This is a theory build for my friend to try (hello :3). Please ignore this build if your name isn't Dara! I'd keep it private, if I could, but I have to make it public to share it with him. Anyways...

Disclaimer: IDK what I'm doing.

I'm not quite decided on the build yet, but the basic concept is there. Here's how to use it:
* Bar #2 contains all your sweet buffs; use them before going DPS mode!
* Cast Volatile Armor to boost your defense and Molten Armaments to boost your offense.
* Swap to 2H mode for damage!
* Keep your Brawler shield up; it hits enemies in front of you and gives you a bigger shield if you hit more enemies!
* Use Noxious Breath to lower enemy defense before you start attacking! It also poisons them!
* Venomous Claw is a strong single-target DoT Ability that will also poison other enemies near the target. The DoT gets stronger every 2 seconds, but only for the main target, so slap it on a tough boi.
* Now you can start swinging your sword around! Try incorporating more heavy attacks; they do 50% more damage, thanks to Molten Armaments.
* Start using Reverse Slice when enemies get low on health - it will do 4x more damage!
* Don't forget to refresh Volatile Armor and Molten Armaments when they fade!
* Make sure to reapply the defense debuff from Noxious Breath whenever you can, too!

Now, here's where things get more experimental. The rest of the build is more of a theory and is not set in stone, so you can feel free to try other things. The idea behind Bar #2 (sword & shield) is to abuse shield stacking. What does that mean? Well, it turns out that damage shields will actually stack with each other. Which means you could--in theory--spam shields on yourself to absorb a lot of damage. That's what Defensive Stance, Igneous Shield, and Spiked Bone Shield are all there for. Also, Spell Wall is your Ult here; I thought it sounded cool. It blocks for you without using your Stamina and reflects spells. You could try other stuff instead - especially since you won't be able to use it until Lv.50... lol. Like Standard of Might! This one seems pretty useful: it reduces enemy attack power and raises you + your allies' attack power in an AoE. There's even a synergy I can use to immobilize dudes! Also, I put Green Dragon Blood on Bar #1 as an emergency heal in case everything comes out pear-shaped. It also increases your Health recovery and Stamina recovery, as well as your healing received from my amazing spells.

As for Passives... you always want to prioritize active abilities, but passive ones are important, too. Eventually, you'll want to have all (or almost all) of the Passives from any of your relevant Skills. Start picking 'em up when you have some Skill Points to spare. The ones from Ardent Flame and Earthen Heart are really good. Particularly, Warmth, Searing Heat, and Mountain's Blessing seemed especially useful. Two Handed has great ones, too. Forceful is mandatory! Balanced Blade and Follow Up are also nice.

Your Attributes probably look a bit weird. It's mostly in Stamina, because this is obviously a Stamina-focused build, but I put some into Health to make you a little tankier and some into Magicka because you do have some Magicka spells in there. You may think this was a calculated move, but there's actually no real rhyme or reason here; it's all guesswork, really. So you can deviate, if you like. Get rid of the Magicka? Sure, okay! More Health? Do it! All in on Stamina? Go for it!