Warlock Artificer – Vitality based sword and board hexer.
Preface:
This build represents the late stages of evolution for my first grim Dawn character: Warlock. It has undergone several changes during its lifetime; starting off as a Pet build, then morphing into a channelled skill caster and various tank builds, and then to its new format: S&B Vitality Warrior. Much of that change was driven by gear drops or kill walls in game, and as such, I feel that it represents the final stages of a long journey. That journey has been a great experience and is filled with hours of enjoyment, frustration and elation. With that said, Warlocks are not the strongest mastery combination and this is by no means the strongest of builds available to a player.
The Build:
https://www.grimtools.com/calc/4ZDD8gpZ
Screenshot shows all permanent and temporary buffs activated:
Build Features:
- Solid OA DA
- Sustainable dps
- Solid vitality damage scaling at 2589%
- Good resistance reduction across the board, and vitality -rr at 65%
- Good crit damage at 72%
- Good Life steal ranging between 24% to 48%
- Good survivability from Dark One’s Gift, Possession, Mirror and Maiven’s, reduced enemy damage and health regeneration(Bloody Pox and modifiers to it), OA shred (Bloody Pox, Gaze of Beronath) DA nerf (Vulnerability), and a good health pool (for a Warlock).
- Energy efficient
- Potential for Blood of Dreeg to go down at awkward moments
- Hungering Void eats into your health regen speed and has to be noted.
- Single target damage is weaker than I would like.
- Resistance over-cap is not where I’d like it
Gearing:
Full Dark One Set. +1 to all skills in Occultist. Just a nice set for a Bloody Pox build with built in damage and healing. My new favourite.
Main Hand + Off Hand: Mythical Damnation, Mythical Maw of the Damned (Seal of Blades for over-cap and 4% phys res) +2 to all skills in Occultist
Medal: Mythical Mark of the Forbidden. Has a Bloody Pox modifier that adds both vit damage and shreds enemy health regen.
Amulet: Mythical Peerless Eye of Beronath – for +1 to all skills and for OA/-OA, seal of annihilation applied for crits.
Relic: Eldritch Pact +1 to all skills in Occultist – amazing proc that fires regularly, due to the high number of attacks per second occurring during combat, and does solid damage to boot.
Rings: Voidheart as a mastery based option, General’s Gollus’ ring of Protection for… everything really!
Belt: Mythical Girdle of Stolen Dreams. OA bonus, energy leech, +skills in Occultist
Pants & Boots: Vigorous Aleksander’s Leg guards of Scorched Runes for the health + skills and OA/DA, but mostly health. Mythical Footpads of the Grey Magi for the priceless value of not being entrapped or slowed and some welcome extra phys res – I can’t stress enough what a difference this change made.
Devotions:
A mixture of Defense, Mobility and Offensive devotions:
- Dying God --> vitality build, 40% crits damage and good vitality damage multiplier.
- Rattosh --> 25% Vitality rr and 8% Life leech rr attached to Bloody Pox for large AoE and decent duration.
- Wendigo --> Attached to Curse of Frailty, it operates as trash removal and adcth sustain.
- Vulture and Solemn Watcher for DA scaling and other defensive bonuses
- Sailor’s Guide, Eel, Lizard and Lion --> mainly for movement speed but some nice bonuses in there anyway, particularly in Sailor’s Guide and Eel.
- Eye of the Guardian (attached to Beronath’s Gaze) for close quarters damage. It can really stack up if Gaze is cast on a mob and upwards of 8 Eyes are generated. Little beauty.
- Scholar’s Candle, Hawk --> You need 10 green and this is quick, plus Hawk for crit damage multiplier and Scholar’s Light for DA and Energy regen.
Keybindings:
LMB: Doom Bolt/auto weapon attack
RMB: Hungering Maw
Quick Bar 1:
Keyboard 1: Mirror of Erocstes
Keyboard 2: Curse of Frailty
Keyboard 3: Bloody Pox
Keyboard 4: Sigil of Consumption
Keyboard 5: Bloodthirster
Quick bar 2
Keyboard 1: Courageous Tincture
Keyboard 2: Blood of Dreeg
keyboard 3: Nullification
Keyboard 4: Gaze of Beronath
Keyboard 5: Cursed Tincture
Camera Rotate: w/r
Character Window: c
Quick bar toggle: v
Map: b
Weapon swap: spacebar
Initial attack:
Cast Curse of Frailty and observe
Cast Bloody Pox into the centre of mass of any mobs
Cast Sigil on yourself and prepare for some tanking!
Attack with main and off-hand for dps and sustain (Doom Bolt will fire after cool-down)
Cast Gaze of Beronath for regular petrifaction over a local area
Cast Nullification on any suspicious target
kite when necessary
Repeat with necessary variations.
Build Explanation and Performance:
I am a huge fan of Artificer Warlocks from the D&D universe and this build slowly morphed into something similar. While the character underwent many changes, it was not until I started focusing the build into its current form that I felt either happy or capable. The Artificer side of the equation is described by in-game crafting and potion creation. And this builder loves his potions! Regular use of tinctures, oils and elixirs are a part of the game-play of this build, and while not strictly required, I do so for role playing purposes and for the obvious benefits to any build these tools bring. Vitality damage was well supported and seemed sensible from both a game-play and role-playing perspective. Performance in ultimate campaign is reliable and solid. While I have yet to encounter all Nemesis (due to alignment and choice) I am confident that the majority of Nemesis may be taken down by this build. The build is Crucible Gladiator 150 complete, and while I have yet to succeed, I do believe it capable of 170 (currently I lack the experience with those waves, and individual skill always plays its part-- I’m OK but not amazing).
Gladiator 150:
I only used three pots to go to 160: Ugdensalve, Ugdenjuice and Hoarfrost (when Moosi shows up). I have many more options available.