Arc

Praxic Blade — Boomerang Barrier (Hunter)

Throwable ranged anti-Barrier add-clear + self-healing punch-knight bruiser

Your gear best achievable Melee 131 / 200 target — 69 short — needs better rolls

Health 67 · Melee 131 · Grenade 14 · Super 40 · Class 45 · Weapons 77 · armour only; stat mods + fragments add more

✓ Manifest Kinetic · Special · No intrinsic champion

Centerpiece: Praxic Blade (Sword · Special · Kinetic) · Subclass: Arcstrider · Role: Throwable ranged anti-Barrier add-clear + self-healing punch-knight bruiser Sandbox: 9.7.0 · Updated 2026-07-03

A sword you never have to be next to anything to swing. Praxic Blade throws itself, seeks a whole pack, and is intrinsically strong against Barrier Champions — a melee archetype that ranged-deletes the one champion melee normally can't reach. Pair it with the Hunter that's already a melee engine: Arcstrider. Liar's Handshake turns the throw-and-recall loop into a self-healing brawl, the artifact's Riposte bolts Unstoppable onto the guard, and you cover two champion types off a single Heavy-attack throw. Throw it, recall it, counterpunch, repeat.

The weapon

Intrinsic — Ranged Weapon (verbatim, perks.md):

Throw your Praxic Blade to hit multiple targets. Strong against [Shield-Piercing] Barrier Champions.

Intrinsic — Ranged Weapon (verbatim, exotics.md — Heavy-attack behaviour):

[Heavy Attack]: Throw your Praxic Blade, which will seek out multiple targets. Attacking recalls the Blade while it is in flight.

Catalyst: no catalyst perk exists in `docs/encyclopedia/catalysts.md` (grep returns nothing). The exotic instead ships a bank of selectable blade perks — Grips, Tangs and Cores (Gyro/Refraction/Impact Core apply subclass elemental effects to the throw) — none of which is a distinct catalyst. Do not build around a catalyst bonus; see Verify notes.

What it does: it's a Special-ammo Kinetic sword that fights as a thrown weapon. Tapping Heavy lobs a seeking blade up to 50 m that arcs through up to three targets and returns (945 base damage, 80% reduced while returning); holding Heavy sends it 20 m in a straight unguided line for +100% damage. Either way the blade is in the air and attacking recalls it, so the rhythm is throw → it seeks → recall → light/heavy on whatever closed the gap. The standout is the bespoke stun: the throw is intrinsically strong against Barrier (50% bonus to combatant shields, 200% to Barrier Champion shields), which is unheard of for a sword — swords are a melee archetype that normally can't touch Barrier. You get ranged anti-Barrier out of a Special weapon, and can still guard-and-swing it up close.

Loadout

Slot	Pick	Why
Subclass	Arcstrider (Arc Hunter)	A melee subclass to match a melee weapon; jolt + amplified feed the brawl.
Super	Gathering Storm	One-and-done staff throw: jolts the pack, sticks a priority target, big single-cast burst between throws — asks the least of your APM.
Class ability	Marksman's Dodge	Instant weapon reload on dodge tops the Blade's Special mag mid-fight, and repositions you to recall it.
Movement	Triple Jump	Extra mid-air course-corrections to stay mobile while the blade is out and reposition for the recall.
Melee	Combination Blow	Melee kills stack damage, fully refund your dodge, and heal — the punch half of the throw/punch loop and what Liar's Handshake pays out on.
Grenade	Arcbolt Grenade	Chains and jolts the pack you just lobbed the blade into; jolted kills feed Ionic Traces and amplified.
Aspect 1	Lethal Current	After dodging, your next melee gains lunge, jolts the target, and creates an aftershock — every Marksman's Dodge arms a jolting counterpunch.
Aspect 2	Flow State	Defeating a jolted target makes you amplified (faster everything + DR); Lethal Current and Arcbolt manufacture those jolted kills.
Fragments	Spark of Discharge · Spark of Ions · Spark of Resistance · Spark of Feedback	Ionic Trace economy + survivability for an in-the-melee playstyle.
Exotic armour	Liar's Handshake (Gauntlets) — Cross Counter	An Arc melee (or being punched) arms an extremely powerful healing counterpunch; the throw/recall loop keeps you in melee range, and Cross Counter makes that the safe place to be.
Weapons	Arc Primary (energy: 450 auto / SMG) + Arc Machine Gun or Heavy GL (power)	Praxic Blade holds the Kinetic/Special slot; the Arc Primary procs Spark of Discharge and builds Bolt Charge, and the Arc Heavy finishes bosses the throw can't.

