By DrPynz
BellaSax
The Silent Drake Knight
Build Summary
A Hornsent who fled Belurat during Messmer’s purge. Found the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion at Jagged Peak. Traded dragon hearts for power. Kept her form. The Flowerstone Gavel is the anchor — its skill, Flower Dragonbolt, scales purely off Arcane and stacks with four multiplicative lightning buffs. The build trades 1.6% physical AR for skill damage that compounds across every buff layer.
Stats
Attribute Spread
| VIG | MND | END | STR | DEX | INT | FAI | ARC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 35 | 25 | 31 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 70 |
Derived Stats
| Poise | 53 | Clears 51 breakpoint. Does NOT clear 56. |
|---|---|---|
| Equip Load | 31.0 / 72.0 | 43.1% — Medium roll |
| HP | ~1900 | at 55 VIG |
| FP | ~200 | at 35 MND |
| Stamina | ~125 | at 25 END |
Respec’d from 36 STR / 65 ARC to 31 STR / 70 ARC. Physical AR went from 619 to 609 — 10 AR loss, 1.6%. Flower Dragonbolt scales purely off ARC. Both STR and ARC have C scaling (value 70) at +10. Dragonclaw requires FAI 17 — BellaSax has exactly 17. No room to drop Faith. Great Rune: Godrick’s Great Rune (+5 all) — not always equipped, base stats used as reference.
Equipment
Main Hand
Flowerstone Gavel +10
| AR (Displayed) | 609 | Base Physical AR | 296 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaling | C STR (70) / D DEX (45) / C ARC (70) | Weight | 6.0 |
| Skill | Flower Dragonbolt — FP 18, chargeable | ||
| Requirements | STR 14 / DEX 8 / ARC 15 | ||
“Weapon of the Dragon Communion priestess. A dragonstone hammer resembling an ancient flower. The four petals and the flower’s core are all sharp, ending in points, and are capable of dealing heavy damage to dragons.”
Flower Dragonbolt deals Lightning damage and scales off ARC only. Charging applies 17% Lightning vulnerability on the target for 20 seconds. The intended PvE values are higher (23% / 30%) but a known bug applies PvP values in PvE. Benefits from Godfrey Icon when charged. Cannot be parried. Cannot be infused or enchanted. Physick tears work — they buff the player, not the weapon. Deals +30% damage to Dragon-type, +15% to Ancient Dragon-type enemies.
Off Hand
Dragon Communion Seal
| Effect | +15% Dragon Communion Incantation damage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 0 | Scaling | FAI D / ARC C |
| Requirements | FAI 10 / ARC 10 | ||
“Formless drakeblood seal with a dragon communion crest. Enhances Dragon Communion incantations. The sacrificial devouring of the heart gives power. Indeed, Dragon Communion is too primal in nature for the term ‘incantation’ to be appropriate. This seal scales incantations with one’s arcane attribute.”
Zero weight. Held passively for the 15% boost to all Dragon Communion spells. Swap to two-hand the Gavel for Flower Dragonbolt, swap back for breath spells.
Spells (6 Spells, 8 of 10 Slots)
| Spell | FAI | ARC | FP | Slots | Damage Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Breath | 15 | 12 | 36/tick | 1 | Scarlet Rot |
| Dragonfire | 15 | 12 | 28/tick | 1 | Fire |
| Dragonice | 15 | 12 | 36/tick | 1 | Magic / Frostbite |
| Dragonclaw | 17 | 13 | 24 | 1 | Physical |
| Bayle’s Tyranny | 0 | 49 | 46 | 2 | Fire + Lightning |
| Bayle’s Flame Lightning | 0 | 53 | 43 | 2 | Physical + Lightning + Fire |
FP costs are per tick for breath spells (4 ticks per full cast). Full breath cast can consume up to 104 FP. Dragonclaw: FAI 17 is the hard gate — BellaSax has exactly 17. 30 Stance on direct hit, knockdown on follow-up. Bayle’s Tyranny: 25 Stance AoE explosion, knockdown. Cannot charge or cast mounted. Bayle’s Flame Lightning: 30 Stance direct hit, knockdown. Patch 1.14 buffed damage.
Armor Set
| Slot | Piece | Poise | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helm | Drake Knight Helm | 6 | 4.0 |
| Chest | Drake Knight Armor | 19 | 9.2 |
| Arms | Drake Knight Gauntlets | 4 | 3.1 |
| Legs | Drake Knight Greaves | 11 | 5.7 |
| Total | 40 | 22.0 | |
“Black iron armor worn by drake knights. Features the spoils of a dragon catch as an emblem of pride as both dragon hunter and partaker of communion. The cape is crafted with dragon wing membrane.”
“From birth, drake knights speak not a word. They spend their lives pursuing the strength of dragons, for its sublime beauty and inspiration of awe.”
Talismans
| Talisman | Effect | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Godfrey Icon | +15% charged Spells and Skills | 0.8 |
| Shard of Alexander | +15% Skill damage | 0.9 |
| Lightning Scorpion Charm | +12% Lightning, +10% Physical taken | 0.8 |
| Bull-Goat’s Talisman | +33% Poise (multiplicative) | 0.5 |
Godfrey Icon only boosts charged skills. Flower Dragonbolt is chargeable. Shard of Alexander boosts all skills — stacks multiplicatively with Godfrey. Lightning Scorpion Charm stacks multiplicatively with the Physick tear. Bull-Goat’s makes 53 poise possible — without it, 40 poise is below the 51 breakpoint.
