(1.2.0.2) Beginner Dark One's Elementalist - From scratch to endgame solid farming + Leveling guide

  • [Caster] [1.2.0.2] Beginner Dark One’s Elementalist (Ralfhskz)
    • Damage: Vitality, Vitality Decay
    • Active Skills: Wendigo Totem, Storm Totem, Blackwater Cocktail, Grenado, Devouring Swarm, Wendigo Rush

Hail to you, vitality piano caster lovers!

I decided to level a new char from zero on SC, something different that i played before and that could easily farm endgame content without dying too much.

I think i have never done an elementalist build to this day, and after taking a look on factions itens on GT i said to myself

So i decided to start this char aiming on using only target-farmable, Mi’s, craftable and faction itens. The leveling process is smooth and super safe.

My current char Elementalist, Level 100 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

I’ll show you how i leveled this char:

Lvl 1-10 Shaman, Level 10 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

Start putting points on devouring swarm and on the shaman’s mastery bar, this will be your main source of damage on early levels.

Lvl 20-30 Shaman, Level 20 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

When you reach Grasping Vines and Wendigo totem skills on mastery bar put some points on them, they’re good source of damage and healing. After defeating warden Krieg, go farm Groble Sand Effigy - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database on Korvan Plateau, it will be very useful for our leveling process. On devotions, complete the bat.

Lvl 30-40 Elementalist, Level 30 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

When you reach Deadman’s Gulch, be sure to farm a Bonescythe - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database from the Trog mobs on the cave. complete the turtle on devotions. Start spending points on Storm Totem (don’t forget the modifier node) and blood pact.

Lvl 40-50 Elementalist, Level 40 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

By this level you should be defeating Loghorrean and starting your way to the AoM DLC. Max out Storm Totem skill and start spending points on the demolitionist bar.

Lvl 50-60 Elementalist, Level 50 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

On Lvl 50 i was starting Elite difficulty, time to spend more points on the mastery bar, upgrade your gear, cap resistances and continue to farm totens,sell your loot and on devotions, be sure to complete scales of ulcama and wendigo.

Lvl 60-70 Elementalist, Level 60 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

Continue spending points on demolitionist mastery bar until you get Blast Shield. After that, i started spending my points on Primal Bond, Heart of the Wild and Oak Skin. Farm all totens you may find on your way. I was lucky and dropped Solael’s Decimation blueprint farming totens, if you didn’t had dropped it yet, you can use Gluttonary relic, it’s avaliable on Devil’s Crossing faction shop. On devotions,complete Will of Rattosh and Abomination.

Lvl 70-80 Elementalist, Level 70 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

On Lvl70 i was starting on the Ultimate Difficulty. Time to upgrade gear and cap resistances. Farm all the totens you can and sell your loot, don’t forget to buy faction boosters to speed up your reputation gain with factions. I spent a good tike on FG DLC quests to become revered with cults of Solael and Dreeg, we’re use some blueprints and augments from them.

Lvl 80-90 Elementalist, Level 80 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

Continue your way trough vanilla campaign until you reach AoM DLC, when you finish the black Iron docks quest you must become revered with them. Buy some potions of clarity to speed up your leveling process.

Lvl 90-94 Elementalist, Level 90 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

When you reach Lvl 90, be sure to buy Elite Coven Lifebinder Vestments - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database, Elite Wendigo Vile Spaulders - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database , 2 Bysmiel Vile Seal - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database rings, craft gloves and boots on blacksmith and if you didn’t dropped any Mark of the Forbidden you can farm Lagoth'Ak's Bloodbinding - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database and on your belt, craft a decent Solar Girdle - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database. It’s time to get our weapon and Off-hand! Go farm Dreven Cole Grim Dawn World Map until he drops Decree of Malmouth - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database.
Buy Word of Solael - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database on Cult of Solael faction and Venomfire - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database from Cult of Dreeg faction and craft them.
It’s a good idea to farm the helmet on the FG DLC until you can do our next “advanced” farm. Craft all your itens on Malmouth blacksmith for stun resist bonus. Farm Guardian of Dreeg Grim Dawn World Map for your Dreeg-Sect Legguards - Items - Grim Dawn Item Database pants.

