When it comes to stomping through hordes of Tyranids and standing tall against the galaxy’s toughest threats, the Bulwark class is your go-to for soaking up damage and dispensing punishment. Built like a walking tank, the Bulwark specializes in durability while dealing enough damage to hold its own.
With the right loadout and perks, you can turn this already tanky class into a nearly unstoppable battlefield juggernaut. Let’s break down the best Bulwark build to tank damage while crushing enemies of the Emperor.
Plasma Pistol
The Plasma Pistol is the star of your secondary weapon setup, and it’s perfect for the Bulwark’s playstyle. While you might think this gun doesn’t fit into a tank build, the Plasma Pistol is no ordinary sidearm. With its charged shots, this weapon becomes a tool for crowd control and taking out elite enemies from a distance. When you’re in the heat of battle, it’s your go-to for melting down those annoying reinforcements or landing a quick, clean shot before closing the gap with melee.
To make the most of the Plasma Pistol, you’ll want to equip the Fast Venting perk. Plasma weapons can overheat pretty quickly, especially if you’re relying on charged shots, so cutting down that cooldown time keeps your damage output flowing smoothly. Once you level up your skill with this gun, Rampage allows you to stack up damage the more enemies you kill. This setup allows you to handle ranged threats while you prepare to unleash the real hurt up close.
Power Sword
No Bulwark build is complete without a solid melee weapon, and the Power Sword is your best bet for staying alive in close-quarters combat. This iconic blade doesn’t just dish out damage; it also helps you sustain through tough fights. The Power Sword synergizes perfectly with the Bulwark’s parry mechanics, allowing you to deflect incoming attacks while getting those critical stuns.
To enhance your parrying ability, the Fencing Blade perk is key. This perk extends combo length from four to five strikes. Since the Bulwark build revolves around parrying enemy attacks and dealing damage through counter-attacks, the Fencing Blade enhances your parry timing by increasing your success window. This means you’re more likely to land a successful parry, stagger your enemies, and follow up with a devastating attack.
Perks
Core: Intimidating Aura
The Intimidating Aura perk is tied closely to the parry mechanic and enhances the Bulwark’s effectiveness in crowd control and survivability. When equipped, it creates an area of effect damage within a 5-meter radius after every perfectly timed parry. This means that when you successfully parry an enemy attack, it not only deflects the incoming strike but also deals damage to surrounding enemies, pushing them back and causing a brief stagger effect.
This stagger is particularly useful when dealing with groups of enemies, as it gives you a moment of reprieve to either strike back or reposition yourself. It’s especially valuable when you’re constantly engaging enemies in close combat, thus turning defensive actions into offensive opportunities.
Team: Contested Conditioning
Contested health refers to the temporary health that players can regain after being injured, typically through performing finishers or gun strikes. Contested Conditioning slows down the rate at which this health fades by 50%. This perk gives players and their teammates more time to recover, ensuring they stay in the fight longer.
This ability is particularly useful during prolonged engagements with tougher enemies, where players often need extra time to restore health amidst the chaos. The added regeneration time enables more opportunities to use the Bulwark’s finisher or strike mechanics, reinforcing the class’s role as a tank that sustains itself while supporting the team.
Gear: Invigorating Icon
The Invigorating Icon perk is an absolute game-saver, especially when things start getting intense. Activated when the Chapter Banner is dropped, it instantly restores max contested health to all teammates within the banner’s range. No need to worry about healing items or cooldowns, everyone’s back to full health in a flash, keeping the momentum rolling in battle.
This perk shines in those chaotic moments when your squad is taking heavy damage, like during boss fights or when you’re swarmed by elite units. The Invigorating Icon gives your team a much-needed breather, allowing everyone to focus on dishing out damage instead of scrambling for healing. It reinforces the Bulwark’s role as a support-tank, ensuring the squad stays alive and in the fight, pushing through even the toughest waves.
Gear: Rejuvenating Effect
The Rejuvenating Effect provides a crucial team healing ability during intense battles. When activated, this perk causes the Chapter Banner to replenish the Bulwark’s armor and revive incapacitated squad members within its area of effect. This ability is critical when your squad is overwhelmed, especially when multiple team members are down.
Further, the banner restores armor and contested health for both the player and squad members. This combination ensures that once revived, teammates are not just brought back into the fight but are also in a healthier state, ready to continue pushing through waves of enemies. This perk turns your Chapter Banner from a mere healing effect into an indispensable game-changer.
Signature: Defensive Mastery
The Defensive Mastery perk is clutch when you’re up against high-damage enemies that could ruin your day. Time your parries just right, and you can instantly incapacitate elite or extremist-level enemies, leaving them wide open for a brutal finisher.
Defensive Mastery is perfect for those melee-heavy brawls where controlling elite threats is the key to victory. Parry, incapacitate, and destroy is the Bulwark’s way of keeping the battlefield in check while staying nearly untouchable. If you want to turn your Bulwark into a defensive juggernaut that controls the flow of combat, this perk is essential.
