- [caster] [1.2.1.6] Beginner fire saboteur (Ralfhskz)
- Damage: Fire, burn.
- Active Skills: Canister bomb, blackwater cocktail, thermite mine, ring of steel, pneumatic burst.
Greetings again, my friends!
I tought about leveling and testing a class that’s not so popular on this game (yeah, unfortunately demo and nightblade don’t have many synergies) and i confess i got surprised with this experience.
The leveling turned out to be very fast and fun, just bombing all things around and running while a lot of damage over time from your bombs and devotions destroys everything!
Build is mobile, fast, have nice health regeneration and is safe for leveling if you wanna play HC. Despite we see casters generally having a “pianoish” gameplay, this one do not require many buttons, so it can be considered controller friendly!
Skill rotation is fun: throw your blackwater cocktail (nice area of effect damage and damage over time and it will debuff enemies with resistances and damage reduction), then throw your canister bomb (massive fire damage) and do not forget using your thermite mines, they do a lot of fire damage and heavily debuff mobs, i used ring of steel mainly to proc phoenix.
Some negative aspects of this build: Low HP pool, low physical resistance and the lack of synergies on this class may slow it down on endgame comparing with another classes, ofc you can try changing to a more offensive setup in the endgame if you’re playing SC.
As always, i leveled this sabotinha from scratch, no merits, potions, pre-farmed gear and any other leveling boosters were used.
This build budget setup uses mainly MI’s (green monster infrequent items that drops from specific mobs and heroes) and faction gear, so you won’t worry on random epic or legendary item drops.
The leveling started choosing Demolitionist as the first mastery:
Lvl 1-10 Demolitionist, Level 10 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
First thing i did was getting a 2H weapon. If you didn’t dropped any, there’s always the popular option of the Hevill’s Greatsword on a house in lower crossing.
I spent one point on flame touched and used the default weapon attack to destroy the first enemies.
Do this until you reach high potency on the blackwater cocktail (BwC) skill line.
After this, spend a point in BwC, one point in high potency, then max BwC, it will be your main skill for now.
Lvl 10-20 Demolitionist, Level 20 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
After maxing BwC, spend points on the mastery bar until you reach demon fire. Spend a point on it and a point on canister bomb skill.
At each level up, spend a point on each skill and a point on the mastery bar.
You should have at least 6 shrines cleansed for now, that means you have 6 devotion points. Spend a point on chaos in crossroads, then complete the fiend (bind the proc to blackwater cocktail)
Lvl 20-30 Saboteur, Level 30 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
After defeating warden krieg, when completing the lost elder quest you should lie to greven on arkovian foothills (i know, i know i do not like it too) to get a useful bone talisman relic (it’s granted skill helps a lot with energy regen on early stages and is a nice damage boost too)
After this, it’s time to farm build’s first items, the Incendiary Shoulderplates and Martin’s Crest.
The shoulderplates drops from cronley’s thugs (The thug hero “Moneybags” Martin have a chance of dropping too) and the crest will always drop from him.
After defeating Cronley and liberating the twin falls waypoint, i headead immediately to the Forgotten gods DLC, and the reason is that we will farm our weapons, armor and helmet there.
If you’re asking yourself wich cult to choose, the answer is CULT OF SOLAEL.
We will need to get revered with them first.
You will find your weapons near the waypoint of the infernal wastes, look on the area around the portal for the “moltenclaw” mobs, they’ll eventually drop the Moltenclaw Slicer (don’t worry with affixes for now, just farm two of them)
The Korvan Armorcan be farmed from the possessed armor mobs that can be found on Temple of Osyr, Cairan Docks, Tomb of the Heretic and almost all of the mini dungeons there.
You will farm another important item on the Tomb of Sethan (near infernal wastes too) or in the Tomb of the Eldritch Sun. Look for the “chosen” mobs and their heroes, they always drop “chosen gear”… You will find Sister Crimson, Vengeance of Kymon on tomb of sethan and rother Segarius, Vengeance of Kymon on the tomb of eldritch sun, they have good chances of dropping our main helm, the Chosen Mask.
About skills: Spend a point in thermite mine and one in vindictive flame. Spend a point in nightblade’s mastery bar and a point in dual blades for now and one point in veil of shadow.
On devotions: spend a point in order on crossroads, complete the tortoise, remove the point from order and spend a point in primordial and eldritch on crossroads. Start spending points in behemoth.
After finishing the DLC, i went back to the vanilla campaign.
Lvl 30-40 Saboteur, Level 40 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Just go bombing everything on your way!
