The Relic: First Guardian Builds

The Relic: First Guardian builds guide: no fixed classes, 12 weapon-linked skill trees, Relic Energy spending, and how to combine weapons with Relics.

Systems overview covering skill trees, Relic Energy, and how weapon choice shapes a build.

~2 min read

Relics Weapons

At A Glance

A build in The Relic: First Guardian is a loadout: one unique weapon + its skill-tree side + the handful of Relics you equip. There are no classes — power is the combination, not a level. This page lists named loadout recipes from confirmed pieces, not a skill-tree directory. Verified August 12, 2026.

The Relic: First Guardian weapon swing combat loop for skill-tree builds (animated)

Layer	What you pick
Weapon	One of 5 types — every world weapon is unique
Skill tree	12 trees; each weapon tree is two-sided
Relics	70+ pool, handful equipped — theme them to the weapon
Currency	Relic Energy (~600/site; nodes start ~1000+)

Loadout builds

Each card is one combination. Prefer cards tagged Best documented or Early game first — those use named weapons and Relics. Archetype cards tell you the type and Relic category to farm when the exact unique is not listed yet.

Sunken Blocker

Best documented

Weapon: Ambition of the Sunken (Two-Handed)
Skill tree: Two-Handed — defensive / stance side
Relic: Shroud of Cowardly Survival
Fill slots: Survival-category Relics (HP / damage reduction)

Why it works: Ambition of the Sunken cuts block stamina cost 20% but raises dodge cost 30% (134 AP vs Oath of the Last Ember's 72). Shroud of Cowardly Survival restores stamina and shortens cooldowns — the same defensive habit the weapon already rewards. Playstyle: block, wait for stagger, punish with heavy swings.

Ember Parry Starter

Early game

Weapon: Oath of the Last Ember (Sword & Shield)
Skill tree: Sword & Shield — guard / riposte side
Relic: Memory of the Meal Left Behind
Fill slots: Survival or attribute Relics while you explore

Why it works: starting Sword & Shield matches early Brutals like Branko that teach parry and stance break. Memory of the Meal Left Behind (Entom drop) refunds HP on kills so exploration between bosses stays healthy. Swap Relics before a named Brutal; keep the guard-side tree until a unique weapon clearly asks for something else.

Staff Cooldown Mage

Archetype

Weapon: Any Battle Staff unique (named staff TBD)
Skill tree: Battle Staff — cooldown / utility side
Relic: Shroud of Cowardly Survival
Fill slots: Cooldown-category Relics; magic lives in the heavy-attack slot

Why it works: Battle Staff is the magic-leaning type, and magic already sits on a cooldown meter instead of stamina. Shroud of Cowardly Survival shortens cooldowns and feeds stamina for the dodges you still need. Exact named staffs are not fully documented yet — treat this as a type + Relic recipe until you find a staff unique you like.

Dagger Reposition

Archetype

Weapon: Any Daggers unique (named daggers TBD)
Skill tree: Daggers — repositioning / evasion side
Relic: Dodge-friendly Survival (stamina regen); avoid block-leaning uniques
Fill slots: Offense Relics for combo extension once you stop dying to whiffs

Why it works: Daggers are the fast, reposition type — the opposite of Ambition of the Sunken's block bias. Do not equip block-cost weapons on this tree. Named dagger uniques are still sparse in public coverage; the recipe is type + evasion tree + stamina Relics until a specific blade is logged.

Unextinguished Vigil (DLC)

DLC

Weapon: Unextinguished Vigil (Sword & Shield)
Skill tree: Sword & Shield — match the Vigil’s effect line in-game
Relic: Sealstone of the Undying Ember
Armor: Armor of the Unextinguished Vigil

Why it works: The Night of the Unextinguished Flame ships Unextinguished Vigil, Armor of the Unextinguished Vigil, and Sealstone of the Undying Ember as a sealed set. Base-game players will not see these without the DLC. Read the Vigil’s stamina line before copying the Sunken Blocker tree — Sword & Shield can still lean parry or offense.

How to assemble a build

Use these rules when the cards above do not cover your exact drops.

Weapon habit	Skill-tree lean	Relic lean
Lower block stamina cost (e.g. Ambition of the Sunken)	Defensive / stance	Stamina regen, survivability (Shroud…)
Sword & Shield starter / parry bosses	Guard / riposte	HP-on-kill, attribute (Meal…)
Battle Staff / magic heavy slot	Cooldown / utility	Cooldown Relics + Shroud
Daggers / fast reposition	Evasion / combo	Stamina regen; avoid block-leaning uniques

Do01Read the unique weapon’s effect line first — block-leaning and dodge-leaning weapons want opposite Relics
Do02Spend Relic Energy on the tree that matches the weapon you actually carry
Do03Pick the tree *side* that agrees with that weapon (guard vs offense, cooldown vs raw power)
Do04Equip 2–4 Relics that reinforce the same habit; leave the rest in inventory for boss swaps
Do05Before a Brutal, swap Relics to answer your last death — see Bosses and Combat
Do06Visit Maiden if the tree spend was wrong — respec is cheap

The Relic: First Guardian builds FAQ

What is a build in this game?

A combination of one unique weapon, its skill-tree side, and the Relics you equip — there is no class list.

Which build has the most confirmed data?

Sunken Blocker: Ambition of the Sunken + Two-Handed defensive side + Shroud of Cowardly Survival, with real stamina trade-off numbers.

Why are some weapons listed as TBD?

Public coverage has only a handful of named uniques so far. We keep the type + Relic recipe instead of inventing item names — see Weapons.

How many Relics should I run?

Usually 2–4 themed Relics; only a handful can be equipped at once.

Can I respec?

Yes — Maiden resets a weapon skill tree cheaply. Relics can be swapped freely between fights.

Is the DLC build required?

No — Unextinguished Vigil is exclusive to The Night of the Unextinguished Flame. Base-game builds do not need it.

Last verified?

August 12, 2026

Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.

Relics

70+ passives

Weapons

5 unique types

Combat Guide

Stamina · dodge · block

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