Introduction
It’s not an uncommon occurence for new players to say they are struggling with game content and ask whether their characters are supposed to be so squishy. A very common reason for that to happen is they are not using components properly. Or sometimes not using them at all, for reasons beyond my understanding.
I understand that not everyone can easily figure out which components they are supposed to use on the first try, and the vast majority of builds posted are useless as a referrence since they use high level components. This guide attempts to give new players a perspective on components before level cap.
No plans to make anything similar for endgame components. Just don’t think it’s necessary since you can open literally any endgame build posted on the forum and check what it uses.
Weapon Slots
If your build’s early levelling revolves around using some granted skill from a component then it isn’t even a question what you’re using. Frankly it’s just Fireblast and Greater Fireblast from Searing Ember and Flintcore Bolts respectively, it’s my go to strategy when I level Arcanist, Demolitionist or Oathkeeper before I have skill points for something better.
Other active skills granted by early game components are seldom used. Note that they aren’t necessarily worthless. Blessed Whetstone could be used when levelling ranged pierce builds, Symbol of Solael could be nice for chaos builds and Mark of Dreeg is here just in case you want to level a poison caster. Niche stuff.
Next, if your build can make use of a component with the damage boosting buff this is what you should be using. List of such components:
- Enchanted Flint
- Coldstone
- Hell's Bane Ammo
- Vitriolic Gallstone
- Vicious Spikes
- Wrathstone
- Riftstone
All of these require melee weapons, shields or caster offhands, with exception of Hell’s Bane Ammo which requires ranged weapons or caster offhand instead.
If it’s a melee lightning build Amber is usually used, and if it’s a non-lightning ranged build then an ammo component of the appropriate type is used instead. This is mostly for physical to X conversion. Builds would had used something from the list above instead if they could had.
Sometimes a melee or ranged build use Hollowed Fang or Haunted Steel despite it being a damage loss for non-vitality builds. This is because of the huge sustain they provide.
In cases where nothing of the above could be used you should use Purified Salt or Imbued Silver instead. Vitality casters are a good example, because they lack a damage aura boosting component. Another example is pet builds, since some of the pet builds are short on pet resistances otherwise.
If for some reason you’re going through a trial of levelling with retaliation build then your choice for shield is undisputably Serrated Shell.
This is a default approach that fits the vast majority of builds.
Chest, Shoulders and Legs
I’ve united these gear slots because they have one very special thing in common – they have components with Increased Armor Absorption stat, which is something you simply won’t find elsewhere if you’re not playing a Soldier build. I won’t go into detail how Armor Absorption works, it’s in the official game guide after all, under Armor Formula. To say it briefly this stat is essential in combats against large number of weaker enemies – a ‘mob’. The baseline armor absorption rating is 70%, while you want it above 90%.
Components that provide Armor Absorption are:
- Scaled Hide - early game, craftable, blueprint available from the start
- Ancient Armor Plating - mid game, random drop
- Living Armor - endgame, craftable, blueprint is a random drop
- Sacred Plating - endgame, craftable, blueprint is a random drop
This is the only time I bring up endgame components in this guide. Simply to warn you that you shouldn’t replace your Scaled Hides and Ancient Armor with “better” components if they don’t give armor absorption too.
Now, how to reach above 90% armor absorption? Two of my cookie cutter recipes are:
- Scaled Hide (legs) + Scaled Hide (shoulders)
- Scaled Hide (shoulders) + Ancient Armor Plating (legs) + Ancient Armor Plating (chest)
Unfortunately, Ancient Armor Plating is mathematically inferior to Scaled Hide as long as your Armor Absorption isn’t capped, which is yet again not something that commonly happens on builds that do not include Soldier. Soldier’s Scars of Battle passive provides enough Armor Absorption to replace one Scaled Hide.
In general case you shouldn’t be using Scaled Hide in your chest armor. This is because chest is a higher tier slot with better options. Ofcourse this does not apply if you don’t have access to these better options yet, in which case you should just use Scaled Hide in chest and use a different component in either shoulders or legs, like Silk Swatch or Resilient Plating. Generic better chest components are Sanctified Bone, Chains of Oleron, Hallowed Ground, then Bindings of Bysmiel for pet builds and maybe Kilrian’s Shattered Soul (just maybe, in practice it’s super niche and I never used it during levelling myself).
You’d ofcourse ask what’s better. It depends. Pick the component that provides what you lack the most. If for whatever reason your Offensive Ability is so low you’re not even seeing crits then get Chains of Oleron. If your Defensive Ability is 200-300 lower than your Offensive Ability then perhaps it’s too low and Hallowed Ground would be reasonable. If neither feel off then Sanctified Bone is arguably the best chest component all around.
