(1) Introduction
Another massive change from the last patch - Ring of Steel hits with both weapons when dual-wielding. This open the opportunity for Blademaster to pull out an amazing spec that relies on high burst potential and tons of sustain . This run is inspired again by another beast endgame spec provided by @mad_lee and that is Master of None , probably the most fun Nightblade that I ever played. Stay tuned for the boss fights and SR fights and how ridiculously strong this build is even in trash gear.
(2) Pros and Cons
PROS:
- Easy to level and very good beginner starter class
- Amazing item support during the entire leveling process
- Very good sustain for a Brawler/Assassin class
- Very cheap to build
- Good tempo and phasing on the maps
- Amazing campaign farmer (fast builds on your Stash and Blacksmith)
- Very High burst potential
CONS:
- Hard to play RoS on mouse buttons ( I place this on my hot bar due to the nature of the human arm ,very often I release left auto attacks to cast RoS with left click)
- When Ghoul is on cooldown things can get spicy in HC ( build is designed for aggressive SC play)
- Requires few hours to master the playstyle cause this is not typical melee class
(3) Leveling process
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
This level bracket involves some very important decisions - we have to pick Angrim as our Blacksmith cause he provides Honed Longsword craft , essential weapon when we switch to Ring of Steel at level 15 Milestone for RoS switch CLICK .Around level 13 I check the shops for a medal so I can attach Wardstone to both my medal and amulet , easy amulet pick is Putrid Necklace a boss drop from a cave in Foggy bank , another guaranteed item is Isaac’s Spaulders from tree stump just west from Foggy Bank Rift.Devotion wise I go for 2 points Jackal cause total speed is king this early into the game and Ghoul for a nice cheat death proc. I did 3 runs on the Krieg’s Lab rift just to stock up some crystals and scraps for the upcoming crafting session after I deal with Krieg. Crafting session is pretty standard on almost every SSF or beginner start:
- 2x Antivenom Salve - Belt + Boots
- Silk Swatch - Pants
- Scaled hide - Shoulders
- Vicious Spikes for the weapons (if you don’t have materials you can craft it in the next level bracket)
- 2x Wardstones - Medal + Amulet (if you don’t have this yet from the previous bracket)
- Helm slot stays open for Ectoplasm ( if you have it use it )
- Rings either Corpse dust or Frozen Hearts (just for some minor boost )
- Craft Equilibrium (not much options early at the game)
This Bracket involves some interesting gear options like Gutworm Mark and Murderer gear from Cronley’s gang , Cronley ring also really great option here with very good implicit . I did full clear on Rovers quests and visit all side areas like Bee queens and all caves that have a Cronley’s lieutenants as bosses , at this point my top row resistances are capped and bottom row is on the safe spot 50+ . Don’t rush the game , usually Blademaster tempo is very good so you can easily end up under geared further into campaign. Here my Devo path is pretty defensive cause Blademaster has enough damage , at this bracket I left Nightblade and start working on my Solider mastery for more sustain and utility. Don’t fight Gutworm very early I usually tackle him in late 20s or ideally at level 30 ( there is video footage which attack you have to dodge ) , be nice to Isaiah Reddan he sells Mark of the Traveler and almost any Oil and Elixirs if you reset his stocks ( he is good source of components as well). When you jump to Forgotten gods for your moving augment choose Solael cause they have huge impact with their weapon augment pre endgame and endgame , also Charging Bull is arguably the best free moving augment cause good range, lower cd and can be used in towns
Level 35 Faction gear setup CLICK ME
Level 40 CLICK ME
One of the most important milestones for any progression build is level 35 you have faction gear unlocked and you have class specific belts and relics also (if you are not beginner or not SSF feel free to craft Juggernaut relic at this point - best Solider leveling relic and one of the best relics for progression in general). We have huge weapon upgrade in this bracket as well and thats Darmaptrean Slicer and huge belt upgrade Devil’s Cord (blueprint is sold by Devil’s Crossing at respected status).Some very important component blueprints are unlocked at this bracket as well like Runestone ( triple res component on the head slot sold by Rovers) . My relic is outdated already, thankfully Homestead sell Fervor blueprint - a very good option before I can get my hands on Juggernaut ( if you dont have it don’t worry later on there is a vendor that sells all class specific relics except few that are faction vendor exclusive). Here I do progression Left part of Homestead > Pine Barrens > Blood Grove ( you don’t want to step in Blood Grove below 60 vit/chaos res even on SC ).
