- [Caster] [1.2.1.6] The soupiercer (Ralfhskz)
- Damage: Pierce, bleeding
- Active Skills: Phantasmal blades, war cry, pneumatic burst, mana infusion, disorder
Greetings again my friends!
I think i only leveled one blademaster, a long long time ago, and i always wanted to build something around phantasmal blades.
I was looking for a way to level a char using this skill right from the start, and luckily found some items that made this viable!
This build uses few buttons, so i consider it controller friendly.
About the skill rotation: Keep pneumatic burst always up, use war cry to disrupt/reduce enemies damage and spam your phantasmal blades!
Made this char as tanky as possible, so the build can stand it’s ground a lot! If you like some lazy facetankin’ gameplay, this build’s for you (just remember to reposition yourself when things get ugly, don’t stand still on damaging AoE pools and stuff like that).
About gear: I used only target-farmable/faction gear, so you won’t need to rely on random drops!
I started this char from absolute scratch as always, no merits, mandates or any other leveling items were used.
Actual char:
About the leveling:
Lvl 1-10 Nightblade, Level 10 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
I picked up the nightblade mastery first.
If you don’t drop a 2H weapon soon, you can use the Hevill’s greatsword early on.
Spend your initial points like this; two points in amarasta’s blade burst and one point on the master bar.
When you reach lethal assault, spend a point in it, a point in veil of shadow and night’s chill.
You will find your first weapon for this build on a rotten corpse in wightmire
After looting the weapon from the corpse, you will respec your points from ABB to phantasmal blades.
Respec your points on phantasmal blades, frenetic throw, heart seeker and night’s chill.
Lvl 10-20 Nightblade, Level 20 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
You must max out night’s chill ASAP.
Remember to spend some points in the mastery bar too.
If you’re worried about your energy being consumed too fast, we’ll solve this problem soon.
Activate all monster totems you can, because you will eventually drop the rotating rifle blueprint.
When you drop it, go to the blacksmith right away and craft one.
After unlocking your first 6 devotion points, spend a point in order on crossroads, then complete the assassin’s blade (bind the proc to PB).
Lvl 20-30 Nightblade, Level 30 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
After completing the act 1 (defeating warden Krieg), DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT give the talisman when reporting to the lost elder quest on arkovian foothills.
You must lie when completing the quest to get this precious relic, it’s granted skill HELPS A LOT with the energy issue.
It’s a good idea farming the spined cove a bit too to farm some ectoplasm components that helps with the energy regen.
On devotions, spend a point in primordial on crossroads and complete lizard, wraith, and then complete the bard’s harp.
Don’t forget activating monster totems and selling your loot, you will need some money for the endgame 
You will rush to complete the nightblade’S mastery bar. Spend a point in Blade spirit then unlock and start spending points on the soldier mastery bar.
Lvl 30-40 Blademaster, Level 40 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
While you advance in the campaign, don’t forget farming build’s amulet till’ lvl 94, the Mogara’s fangs in pine barrens.
If you drop one fleshwarped casque from the fleshwarped mobs around homestead, hold it! You’ll need it soon.
After completing the homestead quests, when you unlock the blood grove riftgate, you must do some shop resets at benevald’s shop until the frontloading rifle blueprint appear. If you don’t know how to reset the shop items, just open a riftgate, go to another shop and wait some time then go back to benevald’s shop. ( I got it on the third reset)
On devotions, remove the point from order, spend a point on chaos and eldritch on the crossroads, complete rat and then complete the behemoth.
Remove rat, complete the harpy and start spending points on ulzaad.
Continue activating totems and spending points in the soldier’s mastery bar.
Lvl 40-50 Blademaster, Level 50 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
When you reach the war cry skill, spend a point on it and equip the fleshwarped casque you farmed earlier.
If didn’t dropped any yet, go back and farm around homestead, the conflagration and port valbury outskirts locations (Fort ikon is a good choice too).
I took a detour to the forgotten gods DLC before fighting karroz.
If you’re asking what cult you should choose, I recommend choosing the dreeg’s cult first.
