[1.1.4.2] There will be blood - 2H Bleeding Ritualist SR 75

Blood

Blood! Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge.
Other times it helps me control the chaos.
I’m a very neat monster.

On my on-going campaign to make Bleeding Builds with Bloodrager´s Set outside the typical TWC (Trickster, Warder, Conjurer) I have got a lot of ideas but some happen to be better than others. I try to utilize these items/masteries which are supported with skills and/or items and make them viable.

After miserably failing with my last 2 attempts, a ranged Bleeding Vindicator ( a “Beehunter” (Greetings to the Russian Discord Community! :slight_smile: ) and a Bleeding Dervish (not even a Beehunter, more a “Beekeeper”), I made this build last night and was surprised how well it performed.

The Build


Sheet with all buffs up, even died to get a screenshot!

GRIMTOOLS

Update for 1.1.5.0:
GRIMTOOLS

Bleeding_Ritualist.zip (261.0 KB)

Build Explanation

The goal of this build was to make an Auto Attacker utilizing Necromancer´s WPS and the skill modifiers from Mythical Guillotine. After Shoot2033 made an excellent build with this weapon (“Boatman of Styx”) I wanted to see how well Necromancer with only little Bleeding support will fit in.

Well, it fits very nice:

  • Gear: You don´t need any green items. The only thing which comes to my mind would be a Cronley Signet for better resistances/less resistance puzzling.
  • Devotions: Standard 2H-Melee Bleeding Devotions including left arm of Berserker for using an axe
  • Gameplay: Very smooth. Left Mousebutton Savagery, right the excellent Rune of Violent Delights. Press 4, 5, 6…wait 3 seconds…repeat. Loot. Oh wait…a Hard Hitter! Press “3”, too.
  • Stats: Get as much Physique as you need for pants. Rest: Go for Cunning.
  • OA/DA: You think, they are a little bit low? Well, this build has a 398 OA- and a 170 DA-shred. It is enough.
  • RR: 99 is a little bit low for my standards, but I take what I get. :joy:
  • AoE: Grasping Vines plus Siphon Souls plus Rend Devotion give over 500 flat bleeding damage…per second. Add Devouring Swarm and Falcon Swoop and multiply all things with about 30.
  • Sustain: No kidding: This is the 1st build I made where I think ADctH seesm useful. Really, really useful! This build has it everywhere and it has the flat damage (Physical) that it really makes an impact. Hey, Ghoul healed me from 20 % to Full with one or two hits!
  • Resistances: The one weakness…hard to cap/overcap the resistances. Had to change the augment in amulet to get more Poison Resistance (previously had +1).
  • Other details: Have a look at the Slow Resistance. Very, very nice. Energy Problems? Don´t know it. The proccs? Will talk about it later.
  • Weakness: Because of the resistances I couldn´t find a way to insert a Sanctified Bone or Prismatic Diamond. But this is no MIN/MAX-build, perhaps somebody sees a possibility.
Build Performance

As I said, I made this build last night and I was a little bit tired. But after I saw the surprising performance on my standard test-route (Dummy, Warden, Fabius, Kra´vall), I choose to try SR, starting at 65 (with other builds I start with 50). I will be honest: I used pharma (Poison Resistance) and died 2 times. In 65 Boss Shard the combination of Sister Crimson and new “Speedy Gonzalez” Zantarin surprised me and in 66, Fabius and his love Anasteria got me. But no problem:


I don´t use Rune of Displacement on this build but Rune of Violent Delights, which is perfect here. I just had to get used to it.

I don´t play Crucible but I think this build will perform very well because the proccs are even better in Crucible than in SR Boss Shards. This build has 3 (4) “on kill”-proccs which will be up nearly 100 % in Crucible. Just have a look at “Revel in Death”; awesome. If someone wants to try it, I will gladly give my savefile (btw: Welcome back, Spanks! :partying_face:). For speed runs, I would suggest to even skip Wendigo Totem/Blood Pact (you heal enough…) and put the points somewhere else. Maxing out Grasping Vines and Upheaval seems viable, or putting points in Siphon Souls for 10/12 to have the same radius as Grasping Vines.

