- [Caster] [1.2.1.5] May the forcewave be with you! Lazy HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade - Suitable for first char + easy endgame farmer (Ralfhskz)
- Damage: Physical, Internal Trauma
- Active Skills: Forcewave, Blitz, War cry, Curse of frailty, Blood of dreeg, wendigo rush.
Greetings, grimmers!
I’m sure there’s a lot of builds around forcewave on the compendium (almost sure it’s the most popular skill on the game), but i decided to share with you this lazy and super safe HC forcewaver anyway 
I decided leveling a witchblade for this guide. As i mentioned before, if you like the lazy type of gameplay (few buttons, controller friendly) and like to facetank bosses and even nemesis, THIS BUILD’S FOR YOU.
The gameplay is very simple: Use blitz to close the gap between you and your enemies, debuff them with curse of frailty and war cry, then FORCEWAVE the f… out of them. Build has high health regen and the devotion setup can be a little polemic, since i decided to not go for Kraken on this one (i know, i know, it’s almost MANDATORY on 2H build, but anyway…) .
Build uses some MI’s and faction gear, i didn’t used mandates, potions or any other leveling itens. This guide is totally HC SSF, no pre-farmed gear were used.
Char current spec
The leveling process:
Lvl1-10 Witchblade, Level 10 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Start as a soldier.
First thing i did was getting a good early 2H weapon the Hevill’s greatsword on a house in lower crossing.
Spend your first points on the mastery bar until you reach tremor on the forcewave skill line. After reaching it, spend some points on forcewave and one point in tremor. Spend a point on menhir’s will and one point on fighting spirit. Spend points on the mastery bar until you reach blitz and spend one point.
I rushed right to the flooded passage to farm our first MI, the shambler’s heart, it will help a lot ramping up your damage.
Lvl 10-20 Witchblade, Level 20 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
When you reach lvl 10, select the occultist mastery as your secondary and max curse of frailty ASAP. Your first devotion points will be spent on assassin’s blade (bind to forcewave).
After defeating warden krieg, i headed straight to the FG DLC. The reason is that this is the fastest way of farming our main weapon MI, the obsidian war cleaver, YOU MUST CHOOSE THE CULT OF SOLAEL FIRST, bcs you will farm the weapon on a quest to them in ruins of abyd, (it can take some runs until you drop one)
After maxing curse of frailty, max out forcewave and all its nodes.
Lvl 20-30 Witchblade, Level 30 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
After finishing the FG DLC i continued down the vanilla campaign. Don’t forget to activate totems and restore all the devotion shrines. After maxing FW and its nodes, i spent my skill points on the mastery bar until i reached squad tactics. After reaching it , spend a point on field command and then max out squad tactics.
On devotions, complete the tortoise and stag. Start spending points on harvestman’s scythe.
Lvl 30-40 Witchblade, Level 40 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
When you get to homestead you’re gonna find some fleshwarped mobs, they often drop another precious MI for our build, the fleshwarped casque,so when you accquire one, spend a point on war cry and one point in break morale.
After maxing squad tactics, rush to menhir’s bulwark on soldier’s mastery bar.
On devotions, complete harvestman’s scythe, eel, solemn watcher and wraith.
Lvl 40-50 Witchblade, Level 50 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
After reaching fort ikon, i headed back to Tomb of Korvaak near the asterkarn valley waypoint
Once there, look for a hero mob near the end to farm our medal MI, the Mark of Harvoul.
Start maxing menhir’s bulwark, war cry and break morale. Leave them on 12/12 for now. Start spending points on occultist’s mastery bar.
On devotions, complete ulzaad (bind the proc to war cry) and azrakaa, the eternal sands (bind the proc to CoF).
After defeating the loghorrean, i rushed to malmouth (don’t forget to farm another great MI for our build, the ugdenbog girdle on ugdenbog) and unlocked all the factions.
If you didn’t dropped the Juggernaut BP yet, you can find it on hyram’s shop on malmouth, just do the vendor reset trick, it’s an excellent investment.
Lvl 50-60 Witchblade, Level 60 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
I started elite at lvl 52.
Upgrade your gear, cap resistances, activate monster totems! Always check if you’re honored with the factions, and in that case, buy their writs to boost up the reputation gain with them.
Continue spending points on the mastery bar until you reach aspect of the guardian on the occultist’s mastery bar.
On devotions, complete Vire, the stone matron and spend your final devotion points on tree of life.
Lvl 60-70 Witchblade, Level 70 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Continue down the vanilla campaign on elite. Remember upgrading your MI’s and getting all factions writs. I finished elite around Lvl 75. After getting honored with malmouth faction, i rushed to get revered with them doing bounties and lots of “dreven cole’s council” runs, but if you don’t have the patience, you can skip this and become revered with them on ultimate.
Lvl 70-80 Witchblade, Level 80 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
When on ultimate, upgrade your gear and check your resistances. Now you should be getting revered with most factions.Don’t forget activating monster totems. On my way to malmouth i got super lucky dropping our ideal endgame weapon, the Mythical Stonefist Rebuke. But don’t worry, the build works just fine with the obsidian war cleaver too.
Lvl 80-90 Witchblade, Level 90 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
When you reach malmouth, be sure to get revered with them ASAP to buy some Potions of clarity on their faction shop, if you didn’t got revered with them on elite.
Now it’s time to begin the endgame gear farming.
You can buy your chest armor on Malmouth’s faction shop.
Go near devil’s crossing to farm your pants armor, the Dreeg-sect legguards
Your handguards can be bought on old arkovia, in the rovers faction shop.
Your boots can be bought on Black Legion’s faction shop.
Your shoulder armor can be bought on Bysmiel’s faction shop.
You can farm your rings near homestead.
You already know where to farm your medal, amulet, helmet(best place to farm is on port valbury) , belt (carraxus foul and on vinelton’s shop on ancient grove) and weapon (if you didn’t dropped the legendary weapon yet, you can farm the bastion of chaos for a good version of the obsidian war cleaver (look for casting speed affixes, like OF CELERITY, OF ANNIHILATION, etc…). You can always check the bastion’s vendor on your runs.
Char actual spec 
Witchblade, Level 100 (GD 1.2.1.3) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator 
Some video proof of build’s performance until now:
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x Rashalga
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x Kra’Vall
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x Morgoneth (full run)
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x Gargabol (full run)
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x Korvaak
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x Theodin Marcell
HC SSF beginner forcewave witchblade x SR26
Gonna bring some updates soon.
Thank you for reading.
I have only a little doubt about your current weapon on your GT link: your current weapon is performing better than a obsidian war cleaver?
Nothing to say about the drop rate 
gonna do some tests tho