You will farm the build’s belt on the astral fields, near the throne of the three or in the edge of reality (enter via the green rift gate to access the quest draellu’s asks you) from the gargoyle mobs.
On the devotions, complete ulzaad (bind proc to war cry) , then complete kraken. Remove chaos, eldritch and primordial.
Complete the tortoise and the lion. Start spending points on scales of ulcama.
If you’re not respected yet with the black legion faction, you should be when you complete your first quests in malmouth.
Go back to their shop and buy the arcane spark blueprint.
Craft one and equip in your medal.
Lvl 50-60 Blademaster, Level 60 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
About skill points : I rushed to oleron’s rage in soldier’s mastery bar then maxed it. Then I started maxing out squad tactics and pneumatic burst.
About the elite mode: just check and upgrade your gear and cap you resistances.
Remember to activate monster totems and buy factions writs when you get honored with them.
You should upgrade your relic in the lost rover elder quest on arkovian foothills (yeah, we’re big fat liars, but it’s for a good cause 
)
On the devotions, complete the scales of ulcama, remove lion, complete the owl and spend 6 points in unknown soldier (bind the proc to phantasmal blades and bind assassin’s blade proc to blade spirit) and last two points on azrakaa.
When you reach the honored status with black legion, buy their useful legion mark of blades medal.
Lvl 60-70 Blademaster, Level 70 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
On your way to complete the campaign in elite, stop by benevald’s shop after reaching lvl 60 or beyond and do the shop reset again to upgrade your weapon. This time you’re looking for the shrapnel gun blueprint.
I chose the cult of solael in the forgotten gods DLC on elite.
At this point your char must be strong enough to farm build’s shoulder armor, the Kra’vall shoulderguards, but i recommend doing this on the normal difficulty (this loghorrean’s cousin can be dangerous!)
I recorded a video of the farming process, easy and safe, just remember to reposition yourself when sundered.
I got revered with malmouth in elite, just complete their quests and do some dreven Cole council runs to buy some potions of clarity from their shop, this will speed up a lot our leveling to 100 on ultimate.
Lvl 70-80 Blademaster, Level 80 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Now you should be on ultimate.
Cap your resistances, upgrade gear and remember selling loot and activating totems.
You should get revered with most factions now.
Lie again on the lost elder quest on arkovian foothills to upgrade your relic again.
I chose cult of bysmiel on the FG DLC. You should become revered with the cults ASAP (finish all the DLC quests and kill the map room trio and the temple of ateph bosses a couple times to speed up things)
Lvl 80-90 Blademaster, Level 90 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Time to begin the endgame gear farming!
You can buy your rings in malmouth’s shop.
The blueprint for endgame’s amulet is available in solael’s cult shop.
Buy your main weapon blueprint on cult of dreeg’s shop.
I used elite legion greaves from black legion until i dropped something slightly better, this mythical final march drop like, all the time, so you’ll probably drop it too very soon.
For hands armor i ended up using this very common zealot’s gauntlets bcs I didn’t dropped anything better until I made this guide 
But if you didn’t dropped anything good till’ now, you can use a generic elite rhowari handguards from rovers shop until we can farm some better legendary gear or even craft a decent emberguard gauntlets.
You already know where to farm a nice lvl94 version of your belt.
Don’t forget upgrading your helm.
I used the dreeg-sect legguards on pants. Easy to farm, just pay some visits to the guardian of dreeg near devil’s crossing.
Pay some visits to Kra’vall for a decent version of his shoulder armor.
all right, I’m all geared up! What now?
You can easily farm all skeleton key dungeons and completing SR26 felt like a easy task for this build.
If you want a superboss killer for this class, you can do some research on the grimtools.com builds section or directly on the compendium.
Some video proof:
Rashalga (mad queen)
https://youtu.be/z3uoP5_cZH8?
si=GQ8zNB8WH-9DvVOW
Kra’vall
Korvaak
Theodin Marcell
Steps of torment run + nemesis fight
Bastion of chaos run + nemesis fight
Port Valbury run + nemesis fight
Ancient grove run + nemesis fight
Tomb of the heretic run + nemesis fight
SR26
Thank you a for reading this guide! Hope you enjoy this gameplay and char performance!