Hello everyone!
Returning Grim Dawn player here — I think it’s been 5 years, maybe even more.
I’d like to introduce you to a little Cold build I cooked up, directly from Asterkan 
I made this build for my first character after coming back to the game, and it has been an absolute blast to play!
What to expect
- Easy to play — literally only 2 main damage buttons.
- 100% Cold damage.
- Very safe overall. It is a bit lacking in survivability while leveling, depending on how much you invest in defensive stats, so don’t expect to facetank everything from level 1 to 100.
- Quite fun to master, especially if you want to get the most out of Cold Snap.
- Not heavily dependent on legendary items. The important items are craftable, and several slots can be filled with green items.
- You get to play as a fucking raven with a tempest of blades following you. What more could you ask for?
Is it HC viable?
Maybe?
I actually leveled and played this character in HC, but I think there are definitely better and safer builds for HC leveling.
Here it is : Reaver, Level 100 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
Current performance
So far, the build can clear every major boss on Ascendant.
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SR 36 cleared. I haven’t pushed higher yet, dont think I will way to dangerous ^^.
Video here : https://youtu.be/4mSkyK8oalo -
I haven’t tried Crucible yet.
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Dread and Tempest totem (almost die :p)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JCbOeo5n14 -
My character is HC, so I haven’t tested Celestials yet
Feel free to give me your feedback if you try it!
Edit : Manage to beat Mogdrogen FOA version :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jut_32ek-a4
And don’t hesitate to suggest any adjustments or improvements you think could make the build better!
How to play?
The idea is to use Wereraven skills as the main damage from level 1 all the way to endgame, mainly through Ice Talons and Cold Snap.
Blade Spirit only comes online once you have the required set.
The build works perfectly well before getting the set, although it will obviously be a bit weaker against high-HP enemies.
Ice Talons
Ice Talons can be used to kite, and with proper positioning it can deal very good AoE damage in a line.
You need to keep casting this ability constantly. Why?
Because it is your main source of damage, but also because every Ice Talon hit can reduce Cold Snap’s cooldown through Everwinter in the skill tree.
A single cast of Ice Talons will usually hit multiple enemies, and every enemy hit can trigger Everwinter.
So, when you’re fighting a big pack of mobs, a single Ice Talons cast can sometimes reset Cold Snap immediately.
In a large pack, you can occasionally cast 10 Cold Snaps in 5 seconds.
This is especially noticeable on Totems.
Cold Snap
Cold Snap acts as your shotgun ability.
Good positioning is important if you want to maximize its damage, so try to stay close to your target when possible. Shadow Strike can help you get into position.
I haven’t tested this interaction thoroughly, but that’s the impression I got while playing, and it definitely gives you an incentive to get close and maximize the number of hits.
Feel free to correct me on that statement if its false!
Resistance Reduction
Since this is a 100% Cold build, here is the Resistance Reduction you can expect.
Skills
- Bonechilling Cry: -25% Cold Resistance
- Night’s Chill: -25% Cold Resistance
Devotion
- Murmur: -23% Cold Resistance
Gear
- Arcanum of the Eternal Eye: 20% Resistance Reduction + 26 flat Resistance Reduction when the proc is active
- Band of the Eternal Haunt: -10% Cold Resistance
- Ugdenbog Chillstrife: -8% Cold Resistance
This gives us roughly 120 points of Cold Resistance reduction, which is pretty damn good
Resistances
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Stat
Note: theses stats can vary with your green item and randomize stat on gear -
Resistance
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Control resist
Note: reflect resist is obtain with component titan plating on helm and devotion owl.
The Build
I’ll start by presenting the final version of the build, then I’ll go over the alternative before obtaining the set.
I’ll also explain why I chose each item. (Again, if you think there is better gear for a specific slot, don’t hesitate to let me know! I don’t have the entire item database memorized :))
Here is the build: Reaver, Level 100 (GD 1.3.0.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
The 3 main pieces
Gloves: These give us the conversion we need to turn Wereraven’s damage into Cold, which is mandatory for the build.
Off-hand: This item basically gives us everything we want for Wereraven: damage, damage reduction, resistance reduction and defensive stats.
Amulet: Gives us both offensive and defensive bonuses for Wereraven.
Of course, the set is also mandatory for the final version, but there are alternatives before you get it. You simply won’t be playing Blade Spirit until then.
Why the set?
Mainly because of the Pierce-to-Cold conversion for Blade Spirit, as well as the flat damage it provides.
The Bloodfang part of the set is not used because we are going to stay in Raven form.
The other gear
Boots: Stoneplate Greaves. What else is there to say?
Belt: The only reason I’m using this belt is because it pushes Blade Spirit from 25/16 to 26/16.
Pants: Mainly used for the extra point to Glacial Talons and the defensive proc that provides Physical Resistance.
Ring: Band of the Eternal Haunt for the Cold Resistance reduction.
Second ring: Terrorweave for the extra point to Glacial Talons.
Weapon: Mainly used for the additional Cold Resistance reduction.
Relic: Serenity or Aurora. You don’t really need any more damage, so I prefer a defensive option here.
As you can see, most of these items aren’t strictly mandatory. They simply make the build better.
They are also relatively easy to farm, except for Terrorweave, which can be a bit annoying to get.
And with the new crafting system, it’s now much easier to get double-rare items.
The exact prefix and suffix combinations aren’t really mandatory. Just use the best ones you can get and focus on capping your resistances.
My advice would be not to go full offensive with your prefixes and suffixes. Try to find a good balance between offensive stats and defensive stats.
Alternative gear before getting the set
So, now for the alternative setup before you get the set.
With this setup, Blade Spirit is not available yet, so the build revolves entirely around Ice Talons + Cold Snap.
Helmet
There are two good options:
Veil’s Witness — Provides good defensive stats for Wereraven, as well as Attack Damage Converted to Health for Ice Talons.
Bloodbound Hood — Mainly used to maintain 100% uptime on Battle Surge, which is pretty damn strong.
Against a single target, however, you won’t really have 100% uptime since you need enough enemies to trigger it consistently or good OA.
Medal
Prismatic Plume — Mainly for the flat damage added to Cold Snap.
Shoulders
Mythical Deathweave Shoulderguard — Provides some Onslaught stacks, which gives a nice boost to Cold Snap damage.
Chest
For the chest piece, you can use pretty much any good green item with useful stats.
Shroud of Illusion is also a good option.
With this setup, you will only be playing Cold Snap + Ice Talons, with no third damage skill.
If you really want more than two buttons, you can also use Amarasta’s Blade Burst (ABB) + Lethal Assault as an additional damage skill.
I tested both variants against single targets, and the Blade Spirit version is simply faster.
So, in my opinion, the pre-set version is perfectly playable and works well for general endgame content, but once you get the set, Blade Spirit becomes a significant upgrade in terms of single-target damage.
Have fun, and let me know what you think!
And if you find any interesting alternatives, better item choices, or improvements to the build, don’t hesitate to share them!
- gives attack speed and we scale cast speed, with only a single dmg bonus added to spirits
A raven throwing blades everywhere while freezing enemies with Cold Snap is definitely not the usual Grim Dawn experience. SR36 on a returning-player build is seriously impressive. The “two main buttons” part is also dangerously tempting!