The nature of the penance:

• 200 kills on ranged enemies
  
• by backstab
  
• while not in Coherence
  
• with the Loner aura

Let's break that down:

• Shooters, Gunners, Shotgunners, and Reapers. Not Snipers or Trappers, despite them technically having ranged attacks.
  
• Attack the back of their hitbox.
  
• Be away from your team.
  
• You'll still have 2 Coherence so you'll still have some of the perks.

This guide assumes you're playing in random matches without a really communicative team. Any additional notes about teams with good communication will be clearly marked.

Coherence is sticking close to the team, getting regenerating Toughness and better ranged damage among a slew of other perks depending on your team's builds.

Don't worry, you're not going to be alone all the time with this penance. Because you're not going to actually get that far away from the party. Coherency is shockingly small even with the talents that boost its radius.

No, you're more "in and out", dancing outside of Coherency to take down threats and then coming back.

You're a satellite of the party, weaving forward to dispose of an oncoming group, dipping behind them to take out those sneaky Shooters and Gunners trying to flank, then forward again because a new team of Elites entered.

If you're just trying to rush ahead all the time, you're not ready to do this penance.

First off, if you think you have to use one of the bladed weapons, you're thinking way too literally. Here, a backstab is just attacking the backs of your enemies. Thing is you're up against the Moebian 6th and some really vicious conscripts, and they've got enough situational awareness to keep their eyes on you.

What is a zealot to do?

No, you don't need the Shroudfield to do this (more on that later). What do you is hold the block down and attack - that way you do a shove. Once you've done that, you strafe to the side and hit jump - that's how you dodge around them. Act quickly at that point and strike their backs.

Unlike most sudden appearances behind someone, this one is "personnel" to you as a Zealot.

"But Guardian, the Reapers are too big to be shoved!"

Then don't. Either dash around them to their backs or just deal with them normally. Chances are if you're in a position where you're trying to shove a Reaper, you did something wrong. You're after 200 ranged enemies, you're going to have a lot more Gunners to mess with than Reapers (yes, even if Brute Conscripts is back in fashion) - if you have to take the L and dispose of an enemy or two without a backstab then do so. You're not going to get those backstab kills when you're knocked down.

"You say to attack their backs. Couldn't you just shoot them in the back?"

You're a Zealot, not a Commissar.

More seriously, it's less about whether you can do it, and more about you being in the ranges where that actually matters. If you can regularly take a loop around that gives you time to shoot more than one enemy in the back before they turn, that means you've got a group willing to coddle you through this whole thing. Presume you don't have the room to do that, and take the opportunities if they come up.

Grim Protocols gave us the perfect weapon for this sort of challenge - the Relic Blade. A strong weapon with a wide attack pattern that can be powered up. But which Mark of the weapon to use? That depends on how well you can do charge attacks - if you're good with those, take the Mk II, otherwise take the Mk X.

If you don't want to use the Relic Blade, you're going to want a strikedown weapon with a lot of power per swing. The Combat Axe is a solid choice in that scenario. If you're good with weak points (and somehow still need this penance), take a Combat Knife... just be aware that bleeding isn't enough for this penance, you need to actually burst them down.

So what about your ranged weapon? Really, the only one I don't recommend for this task is the flamer. You want to be able to down a Trapper or Pox Hound before they ruin your day - beyond that, you'd mainly use your ranged to paint the face of an ornery Reaper.

If you need exact suggestions for the ranged weapon, I'd suggest the autopistol or stub revolver. Something to whip out fast and damage faster.

As of Grim Protocols, here's the list of key talents:

• Shroudfield. I know I said you didn't need Shroudfield to get behind enemies - that's because you'll have already expended it to get up there in the first place. Shroudfield is your opener. It's also your chance to plant that weapon of yours firmly into a Reaper's spine (especially if you're using the Relic Blade and take a slightly wide sprint to get the lunging attack).
  
• Stunstorm Grenade. Yes, I know this side of the talent tree lines up with Blades of Faith... and if you're a bit more confident in being able to quick throw into the enemies' backs, then by all means go that route. The Stunstorm Grenade is the recommendation for most people trying this penance because it opens up crowds to be backstabbed and works as a panic button to get out of there. Save them for the larger groups and don't rely on them too hard, you're not always going to have a Veteran who can resupply you.
  
• Backstabber. This is right at the start, and the whole point of this is to hit them in their backs. You kinda need this one.
  
• Ambuscade. If you do fancy yourself a Commissar and can get the chance to shoot enemies in the back, get a bit more mileage out of that with this talent.
  
• Swift Certainty. While the point of this one is simply the extra speed to get in backstabbing position, the ability to count as always dodging while sprinting opens up escape options for when a Gunner or Reaper manages to get a bead on you.
  
• Duellist. You're going to be dodging a lot. Even if dodging Gunner and Reaper barrages doesn't proc this, there's the fact you're going to have to dodge around melee attackers too. This will proc plenty enough to help.
  
• Pious Cut-Throat. Out of the three talents that reduce ability cooldowns, this is going to be the most help to get extra uses of Shroudfield with all the backstabbing you'll be doing.
  
• Unremitting. If you're really strapped for stamina, this'll help make the most of what you have to get up behind the enemy.

Why is Perfectionist not in the list despite adding a lot of backstab damage? Because at the level where most people would get this penance out of the way, Perfectionist is severe overkill. With the right weapons, you'll still take that Reaper out in one attack from Shroudfield at least up to Heresy. For most users of this guide, I'm actually going to recommend Master-Crafted Shroudfield instead to open up the timing window to get into position.

Perfectionist may be more important with weaker weapons and higher difficulties, but it's not for your average user.

You've got three main threats to getting this done. First one... is bots. You do not want to try to do this penance in a game with bots, they are designed to stay in Coherence with you and will even teleport to you if you get too far ahead.

Second is Bulwarks, Crushers, and any of the Monstrosities. When you see one of these, drop what you're doing with the penance and get them out of the picture. Chances are if you're reading this, you aren't at the level where you're dealing with mass Gunner teams supporting a Monstrosity. If you are in that situation... you may be stuck disposing of the Gunner teams before they shred your squad, and if your squad whines about you not helping with the Monstrosity then that's their problem.

Third threat is honestly other Zealots. Not so much due to whether they're skilled or not - the main issue with other Zealots is that they'll rush up with you and put you back in Coherence.






And that's all. Once you get this penance done, you've learned some big things about the Zealot's kit and you can decide whether you want to continue with this style or go back to more standard play.

May the Emperor guide you either way.