[1.0.3.1] Surtr - Chaos Cadence S&B Witchblade - Glad certified

Grim Dawn Classes, Skills and Builds
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[1.0.3.1] Surtr - S&B Chaos Cadence Witchblade - Budget setup included

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S&B Chaos Cadence Witchblade with a side of Sigils (otherwise known as Evil Pentagram Soul Suck Horror). The build looks to abuse the insane amount of flat chaos damage the Occultist gets by combining it with the atrocity known as Cadence. Performs very well in just about any aspect of the game including Gladiator Crucible (wooptidoo). Struggles against the super bosses.

Not recommended for Hardcore, due to the nature of lifesteal centered builds death can come very suddenly.
Build is based on my very first character ever since B24 when I tried my hardest to make a Chaos Witchblade with sigils work.

Pros:

  • High single target DPS with decent AoE DPS.
  • High OA for a build with 0 cunning investment and enough DA to pretty much never get crit.
  • High mobility with Chaos Strike.
  • Facetank most content in the game, exceptions being the obvious stuff like Ravager and Alexander.
  • Can ‘kite’ when absolutely needed with Chaos Strike and Sigil of Consumption.
  • Reasonably easy to gear, a majority of your damage comes from your skills rather than your gear. MI’s are not necessary.
  • Be somewhere in between a caster and a soldier.

Cons:

  • Admittedly it’s not a tier 1 build but who cares, if it can clear glad with only the health buff it’s good enough. No buff glad should be possible aswell (with a little luck) but I don’t feel like trying that hard for something so unnecessary.
  • Gear options are mostly mediocre, chaos Witchblades don’t get much outside of Voidsteel Gauntlets and Horns of Ekket’Zul. hint hint plz crate. If they release a few more items to support a Chaos Witchblade this build should become an absolute monster.
  • Hard to cap aether, pierce and bleed resistance, especially without green items.
  • Skill points are extremely tight. Cadence, Deadly Momentum, Solael’s Witchblade, Second Rite and Posession absolutely have to be maxed to pump out proper DPS.
  • Getting your buffs dispelled means imminent death. Watch out for ‘Arcane’ bosses and Archivist Thelon.
  • Enemies that very highly resist Chaos are a problem even with RR. Can’t lifesteal if you can’t hit. Mainly talking about Ben’Jahr and Grava’Thul.

Videos:
Gladiator Crucible 130-150 + extra spawn point (Fuck Ben’Jahr)


Budget gear Steps of Torment

Can post more videos if requested.
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Screenshot taken with permanent buffs, Blood of Dreeg and Deadly Momentum
Grimtools
Here’s the version of the build I’m currently using. Noteworthy that the build will also perform admirably with the Mythical Obsidian Juggernaut if you’re feeling feisty.
http://www.grimtools.com/calc/a2d7Dm5N
Here’s a version of the build without the use of any legendaries, it has a single MI but it’s a common one and the rolls aren’t that important.
http://www.grimtools.com/calc/1NX7QJBZ

Gear and alternatives

  • Weapon (See FaQ): Mythical Damnation > Fang of C’thon > Servitor’s Corruptor | Coven’s Terror | Riftstone
  • Shield: Mythical Untouchable > Mythical Siegebreaker/Mythical Maw of the Damned > Vanguard of the Legion | Coven’s Terror | Haunted Steel
  • Helmet: Horns of Ekket’Zul / Eldritch Gaze (If you want Blade Arc over Sigil maybe)
  • Shoulders: Thunderstruck Iron Maiden’s Mantle > Any nemesis shoulders with missing resistances rolled on them
  • Chest armor: Mythical Devil’s Cage Hauberk > Doomforged Breastplate > Bloodsworn Vestments
  • Legs: Bloodletter’s Kupacabra Chausses > Mythical Demonplate Legguards > Empowered Legplates of Valor
  • Gloves: Mythical Voidsteel Gauntlets > Harbinger’s Grasp > Anything to complete resistances
  • Boots: Mythical Voidwalker Footpads / Stoneplate Greaves / Mythical Golemborn Greaves depending on your resistances.
  • Belt: Darkblaze Ammobelt / Mythical Girdle of Stolen Dreams > Mythical Cthonian Thread Sash
    [li]Rings: Voidheart / Mythical Sigil of the Depraved > Judicator set > Entropic Coil (Entropic Coil really isn’t that good) | Witch’s Black Flame | Runebound Topaz[/li]Double voidheart is probably preferred, I just like the doombolt proc of the Depraved.
  • Amulet: Mythical Peerless Eye of Beronath / Conduit of Eldritch Whispers (Pierce + Block chance to Posession) > Mythical Shard of Menhir / Mythical Warp Shard / Wendigo Vile Pedant | Survivor’s Ingenuity | Seal of Annihalation
  • Medal: Mythical Black Star of Deceit / Blood sigil of C’thon (regular) > Mythical Mark of Divinity
  • Relic: Eldritch Pact / Solael’s Decimation (Both are great options, prefer Decimation for the OA), Completion bonus +1 to Second Rite, +1 to Storm Spirit
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Skills (without + skills):
Cadence 16/16: Your main damage dealer.
Fighting form 1/12: 1 point wonder to add some splash to Cadence.
Deadly Momentum 12/12: Adds massive amount of flat damage to be converted to Chaos.
Markovian’s Advantage 1/12: 1 point wonder, adds a source of DA reduction.
Fighting Spirit 1/12: 1 point wonder because why not, free damage
Warcry 8/12: Used to proc devotions, damage reduction is very nice, taunt for multiplayer games.
Break Morale 1/12: 1 point wonder because why not.
Field Command 10/12: No explanation, just an all around useful skill. Overcap ain’t worth.
Squad Tactics 10/12: No explanation, just an all around useful skill. Overcap ain’t worth.
Menhir’s Will 1/12 1 point wonder, nice death defy to have. Might be worth investing into further but I can’t be bothered.
Militairy Conditioning 9/10: Does this really need an explanation?
Overguard 8/12: Good skill for survivability.
Shield training 1/10: 1 point wonder to become a bit tankier.
Decorated Soldier 1/8: 1 point wonder to get some extra Elemental resistance.
Scars of battle 3/8: Incredible skill for survivability, armor absorption is nice and any kind of CC reduction is great for the DLC which is filled with CC. (Note the number is chosen to bring armor absorption to 99% with components)

