Ring of Steel dual wield melee Reaver
(Berserker + Nightblade), build guide for beginners & playthrough diary by me
The goal is to make a build from scratch that can do some end-game content like shattered realm (SR) as high as possible, skeleton key dungeons, ascendent mode etc.
End of guide build >> Reaver, Level 100 (GD 1.3.0.5) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Target goal build>> Korba set build, see here for ideas [1.3.0.3] SC- Cold DW Onslaught/RoS Korba Reaver (note, these ones are from an older patch where it was easier to build up onslaught stacks)
Onslaught (OS) is a new mechanic in Fangs of Asterkarn (FoA). You spend your generated charges on an ability that has cooldown and deals damage in order to juice it up quite a lot! Here, we will exploit this with nightblade skill Ring of Steel (RoS) taking advantage of “guaranteed” items:
Coven faction Witch Moon Witch Moon - Legendary One-Handed Axe - Grim Dawn Item Database gives nice frostburn (cold damage over time DoT) and more cold damage onslaught making our “auto attacks” stronger.
Bysmiel faction Nightstalker amulet
Nightstalker Pendant - Legendary Amulet - Grim Dawn Item Database gives more frostburn and +skills.
Chillheart Chillheart - Legendary One-Handed Dagger - Grim Dawn Item Database guaranteed once you get to Vanguard of the three in ultimate. Gives more bonus damage to RoS and making its cooldown longer = we can build up more OS stacks to spend on it! You just have to stand in the “green circle” in vanguard of the three for a couple of seconds (use your healing skills + health pot) to get it https://grimdawn.fandom.com/wiki/Chillheart
The dagger chillheart provides “+90% total damage” to Ring of steeel, that is equivalent of 6 onslaught stacks! In total we build up 11 onslaught stacks = +165% and then the +90% from chillheart, = +255% i.e. our Ring of Steel skill deals 3.55 times the damage of a regular 
(with the caveat that we use it at 65% of the regular rate…)… by testing on target dummy the killing time was about 50% faster with witch moon + chillheart compared to two witch moons. But face it, most mobs will die in just one cast of RoS anyway… so when you kill stuff at fast pace all the time like shattered realm shards - go with two witch moons, and save chillheart for the other stuff.
We’ll start with the Nightblade skill Shadow Strike (SS) + Beserker default attack replacer Onslaught, because it has nicer itemization to start with, you basically just need two Spectral Longswords and then you are good to go Spectral Longsword - Rare One-Handed Sword - Grim Dawn Item Database we’ll transition into more RoS around level 40-45ish and just have shadow strike as movement ability. For starters: shadow strike for single targets and RoS on groups of mobs if you get surrounded. Later on: shadow strike for mobility and RoS for both single targets and groups!
Note, Shadow Strike will consume your onslaught stacks, so we have to play with it carefully. Making use of the default “Evade” skill will be useful in combat (Kurn faction sells augment to lower its cooldown). Shadow Strike will be used to quickly traverse the land, then we attack with Onslaught to generate stacks quick and release RoS for a big kaboom!
The devotion route I chose is tailored towards getting +4000 armor and the needed resistance reduction devotions and Blizzard proc.
It is not the most high-end build possible, but it is rather easy to do and not so much RNG. See it as some kind of "league starter” in Path of Exile - good starter if you have no items and little experience with the game but will get you to a point where you can farm gear pretty efficient for upgrading this one or to make new chars later on 
There will be a build-diary with increments in about ten levels, you can view these as “loadouts” in Path of Building if you have played that game and followed league starters there. Do not try to copy me 100% but see it as “aha he did this I should probably have something similar”. The most important items to get etc will be mentioned and highlighted.
And no, you can not be in any were-form… you can not use default attack replacers or weapon pool skills while in were-form.
Here is my onslaught stacks guide if you want to learn more [Guide] Onslaught stacks - what skills it works with (and not) and another guide by our Rektbyprotoss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R863Aed36A
The skill “Onslaught” has breakpoints for stacks at rank 5 (4 stacks), 9 (5 stacks) and for its modifier “Endless rage” at rank 1 (+1 stacks), 3 (+2 stacks), 6 (+3 stacks), 9 (+4 stacks), 12 (+5 stacks), 15 (+6 stacks), 18 (+7 stacks), 21 (+8 stacks), 22 (+9 stacks).
Factions:Barrowholm - friends, Vigils or Kymons - Kymons in case you wanna go auto-attack focused and farm the Malkadarr sword, Cult of the three witchgods - Bysmiel.
I will play in this order in normal: base game, AoM up to lone watch, FG, finish AoM, FoA.
I will play in this order in ultimate: base game, FoA up to Guardian’s sorrow riftgate, AoM up to lone watch riftgate, entire FG, finish AoM, finish FoA.
Once we hit level 94, we wanna wear Fettan Mask helmet (how to get it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYK-GbENbv0), hit revered with Coven so we can craft Witch moon axe, hit revered with Bysmiel and craft Nightstalker amulet.
Devotion plan:
Click to read devotion plan
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Red Crossroads
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Jackal (we want the speed)
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Refund Red Crossroads
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Yellow Crossroads
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Tortoise (bind to Pneumatic burst, change to Amatok’s pact later)
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Refund Yellow Crossroads
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Purple Crossroads
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Toad
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Lotus
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Rhowans crown (bind to Onslaught)
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Refund Purple Crossroads
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Viper
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Murmor (Bind to Bonechilling cry)
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Amatok (Bind to Blade spirits)
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Eel
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Solemn Watcher
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Stag or Panther
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Refund Jackal
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Korvaak (not the last node to the right, bind proc to RoS)
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Three nodes in Obelisk (for mega-armor and defensive ability)
If you do not manage to get +3000 offensive ability by the time you have come to your own “end of guide build” - swap devotion stag for panther instead.
