Bivald of the Thorn — guide

In short

Bivald of the Thorn is a legendary HP champion from the Sacred Order who excels at controlling enemies with Provoke and providing strong team sustain. He shines in Hydra and Faction Wars thanks to his AoE provokes, heals, and shields. Build priority: high Speed, Accuracy, and HP.

Strengths

• Mass Provoke on his A2 with a double hit, guaranteed even on weak hits – reliable crowd control.
• Powerful healing and shields on his A3 based on damage dealt, plus extra single-target healing on A1 for the lowest HP ally.
• Passive reduces incoming damage from provoked enemies by 15%, significantly boosting team durability.
• +28% HP aura in all battles – an enormous bonus for any content.
• Easily applies Leech debuff with A2, letting allies sustain through lifesteal.

Weaknesses

• Low base Speed (98) – requires heavy SPD investment to cycle turns.
• Long cooldowns on A2 and A3; without books control gaps become very noticeable.
• Vulnerable to buff stripping (his 25% Strengthen is crucial) and to cooldown reset effects.
• Damage without debuffs on targets is average, slowing wave clears in PvE where enemies lack debuffs.

Where to use

Best: Hydra (4.5/5) – head control, healing, and shields; Faction Wars (4.5/5) – irreplaceable control and support. Good: Dungeons (4.0) and Clan Boss (4.0) – provoke and massive healing aid survival. Average: Arena (3.5), Doom Tower (3.5), Chimera (3.5) – workable but better options exist. Weak: Hard Mode Dungeons (3.0) – demanding waves often outpace his control.

Stats and gear

Stat priority: Speed (target 230+), Accuracy (250+ for Hydra, 200+ otherwise), HP% (stack as much as possible, 80,000+ for Hydra). Secondary: DEF%, C. Rate (optional for damage). Recommended sets: Perception (Accuracy), Speed, Immortal/Regeneration. In Hydra, a Provoke set can also be useful for extra control.

Masteries and blessings

Mastery trees: Offense + Support. Key masteries from the build: In For The Kill, Pierce Defenses, Expeditious Exploitation, Gathering Momentum, Boss Slayer. Blessings: Molten Deathbell (damage), Irethi Coronet (support), Perched Shadow (survivability).

Tomes

Book A2 first – -1 cooldown and 100% chance for Provoke and Leech on both hits. Then A3 for the cooldown reduction. A1 can be booked later, but isn't a priority.

Verdict

Bivald of the Thorn is a powerful HP-based controller who makes Hydra much more manageable. If you lack reliable provoke and team healing, he is a must-build.