Lore: As a practitioner of poisons, found unsavory by most Nightblades, Nidalla maintained that the end justified the means. This toxic twist on the traditional Shadow Strike will ensure the end of any foe that survives the initial attack.
DISCLAIMER
DISCLAIMER
Acid Shadow Strike Reaper is an interesting approach , we have very good item support during leveling and we move like a shadow in the battlefield . Reapers got massive buff in the last patch due to Necro having Acid and Cold RR (resistance reduction) , Nightblade on the other hand got Vitality RR , that althogether leads to massive overall buff to the class and some of the endgame sets like Demonslayer , Morgoneth and Deathguard
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Shadow Strike is classic Vanish next to the target and stab it with massive nuke , we gonna use dual blades line as a filler and Troll Rage auto attack replacer from a Mistborn Talisman (target farmable blueprint). Playtyle is very simple involves dynamic engage/disengage combos leaving your enemies highlly toxicated and hopeless.
PROS AND CONS
PROS AND CONS
PROS:
- Very easy to build
- No massive respecs involved in the guide
- Very cheap setup
- High burst damage
- High mobility
- Very easy to master (3 buttons playstyle)
- Very cool visuals (all this green energy and procs )
- Fantasy of a classic Poison Rogue
- Beginner friendly and controller friendly
CONS
- A bit Squishy in Ultimate cause main form of sutain is positioning and leech
- Dont recommend leveling this in HC (final setup is a beast but leveling hides risks)
- Pool damage sources are nightmare for leech classes ( the moment enemy is dead you are in the middle of the pool without sustain , imediately reposition out of damage pools)
DEVOTIONS PATH
Pink Crossroad
Jackal
Blue Crossroad
Sailor’s Guide
Green Crossroad
Fox
Manticore
Remove Green Crossroad
Murmur
Empty Throne
Chariot
Remove Jackal
Remove Pink Crossroad
Oklaine’s Lantern
Yellow Crossroad
Green Crossroad
Remove Fox
Harvestman’s Scythe
Affliction
Gallows
Eel
Remove Blue Crossroad
Remove Green Crossroad
Remove Empty Throne
Korvaak , the Eldritch Sun
DEVOTIONS PATH
Pink Crossroad
Jackal
Blue Crossroad
Sailor’s Guide
Green Crossroad
Fox
Manticore
Remove Green Crossroad
Murmur
Empty Throne
Chariot
Remove Jackal
Remove Pink Crossroad
Oklaine’s Lantern
Yellow Crossroad
Green Crossroad
Remove Fox
Harvestman’s Scythe
Affliction
Gallows
Eel
Remove Blue Crossroad
Remove Green Crossroad
Remove Empty Throne
Korvaak , the Eldritch Sun
LEVELING
LEVELING
Faction and Blacksmith choices (CLICK ME)
- Vigil vs Kymon - as a Necromancer I stick to Vigil
- Outcast - up to you I prefer to kill her if yoo want more quests and some dungeons actions
- Barrowholm - I want to kill Ravager so I stick with them
- Cults - Solael at Normal (Charging Bull is my fav movement) , Dreeg in Ultimate. I need both factions augments so i prefer to level them back to back
- Angrim - better endgame crafting bonuses
- Equilibrium starting relic
Attribute points: (CLICK ME)
1:1 Physique/Spirit and 20 points Cunning ( I throw 1 point into Cunning every 5 levels or so)
[PROGRESS STEP BY STEP (CLICK ME)]
Level 1-10
We step into the wilderness as Nightblade and Amarastra’s Blade Burst ( ABB ) , nothing special around this level bracket just around level 8-10 I go back to Putrid Den for an amazing starting ABB weapon ( we need two kills of the boss so we can dual - wield Pusquill’s Tail ) and we kill as much blue Sliths as possible so we can get Slith Primal Ring an amazing starting ring from a quest nearby Whightmire Rift. I use Mutagenic Ichors in both weapons to push this Poison damage a bit further
Level 10-20
This bracket is somehow important cause at level 14 medals start to pop up in the shop and we unlock Blacksmith , I look to vendor some magic medal with nice resistance and slap Wardstone component on it and another Wardstone on the Amulet this is huge upgrade . Next thing that I do early in this bracket is to go West of Foggy bank rift and grab a Isaac Spaulders from a tree stump in a somehow secret area (amazing shoulderguards that early into campaign ). At level 13 I switch from ABB main node to Deadly Assault cause this flat damage boost is massive and aplies to every swingDeadly Assault Switch and I visit Caverns in Foggy Bank to get Putrid Necklace from a Slith boss , amazing starting amulet that will carry your build for a long time . I do all the quests and at the moment I reach last Rift I run this area for crystals up to level 20 or at least 3 runs so I can stock some wealth for my first crafting session. Keep your Milton Casque after you deal with him that hekm is amazing tool to have on swap when Warden Krieg fight comes
First Crating and Component Session:
- 2x Antivenom Salve - Boots + Belt
- Serrated Shell - Shield
- Purified Salt - Weapon (not good physical components that early )