Start spending points on nightblade’s mastery bar.
After reaching breath of belgothian, spend a point on pneumatic burst and a point into it, then remove the point from dual blades.
Remember to keep pneumatic burst and mana infusion always up!
One of the quests from Douglass in homestead requires killing the dermapteran queen, so when you find it’s hive, it’s time to farm our main ring, the Gollus’ Ring.
On the devotions, complete the behemoth, solael’s witchblade (bind the proc to blackwater cocktail) and wraith. Remove eldritch and chaos from crossroads. Start spending points on harvestman’s scythe.
Lvl 40-50 Saboteur, Level 50 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
At this point you should be on your way to malmouth.
After defeating the loghorrean, get access to the coven’s refuge, and after unlocking their faction, the first thing you’re gonna do is take a little detour into the Feral Thicket on Ancient Grove.
The reason for that is farming build’s main amulet, the Vilgazor’s Heart that drops from Vilgazor there.
Don’t worry about doing this run so early, it’s an easy and safe gameplay running around while your bombs burn everything.
I recorded a video of this early skeleton key dungeon run:
Continue to spend points in the nightblade’s mastery bar until you unlock the blade spirits.
On the devotions, after completing the harvestman’s scythe, complete the lotus, complete the crab, remove wraith, start spending points on the chariot of the dead.
Lvl 50-60 Saboteur, Level 60 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
I started elite difficulty around lvl 53.
Time to upgrade your equipment, check your resistances, remember farming monster totems!
On the devotions, complete the chariot of the dead, complete the alladrah’s phoenix (bind the proc to ring of steel) and spend the remaining points on the ulzuin’s torch (bind the proc to canister bomb). After reaching blade spirit on nightblade’s mastery bar, spend a point on it and bind it to the fiend’s proc.
Lvl 60-70 Saboteur, Level 71 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
At this point you’re probably getting honored with some factions, don’t forget buying their writs to speed up things on getting revered with them.
At this level range, i took a little detour at homestead to farm build’s main belt, the Chains of Ordas, just do a run on the Port Valbury’s skeleton key dungeon and look for the Watcher Ordas (he’s the first watcher).
I recorded this run too so you can see it’s not a hard task for this build
After that, i just rushed to finish the elite difficulty (finish vanilla campaign and the 2 DLC’s too).
Lvl 70-80 Saboteur, Level 80 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Started ultimate around lvl 81.
Not much to be said… Just check your resistances, upgrade your gear and check your reputation with the factions.
I got revered with malmouth’s resistance on elite, so i could buy their Potion of Clarity to speed things up in ultimate.
Lvl 90-100 Saboteur, Level 90 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
When you reach around level 90, it’s time to begin farming the endgame budget gear.
The first thing i did was getting the Mark of Burning Shadows blueprint from Solael’s faction shop and crafted one.
After that, go fight the Guardian of Dreeg near devil’s crossing to farm a decent version of the ever popular Dreeg-Sect Legguards.
Remember paying another visits to gollus!
Look for fire damage bonuses on the endgame’s weapon affixes!
Since you’re on FG area, pay a visit to the areas where you can farm an endgame version of your armor
Remember to wreak havoc around the “chosen scumbags” too, to farm build’s maind helm!
Don’t forget to burn some cronley’s bandits too while farming an endgame shoulder armor
If you didn’t dropped any epic or legendary gloves for fire builds yet, you can use the elite harvest grips until you drop a better gear.
And you’re gonna do two skeleton key dungeon runs to farm your amulet and belt’s final version too.
LVL 100 SPEC Saboteur, Level 100 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator 
Now you should be ready to farm all skeleton key dungeons and even deal with the enemy faction nemeses.
This build can also complete the SR26 challenge.
Some video proof:
Theodin Marcell
Korvaak
Rashalga (mad queen)
Kra’vall
Port Valbury run
Steps of torment run
Tomb of the heretic
Ancient Grove
Bastion of chaos
SR26
WHAT NOW?
Well, i made a endgame spec that can deal with celestials, on this char i used the Ember’s Calling set, but you have the Ulzuin’s Infernal Avatar that’s a nice option too.
You can even combine the ember’s calling set with the The Sacred Harmony weapons, but this would make me change the gameplay, so i wanted to stick with the BOMBER-GIRL concept:
Endgame legendary spec Saboteur, Level 100 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Some video proof:
Avatar of mogdrogen
Callagadra (not the best build for this fight, low phys resist makes it a bit tough)
Ravager of flesh
Crate of entertainment
Ty all for reading this guide!
Hope it will help new players enjoy this great game!
