[1.1.9.1 - 1.1.9.7] Blood Indelible - S&B Physical/Bleeding Blade Arc Warlord [sr+][mi][vid]

Grim Dawn Classes, Skills and Builds
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Greetings, seekers of builds! :grinning:

Today I would like to present a build, which idea is considered weak here. Yes, you guessed it right :grin:. One-handed Blade Arc. A skill that is great with two-handers and terrible with one-handed weapons despite numerous Crate attempts to make it attractable via different sets (like Spellscourge) and items (Nightclaw axe, Eldritch Gaze - for Witchblades, numerous MIs etc.). Ok, I decided, let me try it as well and see if the situation is dire indeed. And what are my conclusions? Well… mixed, to be honest :thinking:. But let us see the build I constructed.

First, I want to mention @RektbyProtoss and @fordprefect. Their Tactitian and Warlord/Warder Blade Arc builds gave me a lot of ideas (as well as fashion :rofl:). Thanks, guys!

1. Grimtools link
Warlord, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.1) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator - original setup
Warlord, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.4) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator - with Sandclaw Slicer
Warlord, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator - Divine Mandate exclusive instead of Oleron, less Physical RR

Oleron+Mogdrogen combination is pretty powerful, also easy to build if we can omit flat RR from devotions (thanks to Terrify transmuter of War Cry skill). About Attribute points distribution - I wanted to have ~3000 DA with permanent buffs, so I invested more into Physique. The build has some OA shred, so if you want more Cunning - you can do it as well. Bloodied Crystals + Titan Plating are used for Armor mostly, you can use Marks of Illusions + Chains of Oleron instead (but I recommend more Armor).

2. In-game character stats (original setup)
S%26BPBBAW_general_stats
general stats, only passive buffs are active

S%26BPBBAW_BA_breakdown
Blade Arc breakdown

S%26BPBBAW_damage_stats
damage stats

S%26BPBBAW_defense_stats
defense stats

3. Gear/Build explanation
By itself, one-handed Blade Arc is not particularly strong, so it need some “beef”. In this case - Bleeding Damage. It helps dealing with tough targets that do not die to our usual feeble swipes :grin:. We have such items in the game. Here they are:

  1. Core items.
    Set. Bloodrager’s Endless Frenzy. Currently the best Physical/Bleeding set, supports our Damage types and Blade Arc completely. What about Baldir? Well, it… exists :smile:. Maybe for Bleeding Judgment concept. But Bloodrager is better thousand times.
    Weapon. Pit Master’s Axe. 40% WD to our Blade Arc is huge. Sandclaw Slicer. More damage and lifesteal to Blade Arc, good bonuses to Presence of Virtue beat other MIs in 1.1.9.4. About prefixes/suffixes. “Tyrant’s” prefix is great (helps by reducing enemy’s Damage when War Cry is on cooldown), also “Bloodthirsty” is good for Bleeding part (and more lifesteal). “of Alacrity” or similar are mandatory.
    Shield. Kalis’Ka’s Harvest. Enormous Physical/Bleeding damage modifiers to Presence of Virtue, flat damage to Blade Arc as well. About prefixes/suffixes. You need to get Physical Resistance, others are interchangeable. My current ones are decent, so I do not farm for better shield that hard.
    Medal. Mark of Consumption. More Bleeding Damage to Blade Arc + life leech. Craftable.
    Gloves. Grasp of Unchained Might (or as I called them Unchas :slightly_smiling_face:). 20% Weapon Damage to Blade Arc, Physical/Bleeding Damage bonuses etc. These are the best-in-slot for almost every Blade Arc build (except for Pierce BA Tactitians).
  2. Mandatory items.
    Ring 1. Cronley’s Signet. Bleeding Damage, Laceration points, Attack Speed. About prefixes/suffixes. If you use Deathstalker Relic, “Incorruptible” prefix is mandatory. Suffix is up to you. I look for “of the Dranghoul” because or Armor bonuses (so far I got only Resistant/of the Dranghoul ones :frowning_face:).
    Ring 2. Ring of the Black Matriarch. Build deals good Physical Damage as well, so why not take another Physical RR item, right?
    Pants. Chausses of Barbaros. Great pants for our build with an amazing proc. Crate has to try harder to make other options more favorable than those Barbroses :neutral_face:.
    Boots. Bloodhound Greaves. Laceration points and Slow Resistance. Low Armor unfortunately.
  3. Can be changed.
    Belt. Ugdenbog Girdle. +1 to Soldier, %Armor. About prefixes/suffixes. I chose “Stonefaced” because of additional %Armor, “of Readiness” is always nice to have. The alternative is Reforged Chains of Oleron (more Damage, %Crit) or any belt with +1 to Soldier.
    Relic. Deathstalker. Pet provides another -8% Physical/-10% Bleeding RR in a big area, bonuses are up to you. If you want more Skill Points, Resistances, Reflected Damage Reduction and circuit-breaker - Serenity is your choice. Combine the slot with your Cronley’s Signet and choose for yourselves the best variant.

