And wanted to use them but swap to a crossbow instead (i just prefer crossbows over guns)
But i dont know as a beginner how to go about them in terms of leveling what crossbows to use while leveling and endgame wise
What stats to look for on the crossbows and gear (tried to look for crossbows in the grimtools but got confused)
What skills to swap from and to (also putting in mind the buffs and nerfs in the last few patches)
What devotions to swap from and/or to or to use in general.
I am just tired of seeing crossbow builds that hold the crossbow as a cosmetic weapon while being wizards/casters who never shoot their crossbows once.
first things first: use the illusionist/transmogs. in fashion dawn any gun is just a crossbow anyway. since we don’t have 1-handed crossbows quite yet (we will get them with fangs of asterkarn) i’d start with the 2nd build. or you could even use the season mod that might have 1-handed crossbows already.
for pierce cadence there is an excellent monster infrequent: ugdenbog boltthrower, which you can farm at the start of the malmouth expansion. other than that i’d be on the lookout for the sharpshooter set (also has a mythical version).
looking at the grimtools it’s a 1 to 4 ratio in physique and cunning so that’s something to aim for. otherwise it’s safe to go mostly physique for gear and cunning if needed for weapons or spirit for rings/amulets.
you level with what that build is about: cadence, weapon pool skills and word of pain. you might want to use storm spread while leveling (because of the mod for it on ugdenbog boltthrower) and remove that on the final build.
as ranged you want hydra, as 2-handed you want kraken and as a pierce build you aim for either azrakaa or unknown soldier.
oh hell yeah, fire strike with ugdenbog arcaneweaver is amazing due the pass through mod. maybe try to fit kraken in the devotions in that case, i’d probably ditch revenant for it. i’d also go with more points in the weapon pool skills, storm spread sweet spot is 7/10 for instance as it goes from 2x3 projectiles to 2x4 projectiles.
Don’t over think it. If you want to attack with a crossbow, just max out some early game attack skills: Fire Strike, Bursting Round. And then you can get some buffs that help you attack: Ranged Expertise, Vindictive Flame(this one also heals you). There’s a reason the developers put all these at the start of the skill tree.
When it comes to devotions, for 2H ranged will want Kraken and Hydra. How you get there is up to you. Personally I also like Behemoth for survivability.
Very important thing: you want to equip some specific items: Shamblers Heart, Balthazar’s Crest and Incendiary Casque. Make sure you have a point in Flame Touched and Temper to get all the benefits.
Don’t be afraid to improvise with the build. Respecs are pretty cheap, and experience with different skills and items is the best way to learn.
And don’t hesitate ask questions. In the world of Grim Dawn, not everything is working a way you would suppose to. There are no bad builds, just some to get improved!
just a reminder of what Bdurruti said, Illusionist exist so you can transmog things on
Your actual attack weapon doesn’t have to be a Xbow/elemental xbow, if your build has a super dope rifle you can use that and transmog an elemental Xbow illusion onto your rifle, so you can always get your preferred (2h ranged) weapon visual (assuming you found that weapon/illusion prior ofc )
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