The Gauntlets hit like a truck at melee range and have almost no way to close distance. The Dagger fixes exactly that: Shadow Strike and Camouflage Cloak get you on top of a target unseen, then you pop Eclipse of Blood and dump a chained combo inside its window. It is the most aggressive Gauntlets pairing in the game and the one that punishes backline players hardest.
If your idea of fun is picking someone out of a crowd, appearing on top of them and never letting go, this is the Gauntlets pairing to run. Here's how the two weapons cover each other, and the honest catch.
What the build is
Gauntlets are Throne and Liberty's third post-launch weapon, added with The Frozen Divide: Nix, and they are unusual — one weapon with two combat states. The default state is heavy, high-impact striking built for standing your ground. Eclipse of Blood transforms them into claws and raises both attack power and combat speed, turning you into a blur of chained hits for a limited window. Pairing that with the Dagger gives you the one thing the Gauntlets lack: a reliable way to arrive. Dagger contributes stealth, a teleport-style opener, and the crit passives (Wrathful Edge, Assassin's Instincts, Destructive Fang) that make every one of those rapid Gauntlet hits land harder.
Why players run it
- It fixes the weapon's flaw — Gauntlets have almost no gap-close on their own; Dagger has the best in the game.
- Crit scaling — Dagger passives multiply a fast, many-hit attack pattern better than they do a slow one.
- Commit, kill, reset — Camouflage Cloak and Phantom Smokescreen give you a real disengage, not just a hope.
- It is genuinely new — Nix launched in June 2026, so the pairing is far less solved than the launch-weapon metas.
How to play it
Everything in this build is timed around the Eclipse of Blood window. Do not open with it — open with the Dagger. Get onto the target first with stealth and a gap-close, and only then transform, because the transformation's value is entirely in uninterrupted chained attacks and every second you spend running is a second wasted. Push Strength high enough that you survive being focused for the few seconds you're standing in the middle of everyone, and Dexterity for the crit rate that makes a fast, many-hit attack pattern actually threatening. The skill is knowing when not to dive: this build has one strong engage and one escape, and if you burn the escape to get in, you don't get out.
The honest trade-off
✓ Why to run it
- The best gap-close of any Gauntlets pairing, by a distance.
- Enormous single-target burst inside the Eclipse of Blood window.
- Stealth gives you the opening pick — you choose the fight.
- A genuinely fresh pairing, so the meta is far from settled.
△ Honest caveats
- Squishiest Gauntlets build — no shield, no plate, and you fight in the middle of everything.
- Punishing if you mistime Eclipse of Blood — outside the window your damage drops off a cliff.
- Burn your escape on the engage and you have no way out.
- Brand-new weapon means balance patches will keep moving it.
Kit for a diver
This build lives or dies on hitting a chained combo cleanly during a short window. Fast, consistent input matters more here than on almost any other build.
Quick answers
Is Gauntlets + Dagger good in Throne and Liberty?
Yes — it's widely rated one of the strongest Gauntlets pairings, because Dagger's stealth and gap-close solve the Gauntlets' single biggest weakness: closing the distance to a target.
What stats should Gauntlets + Dagger prioritize?
Strength and Dexterity lead — Strength for health and heavy-attack chance so diving isn't fatal, Dexterity for crit rate. Add Perception for hit chance once you're fighting geared players.
When should I use Eclipse of Blood?
After you've closed the gap, never before. The transformation's value is in uninterrupted chained attacks, so any part of the window spent travelling is wasted damage.
Is it good for solo play?
It's strong for picking off single targets but fragile in extended fights. It solos well when you control the engage and poorly when you don't.