- 2xScaled Hide - Shoulders + Torso (Close to 100% Armor Absorbtion is must have on any toe to toe build)
- Silk Swatch - Pants
- Helm - If you don’t have Ectoplasm at this point use w/e you have (don’t left empty comp slots)
- 2x Corpse Dust/Frozen Heart - Rings
- 2x Wardstones - Medal + Amulet
Note:This is standart comp setup at level 20, this setup provides vital sustain tools
Level 20-30
First thing that I do after I show Krieg who is the boss is to jump to FG for a movement augment rune , my pick for Normal difficulty is Solael cause I found Charging Bull to be the best due to fair range and cooldown ratio and the fact I can move with this in towns. I step into Act 2 fully prepared for some bandits extermination. Old Arkovia camp will send you to kill a big troll near by called Gulgoth after you kill save his 2 hand Club you will need this for craft our leveling relic dont sell this cause you have to spend 30 mins farm this in different area .I run Cronley Hideout few times to advance some reputation with Devils Crossing also his rings outscale what I have cause Viloth didnt scale in Normal difficulty pass level 18. I look to get lucky and get 2x Mark of Dreeg ( this component got a massive buff last patch and now is not active skill but proc ) , if you are not luck Vitrolic Gallstones work until the point you get your hands on the Marks. I skip Killrian fight for now cause my Vitality resistance wasnt very good , you can come back at any point and kill him . Most important fight in this bracket is Voldrak , he drops Mistborn Talisman our leveling relic of choice this give us a very desired attack replacer (something that Reaper doesnt had in the Masteries) , I got lucky and got mine in first run but might take quite few just doge every attack that he attempt with 2 hands above his head.
Level 30-40
One of the most important brackets for any Grim Dawn build , faction gear options unlock at this point and most of the tier 2 componets alltogether with faction belts . Huge moment here is we can start Hidden path quest by blow up a detonation site in Lower Crossing ( a bit northwest from Devils Crossing is a secret passage that leads to detonation site , use Grim Tools Map big help during leveling). I secure my 80 Acid resistance for this farming spot , acid pools are big threat for this build but Riftscourge Slicers are too good to pass on them , they will make our Shadow Strike one shoting machine and Dreeg Guardian drops an amazing pants with very desired mods . Goal here is to reach Respected with the basic factions which are Rovers , Homestead and Devils Crossing just slow down your campaign progresion and kill few undeads , bandits and any beast on sight to reach this milestone , this is my build after I reach desired reputations Faction Gear Setup. Keep in mind rushing the game is no good for you , just enjiy the development process if this is your first or second build . I buy my medal from secret vendor under Blood Grove rift but you can farm it as well in the Fort Haron , boss there has 100% drop chance for it , major stat here is the massive chaos resistance anything else is just plus. I avoid steping into Blood Grove before level 35 , faction gear provides me enough stats to tackle one of the most dangerous zone in Grim Dawn , the big bait here is before this zone you dont need any chaos resistance and now you need 60-80 to survive the Chtonics, Bolvar and Zaria onslaught , just do Pine Barrens farm a bit if its necessary to hit 35
Shopping List:
- Devil’s Cuirass - hands down amazing armor (500+ life, OA/DA and pierce + chaos res)
- Devil’s Shoulderguard - OA/DA, physical, aether and pierce res
- Rhowari Grips - amazing gloves (%damage, attack speed, ele res and flat stats)
- Harvestman Boots - amazing boots (triple res, 200+ life and movement speed)
- Craft some belt with resistances look what base you have in your blacksmith
- Blueprint for Runestone (Rovers) - hands down best leveling helm component
Level 40-50
At this bracket we should hit Respected with Black Legion and they sell Nightblade first class belt , huge upgrade over some cheap crafts or random drops, since Nightblade is our main mastery this soft skill points are very welcome. At the end of this bracket you will be probably reach Gloomwald where you can farm our off hand weapon for the rest of the guide Wendigo barb is an amazing sword , I put this in off hand cause ABB use off hand weapon this will squeeze more damage due to Sword being more base damage than dagger.At this point we are absolutely murder machine , this is the best bracket for Reapers they got all of their important tools to start endless killing spree, be sure after you kill a big target to step away from the damaging pools cause main source of sustain is leech and if the target is dead no leech at all.