Note: Kymons vs Death Vigils doesn’t matter here pick the faction you like more
We have massive Ring of Steel damage but also some slightly energy issues so I start pathing towards Bard’s Harp to fix that and comfortably be a walking blender without look at my energy sustain
Level 40-50 Switch to Legion gear CLICK ME
Probably the most important milestone when progress in Grim Dawn is level 50 at this point we unlocked second tier factions that sell level 50 gear like Black Legion ( I really like their boots and their shoulders for this setup cause heavy armor pieces ). Time to upgrade all the MIs for level 50-55 as well , its good to start hitting your desired bosses around level 48 according to not get too high level bases. This bracket unlock for us Servitor’s Slicer final weapon for this setup coming with cooldown decrease on Ring of Steel and that’s how we become walking blender , I farm Shrine of Ratosh void rift and Lunal Valgoth void rift in Mourndale (use grim tools for Mourndale rift helps a lot ), apart from that pretty straight forward progression - do every quest , you can even do some side quests as well especially if you are in SC mode. Craft Oleron’s Blood for one of your weapons when hit Respected with Black Legion this is our form of Damage Reduction against bosses and though enemies ( if you somehow have Tyrant prefix on one of the Servitors skip this part that prefix comes with better DR)
Nothing much changed here , I carry actually the same gear from previous bracket ( good resistances and skill boosts - hard to change such pieces) , but here is ideal moment to save Hyram and reset his stocks by simple teleport the different act and port back to him after 6-7 secs ( Hyram sells all class specific relics apart from faction exclusive ones) according to get Juggernaut blueprint ( one of the best relics in the game - it scales very well with character leveling and even beyond ). We are either close to finish the Campaign in Normal or already done with it , do some preparations and finish your leftover quests before you jump to the Elite part of the guide . I really like Elite difficulty on a SSF runs or beginner runs in general cause is very easy also provides nice power up , I do this up to Homestead ( find it waste of time to clear whole content in Elite but feel free to do it ). When dealing with Malmouth invasion don’t forget to buy Aetherward Oil very cheap and useful pharmacy that decrease damage done by Aetherials and gives you some extra damage towards them , I buy quite few cause Act 1 Elite is also Aetherials based act in this way I chain nice sustain against one of the most common enemies in GD.
When I enter Elite I noticed some Aether and Chaos res problems so I jump back to Normal to buy Malmouth Bladed Waistguard Blueprint from Malmouth Resistance Faction vendor and Malmouth Defender Cuirass (don’t worry if you are not level 65 that will change very soon ). I use to find Empowered Zealot’s Gauntlets but that’s not essential any attack speed will do. Elite is pretty much cakewalk apart from Voldrak , this guy just hits like a truck no matter in what difficulty you tackle him so be sure you dodge his slams ( when he attacks with both hands above his hand ). Main goal here for this Elite jump is at least level 70 and Revered with Devils Crossing that opens their augments for us and their Elite gear which works very well on a Blademaster. Cronley’s gang grind is pretty simple I basically farm Four Hills and all his lieutenants like Halion , Balthazar , Moneybags Martin etc. I did quick jump to Korvan sands rift so I can get my hands on Fettan Mask (normal version of this helm is bad , but Elite one gives 1 to all skills )
Level 70 Revered with DC CLICK ME
We are revered with DC and their components finally cap our resistances for Ultimate.
Time for Ultimate our resistances are maxed , try to farm next tier bases for your MIs before Ultimate you can use previous difficulties for that if you have some good rolls on the jewelries and medal that’s not necessary cause rings, amulets and medals can be a bit behind during leveling due to not having impact into Armor values ( having too low level armor pieces leads to less sustain and more problems) . Nothing special for this bracket apart from that , I do exactly the same things questing and slaying and yet again Voldrak is the most scariest encounter for this bracket feel free to watch the selected moments in the video section bellow how I tackle every dangerous boss in Ultimate.