Lvl 94-100 Elementalist, Level 94 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

When you’re able to equip Weapon, amulet and Off-hand, it’s time to begin our quest (Steam Community :: Guide :: Lokarr - Secret Quest (AoM)) to farm our endgame gear Dark One's Gift - Item sets - Grim Dawn Item Database. You will find all 4 pieces of this set killing Rift-claimed adherents on edge of reality Grim Dawn World Map. Beware of the freezing traps around! (Don’t forget to respec your points of grasping and entangling vines for grenado and blackwater cocktail)
After you farm all 4 pieces of your set, you’re now able to farm all dungeons and SR65-66 very easily, facetanking almost all enemies or nemesis. Elementalist, Level 100 (GD 1.2.0.2) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator

Beginner Dark One’s Elementalist x Korvaak

Beginner Dark One’s Elementalist x Morgoneth

Beginner Dark One’s Elementalist x Theodin Marcell

Beginner Dark One’s Elementalist x Kra’Vall

Beginner Dark One’s Elementalist SR65

Thank you all for reading! Any comments and suggestions are welcome!

12 Likes

Why would I use a Bonescythe over let’s say Bonespike? You can drop them both in the Mountain Deeps and Bonespike seems to be way better for this build at least around level 30-50.

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Hi! Thx for the reply! Yeah you can totally use bonespike too, it’s even easier to farm. The reason i used bonescythe is just i wanted to make the leveling process “thematic” based on our endgame main skill, the wendigo totem

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Ah, got it. I very much respect that reasoning!
Eitherway great build guide, I’m having a blast so far after returning to the game after 4 years, so thank you for that!

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Thank you! Good luck and good gamin :smiling_face: :call_me_hand:

Hi! Could you suggest how to spend attribute points?

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Welcome to the forum. :slightly_smiling_face:

If you click on the grimtools build calc links for levelling and then hover your cursor over the attributes you can see how many points each has in them at those levels.

You can see here at L10 there are 5 points in Physique.
image

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Hi, may I ask does pet bonuses buff the totems as well? I am new to this game. Thanks!

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Welcome to the forum. :slightly_smiling_face:

No, they don’t benefit from Bonus to Pets items since they scale with the player. It tells you that in their description.

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I’ve been using a slightly modified version of this build (Thank you btw) to relearn the game after a 2 year gap, the Bonespike mentioned is WAY more useful than the Bonescythe. Am lv82 atm just finishing up Elite

Found this helm in AoM and it really helped Packla’s Skins really good for this build!

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Hey there Ralph! As always, great guide. I’m quite interested to know what would you change to make a viable lightning version of this build?

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Hey there! Thank you vm! Well, you can totally go for a primal strike elementalist, strong and fun build.

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I’ve been thinking more about a caster playstyle. What would you recommend to take as the main damage spell? I’ve been looking through several lightning builds and none of them seem to be catered to the classic mage style of play (it’s either primal strike or storm totem - both of which are fine, however PS is more of a melee/ranged thing and ST seems more like a “summoner” skill).
Thanks in advance!

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Allright… Gotcha. Gonna see some builds and sets and bring something soon

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+1 to this, been contemplating building a lightning Primal Strike build as I am having a lot of fun with this build, and an absolute tonne of gear stashed in IA lol!

I mainly used Grasping Vines, Devouring Swarm, which with a couple of REALLY lucky drops early on, I managed to pretty much lol-it through the whole game up to ultimate, barely using totems and Savagery at all, then I picked up the Wildblood Weapon & Belt (forgot about transmute until last week lol) and OMG I then lol’d-it through Ultimate as well.

@S.E.P_Ralf, I thought you might like to see the build that finally helped me complete the game as after all it was thanks to your initial build that got me through and back into the game after a 2 year break!

Oh and after getting the DarkOne Set and the basic bits of the final build, WOW… Stormed through the SR to 55 on ultimate, highest level so far 58… always makes me chuckle that the dps window reads 12000’ish

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Thank you for the reply! Glad you enjoyed the guide😃 yeah the life leech we get from dark one set and devotions is absolutely great. You almost feel like cheating🤣

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It’s INSANE, you can literally stand in almost anything and not care lmao, I felt Immortal until I tackled a Celestial … that did not go well! :rofl:

So yeah, thanks it’s been really good fun.

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Hello! At Level 20-30, you wrote the above, and after defeating Warden Krieg… How can I get to Korvan Plateau in Act 7 and seemingly on another map? This is my first playthrough :slight_smile:

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A guy called The Emissary shows up in Devil’s Crossing after defeating Act 1. He takes you to the Forgotten Gods expansion content.

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