[1.1.8.1] Toxicity unacceptable - Acid AAR Warlock [sr] [vid] [mi]

Grim Dawn Classes, Skills and Builds
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Hello, my fellow builders! :grinning:

Today I would like to present you something weird. This build conception is not supported directly with set or even famous Conduits. But we have one amulet for Warlocks that converts all Aether and a big chunk of Elemental damage into Acid, if Blood of Dreeg is applied - Putrid Necklace. So many opportunities are open - Acid AAR, Acid Panetti, Acid Callidorā€™s Tempest, Acid Devastation :money_mouth_face:. But are they viable as endgame skills? Letā€™s talk about first one - AAR.

1. Grimtools link
https://www.grimtools.com/calc/mN4glPrZ - version with Guardianā€™s Gaze constellation (good against melee enemies)
https://www.grimtools.com/calc/0V00LbRV - version with Bat constellation

2. In-game character stats
general_stats
general stats, only passive and Blood of Dreeg buffs are active

aar_breakdown
AAR breackdown

magic_percentage
magic parameters

defense_stats
defense parameters

3. Gear/Build explanation
As you might notice, the build has many MIs. This is because we need three parameters to make our poor Acid AAR decent enough to not ragequit from game - full conversion, capped Cast Speed to 200% and maximum Skill Points. Before explaining in detail, I would like to say that for every green MI you need at least ONE prefix/suffix with %Acid Damage, it is crucial for our not-so-great DPS. Okay, so:

  1. Core items.
    To fully convert our AAR to Acid and Poison Damage type, we need three items - Putrid Necklace, Ugdenbog Venom Launcher and Venomancerā€™s Raiment. Only when Blood of Dreeg is active, the build will work. So keep an eye on your buffs :face_with_monocle:.
  2. Mandatory items.
    Helmet - Ravagerā€™s Dreadgaze. +1 to All Skills, useful proc (could be better for casters but okay). Choose of Flesh or, like in my case, of Minds, according to your resistances. Ravager of Souls helmet with ADctH is the worst.
    Pants - Aleksanderā€™s Legguards. +3 to Disintegration. Yes, please.
    Coven Vile Girdle. +1 to Arcanist, can be rolled with %Acid Damage prefix/suffix (unfortunately, only one :neutral_face:), also craftable.
    Ring - Mythical Albrechtā€™s Duality. It is not an Acid ring, but it has +2 to Disintegration, Cast Speed, OA, important Elemental Resistance and fully-converted proc. Not bad!
    Gloves - Mythical Aethereach. +2 to AAR skill line, Cast Speed, again fully-converted proc. Not an Acid item, but important nonetheless.
    Relic - Serenity. +1 to All Skills, defensive proc, resistances. It outweighs even Deathstalker relic (I tried that one, significant DPS drop and even more in defense).
    Off-hand - Pulsing Shard. The build needs sustain trough its main damage skill, so this item is set in stone. If the pistol does not have % Cast Speed, suffix ā€œof Celerityā€ for Shard is mandatory.
  3. Can be changed.
    Second ring - Ring of Shuroth. Nice Acid ring with OK proc and parameters.
    Medal - Basilisk Mark. An exellent modifier to our Blood of Dreeg skill, easy to farm.
    Shoulders - Loghorreanā€™s Corruption. +3 to AAR, juicy stats. Can be changed to Valdaran shoulders with AAR bonus, choose what is best you have.
    Boots - Venomspine Greaves. Slow Resistance cap, good Acid Boots overall :slightly_smiling_face:.

About Resistance Reduction. Total amount is ~96% (-28% from Curse of Frailty modifier, -30% from Murmur constellation, -10% from helmet skill, and 28 flat from Manticore constellation). Not great, but enough against most enemies (exept for Aleksander, Slathzarr and Kaisan - they are highly dangerous even 1vs1 :grin:).

4. Gameplay
Pretty simple. Debuff enemies with Curse of Frailty and Bloody Pox, disintegrate them with your toxic ray. If anyone gets close (and they will) - Dreadgaze them to proc Tainted Eruption, also useful against bosses. Mirror, teleport rune and Nullification - for defence.

5. Videos
Mad Queen

Lokarr (with Fire Resistance potion)

Kraā€™vall

SR 65 bossroom run 1 (bad one)

SR 65 bossroom run 2 (even worse one)

SR 65 bossroom run 3 (more or less okay)

What do you think guys? Can this concept be developed into something decent or it will remain a meme? There is a room for improvement, of course, my gear is not the best. Write your comments below and thank you for reading. Have a nice day! :hugs:

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Finally!!!

What is your thought about bat vs Guardian gaze for heal on this build? You do not seem to use the Guardian gaze heal at all in the boss room since you are keeping your distance.

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Nice resist overcap mate
image

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Perhaps enough overcap to brave the forumsā€™ toxicity :thinking:

Very good job @Willnoword on making this impossible concept without resorting to impossible double greens !

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Grim Dawn Version 1.1.9.0

[Class & Skills]
Arcanist

  • Disintegration: removed % crit damage, increased energy cost by 300%
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I did not consider Bat constellation as an option because it does not offer much for the build except its proc. There is not enough conversion (only some Vitality from optional Shuroth ring) and one-handed weapon base damage as well. If I got Basilisk Mark with Arcanist prefix (+2 to Disintegration), I would equip two Shuroths and then try Bat. Guardian Gaze also helps against charging bosses with heavy melee attacks (Reaper, Kubacabra, Korvan Guardians, Grava etc). But, maybe I should give Bat a chance now. Thank you for the idea! :+1: Will definitely try it.

Acid Occultist classes :man_shrugging:

Thanks!

Seems fine. New patch would look strange without traditional AAR nerfs :crazy_face:.

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Added a variation of the build with Bat constellation instead of Guardianā€™s Gaze. Less tanky in melee, but better sustain against ranged (looking at you, Slathsarr :smirk:).

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how much dps loss is swapping M Albrecth duality ring with another Shuroth ring? Thinking about bat conversion

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About 6,000 dps loss with double Shuroths. Full AAR line is better, in my opinion.

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3.5% less dps but twice heal from bat.

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The buildā€™s sustain comes mostly from AAR spam, Guardian/Bat are auxiliary. Also, AAR healing is more or less constant. Without thorough testing and calculations cannot say for sure what healing numbers are bigger - from full AAR or converted Bat :thinking:.

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When acid AAR with no gear support at all still does better than acid Drain Essence with 10% total damage bonus and decent support (there are many more Acid Necro items than Acid Arcanist items), Drain Essence feels bad.

Your build inspired me to try out Acid Drain Essence + Ravenous Earth with the Conduit; I couldnā€™t clear SR65 in the multiple times I tried. It feels weird when I feel better tanking 4 enemies at once than taking one enemy alone, and having additional enemies increases the chances of me getting micro-stunned to death. I know Aether DE is very good, but I bet that has much more to do with Spellbinders being amazing than the skill itself.

Nice job getting a good build out of this concept.

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I had this theorycraft in my ā€¦ 17 pages long wordfile with ideasā€¦ https://www.grimtools.com/calc/8NKoj3WN maybe can be useful for inspiration or anti-inspiration :sweat_smile: