic and focus roll/dodge practice to leverage attack-speed buffs.
• Revenant players: experiment with Faith or Int splits and hold onto sustain relics — the new Chalice is extremely valuable.
• Test builds against raid events now — the Tricephalos visibility reduction makes raid practice less punishing and more consistent.

Closing verdict

Patch 1.03.2 changed the Nightreign landscape in a meaningful way. The Executor's burst windows, the Raider's speed opens, and the Revenant's sustain windows create a lively, diverse PvE/PvP scene for 2026. These three builds — optimized for the new patches and the evolving meta — will carry you through raids, arenas, and ranked ladders. Tweak relic pairings and stat allocation per your playstyle and environment, and always test matchups before hard-committing.

Call to action

Try the builds above in your next session: post your results, matchup notes, and relic swaps in thegaming.space community thread. Want a sharable config card for each build or a 1:1 tuning checklist for your character? Drop a comment and we'll generate a custom planner for your level, gear, and playstyle.

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