Fragments

Spark of Discharge Arc weapon final blows → Ionic Trace) · Spark of Ions (jolted/Bolt-Charge kill → Ionic Trace, +1 cost) · Spark of Resistance (DR while surrounded, +10 Melee) · Spark of Feedback (outgoing melee damage after taking melee damage, +10 Health

Why it works (the mechanics)

The weapon solves the champion melee can't reach. A sword is a melee archetype, which normally caps out at Unstoppable — but Praxic Blade's throw is bespoke strong against Barrier (200% bonus to Barrier shields per clarity). That's ranged anti-Barrier from a Special weapon: you stun a Barrier champion by chucking a boomerang at it from cover, then recall the blade and keep moving.
The artifact welds Unstoppable onto the same weapon. Riposte (Encrypted Data Disk): "Shortly after guarding with a Sword, your light and heavy attacks stun unshielded combatants. Strong against Unstoppable Champions." Guard the Blade once, then your light/heavy stuns Unstoppable — so one sword covers Barrier (intrinsic throw) + Unstoppable (Riposte guard), with Overload handled behaviourally by Arc jolt/blind.
Throw/recall is the Arcstrider loop. "Attacking recalls the Blade." The intended rhythm — throw into the pack, close distance, light/heavy to recall — lands you exactly where Combination Blow and Liar's Handshake want you: in melee. The weapon's own mechanic pushes you into your subclass's strongest verb.
Liar's Handshake makes melee range the safe range. Cross Counter arms an extremely powerful healing counterpunch off an Arc melee or being hit. Combination Blow already heals and refunds your dodge on a kill, so the loop is self-sustaining: dodge (reload Blade + arm Lethal Current) → throw → recall into a jolting counterpunch → Cross Counter heals → kill refunds the dodge.
Jolt is the connective tissue. Lethal Current jolts the counterpunch, Arcbolt jolts the pack, the Super jolts everything, and the artifact's Tazer Tag makes every Arc melee jolt too. Flow State turns any jolted kill into amplified (movement + DR + faster recharge), while Spark of Ions and Spark of Discharge convert all that jolt and Arc-weapon damage into Ionic Traces that refill the abilities keeping the loop spinning.
Marksman's Dodge is the ammo solution. A Special-ammo sword can run dry; dodge reloads it instantly, and you're dodging constantly anyway to arm Lethal Current and reposition for the recall — the build's core movement is its reload. The artifact's Kinetic Synthesis backs it up, dropping bricks that refill the Kinetic Special sword on sustained Kinetic damage.

Stats & mods

Melee 200 → Health → Class. Melee is the primary dial: it scales Combination Blow, the counterpunch, and ability uptime for a build that lives on punches. Health second keeps you alive inside the pack (this is not a stand-off weapon); Class third for dodge uptime (reload + Lethal Current arming).

Archetype lean: Brawler / Gunner-melee favouring Melee, with Health or Class secondary. Spark of Resistance (+10 Melee) and Spark of Feedback (+10 Health) hit those targets for free.

Mods:

Boots: Arc Weapon Surge ×2 (buffs the Arc Primary/Heavy) + Special-ammo finder.
Arms: Melee Font / Heavy Handed for melee uptime and Orbs on melee kills.
Chest: resist mods for the content (Arc/solar/void as the modifier demands) — you fight surrounded.
Class item: Bomber + Outreach for dodge regen (the dodge is your reload and Lethal Current arm).
Surge: Arc Weapon Surge, matched to your Arc Primary/Heavy.
Anti-Champion: none needed on mods — Barrier is intrinsic to the Blade, Unstoppable comes from artifact Riposte; keep an Arc siphon on to fuel the Orb/charge economy.

Artifact — Encrypted Data Disk

This is the Sword/Arc column the build already leans on: it bolts Unstoppable onto the Blade's guard, refills its Kinetic Special ammo, and pays off the Arc jolt / Bolt-Charge / Orb loop Arcstrider already spins. With the throw's intrinsic Barrier stun, that's two champion types off one sword, Overload covered behaviourally by jolt/blind.

Picks (2/3/2):

Tier 1: Riposte · Kinetic Synthesis
Tier 2: Blinding Jolts · Dielectric · Combination Argent Blade
Tier 3: Elemental Orbs: Arc · Tazer Tag

Riposte is the headline coverage: guard the Blade, then your light/heavy attacks stun unshielded combatants — Strong against Unstoppable Champions.
Kinetic Synthesis refills the sword — Praxic Blade is Kinetic, so sustained throws have a chance to drop a brick granting ammo to Kinetic weapons plus special/heavy progress (9.7.0 halved Heavy/Praxic generation; see Verify).
Blinding Jolts turns your constant jolt (Lethal Current / Arcbolt / Super) into blinds on final blows, covering Overload behaviour when a modifier doesn't demand a hard stun.
Dielectric makes Arc-debuffed kills grant Bolt Charge and, rapidly, spawn an Orb of Power and heal — feeding the charge economy and sustain.
Combination Argent Blade empowers the Sword after a light-then-follow-up, adding bonus damage and charge rate to the light/heavy recall swings.
Elemental Orbs: Arc spawns throwable Arc Orbs off your Arc Primary's kills, and Tazer Tag makes Combination Blow and the Cross Counter punch jolt — fuelling Flow State amplified and Ionic Traces.