Cutting the long story short, it all comes down to three setups:
- Scaled Hide (legs) + Scaled Hide (shoulders) + Sanctified Bone OR Hallowed Ground OR Chains of Oleron OR Bindings of Bysmiel (chest)
- Scaled Hide (legs) + Scaled Hide (chest) + Silk Swatch OR Resilient Plating (shoulders)
- Scaled Hide (shoulders) + Ancient Armor Plating (legs) + Ancient Armor Plating (chest)
Head
Head is the luxury slot. Simply none of the early options would have crazy returns. Some casters struggling with energy could make use of an Ectoplasm here (which isn’t the only slot where it can be placed), other builds can optionally put Antivenom Salve here if their poison resistance is lacking. Frankly it isn’t uncommon for me to run with nothing socketed into my helmet till level 40-50.
Once you’re level 40+ you’re expected to have access to Runestone, Sanctified Bone and Leatherly Hide blueprints, they can be bought from Rovers and Homestead factions once you have tier 2 reputation unlocked. What’s better is debatable, I usually run with Runestone even though Sanctified Bone is just a superior component here. Main reason is Runestone being cheaper resourse-wise.
Ironically, I almost never use Leatherly Hide during levelling, even though it was still considered even for endgame builds not too long ago. Stun resistance is an important stat, but I would try to obtain it somehow else if I can help it.
The absolute best option is Prismatic Diamond, but it requires a blueprint that is sold by a vendor in Ancient Grove, a minimum character level of 55 and hella expensive to craft to boot (Sanctified Bone is budget compared to that one)
Gloves
This one’s lacking in variety a lot. Most of the time during levelling I’m using Unholy Inscription for the extra resistances it provides (vitality could be hard to get early on), but honestly there’s almost no build that can’t make a use out of Restless Remains. The latter has extra energy, 10% cast speed and 3% lifesteal. You might thing that it’s something for casters with high weapon damage to utilize that lifesteal, and you’d be technically right, but surprising enough some melee builds use it too for that extra lifesteal, and that cast speed is a great quality of life addition if they have to debuff their enemies. For that reason this component is sometimes used even in the endgame setups over seemingly better options.
If you’re going through a self imposed challenge of levelling with retaliation then Spiked Carapace is worth considering.
Boots
Boots usually get Mark of Traveller. Grim Dawn isn’t very fun to play with low movement speed, so if your movespeed isn’t close to cap (which is 135%) it very much makes sense to use a component with movement speed. Mark of Mogdrogen is an expensive alternative, personally even with recent buffs I still think Mark of Traveller is better. While 5% health isn’t bad, 15% slow resistance is just a more scarce stat of high importance to builds that either survive off autoattack lifesteal (a great deal of slow effects in the game affects your attack and cast speed as well as movement speed, and they aren’t exactly rare) or rely on kiting. Which is close to 90% of all builds in the game, if not higher.
Yet again, if you’re going through a self imposed challenge of levelling with retaliation then Spiked Carapace is worth considering provided lack of movement speed isn’t much of an issue to you.
Belt
Belt slot always gets Antivenom Salve until endgame.
Yet again those who go through a hassle of levelling with retal might want to consider Spiked Carapace, provided their poison resistance is okay.
Rings
Similar to head it’s not an important slot early on. Ectoplasm, Frozen Heart, Corpse Dust and Soul Shard could be situatively useful depending on whether you need more energy regen, crowd control resists or vitality resistance, but my go to component is Mark of Illusion once it becomes available. It gives nearly as much energy regen as Ectoplasm, but has 32 Defensive Ability on top, what’s not to like about it. An easy way to get it is to craft a bunch of Dynamite in Homestead and use Inventor npc to dismantle stuff.
Alternatively Vengeful Wraith gives decent Offensive Ability as of recent. I can see it being useful for cold builds going for Leviathan devotion, because that route typically ends up with lower Offensive Ability. That said, I’ve levelled plenty of such builds with Mark of Illusion as well, so can’t say it’s a dealbreaker which of the two you’re going to use.
Amulet and Medal
Wardstone. This is what I’m using on pretty much all of my builds during levelling. Good chunk of resistances and 6% movement speed. It’s craftable and you don’t need a blueprint for it since Blacksmith knows it by default.
There are quite good mid-level components that could be better in certain situations, like Aether Soul, Black Tallow, Arcane Spark, Dread Skull or Attuned Lodestone. But frankly I rarely use them during levelling. The former three are pricey to craft so I avoid using them if I could help it, while the latter two are niche offense components.
Conclusion
This is my approach to using components during levelling. Not going to pretend the way I do it is the best way, but given how many times I helped new players to sort out their components this guide is long past due.