[1.1.3.1] Budget cold DW melee Blademaster

Introduction

Blademaster (Nightblade+Soldier) is one of the classical vanilla combinations in the game. It’s evergreen(no pun intended) class. It’s really suitable for DW melee, both classes have synergy for that style. BM deals cold or pierce damage ?

Cold vs Pierce:

Both don’t have dual source of RR, pierce is not resistant often, but have fewer sources and cold can count on easy flat RR from Elemental Storm,if you don’t select Revenant and % RR from Ultos or Viper. Also cold can count on Chillstrifes cold RR.

cold BM vs other classes:

Infiltrator is overall the most solid class for cold DW melee. Trickster and BM are next on the line. Soldier as usual provide lots of juice and cookies for any build, and Shaman have elemental RR. Both classes have excellent auto attack, in this case Cadence.

Build

Grim%20Dawn%202019-07-22%2004-57-49-84

  • permanent buffs, with Lethaul assault and deadly momentum

GRIM TOOLS LINK :arrow_right: https://www.grimtools.com/calc/lNk8mBQ2

Here’s cheap build version by @malawiglenn, it’s showing the build with faction items primary. Lots of empty spaces for affixes/components :arrow_right: : https://www.grimtools.com/calc/q2mlmkzN

Skills

Cadence :arrow_right: Our main damage dealer.It is auto attack replacer,it scales with attack speed and triggers WPS(weapon pool skills). Cadence is not interacting that good with WPS, but on DW melee is not big problem.Cadence have huge Weapon Damage. It’s good to put as many as possible points in main skill and Deadly Momentum buff

Ring of Steel :arrow_right: It’s used utility skill. Can freeze enemies and Circle of Slaughter is used for fumble

Amarasta :arrow_right: ABB, one point in main skill and max Lethal Assault. LA is amazing buff providing damage and offensive ability

Shadow Strike :arrow_right: Movement skill, damage part is not very important for this build

War Cry :arrow_right: First node offers damage reduction, break morale can disrupt spells, like the nasty healers

Pneumatic Burst :arrow_right: Our healing skill, Shadow dance also gives defensive ability and chance to avoid projectiles

Gameplay:

Charge in with Shadow Strike, use Ring of Steel for fumble, Amarasta for LA buff and sustain left key for Cadence. Heal with potion and Pneumatic Burst.

Video with gameplay :arrow_right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5tiOih2rx0&feature=youtu.be

Gear

I use two items from factions

  • Chest, Malmouth
  • Medal, Dreeg

Helm is guaranteed drops,also crafted items, most have common blueprints or are low level

  • Rings, Elemental balance, super good proc. Option are blue Alkamos. Cheapest are Coven reputation
  • Shoulders, used for Cadence bonus. If you don’t have them use Wendigo shoulders from Barrowholm rep
  • Amulet, Essence of Beronath, if you don’t have them, you can use Elena Necklace
  • Boots, Stoneplate to help you cover resistances.

Also some green monster infrequent items:

  • Daggers, farmed from bosses Janaxia and Larria in act 5. Option are good rolled Malkadar blades. Still in single RR class combo like Blademaster is preferable to use them
  • Pants, Kuba Chauses. Very good bonus to Lethal Assault and Deadly Momentum. If you can’t farm them settle for Solael or good blue like Valor
  • Belt, attractive for the flat cold damage. It’s farm in new FG expansion content. Any useful resistances can help you. Blue Stormserpent is nice option

Random items:

  • Gloves, no high level faction ones. Use whatever you find. If you don’t have good blue or purple, craft random greens

  • Relic, low level relic. use any cold/elemental you have

Items to look for:

Silver Sentinel set, Deathmarked set, Spellbreaker’s waist, Alkamos rings, Stormtitan or Final March boots, Undying Oath medal, Night’s embrace amulet

Relics:

Best is Nidalla, Doom gives +1 to Soldier skills and Serenity is good defensively

Stats to aim for:

  • at least 2.9k OA
  • at least 2.7k DA
  • at least 10k Health
  • all resistances (Pierce,not needed) capped, overcaps are welcomed
  • 2k armor
  • more than 10 % physical resistance
  • 180 % attack speed minimum
  • More damage will improve clear speed, cold modifier at least 2k

Attributes : Enough spirit to equip Daggers/Chest. If you don’t have spirit from items, that’s 33 points. Other points in Physique for health and DA. If you need OA, put more points in cunning

Devotions

I decided to use Dying God, if you have troubles with health cost- remove it. Also Ultos and Amatok are selected for cold damage. Leviathan route sucks, Yugol also is sub optimal here.