Where it shines

GMs / Master content (−30/−40): the headline use. One weapon stuns Barrier (throw) and Unstoppable (Riposte guard); Arc jolt/blind covers Overload behaviour, and Liar's Handshake + Combination Blow + Flow State DR is enough sustain to brawl in melee at GM power.
Add-dense / endless-add rooms: the seeking throw clears packs from range, recalls into a healing counterpunch, and Gathering Storm resets a bad spawn.
Champion coverage: Barrier = intrinsic to the throw (bespoke stun, not archetype). Unstoppable = artifact Riposte after a sword guard. Overload = covered behaviourally by Arc jolt/blind + Blinding Jolts, not an intrinsic — bring an Overload-archetype Primary if a strike's modifier demands a hard Overload stun.
Boss/miniboss DPS: not its job — the Blade is add-clear + champion control. Lean on the Arc Heavy (MG / Heavy GL) and Gathering Storm for orange/yellow bars.

Verify notes

Weapon facts (manifest-confirmed, `data/weapon_facts.json` + `weapon_facts.md`): Praxic Blade = Sword · Kinetic · Special ammo; RPM `—` and intrinsic champion `—` (swords carry no RPM value, and the manifest champion column is null).
Anti-Barrier correction: `weapon_facts.json` lists champion = null, but this is a data gap — `clarity_build_numbers.md` states the Ranged Weapon frame is "Intrinsically Anti-Barrier" (50% bonus vs combatant shields, 200% vs Barrier Champion shields) and `perks.md` prints "Strong against [Shield-Piercing] Barrier Champions". The build is correctly built as intrinsically anti-Barrier; treat the null champion field as the manifest not tagging frame-level champion behaviour.
Throw numbers (50 m range, seeks up to 3, 945 base / 80% reduced returning, hold = 20 m + 100% damage): from `clarity_build_numbers.md` (community data, not manifest text) — flag as tuning, confirm in-game.
Intrinsic quotes: exotics.md (Heavy-attack text) + perks.md (Barrier line) — exotics.md prints only the throw text and omits the Barrier line, which is why both are quoted.
Catalyst: none in `docs/encyclopedia/catalysts.md` (grep = no matches). The selectable Grips/Tangs/Cores are the weapon's exotic perk pool, not a catalyst. No build element depends on a catalyst.
Artifact: Encrypted Data Disk pool + all seven picks (Riposte, Kinetic Synthesis, Blinding Jolts, Dielectric, Combination Argent Blade, Elemental Orbs: Arc, Tazer Tag) verified verbatim in `docs/encyclopedia/artifacts_structured.md`; exactly 2/3/2. Kinetic Synthesis Heavy/Praxic generation was halved in 9.7.0 (`docs/knowledge/artifacts.md`).
Subclass kit: Liar's Handshake (Cross Counter), Lethal Current, Flow State, and all four Arc fragments verified verbatim in `docs/encyclopedia/` (exotics / aspects / fragments). Cross Counter healing/damage numbers are not in the manifest text.

Mod selection (masterworked — full allocation)

Piece	Mod · cost	What it does
Helmet (7/10)	Arc Siphon 3e	Rapid Arc weapon final blows create an Orb of Power.
	Hands-On 3e fill	Gain bonus Super energy on melee kills.
	Heavy Ammo Finder 1e fill	Increases the effect of all contributions towards the Heavy ammo meter.
Arms (7/10)	Heavy Handed 3e	Your powered melee final blows create Orbs of Power.
	Heavy Handed 3e	Your powered melee final blows create Orbs of Power.
	Melee Font 1e	You gain a bonus to your melee stat while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge decays over time.
Chest (5/10)	Arc Resistance 1e fill	Reduces incoming Arc damage from combatants.
	Concussive Dampener 3e fill	Reduces incoming area-of-effect damage from combatants.
	Sniper Damage Resistance 1e fill	Reduces incoming damage from combatants that are at long range.
Legs (3/10)	Arc Weapon Surge 1e	Your Arc weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
	Arc Weapon Surge 1e	Your Arc weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
	Arc Weapon Surge 1e	Your Arc weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
Class Item (3/10)	Outreach 1e	Reduces melee cooldown when using your class ability.
	Bomber 1e	Reduces grenade cooldown when using your class ability.
	Reaper 1e fill	Shortly after using your class ability, your next weapon final blow spawns an Orb of Power.

All 15 sockets used, 10 energy per masterworked piece; costs from the manifest. Core mods are the build's engine; fill mods are strong defaults — swap freely (chest resists should match the activity's damage types). Flex/loadout-dependent: matched to your Arc Primary/Heavy. - **Anti-Champion:** none needed on mods — Barrier is intrinsic to the Blade.