Craft items with Reduced Freeze Duration (bonus is provided by Malmouth blacksmith in Steelcap District).

About Resistance Reduction. Total amount is ~93% for Physical (-10% from Matriarch ring, -8% from Deathstalker pet aura, -25% from Guardians of Empyrion aura, -32% from Assassin’s Blade constellation and flat 18 from Terrify modifier of War Cry skill) and ~85% for Bleeding (-10% from Deathstalker pet aura, -25% from Guardians of Empyrion aura, -32% from Huntress constellation and flat 18 from Terrify modifier of War Cry skill). Not the best, but good enough.

4. Gameplay
Charge through Blitz/Violent Delights, War Cry to apply Damage Reduction/RR to enemies and swipe everything you see with Blade Arc. Ascension for damage boost/flat damage absorption. Overguard for extra toughness (it reduces your damage, so I do not recommend using it constantly). Remember - it is a fighter build, not a tank, so do not be too arrogant. Sometimes you need Energy potions.

5. Videos (done with original setup)
Kra’Vall

Lokarr

Mad Queen

Morgoneth (sometimes easy, sometimes hard :man_shrugging:)

Avatar of Mogdrogen (pretty hard, potions are shown in the video, one augment for fire+lightning Resistance. Forgot to use Elixir of the Ancients :rofl:)

Shattered Realm runs

I tried Ravager, but he hits too hard even on Phase 1. Even though I killed him (used same potions as with Mogdrogen plus Elixir of the Ancients), but it was with constant running, so I do not consider it a win.

Overall this build is not tanky enough for Celestials. For SR and other stuff (did not try Crucible) it is decent. If only it was tankier. Damage-wise it is not as bad as I thought. So my feelings are mixed :face_with_raised_eyebrow:. But I like it. This is my favorite class combination, and gameplay is satisfying. And yes, remove Terrify effect from War Cry modifier, it is annoying! :rage:

Thank you for reading this topic. Hope you glean some useful information from it if you want to try one-handed Blade Arc concept as well. Feedback/critique is welcomed as always.

Have a nice day! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hey, I forgot to reserve a post! :laughing:

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Nice concept. I have a few questions:
Why Oleron’s Rage? It seems to me that Divine Mandate would be better for crit damage. Not having to spend 10 additional points in Soldier would let you invest in Presence of Virtue for OA, “flat” bleed and energy regen. Sure it’s less OA, but still over 3k.

Devotion path is interesting but I’m surprised Dryad isn’t in there. I suppose Owl and Crane are mandatory for reflected damage reduction?

Messed around with skill points and devotions: https://www.grimtools.com/calc/lV7OnXOV What do you think?

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Hi!

I took it because of big %OA (and Movement Speed as well). I like Blind Fury proc too much :laughing:. It requires huge amounts of OA to have good rate though.

Yes, %Crit is great. But in your variant (which is interesting too) OA is less than 3k without Ascension. Item rolls and DA shreds help, of course, but still not the same level. I would max Presence too if I had spare Skill points (possible only in Serenity variant :thinking:).

I like Ghoul’s circuit breaker more. And yes, Owl and Crane are for Reflected Damage Reduction. They are the only devotions fit in this Oleron+Mogdrogen setup. Solemn Watcher is too costly and Aeon, well… is even more :sweat_smile:.

No Ghoul and one-point Ascension is too much for me to bear, to be honest :slightly_smiling_face:. But if we insert Serenity relic into the equation… Like this https://www.grimtools.com/calc/lNk7vdlN. We have a circuit-breaker and Dryad, also Reflected Damage Reduction is almost the same. I do not know if Violent Delights are good for Dryad proccing, but this setup I would try. Oh, and War Cry is more point-efficient at softcap, in my opinion. Thank you for sharing the idea!

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Yeah my feedback was based on a few things that basically come down to personal taste:

  1. I don’t like relying on Ascension is 0% cdr builds. Downtime is just too long, I’d rather spend these points somewhere else. Like overcap War Cry lol

  2. I don’t think Ghoul is mandatory on Warlord since you already have Resilience and Menhir’s Will.

  3. Getting Jackal fixes the movespeed you lose from going Divine Mandate over Oleron’s Rage too. The setup I suggested also had 9% more physical resistance and 6% more attack speed, so that’s a good chunk of Ghoul proc, only it’s permanent.

Regarding reflected damage, I noticed that you didn’t spend points in Rebuke. Personally, I’d move a few points over there rather than forcing myself to pick Crane. Lack of +Oathkeeper skills from gear doesn’t make it that efficient either so idk. There’s always Kymon’s Fury augment too, but I never see it used so it’s probably trash :rofl:

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It is a powerful buff nonetheless. But at 1-1 level it is basically a waste of skillpoints, too low yield, in my opinion. Better to remove it completely in that case.

