Returning player, looking for a levelling idea for big aoe and survivability to transition into endgame. I was going to do trickster but it’s aoe seems small. I tried inquisitor but standing on a rune for survivability isn’t my thing either.
I love Elementalist with Cyclone set and lightning BWC conduit for this kind of build
Well If you like Word of Pain and Runes for AoE as Inquisitor you can always kite and can skip the Seal 
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that’s what i’ve been doing lol it works out pretty well, just worried about endgame when i get there.
Runes at least scale well later on, word of pain will fall off a bit more
Not sure if it’s what you want, but endgame Pyran sorcerer is one of my favourite builds.
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Druid Storm Totems + Wind Devils. Lots of lightning AoE, defensive options and health regen.
Fire Forcewave Commando. Needs a specific weapon to enable but it can be farmed after Act 1. AoE ramps up nicely as you add devotion procs. Can become quite a regen tank and Blast Shield is one of the best defensive skills in the game.
Blitz Warlord. Doesn’t have “big” aoe but it’s fast, easy to gear and scales well into endgame with both damage and survival.
You could also turn your Inquisitor into a mortar trap Purifier if big booms is your thing. Needs a lot of skill points though.
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Yeah like this one [1.2.1.6] SSF budget Fire Forcewave Commando with Sunherald's Claymore - SR32
In fact, I went with physical FW for the entire Veteran/Normal playthrough, farmed for a sunherald weapon when I was about to swap difficulty
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Here are some fun AoE endgame builds:
or this one should be fun (I haven’t tested it yet):
or you could do something similar to the above as an Aether/Lightning Druid using AAR/Devastation/Outcast’s Secret/Reckless Tempest/Eternity Relic! 
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if FoA was already out I’d say any Winds Of Asterkarn build, the AoE is huge. I don’t know how huge exactly, maybe some aura builds cover more area.
from Z himself in GM #185:
Damn, that one is really charming to try out!
i can’t freaking wait. i’m dying over here for the new class. it’s exactly the type I love to play.
I might try druid. I did start a primal strike build last night, got to 20 and went to bed. It’s been doing well.
I also started a demolitionist and digging it so far.
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You can also consider range Primal Strike with pass-through for some crazy AoE like in this guide, just look at the gif:
[1.2.1.5] Beginner Primal Strike Vindicator - Unleash the Thunderbuss - SR and Lokarr viable
It uses Seal but one can always play Elementalist instead which has more Health Regen and Blast Shield. There are also other pass-through Primal Strike (Vitality / Cold) but they need some endgame gear.
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itll be between that or demolitionist/x lol. i’ve been pumping fire strike / explosive strike and vindictive flame. it just melts everything (pun intended) and demolitionist seems tankier than i remember (I havent played since the expansion dropped originally) I love that mobs hit me and explode themselves lmfao.
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Demo feels deceptively immortal until you die when Blast Shield is on cooldown all of a sudden 
and then you stop considering it tanky
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well, after dumping points into vindictive flame/ wrath, i think my best bet is to actually give a go at builds i never had interest in- retaliation.
i thoroughly enjoy watching mobs kill themselves while beating on me lol.
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Looked it up, the basic radius of Winds of Asterkarn is 10m. Most auras should be able to go beyond that, but damage will probably be less.
@apostate Have you considered an aura build, eg. Auradin? I think there are a few variants floating around the forum, here’s the one I’ve been playing Paladin, Level 100 (GD 1.2.1.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
No Inq Seal, just Aura of Censure + Word of Pain, both with a 15m radius. Haven’t played it in a while but should still be a decent SR farmer.
i did see one from rektbyprotoss wasn’t sure how they held up toward the end. might have to give it a shot. im just fumbling around now that i got home from work. I did love auradin from d2.
The last time I played this setup was around the time GD 1.2 was released, it can probably be optimized here and there but it should still hold up. I used this build to farm old SR76 so SR31 should be very doable.