Overview
The Savage is one of Midgard’s two light tank classes, along with Berserkers. They are a high-risk melee DPS archetype built around burst damage, self-buffing, and hand-to-hand combat mechanics. Savages are the only class in the game that utilize hand-to-hand weapons, claws that are dual wielded that have the capability of double, triple, or quadruple hitting their target. Savages are glass cannon damage dealers; they create short windows of overwhelming damage but lack the control and utility of other melee dps classes. Players will enjoy playing Savage if you enjoy melee focused classes with exceptionally high damage potential.
Group Playstyle
Savages function as a “pressure spike” class rather than a sustained frontline tank. They don’t bring the control tools of a tank like a Warrior or the consistent DPS profile of a Berserker. Instead, they exist to create short windows of overwhelming damage that can force enemy healers or casters to instantly react or die. Savages lack the defense penetration of a Berserker but have a higher damage ceiling.
Damage Uptime
A Savage’s role is best understood as damage uptime over target correctness.
Because Savages can spike extremely hard with their H2H multi-hit mechanics and Savagery self-buffs, their primary job is not precision targeting, but ensuring they are always hitting something. Any valid target will do… at all times. If a Savage is swinging, they are contributing meaningfully to the fight, even if they are not perfectly glued to the assist train.
This is a key distinction in 8v8 play:
- Other melee (like train tanks) are about controlled, coordinated target focus
- Savages are about continuous offensive pressure
A Savage does not need to be on the main tank train to create kill pressure, nor does it need to be diving into the enemy’s backfield looking for a cloth wearer. Their burst potential means that even off-target damage can force healer interrupts, defensive cooldowns, reactive play, and outright kills on exposed targets.
An average Savage player will dive to the backline and try to kill a cloth wearing target. A top-tier Savage understands they are actually more of a “mid line” class, which should fluidly jump from target to target to continuously apply damage pressure freely with a lower overall risk of being peeled or immobilized.
Mobility and control limitations
Savages do have some positional stun tools, which let them punish poor positioning or capitalize on rear/side access. However, they lack reliable snares or movement denial, which means:
- They cannot consistently stick to targets
- They cannot control enemy disengage
- They rely on either group CC or target exposure to do their job
This reinforces their identity as burst pressure rather than control melee.
Self-buff mechanic (Savagery)
A defining part of their 8v8 role is their Savagery buff system, which:
- increases their offensive output and combat effectiveness
- but drains their own hit points as a cost
This creates a constant tradeoff: higher damage uptime vs. self-inflicted attrition
In practice, it means Savages are always operating in a high-risk damage state, where they are both a threat but also inherently more fragile if fights extend.
Group Spec Options:
Savage character builder:
https://blackthorn-daoc.com/class/Savage
50 Hand to Hand, 42 Savagery, 9 Parry
- This spec gives you the best H2H damage and highest chance of multi-hits
- Savagery is limited to 42 which means you miss out on the final self buff across multiple self buffs, the most important of which is the self DPS and self haste buffs.
49 Savagery, 44 Hand to Hand, 4 Parry
- This spec gives you the best self buffs at the expense of slightly worse H2H damage and slightly lower multi-hit chance.
- Increasing Savagery to 49 gives you the best self DPS buff (+25) and best self haste buff (+39%). You should have capped swing speed when you are not debuffed.
45 Savagery, 44 [Two Handed Weapon Spec], 19 Parry
- Great solo spec.
- Solo Savages should spec into a Weapon (Axe/Sword/Hammer) line instead of H2H. Sword or Axe are largely considered the best options for Weapon.
- 19 Parry + 45 Savagery effectively allows you approach the cap for parry and evade, making you swing hard and fast and be extremely difficult to hit in 1v1.
- High evade and High parry means you can execute off-parry and off-evade styles with your 2H much easier.
Group Realm Ability Builds:
- First priority: Determination, Purge, Long Wind
Your value to a group is determined by your availability to deal damage. If you are sitting out CC, you are not helping your group.
- Second priority: Mastery of Pain, Duelist Reflexes
DR improves your multi hit rate. MoP makes you that much more deadly in combat.
- Third priority: Passives (e.g., Mastery of Pain) and other Actives
Solo Playstyle
In solo play, most Savages tend to perform better when specced into a two-handed weapon line (Axe, Sword, or Hammer) rather than Hand-to-Hand. The reason is consistency: two-handed setups give them more reliable swing damage and cleaner style chains, whereas H2H is more RNG-driven with its multi-hit variance.
Their power in duels comes from their Savagery self-buff system, which fundamentally changes how they scale in extended fights:
- They can push very close to swing speed cap
- They can reach near-cap evade and parry rates
- They gain additional defensive buffs that reduce incoming damage
- They effectively turn themselves into a temporarily overclocked melee engine
This combination gives them an unusual profile for a light tank: high offense and surprisingly strong avoidance defense at the same time.
PvE/Leveling
Savage is one of Midgard’s highest sustained melee damage classes and a key contributor to PvE leveling efficiency. While it has some self-contained utility and survivability tools, its primary role in group PvE is straightforward: Provide nonstop damage uptime as an off-tank while the main tank (Warrior or Thane) holds aggro.
When played correctly, Savage brings relentless pressure that significantly accelerates kill speed without disrupting group stability.
Core Role: Off-Tank DPS with High Uptime
In most PvE groups:
- Warrior is the main aggro anchor
- Thane may assist with control and utility
- Savage functions as a high-pressure melee engine
Your job is:
- stay in combat constantly
- assist the main target
- add sustained melee DPS
- avoid taking over aggro from the main tank