Too low values, even at 11/12 Resilience. Menhir’s Will also requires many skill points to be considered a standalone circuit-breaker (like Azrakaa amulet proc). Lifesteal and Attack Speed also helps a lot. But if you can take Serenity, Ghoul is not that much needed indeed.

Good point :+1:.

We have ~70% Reflected Damage Reduction in both scenarios (Deathstalker and Serenity). That is enough so that your character does not bleed out (of course, it does not mean that you can smack mindlessly into Posessed Archmages shields, for example :rofl:). About Kymonites - their augment is not that valuable (we need Elemental Resistance) and I sided with Death’s Vigil.

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I personally understand Crane, Oleron and Ascension because I took them aswell in some other Physical / Bleeding Warlord.

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Except for this one, Sandreavers are BiS here. (This is just my opinion ofc)
Also believe Gladiators Distinction is BiS here also since we have no cooldown on war cry , scales goes nicely here with distinction (whodathunk)
Divine Mandate is fucking HUGE on this build though so reforged chains may still be the way to go either way id sneak scales in.
Glad you posted this though good job, 2 days before roman had me make something very similar.

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Maybe for flat Bleeding damage only, but I prefer Unchas :smile:

You mean, no cooldown reduction? Yes, it is a problem. I would try Gladiator’s belt as well, but in Oleron+Mogdrogen setup it is not possible to fit Scales, so conversion is wasted. Also, we need Skill points. The current setup with Deathstalker has all of the points stretched to the limit.

Crit Damage is nice. I would still take Oleron’s Rage + Chains of Oleron and maybe Deastalker with Crit bonus, OA is much needed for Blind Fury procs. Can you show me how to insert Scales in this setup?

Thanks!

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why do you use a quill You don’t need elemental damage.

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Quill is an efficient way to get three Ascendant and Eldritch affinity each - 2x3 affinity for four devotion points. Likewise for Toad, which is also being used. And the build just meets the requirements for its T3 devotions.

Falcon and Eye of the Guardian require another point, which would have to be taken from Oleron and reduce your damage. Or do you see another solution?

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As @eisprinzessin said above, for affinities mostly. Also Quill provides %DA and some Aether Resistance. Of course, you can sacrifice two points from Oleron devotion and take either Falcon or Eye (only if you use Ugdenbog belt with its Acid-to-Physical conversion). Or even both. But you need to proc them reliably. Maybe if you bind Assassin’s Blade to Blitz and Guardian/Falcon to Deathstalker… :thinking:. Anyway, it is a personal choice. Full Oleron is better for me. Also it receives buffs in 1.1.9.2.

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https://www.grimtools.com/calc/vNQbL5v2
I did the devotion a little differently.
how about this? And what are the buffs in 1.1.9.2?

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More damage at the cost of Ghoul defense? It is a viable variant if you play with more awareness (not my strongest trait :smile:).

For buffs we have this Public Test Changelog: V1.1.9.2 :

  • Rare Suffix - Vengeance: increased Physical damage
  • Kalis’Ka’s Harvest: added 10% Attack damage Converted to Health modifier for Blade Arc and increased its Physical damage modifier to 100 and its Bleed damage modifier to 110 / 3s
  • Pit Master’s Axe: increased % Weapon damage modifier for Blade Arc to 50%
  • Mythical Grasp of Unchained Might: increased Physical damage to 19-25. Increased % Pierce dealt as Physical modifier for Aura of Conviction to 100% and its Physical damage modifier to 28.
  • Oleron: increased Physical damage to 16-22, Internal Trauma to 24 / 5s, and % Physical and % Internal Trauma damage to 200%

Also, I will try this weapon:

  • Sandclaw Slicer: increased bonus Physical damage to 36 and increased bonuses to Laceration and Rebuke to +3. Increased Physical damage modifier for Blade Arc to 132 and added 6% Attack damage Converted to Health modifier for it. Added modifiers for Presence of Virtue.
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I knew I would have to invest more in my psyche if I wanted to wear the mythical Black Queen ring and not the ghouls. Is Berserker a good choice enough to require stat adjustments? Are you saying your build isn’t the most powerful setting? It seems like you have invested more in stability, right? And will the Sandclaw Slicer be a better choice because of patch 1.1.9.2? Is the Sandclaw Slicer a better choice than the Gladiator Master’s Axe?

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Why not?

There is always more powerful setting (or more convenient) :slightly_smiling_face:. It depends.

Maybe yes, maybe no. I want an official patch release to try. In 1.1.9.1 Pit Master’s axe is the best.

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If you equip the sandclaw, will the devotion and skill settings change? I’ll also ask for a build update then!

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With Sandclaw Slicer devotion map will be the same and excessive points from Laceration go to hardcap Blade Arc and one-point Rebuke. Also, we will have two vacant Armor augments thanks to Chaos Resistance on slicer. That is it.

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Don’t you use the terrify skill of war cry? because of the fear-inducing effect?

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Because of flat RR on it. Fear effect is just an annoying mechanic to make things harder.