Three account perks
Melee Tempo
Halves standard melee attack delay against NPCs, rounded up with a 2-tick minimum. PvP and special attacks are excluded.
Berserker Focus
Increases melee damage dealt to NPCs by 5%.
Guardian Resolve
Reduces all damage received from NPCs by 5%.
Tempo improves standard melee attack timing. Berserker Focus adds 5% melee damage against NPCs; Guardian Resolve trades a little damage potential for more forgiving incoming hits.
Equipment upgrades to consider
Obsidian Life Spark
A successful weapon hit has a 20% chance to restore 1 Hitpoint.
Obsidian Finisher
Successful weapon hits deal 8% more damage while the NPC is at or below 25% health.
Obsidian Aegis
Each non-zero NPC hit has a 1-in-12 chance to deal 25% less damage.
Keep your normal melee weapon and armour. Use Life Spark and Finisher on the weapon, and Aegis on your body or shield. Aegis is a chance-based defence, not a permanent 25% reduction.
A useful swap
Once kills are comfortable, replace Guardian Resolve with Boss Instinct for boss materials, or Wayfinder for ordinary monsters.
Before you spend
Check perk compatibility, compare permanent upgrades and review Forge materials. Socketed effects require worn matching gear; they cannot bypass the one-Tempo or one-Focus rules.