Duelist

Momentum stacks build with each hit — at 5 stacks, execute the target.

Parent Class

Swashbuckler

Unlock Condition

Hero Level 10

Dexterity Bonus

Strength Bonus

Signature Ability

Momentum

"Every dance ends with one partner on the ground."

What Changes at Level 10

When a Swashbuckler reaches level 10 and you select Duelist, two things change permanently:

Stat bonuses are added to the hero's ability scores immediately and permanently.
Active ability is replaced with the subclass variant (Momentum).

Ability: Momentum

Momentum: Builds Momentum stacks with each cast (max 5). At full stacks, executes a random living target for 2.5× damage. AP scales the execute hit.

Permanent Stat Bonuses

Duelist grants the following ability score bonuses on top of the Swashbuckler base scores:

+2 Dexterity — adds to the Swashbuckler base dexterity score
+1 Strength — adds to the Swashbuckler base strength score

These bonuses stack with ability score points allocated from levelling. They cannot be removed without retiring the hero.

Recommended Skill Tree Themes

Offense (Executioner, War Machine, Berserker's Resolve), Crit (Blade Mastery).

See the Skill Tree deep dive for the full 120-node reference and routing advice, or the Swashbuckler build guide for a complete path recommendation for this class.

Duelist vs. Corsair

Both subclasses unlock at level 10. Compare them to choose:

	Duelist	Corsair
Identity	Momentum stacks build with each hit — at 5 stacks, execute the target.	Gold plunder + AoE — every kill splashes to nearby enemies and drops bonus loot.
Stat Bonus	+2 Dexterity, +1 Strength	+2 Agility, +1 Dexterity
Details	This page	Corsair page →

The choice is permanent — use a Scroll of Divergence consumable to re-select without retiring the hero.

Applying via Archetype

Set an Archetype with Duelist as the guild standard for Swashbuckler — all future recruits of that class will automatically receive this subclass at level 10 without any manual selection.