Curse of Frailty 1/10: Proc devotion, mainly for multiplayer purposes. Can skip these if you want to and invest in some Soldier skill for survivability.
Vulnerability 1/10: Reduce vitality and poison resistance for the minor amount of flat vitality and acid damage you deal. Mostly for multiplayer.
Blood of Dreeg 12/16: Healing, OA, some flat acid. All around good, not worth overcapping.
Armor of the Guardian 6/12: Fills up your missing Poison resistance and provides a bit of extra Physical resistance.
Solael’s Witchblade: 11/16: Big damage. Big big big damage.
Second Rite 12/12: More damage
Consecrated Blade 3/3: 15% chaos conversion. Might not be worth seeing as Cadence converts 100% to Chaos. Might be worth for the hits in between the Cadence strikes + Markovian’s Advantage.
Sigil of Consumption 4/12: Dealer of AoE damage to make up for Cadence’s lack of AoE. Provides massive sustain in big groups. Also it’s just fun to use.
Destruction 12/12: Powering up Sigil with some Chaos damage, converting some of the fire with Voidheart aswell. Upgrade is needed to make Sigil actually deal damage.
Posession 12/12: Big Damage v3, Damage absorption. Lovely.

Binds:
LMB: Cadence (Abominable Might)
RMB: Sigil of Consumption (Acid Spray)
Mouse 3: Curse of Frailty (Flame torrent)
Mouse 4: Bloodthirster
Keyboard 1 - Blood of Dreeg
Keyboard 2 - Chaos Strike (Tainted Eruption 63% proc chance)
Keyboard 3 - Warcry (Eldritch Flame 100% proc chance, VERY IMPORTANT do not swap this with Acid Spray as it has a cooldown and will only hit 1 target with War Cry)
Keyboard 4 - Overguard
Keyboard 5 - Gaze of Beronath (If you really feel like bothering with this, really only for nemesis)

Resistance Reduction:
28 all - Acid Spray:Manticore devotion ability
15 all - Black Star of Deceit proc (Doesn’t stack with Acid Spray)
-23% Chaos and Fire resistance - Eldritch Fire: Solael’s Witchblade devotion ability
-10% Chaos and Vitality resistance - Voidheart proc
-30% Vitality and Poison resistance - Curse of Frailty
15% all if you choose to go Hexxer’s Kiss

Attributes:
Put practically all points in physique. Only put points in spirit if it’s required for gear.
Feel free to put some points in spirit though if you’re not satisfied with the mana consumption. The build does require you to drink a mana potion somewhat regularly if you cast Sigil of Consumption on cooldown, some may find this to be annoying.

Leveling guide:
Won’t really bother with one of these unless people specifically ask for it. The gist of it would be just play physical Cadence Witchblade and swap when you’re level ~70ish and got some good gear for chaos.

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FaQ:
Q: I thought this was a Chaos Build, what’s with the Vitality weapon?
A: Probably the biggest ‘hurdle’ for this build is that there’s no such thing as a good Chaos 1-hander. However this is not a problem. Since the gloves convert 100% of physical damage to Chaos on Cadence you can realistically use any weapon that has high Physical damage, this is also the reason why I highly advise against Dagger/Scepters (Fang of C’thon). Damnation was chosen for having a reasonable amount of physical damage, lifesteal, attack speed, +1 to all Occ as well as supporting the secondary damage type, what’s not to love?

Q: No good 1-handed Chaos weapons? The Servitor’s Corruptor was made for Chaos Cadence builds.
A: Yes, it was made for this type of build but it’s far from BiS. I’ve managed to roll me a Void Touched Servitor’s Corruptor of the Void and it makes me lose DPS, not to mention the lifesteal and +1 to all Occ. Even before I got the Mythical Voidsteel Gauntlets (which converts all damage to Chaos just like the Servitor’s) it’d make me lose DPS. Unless you can maybe manage to roll a Demonic Servitor’s Corruptor of the Abyss I doubt that it’d ever be good enough for this build especially once you’ve got the gauntlets.

