Are you looking for a fun and effective build in Albion Online? The Great Axe, also known as the Gray Tax, is an incredibly satisfying build for both PvE and PvP content. It excels in dungeon clearing, open-world group ganking, and various PvP activities. Here's why it's so good: mobility, damage, and crowd control (CC).

• Affordability and Impact
• Easy Access to Items
• Efficient Dungeon and Mist Clearing
• Weapon: Great Axe
• Ability 1: Adrenaline Boost
• Armor: Stalker Jacket or Hellion Jacket
• Ability 2: Lightning Field (Stalker Jacket)
• Boots: Assassin's Shoes
• Headgear, Armor, and Weapon Tier Choices
• Ability 3: Rending Rage
• Cape: Morgana Cape
• Survivability: Pork Omelette or Equivalent Food
• Adapting to Tough Bosses
• Utilizing Mobility

 

↖ Affordability and Impact

The Gray Tax build offers a relatively low-cost Albion Silvers investment while still delivering high impact in battles.

 

↖ Easy Access to Items

All the items required for this build are readily available and not limited to rare or meta choices. You can easily find them across the board, making it convenient to assemble the build.

 

↖ Efficient Dungeon and Mist Clearing

With the Gray Tax build, you'll be able to clear dungeons and mist content rapidly, accumulating fame and rewards without even realizing it.

 

↖ Weapon: Great Axe

The Great Axe is your primary clearing weapon and offers exceptional damage output. Its key ability is Whirlwind, which deals massive AoE damage around you for 2.5 seconds. This ability cannot be interrupted, allowing you to move while using it. The more times you hit the same enemy, the more damage you'll deal. You can cancel Whirlwind at any point, making it versatile in combat.

 

↖ Ability 1: Adrenaline Boost

Use Adrenaline Boost to gain increased movement and attack speed, as well as a 25% damage boost for 7 seconds. This ability synergizes well with charging into enemies and activating Whirlwind for maximum burst damage.

 

↖ Armor: Stalker Jacket or Hellion Jacket

The Stalker Jacket is recommended for its cost-effectiveness, but the Hellion Jacket can be used as an alternative. Both provide additional damage to amplify your burst potential.

 

↖ Ability 2: Lightning Field (Stalker Jacket)

The Lightning Field ability in the Stalker Jacket deals substantial damage and further enhances your damage output. The cumulative effect of all these damage layers creates devastating results.

 

↖ Boots: Assassin's Shoes

Assassin's Shoes are crucial for managing cooldowns. The ability Refreshing Sprint increases your movement speed and reduces cooldowns by 33% for 5 seconds. This allows you to use your abilities more frequently, enhancing your overall combat effectiveness.

 

↖ Headgear, Armor, and Weapon Tier Choices

For the headpiece, tier six is recommended, while tier five is sufficient for the weapon and boots. As for armor, choose the tier that suits your preferences and availability. The build's effectiveness is not heavily reliant on specific armor tiers.

 

↖ Ability 3: Rending Rage

Rending Rage is your main crowd control and debuff ability. It applies bleed charges to enemies, dealing significant damage over time. Every third hit allows you to leap and root enemies within a 5-meter range for 2 seconds. Additionally, each stack of Rending Rage reduces the enemy's healing received by 12%, making this build effective in PvP encounters.

 

↖ Cape: Morgana Cape

The Morgana Cape increases your attack speed. After your initial burst damage, activating Whirlwind triggers the Mark of the Raven effect, granting you an additional 50% attack speed. Combined with Adrenaline Boost, your subsequent hits will remain powerful, ensuring continuous damage output.

 

↖ Survivability: Pork Omelette or Equivalent Food

To mitigate the build's glass cannon nature, use food such as Pork Omelette. It provides significant healing, allowing you to sustain through damage and survive most bursts. Ensure that your food tier matches your equipment tier for optimal effectiveness.

 

↖ Adapting to Tough Bosses

For challenging bosses, keep a Minor Poison Potion or Poison Potion on hand. Using these potions during battle inflicts significant damage over time on the enemy, making it easier to finish them off. Kiting the boss while applying poison can further enhance your chances of success.

 

↖ Utilizing Mobility

The build's mobility is crucial in both offensive and defensive scenarios. Combine the following abilities for maximum mobility:

• Refreshing Sprint (Assassin's Shoes): Use it to increase your movement speed and reduce cooldowns.
• Adrenaline Boost: Provides a burst of movement speed and allows you to catch up to enemies.
• Energy Shield (Specter Hood): Use it for extra survivability before your mobility abilities activate fully.

 

In conclusion, the Great Axe Gray Tax build is incredibly fun and delivers satisfying results. It offers a refreshing playstyle, and its off-meta status keeps the required items relatively affordable. The build's affordability, high damage output, crowd control, and mobility make it a versatile choice for various activities in Albion Online.