Level 50-60
First thing I did in this bracket is to go back to Necropolis and run The Balck Sepulcher for Mark of Plagius medal a best in slot medal for this build , you can do that earlier when you already here but he has chance to drop high level base anyways . At this point you should be close to finish the entire campaign in Normal Difficulty , the only hard encounter probably will be Korvaak cause this fight is a little bit complex to handle for the first time , nothing much I can say is mostly easy quests and easy going for the build
Level 60-70
Time for Elite difficulty , even most of the people skip it , this diff is very essential for beginners cause provide a very nice power up to Shrines and easy going leveling . Fresh quests for more EXP and reputation , I spent usualy all the way to 70 here so I can secure Honoured augments for Devils Crossing , Rovers and Homestead , also I need new Ascendant Casque from Cronley Hideout cause this area scales up to only 40 in Normal. Nothing special I do here just leveling up to Homestead and do my casual grinds for better weapon bases , jewelrys and reputation levels. I like nice and chill gameplay when I do small upgrades on my setup ( as a retired Grim Dawn speedrunner I just praise slow phase much more now)
Level 70-80
We start Ultimate with our new augments and our new toys to destroy more enemies. I do exactly the same things like previous difficulties , full quest clear and casualy farming for upgrades , you can farm your weapons in Normal difficulty btw cause areas scales up to 100 and you have better chance to get bases in your level range.We aim here for Revered with the basic factions so we can equip their Elite faction bases and bump this stats and resistance
Level 80-90
This bracket is mostly min maxing and get Revered with rest of the factions , you should be close to finish the entire game , if you have any problems with your sustain farm a bit more to get better rolls on your stuff and play a bit jenga with the faction augments
Level Fresh 100
Took me less than 20 hours to hit 100 level which proves even with chill gameplay Reapers are too fast killers to be slow down. Now is time to farm a level 94 bases in every slot and prepare ourself for totems and campaign farming to reach the cheap version of rhe build. Took me another 5 hours to get to the point cheap setup can farm 26-27 without too much issues
FINAL SETUP
FINAL SETUP
Cheap Begginer setup level 100
This is my beginner setup for people that cant afford 8 h grinding per day and people that just pick up the game recently. There is no crazy items, everything is guaranteed with a little bit of play time. I got 8 piece Daega set before hiting 100 this set just rains from totems and heroes
Endgame setup by @mad_lee , @banana_peel and @romanN1
Very cheap setup , Ring of Shuroth can be replaced with second Viltoh ring if you dont want to farm for this or any generic Acid epic ring
FARMING
FARMING
I would leave a link to my personal farming strats and what I do as a SSF player (I use completely fresh save folder for all of my runs ), I do a lot of farming tests when simulating begginer starts
FAQ
FAQ
Is it 1.2.1.6 patch really that big for Reapers?
Yes ,Deathguard becomes from a joke set to absolutely powerhouse set.
RS noob, are you serious with this Daega set in the cheap setup this is retaliation set
Unfortunately there is not much guaranteed options for acid pre-endagme setup and I dont want to involve random drops , Daega is safe bet cause you can transmute Epic set to another set and its very cheap method , but I doubt this will be needed since Daega is so common.
How hard is to build the final setup?
Well I got Deathguard helm blueprint from my fisrt Totem when I hit 100 ( I know this is insane luck) . I would say very easy if you skip Shuroth ring cause this is the only high RNG sink in this build. I recommend @mad_lee youtube channel if you want to see how Deathguard version performs its absolutely blast
VIDEOS
VIDEOS
Cheap setup performance against SR 26-27 (sweet spot for farming easy 12-14 Legendary items per run and top spot for beginner setups that are not endgame yet)
- i constantly use spark during levelling these days now it got a massive craft cost reduction.