Flask of Wondrous Physick
| Tear | Effect | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear | +20% Lightning damage | 180 sec |
| Opaline Hardtear | +15% all damage negation | 180 sec |
Combat Loop
- Open: Pop Physick. 3-minute window starts.
- Soften: Cast Dragonice or Rotten Breath at range. 2-second wind-up — 53 poise tanks light hits during cast.
- Debuff: Charge Flower Dragonbolt. 17% Lightning vulnerability on target, 20 seconds. This is the setup.
- Strike: Two-hand Gavel. R1 chains into debuffed target. Pierce counter bonus if timed into enemy swings.
- Hold: 53 poise eats one-handed light hits. Opaline keeps her alive through the chip.
- Nuke: Bayle’s Tyranny for groups. Bayle’s Flame Lightning for single targets.
- Reset: Reapply breath. Repeat Dragonbolt cycle.
High-Lightning-Resistance Targets
Skip Flower Dragonbolt. Go to R1s and breath application. Use Dragonclaw for close-range physical burst. Save Dragonbolt for stance damage when the lightning damage itself won’t land.
Groups
Breath first. Dragonbolt for cleave. Gavel R1s for stragglers. Bayle’s Tyranny for tight packs.
Hidden Synergies
The Lightning Stack
Five multipliers on one charged Flower Dragonbolt: Lightning-Shrouding Tear (+20%), Lightning Scorpion Charm (+12%), Godfrey Icon (+15% charged), Shard of Alexander (+15% skill), target debuff (+17% Lightning taken). Combined: 2.08x. That’s 108% damage increase on a single button press. Physical R1s get none of it.
Poise Economy
53 poise. Clears 51, not 56. Lightning Scorpion Charm adds 10% physical damage taken — Opaline offsets partially at 15% all negation. She takes the hit to land hers, then resets.
Equip Load Economy
31.0 / 72.0 = 43.1%. Medium roll with margin. END 25 keeps stamina at ~125 for breath windups and R1 chains.
Lore
She was Hornsent. That’s where it starts.
Belurat burned. Messmer’s purge drove them south. She ran through Gravesite Plain, found the path to Jagged Peak. Found the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion.
Some who trade hearts at the altar transform. Eyes go dark, irises gold, pupils split. They become something else. She ate the hearts and kept her form. Sought Bayle — the dread dragon. Communed with his power directly. Flame lightning. Tyranny. The dread’s own breath.
“Spoils of a dragon catch as an emblem of pride as both dragon hunter and partaker of communion.”
Hunter and partaker. Both. The cape is dragon wing membrane because she killed what wore it.
“From birth, drake knights speak not a word.”
She doesn’t speak. She hunts.
BellaSax
Bella — bellum, war. The root she found in an old text before Belurat fell. Sax — the gavel. Stone. What she carried through Dragon’s Pit. She chose the name. Nobody gave it to her.
Where to Find Each Item
- Flowerstone Gavel: Complete the Dragon Communion Priestess questline. Grand Altar of Dragon Communion, Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
- Dragon Communion Seal: Fringefolk Hero’s Grave, beneath the Stranded Graveyard. Two Stonesword Keys on the double Imp Keystone. Descend past the chariot, take the upward path at the split, kill the Banished Knight in the small room. Drops from the knight.
- Drake Knight Set (full set): Crumbling Farum Azula. From Dragon Temple Rooftop grace, descend the ladder beside the elevator shaft. Turn left, drop to the floating platform, follow the circular path southwest. Single chest against the wall.
- Godfrey Icon: Golden Lineage Evergaol, Altus Plateau. Defeat Godefroy the Grafted. Requires Stonesword Key.
- Shard of Alexander: Complete Iron Fist Alexander’s questline. Final duel at Crumbling Farum Azula. Exhaust his dialogue before fighting or you get the Warrior Jar Shard instead.
- Lightning Scorpion Charm: Wyndham Catacombs, Altus Plateau. Go up the hill past the cathedral building — the catacombs are in the mountainside, not the underground passage below. Room sealed by Imp Statue, requires Stonesword Key.
- Bull-Goat’s Talisman: Dragonbarrow Cave, Caelid. Take the left path into the Giant Bear’s patrol route. On a corpse at the end.
- Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear: Erdtree Avatar at Minor Erdtree in NE Liurnia of the Lakes. Northeast of Ruined Labyrinth, near Musum Compound grace.
- Opaline Hardtear: Putrid Avatar at Minor Erdtree north of Fort Faroth, Greyoll’s Dragonbarrow, Caelid. East of Dragonbarrow Fork grace.
Build Philosophy
Dragon Communion isn’t transformation. It’s communion. You feed. You gain power. You stay what you are. The armor says it — hunter and partaker. Both sides of the same coin.
She dropped the Priestess Heart. Dropped the Rock Heart. Drake Knights don’t speak. Ever. The plate says what she is without her opening her mouth.
The skill is the build. Flower Dragonbolt scales off ARC. Four talismans and a Physick tear stack multiplicatively on one charged cast. Physical R1s don’t get those buffs. The respec trades 1.6% AR for skill damage that compounds across every buff layer.
53 poise clears 51. Doesn’t clear 56. She takes the hit to land hers. Then backs off. Repeat until dead.