Level 82 Revered with Black Legion CLICK ME
Here I did quick jump back to Normal and grind a bit in Malmouth so I can get Revered with the Black Legion ( keep in mind ony Aetherial Vanguard gives reputation to the legion ) . Black Legion augments for armor slots are one of the best in the game - very important faction for almost any build out there, also I can buy Elite version of the boots and Elite version of the helm if I need some jenga with my resistances
Here in this level bracket I did some augments adjustments so I can equip my Fettan mask. I fully swap my faction gear for their Elite version (belt included if you have to do some more grind in Normal Malmouth , hit the Council or simply do 20-30 runs Galakros to stock up some iron bits and crystals ). Here we want to grind reputation with all desired factions ( Solael included ). You can freely slow down here and work on your reputations grinds ,stock up resources and simply power up ( if you are not beginner and you have mandates and other goodies skip this step)
Level 90-100 Campaign end CLICK ME
That’s the final bracket we close the campaign so we can move forward to next step which is pre endgame , which requires the highest possible average item level before we step into grinding for some upgrades , I hit every shop and every boss to get the highest possible bases for my faction gear and MIs , also I equip my Ultimate Fettan mask.
Budget pre-endgame setup CLICK ME
This setup was done after Totems and Treasure troves grindings , if you are not sure how to farm pre- endgame here is two simple guides:
Treasure Troves farming beginner guide
Easy Totem Farming Route for beginners
Endgame beast setup by @mad_lee + video footage of build performance in Endgame
(4) Devotion pathing
- Pink Crossroad
- 2x points Jackal (total speed is king early on)
- Ghoul (early circuit breaker and stats)
- Remove Pink Crossroad and Jackal
- Purple Crossroad
- Empty throne ( crowd control res and rare resistances)
- Yellow Crossroad
- Lion
- Blue Crossroad
- Eel
- Bard’s Harp ( energy sustain problems solved)
- Harvestman’s Scythe (life, energy and energy regen)
- Assassin’s Blade ( % Pierce resistance shred attached this to Cadence)
- 4x Points Scales of Ulcama ( flat resistance shred source)
- 4x Points Ulzaad (skip aether and chaos res nodes not needed)
- Assassin
- 5x Points Azraka , The eternal sands ( skip the proc not essential for the build)
NOTE: Keep in mind leveling devotion setup is slightly different than final version of this build cause in final version flat RR source comes from Grasps of the Unchained might so in this case Scales of Ulcama is not needed and devotions are shifted towards Unnamed Soldier for more damage
(5) FAQ
Wait a minute RS this build requires Ravager of Minds kill which is one of the most complex fights, how is this beginner friendly?
First helm is not that essential can be replaced simply by Mythical Bounty Hunter Hat (similar stats apart from the active skill) or Fettan Mask , Second if I can kill Ravager of Minds in HC mode with trash gear , everybody can kill it in SC with endgame gear ( check the video section for how to tackle him , few tries with good gear should be enough)
How the build performs in Hardcore?
Build performs very well , however keep in mind this Blademaster is designed for SC aggressive play and its not HC build originally .
How actually expensive is this build ?
Tyrant weapon is the hardest item to get , but the most important pieces here are the weapons , relic ,gloves, medal and amulet everything else can be swapped without too much impact on the performance - greens affixes also can be a slightly different as much as you get close to the final stats. I play this build completely in trash gear and it was a blast , if I have to be honest skill tree, key items and Devotions carry pretty well without crazy endgame gear( all super bosses kills part from Calla and Crate prove that)
(6) Conclusion
Ring of Steel Blademaster is one of the best starters that I ever played and one of the strongest Nightblades in general . Moving around the battlefield when shredding everything on your path was tons of fun . Easy to build ,easy to gear and very potent campaign farmer due to excellent mobility and burst damage
(7) Videos
Best Moments Normal Difficulty CLICK ME
Best Moments Elite Difficulty CLICK ME
Best Moments Ultimate CLICK ME
Cheap Setup vs Lokkar CLICK ME
Cheap Setup vs Ravager of Minds CLICK ME
Cheap Setup vs Mogdrogen - coming soon
Cheap Setup vs SR 26/27 - coming soon
(8) Disclaimer
Special thanks to @mad_lee for providing this extremely fun spec and his dedication to make Blademaster master of something , this is the most funniest Nightblade build that I ever played and a special request to @tqFan if it possible to add this new approach to the class to Beginner Compendium. Special thanks to Grim Dawn community for the retention and support so I can keep going on this beginner guides