Q: Wouldn’t Darkblaze Source be better than Beronath?
A: Probably. I personally dislike the Darkblaze set, especially the amulet. It just feels too much like a ‘must have’ for chaos builds with weapon damage, even if you’re not part demo. Also the vitality to fire conversion just goes against this build. I’ll stick to Beronath to keep up my skillpoints.

Q: The MI’s in your Grimtools link only have a suffix. Is this intentional?
A: Yes, as I am not an utter madman I don’t spend my time grinding for double rare MI’s. Only the prefixes are required to cap resistances, suffix can be anything you want it to be.

Q: Why Curse of Frailty? It does not reduce Chaos Resistance.
A: I co-op with a Spellbreaker at all times who can really use the resistance shred from Vulnerability. If you play co-op at all I’d highly suggest you pick up Curse of Frailty. Besides that I use the curse to proc devotion because otherwise I’d be 1 skill short of proccing all my offensive devotions.

Q: Dying God?
A: No.

Q: Dying God?
A: No, because I feel like most devotions that provide me with Blue points aren’t that great, at least not for this build. On top of that while the Dying God is absolutely incredible I really despise the whole health cost thing, I’m trying to play a tank so having my health constantly drain isn’t what I’m looking for. I find that the Abomination suits my needs much better than the Dying God ever will, especially since the poison nodes are also fairly good for added AoE. It is possible to take both but you’d have to make many sacrifices which will cost you RR, survivability or both. Feel free to go for Dying God though, I’d love to hear someone else’s opinion on it.

Q: This build seems perfect for Seal of the Void, why is it not on here?
A: Chaos Strike is simply too important in the build and the lifesteal from Haunted Steel is practically always going to be better than the proc from the seal.

Q: Surtr? Shouldn’t that be a name for a fire character?
A: Shush.

4

But Dying God :D? Overall nice build.

5

Surtr ?

You made me realize the gauntlets add 100% chaos to cadence orz. Gonna need to rethink my character, maybe.

6

Objectively missing the point of what ‘BiS’ means.

> Not using a mediocre amulet to a slightly above-average set that would in fact be perfect for your build but instead using the single most overused item in the game’s history because you don’t want to be ‘mainstream’.

OK. Color me confused.

Lose Deadly Momentum. It’s not doing as much for you as you’d think.

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7

^

So the 100% from physical to chaos to Cadence in Mythical Voidsteel Gauntlets doesn’t apply to Deadly Momentum after all? Now i’m confused.

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Global Conversion applies to DM. X% Conversion to Cadence does not.

This build’s Deadly Momentum is 25% Vitality (Weapon + Component), 10% Chaos (Shield Component), 65% Physical.

9

The way I supposed it works is: DM is not affected so your temporary buff is indeed physical damage, but since the damage on Cadence is converted to chaos (%weapon damage and flat physical from the skill) it should work in the end. Right?

10

Unless something changed in the last few years (which is possible), Conversion specific to Cadence does not apply to the Weapon Damage. This was part of the issue with Discord (another being it only applies to 1/3 hits, which is the same case here) (and yet another being that general Elemental is just bad because of enemy resists).

11

You had me doubt here so I checked my Elemental Cadence guy and there is no physical damage, with and without DM active, so %weapon damage is converted. Fortunately.

Now since the gloves affect Cadence and not DM directly, I agree OP probably converts 25/75% of DM’s physical damage to vitality/chaos instead of 100% to chaos.

12

Oh. Good to know. I’ll probably forget that. Again.

Because of weighting it’d be 100/125% = 80% Chaos Conversion.

13

I’ll remind you. :wink:

Is it? In that case I thought it was 100 physical damage from DM converted to 25/10/65 vitality/chaos/physical (as you said above) then the 65 remaining physical that are part of the %weapon damage are fully converted to chaos because of the gloves modifier, so 10% + 100% 65% = 75% I would say.

Man Zantai really needs to give us more hints on that matter!

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I wouldn’t know the specifics about Deadly Momentum conversion really but my damage output goes up significantly once Deadly Momentum activates soooo that is fine by me.

Alright alright, my wording was a bit off there. What I meand to say is that I just feel kinda forced into using it as a chaos build with Blood of Dreeg.
Maybe I’m judging it wrong but I’ve tried the Darkblaze Source on a Chaos DW Witch Hunter and the chaos conversion on Blood of Dreeg was just too good to pass up, especially since most chaos builds will probably already be using the Darkblaze Ammobelt so you’d get the extra OA from the set bonus aswell.
I can’t quite explain why but I just feel weird about using it.

Edit:
I remember why. When the Darkblaze set got buffed it made me feel bad playing DW Chaos Pyromancer because I felt like I should just grab a gun and ditch the swords to complete the set.
Guess I’m really good at holding grudges without realizing it.