  • Red
  • Viper
  • Ghoul
  • Sailor’s Guide
  • Green
  • Hawk
  • Scholar’s Light
  • Murmur
  • Lantern
  • Amatok,remove Scholar’s light
  • Revenant, remove red
  • Eel
  • Ultos to the proc
  • Dying God

Leveling

Check fantastic leveling guide by @Stupid_Dragon [DW melee] Beginner's Forgotten Blademaster or use any of my other cold DW melee guides!

End Game Build

Check this build by @veretragna [1.1.1.2] Cholol, the Breathtaking - Deathmarked Blademaster, Gladiator (6:08) and SR 80 viable

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2 Likes

Sick build, perhaps I make cold blademaster instead of infiltrator. Then I can use my sketch for it as a first thing to “aim” for :slight_smile: https://www.grimtools.com/calc/q2mlmkzN

Thanks, will add it to my build!

I think we discussed it a few weeks ago in my Collection thread.

I will start next char tonight, I will make mage hunter - I can’t wait to play with Arcanist again

Yes, but I forgot to include your sketch initially. :sweat_smile:

Btw, what’s stoping you from playing Arcanist ? :laughing:

No idea, it just didn’t feel right after the CT nerfs… now it feels fun again with the 1.1.4 patch :slight_smile: or I mean, it will feel great again

As per the advice of @malawiglenn (in another thread) I am pushing one of my (count them) 4 cold focused characters to max level. And it turns out that it’s also a blademaster.

But instead of going for dw, i’m Using the S&B version, following this as a guide (Click). It focuses on frostburn damage rather than cold per se, and I can facetank most things. And due to it’s focus on the dot, I can also do hit and run tactics.

Completed self found, I died 2 times to some bosses where I “stood in the fire”. I like the “tankyness” of the build. Smashing my way through the AoM without a hitch. Breezed my way through the skeleton key areas I encountered so far.

That’s really outdated build!

Personally don’t see the appeal of shield Nightblade. You gimp your character not using the great WPS, which is reason number 1 to go Nightblade.

“UPDATE 1.1.1.2” :slight_smile:

Fun with antivenom salves instead of Ungdenbog leathers https://www.grimtools.com/calc/a2dYmDGV
Fettan mask is better in that build for the slow res imo

Sorry, but you missed 3% Physical resistance. If Sir Spanksalot was active, he will quit in a flash :smile:

Best Beginner Build 2019

I think the reason I chose to go with that is because I like cold characters and because I wanted to play cold focused S&B. :slight_smile: I am too much of a noob to see what major flaws that build has, but it works well so far.

As far as completely gimping the char, I cannot make educated guesswork, since I don’t have enough experience. That being said, I did not see it as a major downside, since there are so many chases that only use a few talents for the second mastery. I personally find it disappointing when I look at a build with [X]+Occultist, and the only skills taken from occultist is CoF + BoD. More than that, when you take PB from Nightblade, you don’t take ABB or the WPS. Keeping these in mind, I found it reasonable (please note that I did not say optimal) to use S&B with Nightblade.
Also, if I recall correctly, there are some items which give block chance to Pneumatics Burst. So is not like the devs did not thing at this as a possibility.

I went a few quests in Elite, just to try it out, and I had no issues with the build. Then I went back to AoM veteran, to see all the content before I will move on. I did not use the skill breakdown as was recommended, but adapted to what I needed/wanted, while still putting points in skills, and I feel like it’s killing fast enough and, more importantly, safe enough.
If you want I can’t give you some updates on how it fares in Elite and Ultimate when I finally get there.

Cheers.

You can do almost any kind of build in main campaign, especially in veteran and elite.
FG and AoM content in Ultimate is pretty bad ass though if your char is not “finished” and you don’t know what you are doing though.

Devs have made many weird items that makes no sense, so just because there is an item for this or that does not mean its good.