Leveling Guide

First decision to make: Leveling as Bleeding Build or with a different type of damage? Leveling as Bleeding is fun but not easy. :wink:

If you decide to level as a Bleeding Build I would do it like this:

  • Forget about Necromancer and go Shaman. You don´t need Necromancer till have you have full mastery bar in Shaman.
  • Start as Caster: Devouring Swarm plus Grasping Vines = Win! Add Falcon Swoop.
  • Devotionwise, start with Falcon and go “South”: Hawk–>Empty Throne–>Wolverine–>Fox (or Fox even earlier). After that, get Jackal, then Huntress for REND! Now you are free to choose, depending if you want to got 2H at this point (Kraken next) or still want to cast. Last step: Retrieve all points from Crossroads and devotions, you used to get e. g. Kraken, and max out Mogdrogen.
  • Skip Step of Torment! There are not many Bosses with really high Bleeding Resistance in Grim Dawn but there you have one (Alkamos has 118 % in Ultimate) and the annoying reflecting mobs like Skeleton Knights. Kilrian and Zarthuzellan have these resistances, too…and be careful with Baros Wradlith in Spined Cove.
  • Enjoy your ride through Cairn! :slight_smile:

Picture and quotation lent from “Dexter”.
Layout shamelessly copied from x1x1x1x2.

1 Like

The bleed master returns.

Is the Bloodrager set the only option for bleed builds these days? (Much like the Justicar set on the majority of ranged Purifiers and SR set, imho Bloodrager is starting to be … less interesting to me.)

Not to take away from the build, though. It looks fun enough.

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If you want to go “Full Bleeding”, there is only Bloodrager´s. There are hybrid possibilities like Wildblood or Blood Knight, but they are more Vitality than Bleeding.

As I said, I will try to make some fun builds with Bloodrager´s. I have a Melee Vindicator and will perhaps try a Bleeding Druid, but I don´t think they will be any good outside the standard Main Campaign and might even struggle to get the Attribute/Skill Points from SR 50.

Thank you! :slight_smile:
It is real fun especially the use of the Rune because on other builds I always use Displacement.

Nice build! I personally appreciate the leveling guide, it’s very reasonable.

I have little off topic questions, since I played very few times bleeding in the past. If your build damage is primarily DoT, how do you survive? And do you kite often in Crucible? Also what’s your opinion for hybrids bleeding mixed with physical, pierce or vitality?

Thank you. :slight_smile:

I never kite in Crucible, because I don´t play it. :joy:

In earnest:
To survice with a Bleeding Build, you have to rely on the (small) amount of ADctH you get and “outside” healing. My Trickster has Pneumatic Burst and Shoot showed with his Trickster Build, that he uses/used Piercing Damage for ADctH (therefore points in Night´s Chill for Piercing RR). I think his Warder has Physical Damage, my Conjurer Blood of Dreeg and Piercing.

Hybrid Builds are very cool, like Valinov´s Wildblood Conjurer. But Bleeding is only the “secondary” damage there and I focus more on the direct part, which isn´t always easy.

This build has a good amount of Physical Damage and nearly ADctH on every skill. Feral Hunger, Reaping Strike, etc. and the godly procc of Guillotine. So, that´s how it survives.

And Yes, when the shit hits the fan, I am kiting. With Grasping Vines and Devouring Swarm I can shoot from range if necessary.

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Thanks! I might try to build hybrid one day, cause am very interested in trying new concepts. I tried recently Blade Arc hybrid Warlord, but wasn’t happy with the setup. But have figured nice devotion map with Rend, Assassins mark, Ulzaad, Revenant, Kraken and basically every constellation I wanted, so am itchy to test it on something else like Warder.

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New concepts are great. With Bleeding Builds, the devotion path is mostly given so I have to see, if I can use some items/masteries to make a build around it.

As I posted:
Bleeding Vindicator with DW Bloodborer was not very…great. :rofl:

Added the file for anyone who wants to try it. If someone tests it in Crucible I really would appreciate any feedback. Thank you. :blush:

Updated to 1.1.5.0 (Screenshot and new Grimtools above), now SR 75 ready.

Changed a few things, especially Ill Omen fits very nicely. :slight_smile: