A how-to on getting loot efficiently on solo play + advice on levelling

[eisschollee]

[…]

When the dust has settled, including a small paragraph on when/how to use the new merits would help, I think.

Second that!

I think the first quest is pretty doable and nets you a lot of exp (you can hand in the scrap and aether cystals directly afterwards, but killing the stuff in the sewer without prior gear even with lokarr set is pretty hard.
At some points, at least solo , switching to normal or elite is the better option

[sir_spanksalot]

Second that!

I think the first quest is pretty doable and nets you a lot of exp (you can hand in the scrap and aether cystals directly afterwards, but killing the stuff in the sewer without prior gear even with lokarr set is pretty hard.
At some points, at least solo , switching to normal or elite is the better option

Can I leave this to other players since I don’t play legitimately anymore?

Will be more than happy to credit them in the OP.

[malawiglenn]

The thing is RoH has been hit quite hard by nerfs. Are you able to get amatok (i.e. blizzard)? It’s one of the most powerful offensive devotions in the game, moreso than even ultos. I would also argue that it’s better than spear.

Binding it to RoH results in pretty explosions as you shove icicles up butts from below, and down throats from above.

The buff to tsunami has also made it pretty good. Should do wonders for you if bound to WoP.

Most importantly, get Aura of censure, rumor, and crown for RR.

EDIT: Don’t forget to invest in artifact handling as well.

RoH is still bonkers skill

Leveing up with WoP with Tsunami bound to it should take a Single Inq class up high pretty easy (that is basically how I leveled up my lvl 100 inq to make my paladin )

[sir_spanksalot]

Iono…30% damage reduction is huge because this also affects frostburn damage which doesn’t stack from multiple projectiles.

The flat damage on rune itself has been nerfed hard too.

[eisschollee]

Let’s collect some impressions once everybody tried his luck and then we can compare. Just if we use this thread, the op needs to moderate and collects the actual helpful things.
I want to remain an entitled but obnoxious beginner at least a little bit longer😬

Sent from my RNE-L21 using Tapatalk

[sir_spanksalot]

I welcome all suggestions, advice, and criticism.

Just don’t be toxic and approach the discussion with an open-mind, just like I will too.

P.S. If you could test out RoH + Blizzard and post how that went for you in terms of levelling, that’d be boss. I’d also bump chillsurge to 9/12, or 15/12 as quickly as I can as that’s when you get additional projectiles.

20/12 is when you get the last one, but it seems unlikely that you’d be able to achieve that on a levelling build

[mad_lee]

But did you add any guides on how to launch the game from Steam and create your own character? You entitlted elitist builder prick, you!

[sir_spanksalot]

But did you add any guides on how to launch the game from Steam and create your own character? You entitlted elitist builder prick, you!

Alas, my ploy to withhold information has been foiled. Communist Russia strikes again.

[malawiglenn]

Alas, my ploy to withhold information has been foiled. Communist Russia strikes again.

The Grim Dawn official forum secret elitist GD stashing rat club has been exposed

[eisschollee]

So far my expierence:

Start in cruci, get the stone, first 10 waves for first devotions and level 5-7

Start ultimate, do first quest, hand in quest 2 & 3 ( scrap & aether cystals) resulting in level ~28
Kill Silith in the sewer turned out to be too hard.

Did some some fast shrines, quest in normal or start agagin in elite, do the main quests , now I am level ~37.

Next step would be to start again in elite, add some components

Used items from shared stash:

Lokarr set , +exp portion, components

[Belzzzz]

So far my expierence:

Start in cruci, get the stone, first 10 waves for first devotions and level 5-7

Start ultimate, do first quest, hand in quest 2 & 3 ( scrap & aether cystals) resulting in level ~28
Kill Silith in the sewer turned out to be too hard.

Did some some fast shrines, quest in normal or start agagin in elite, do the main quests , now I am level ~37.

Next step would be to start again in elite, add some components

Used items from shared stash:

Lokarr set , +exp portion, components

Very good point. You can also add 1st wave of SR for the easy shrine.
Note: with all shrines in Normal (act 1 to FG) + Cruci +SR at the start, I think you get all 55 devo points.

Finding the smartest and quickest way to level-up while maximising reputation exp will be a hard task.

I’d say on first glance (opened to discussion of course) :

1. Cruci: 10 devo points;
2. Ultimate: first quests (2 devo);
3. Normal: rush main quest act 1 (8 devo);
4. Normal FG: choose reputation and 1st wave of SR (1 Devo);
5. Normal Act 2-5: rush main quest to unlock all reputations till Sewers hideout. Get all shrines.
6. Normal FG or Ultimate directly, depending on how many devo points are left and what level you are.

I wonder if you can get enough leveling exp if you go from level 1 and finish Campaign in Ultimate only ? I decided to go in Ultimate at level 65 (when my stuff was good enough for the res.) and it’s fine. How low level can you start ?

[ahyangyi]

Just gave the new level 1 ultimate thing a try, without using the crucible or stash besides fetching the unlocking item. A few thoughts:

• Leveling to level 2 and getting your first skill point isn’t hard. Yes there is the lore notes, but you can usually reach level 2 without leaving the starting bridge. Just pickup a random weapon from the corpse on the starting bridge, and fight one or two zombies at a time.
• Go straight for an early leveling skill. I did two runs: forcewave and rune of Hagarrad. Both worked.
• Cleaning chaff, even when you are at such low levels, isn’t going to give you huge return. Completing quests, on the other hand, gives you lots of exp.
• Non-crucible non-stash ultimate starts are not hard. They are a bit tedious though since your damage output is a bit weak.

For efficiency concerns I should have probably sneaked to the crucible or normal mode to grab a few devotion points. But if you want a “pure” ultimate experience I’d tell you it’s feasible too (at least up to the warden – I don’t know what happens after)

[Belzzzz]

Just gave the new level 1 ultimate thing a try, without using the crucible or stash besides fetching the unlocking item. A few thoughts:

• Leveling to level 2 and getting your first skill point isn’t hard. Yes there is the lore notes, but you can usually reach level 2 without leaving the starting bridge. Just pickup a random weapon from the corpse on the starting bridge, and fight one or two zombies at a time.
• Go straight for an early leveling skill. I did two runs: forcewave and rune of Hagarrad. Both worked.
• Cleaning chaff, even when you are at such low levels, isn’t going to give you huge return. Completing quests, on the other hand, gives you lots of exp.
• Non-crucible non-stash ultimate starts are not hard. They are a bit tedious though since your damage output is a bit weak.

For efficiency concerns I should have probably sneaked to the crucible or normal mode to grab a few devotion points. But if you want a “pure” ultimate experience I’d tell you it’s feasible too (at least up to the warden – I don’t know what happens after)

Thanks for the info. What worries me (wrongly ?) for Ultimate 1 to 100:

• your lv20 stuff with no resistances against, let’s say, Shanks Doyle, will force a kiting/caster build.
• you’ll need to farm reputation a lot later on.

[sir_spanksalot]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone contributing to this guide. I’ll take the time to read this thoroughly later this evening.

Keep 'em coming, lads.

[rodtan]

This is meant to address 2 “in-betweens”:

1. When leveling, there are certain levels where gear needs to be upgraded (e.g. every 10 levels etc). Dropped loot can be enough to carry a build through Normal Act 4 (barely for the Act 4 boss fight). Normal AOM and beyond requires retrofitting the gear to get better resists/armor.

Q: What are good examples of those kind of gear (either faction or otherwise) for item levels (e.g. 55, 62, 72, 82)? Or what should a player look at (e.g. maxing out resists first, then hp? or armor? or +skills? or +element damage?)

---

2. The 2nd in-between is when a character is 94+ and doesn’t have the “correct” items. Especially when trying to follow a build guide (thanks authors!).

Q: Is there any advice on what to look for when I don’t have full sets of gear (esp those that aren’t farmable)? Or when I don’t have the right MI?

Q: Should I bother with partial sets or use lower tier sets? (in FG, there’s the inventor transmute which is great if I have extras of a set)

Q: Are there specific rep gear that can fill in the blanks until I get a whole set at level 82/84/94+?

Q: Are there specific components/augments that can help with maxing out resists (it’s usually poison/aether/chaos that are lacking, most gear/devotions help with maxing out elemental resists). The New Player Knowledge Compendium talks briefly about it, but no specific ones a new player should aim towards. And there are so many components/augments but it’s hard to search in-game.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[rodtan]

…

I’d say on first glance (opened to discussion of course) :

1. Cruci: 10 devo points;
2. Ultimate: first quests (2 devo);
3. Normal: rush main quest act 1 (8 devo);
4. Normal FG: choose reputation and 1st wave of SR (1 Devo);
5. Normal Act 2-5: rush main quest to unlock all reputations till Sewers hideout. Get all shrines.
6. Normal FG or Ultimate directly, depending on how many devo points are left and what level you are.

I wonder if you can get enough leveling exp if you go from level 1 and finish Campaign in Ultimate only ? I decided to go in Ultimate at level 65 (when my stuff was good enough for the res.) and it’s fine. How low level can you start ?

I found the first 5 devotion points in Crucible easy to get, but the next 5 required a bit more time. If I did Crucible enough to get 10 devotion points, I’ll be around level 20 (iirc).

[sir_spanksalot]

Q: What are good examples of those kind of gear (either faction or otherwise) for item levels (e.g. 55, 62, 72, 82)? Or what should a player look at (e.g. maxing out resists first, then hp? or armor? or +skills? or +element damage?)

I’d go for resists > OA > DA > Hp. At this point, investing sufficient skill points into your primary levelling skill + %damage from items should be enough to tide you through. If it isn’t, as mentioned in the guide, use consumables. Trust me. Saving iron bits and slowing your progression to ultimate is the quickest way to retard item acquisition.

Is there any advice on what to look for when I don’t have full sets of gear (esp those that aren’t farmable)? Or when I don’t have the right MI?

Most guides should include an ‘Alternative/Budget gearing variant.’ If there isn’t - pose this question to them on their thread. Or post a GT on the forum for some advice.

Should I bother with partial sets or use lower tier sets? (in FG, there’s the inventor transmute which is great if I have extras of a set)

I should add this in the OP - but NEVER waste mats crafting lower level crap. Especially with relics. Just like I suggest in my devotion guide, the best way to save materials (which become a huge pain to farm later) is to determine what your ideal end-game relic looks like, and to craft the necessary pieces needed to build up to it. There are some notable exceptions of course, like that bone talisman thing.

Going back to your question about partial sets - it’s too ambiguous a question to answer. What alternatives do you have? Which partial set are you talking about? How are your stats with/without them? It’s a decision you as the pilot need to make

Q: Are there specific rep gear that can fill in the blanks until I get a whole set at level 82/84/94+?

Probably. But no one can give you specifics because there are too many unknowns.

Q: Are there specific components/augments that can help with maxing out resists (it’s usually poison/aether/chaos that are lacking, most gear/devotions help with maxing out elemental resists). The New Player Knowledge Compendium talks briefly about it, but no specific ones a new player should aim towards. And there are so many components/augments but it’s hard to search in-game.

Again, too many unknowns. What you can do is upload your character onto GT, and look at which res it’s lacking. Then search for that specific resistance under the augment tab.

For example, if my aether res is shit, then I’ll type aether res in GT’s little search box, and click the augment tab found in the row beneath it (it’s the right most tab)

You’ll see a complete list of augments granting you that resistance type for that item slot.

Worth mentioning too, the best overcaps to get are Elemental & aether. The least important would be poison/bleed.

[sir_spanksalot]

I found the first 5 devotion points in Crucible easy to get, but the next 5 required a bit more time. If I did Crucible enough to get 10 devotion points, I’ll be around level 20 (iirc).

Honestly, I would just do crucible until I’m bored of it. There’s no hard/fast rule for levelling in the crucible. You’re at most going to save 20 minutes. And I’d rather ‘waste’ 20 minutes having fun in-game, then spending 20 minutes in it being ‘super efficient.’

Life already makes me do that enough. Fuck dat.

EDIT: Last, but most certainly not least - welcome to the forum

[rodtan]

Thanks for the advice!

I’d go for resists > OA > DA > Hp. At this point, investing sufficient skill points into your primary levelling skill + %damage from items should be enough to tide you through. If it isn’t, as mentioned in the guide, use consumables. Trust me. Saving iron bits and slowing your progression to ultimate is the quickest way to retard item acquisition.

Good point on consumables! I always hoard those but have only used those on some builds for the final bosses (either Log or AOM when I keep getting wiped).

Going back to your question about partial sets - it’s too ambiguous a question to answer. What alternatives do you have? Which partial set are you talking about? How are your stats with/without them? It’s a decision you as the pilot need to make

Right, it depends on the ‘final’ build and what I have or what rep gear I have available. But the above priorities can help what gear I should choose, thanks!

Again, too many unknowns. What you can do is upload your character onto GT, and look at which res it’s lacking. Then search for that specific resistance under the augment tab.

For example, if my aether res is shit, then I’ll type aether res in GT’s little search box, and click the augment tab found in the row beneath it (it’s the right most tab)

You’ll see a complete list of augments granting you that resistance type for that item slot.

Worth mentioning too, the best overcaps to get are Elemental & aether. The least important would be poison/bleed.

Good to know GT can help me with the augment/component search. That’ll require some out of game planning then. For me,
I’m usually afraid of poison (esp from those AoM plants), and I don’t prioritize Aether until Normal Act4 and beyond. The ForgottenKane HC Guide has the list of resistances to work on too (but isn’t updated for AOM)

[ahyangyi]

Thanks for the info. What worries me (wrongly ?) for Ultimate 1 to 100:

• your lv20 stuff with no resistances against, let’s say, Shanks Doyle, will force a kiting/caster build.
• you’ll need to farm reputation a lot later on.

What worries me more about Crucible-less ultimate run is that I have absolutely no idea how to get those constellation points. I just gave up and decided to either farm some points in Crucible or early difficulty modes.

Anyway, before I gave up I did kill Shanks Doyle with that Forcewave fighter. He was quite kiteable, but the random gunmen and phantasmal blade guys were big problems.