UPD 4.09.2026: Save file (Paladin)
This is probably my first ranged weapon WPS build in the 1.3 meta. The ability to boost individual attacks like Chilling Rounds or Markovian’s Advantage has made a number of melee items quite powerful and a real field for experimentation. I tried two variations, also with the new rifle that adapts the melee attack, Belgothian’s Shears, but I wasn’t impressed with their animations. However, this version worked quite well. A version with a more offensive sky (I play the more defensive version) can clear content even faster, but since my reaction time and animation observation are poor, I’ll leave the current, more balanced defensive version in the screenshots.
GT Final Setup: Paladin, Level 100 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
GT Budget Setup: Paladin, Level 100 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Performance:
Crate [24s] Ascendancy
Lokarr [20s] Ascendancy
Nerfatal the Questing Beast [2:41] Ascendancy
Ravager of Flesh [50s] Ascendancy
Avatar of Mogdrogen [1:40~] Ascendancy
Callagadra Scion of Sands [1:55] Ascendancy
The Dread [49s] Ascendancy
SR 32 Boss Room
Crucible 180-200
Gear
The most important part for making things work from a start the Bile Regurgitator rifle and the Ilgorrs Eternal Curse medal significantly boost the Chilling Rounds WPS—conversion to acid damage, proc chance, and weapon damage—and weapon damage is also increased with Righteous Fervor. The rifle can be farmed in Malmouth or the surrounding area from large Abominations; it’s rare, but you can get 2-3 rifles in a single run. Then, you need to get good suffixes and affixes (if you haven’t found any) from Inventor Yurgryn. The medal can be found in various ways, including directly from bosses, or farmed in Shattered Realms or the Crucible. The same applies to the amulet, as I’m working on a more expensive version of the build based on MI items. Gulgazor’s Heart amulet provides a strong overall damage boost, and the amulet drops from the boss in the Grove (or you can find it using the same method as described above). Multiple amulets, rifles, and medals are a better solution than trying to get affixes and suffixes on just one item, as the crafting cost increases after about 10 attempts.
The best suff\aff weapons: Corrosive and Venomfang, and the best affixes are Venomclav.
The best suff\aff medal and amulet: Archon’s, Witchblade’s, Corrosive, Maniacal, Blighted, and the best affixes are Cabal, Blight, Landslides.
For stat balance, it is also useful to have at least one item with an affix of Readiness or of the Dranghoul.
One common ring Preserver Band can be purchased from any merchant. Just check the shops a few times; you’re sure to find a base with at least one of the desired suffixes or affixes, allowing you to craft a second desired affix at the inventory. The best base has +2.8 energy regeneration, making it a good addition against energy-draining monsters. Need’s specially for Ascension: +3 Chilling Rounds. The shoulder pads are chosen for their +3 bonus to Deadly Aіm, and the components and augmentations are also selected based on the sum of their resistances and bonuses.
Gameplay
Very simple gameplay, with one or two movement buttons at your discretion—for example, teleport plus evade, a healing button, and ascension, plus flat absorption at critical moments. Additionally, holding shift and selecting a long range for shooting is great when monsters are running in a row, as Chilling Rounds has a piercing shot and penetrates targets. This may be why it’s not the fastest performer for the Crucible, as it lacks AoE and is somewhat demanding in terms of positioning. It handles single targets exceptionally well. It has a high DoT coefficient, and in addition to quite respectable damage per target from 100k to 450k DoTs of 200k also significantly speed up the process. The build relies on a high rate of fire with piercing damage and a solid base of flat acid damage, multiplied by a strong 100% critical damage bonus at range.
Skills and Devotions
Maxed out Righetous Fervor and Chilling Rounds as main attack skills, Storm Spread gets +2 points to cover trigger pool to 85%+15% (most of extra 5% chance to Chilling Rounds goes from gear Ascendancy). Deadly Aim and Divine Mandate to max out crits damage multiplier - Deadly Aim has a large boost from ascended weapon (Ascended Bonus: Word of Renewal - 30% chance to refresh duration of Deadly Aim up to 12s) 12 seconds longer work for crits and OA. The total OA level is quite high, so it mostly work non stop. Vigor and Consecration with the devotion proc Wayward Soul - giving total armor boost, that makes build less fragile. Jackal and Sailor Guide as well as Charriot of The Dead - is the option for more defensive setup, granting more physical resistance, defense and passive heal.
But there’s alternative way for devotion, that can increase damage even more, I preferably play the setup in GT link, as I’m not as good in reaction and felt a bit less stable with offensive setup, but for good performance and clean speed Yugoll through Viper can even be better.
Devotion road:
(1) Eldrich
(5) Spider
(1) Ascendant
(4) Toad
(1) Primordial
(5) Sailors Guide
Remove (1) Eldrich, (1) Primordial
Kraken
Jackal
Rumor (4)
Hydra
Manticore
Chariot of the Dead
Hawk
Abomination
Leveling:
lvl 25: Paladin, Level 25 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
lvl 58: Paladin, Level 58 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
lvl 75: Paladin, Level 75 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
I’m old player so have many materials and resources so this is not my first char, for you if you newbie it can be a bit harder with some extra materials, items, craft or so, keep in mind if you looking this guide about details. Leveling is not hard for this one, after lvl 58 will be preferable to farm first Bile Regurgitator rifle and Korvan Gaze helm also few of Viloths Rings are also priority for boosting the damage a lot, before switching to all required items maxing skills Righetous Fervor, Chilling Rounds, Celestial Pressence and using Path of Three exclusive skill is top priority. Meditation relic is available from lvl 60. I farmed Solael Sect legguards for better resists and lifesteal, but it can be replaced by Haunted Steel or Unholy Inscription component - just to have some lifesteal and make life easier. Priority Factions quests are Rovers and Cult of Dreeg, to get first augments. Than goes Malmouth with it’s important Augments and locations to farm rifle. It is ok to start leveling from a start and doesn’t require to switch from one build to another.
===afterwords===
Quite stable clean of all game content and good for farming, maybe not the best for Callagadra as it feels comfortable to kill it only from range, and somehow I can’t beat Wolf of Mogdrogen with this one, must be lack of elemental overcap resists, I tired few times but on 30-40% of his health always getting lighting shotgun oneshot even through Prismatic Diamond active. Nerfatal was quite easy, but with Uber Version I just don’t have good reaction and died few times on his 50% of health from bad positioning or late reaction, so at it is. Also I want to make a note about relic Deathstalker vs Meditation - the first one grants another passive -10% Acid and Posion resistance the other one gives about 18% total flat acid damage and that’s a lot, but in practice Deathstalker gives 4-8s better result on bosses and in the same time Meditation gives a better time in Crucible. I think this is due to the fact that the “shaggy RR on four legs” runs after you and when you change positions it does not immediately engage in combat with the enemy, while the other relic works reliably from shooting immediately.
will you be willing to share the char zip file with us?
