Beginner build guides Compendium (for AoM + FG expansions)

Grim Dawn Classes, Skills and Builds
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83

How would you ssf-level Physical Vindicator :wink: ? I think I would get Viper Sandspitters on Korvan Plateau but I would love
to play with Cesarin’s Conviction but I don’t think you can get it reliably (by farming Totems / Crucible at low level for example).

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Sandspitter gunner is probably the most sane way of going about it.

I suppose you could also use a single Sandspitter and Korvan Spaulders for 80% Elemental->Physical conversion if you wanted to try something like Physical FoI. But good luck with building skill ranks to it. Legionnaire’s Rebuke looks like it would fit extremely well here allowing you to sub the Korvan shoulders for the +3 to FoI ones from Log but like Cesarin’s Conviction, it’s a random drop. Later on Beronath, Reforged just straight up covers the conversion for you.

Probably not what you’re going for but pets is an option. Briarthorn + Primal Spirit already do Physical and Bleed damage, Devouring Swarm does Bleed RR and Physical with the Korvan Casque. Zaria’s Pendant/Bloodsworn Codex/Wendigo Gaze are givens for a significantly buffed Briarthorn. Plenty of room to support them with Word of Renewal, Seal, Wendigo Totem for constant heals and Primal Bond.

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85

New beginner builds move to the OP.

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86

Did Ulvar leave? :open_mouth:

87

Well, he’s not been seen for a while.

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88

Added Budget 2-handed ranged “The Desolator” Fire Strike Fire Purifier (Fire)(Purifier)(The_Coyote)

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89

As a returning played (I last stopped at the end of the base game, perhaps around the time Crucible DLC was being talked about) I really appreciate this compilation since my main character isn’t exactly easy to gear because he is a spellbreaker.

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90

Added Budget Physical Cadence-Blitz S&B Witchblade (Physical)(Witchblade)(The_Coyote)

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91

Added SSF Dreeg’s Evil Eye Sentinel - leveling and beginner build (Acid)(Sentinel)(tqFan).

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92

Now also sorted by masteries and classes:

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You can find which class has no beginner guides.

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93

Now also sorted by authors. Make new builds to climb to the top of the list! Perhaps you can beat our forum Nerdy.

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94

All I can think about right now is how I’ve seen people on the Grim Dawn Reddit complain about how there’s a lack of beginner guides.

I’m like. What.

Just look at this beautiful compilation. Well done. (And I may be having a look through later, to see if I can make a beginner’s guide of my own that’s not been done)

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95

Well now when someone asks I suppose they can be linked to this thread. A couple of these have certainly helped me~

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96

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97

I think we could use some beginner leveling guides that end up with Epic sets like Myrmidon, Blind Assassin or Luminari Regalia since there’s cheap trasmutation for them if RNG fails you and one can accrue a couple mils by selling greens in main campaign.

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98

Thank you very much for this tqFan. As the number of beginner builds increases, sorting by mastery is definitely a great addition. I always struggled to find how many beginner builds a certain class had. I remember a long time ago my first char was a Witchblade and I couldn’t find a decent budget build for it and neither wanted to reroll it. It would’ve been so much easier thesedays.

I am surprised Nery (Nerdy lol) has more beginner guides than the mighty Stupid_Dragon. Writing 15 build guides is a lot of work, damn.

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99

Something like this (obviously non tested in game, just quick and dirty grimcalc constucts, going full blue set and avoiding MIs as much as possible [only using MIs if there is no blue set item or faction gear available] - and if MIs are used, the sketches have no affixes)?

But without MIs - they seem weaker than the current beginners builds (well, being more standardized has and likely should have a cost), but also with certain green faction gear in some cases a better build is possible (e.g. my dw ranged pierce paladin vs the above Luminari Paladin sketch)

edit: added some more sketches

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100

These are some very interesting builds. Maybe I’ll add sketches section somewhere in the OP.

Builds with fewer MIs are always useful for players because farming them can be really boring. I didn’t finish some beginner builds because they had so many to farm after leveling and was very relieved that the Dreeg’s Evil Eye build has all the gear in one place.

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101

I currently have a lightning AAR templar (almost finished the stuff I want to play) - and there I had the same issue. There is one MI that is rather demotivating to farm (and necessary for the build) - I even dropped another item idea while levelling because of the farming issue to keep the required farming somehow “human”.

The “issue” with the above sketches is that they are from level 94 onwards - for the levelling phase faction gear would be an better alternative to avoid long farming runs. But with such faction gear snapshots, it can be that at the end of gear levels - before you get the better version, the character starts to fall apart. And even than, at least when playing veteran, reputation farming is likely necessary in some cases.

And for levelling (and even final builds), MIs with its in-build boni also provide some kind of baseline - and often enough, normal affixes work well enough (and the gear must be changed while levelling either way). But I think for this aspect has a good enough explainer in the OP. However, I also think that the unstandardized aspect of builds using quite some MIs can be discouraging for beginners.

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102

Luminari Paladin and Myrmidon Oppressor look really strong on paper. Maybe Luminari Purifier is stronger though? Really cool builds nonetheless. I would try a different devotion setup for Luminari, but I am too lazy to build it right now.

Why not infiltrator for blind assassin though? I think it is a sin that there is no beginner pierce infiltrator guide in this compendium (Blademaster is too popular I guess). I would definitely build an infiltrator with that set.

Stormserpent trickster looks like a really cool concept. I am not familiar with this kind of build, but there is already a build in this compendium that uses Stormserpent - the Stun Jacks purifier from teppieteptep.

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