Help with leveling spellbreaker build

Grim Dawn Classes, Skills and Builds
1

Hello,

I am currently trying to level a spellbreaker with ABB + OFF for AoE and Shadow Strike for single target damage. I am half way on the main campaign on Elite, but now it’s getting signifacally slower to progress since:

  1. my DPS cannot kill trash mobs instaly and

  2. I find myself dying too often to bosses (already 34 deaths).

My current setup: www.grimtools.com/calc/pZrvJkOZ

The final build I am aiming: www.grimtools.com/calc/0V0yX0XZ

Any tips on which skills/devotions should I focus for a faster main campaign would be appreciated.

Thank in advance. :smiley:

2

Hey there,
well, I am actually shocked you even made it through normal with such build. Why are you using yellow gear in first place? Surely you must have found better items along the way…if not just use faction gear. Do you have AoM? Also, you have 89 unspent skill points and 51 attribute points. Your HP is low and your resistances are horrible. Use gear that allows you to cap resistances and boost your cold damage (if thats your focus). Your weapon also doesnt make sense. Why are you using Scythe of Tenebris for cold damage build? Also from devotions u should take Amatok ASAP.

3

He is level 53 so of course he has shitty items and unspent skill points, you can see that it is level 53 on the first char tab. The resistances should be read for Normal, not ultimate.

Now to be fair, the OP did not supply enough information …

4

I know he is lvl 53, but are you seriously telling me that after completing the campaign on normal you dont find better items? I mean every single piece of gear he is using is yellow with shitty affixes. If you do just 1-2 runs somewhere in the Necropolis or BoC you will find infinitely better green items with just random rolls, not even talking about AoM items and faction gear. Its like he randomly picked the first yellow item he found, literally…

5

If you knew that, why did you mention that amount of unspent skill points?

6

Meh, brainfart…didnt realize in that second the grimtools works different way.

7

I don’t know much about better skill distribution for levellng your spellbreaker (others can probably suggest that) but first i think I should point out that often the easiest path to an end-build design is slightly different…and once near the higher levels you then reconfigure to your goal.

So:

-cold is your present (and ultimate focus) so use weapons that increase that.

I think you are trying to use this scythe for the 14% adcth (hp leech), but you are better off getting more cold damage to kill things faster and better defences so you don’t take as much damage.

-There are 4 things to adjust defence, HP, resists, and damage:
gear, components, augments, devotion points

I’m guessing you don’t have faction gear available to buy, but if you do they are helpful.

The most common damage type is physical and armor absorption is important.
70% means that 30% off all physical damage is getting through. Thus if you are standing in the middle of trash, each trash is hitting you for 30% of its physical damage - even if it is not above you armor of 633 -in addition to anything above 633.

To sum up:
-increase absorption on armor
-try to max other resists where possible (80%). Gear with resists is the esaier way
-the more health and armor, the better it will be.
-focus on your damage type

Basic component suggestion s(note that these are all focused on resistance!):

-Scaled hide component on legs and chest = gives 98% absorption

  • leathery hide on head (HP, stun)
    -silk swatch on shoulders (bleed, pierce) or some other resistance component
    -another wardstone on amulet (elemental, bleed) or some other resistance
    -corpse dust for HP or something else to help weak resistance on rings
    -arms = something with resistance

Look for decent armor gear with resistances (except maybe weapons). Once your resistances are high, you can play around with other components.

As for devotions:

Currently, you don’t need Vulture (it is used to help reach Leviathan later). I’m also going to suggest that you don’t need some of the crossroad stars right now, either…unless you feel better with % health nodes.

That would give you ~5+ points to put somewhere.
-as mentioned, Amatok is a good choice, but keep in mind that your OA is currently a bit low for that proc (Blizzard) to happen much; Amatok it has big +%cold, which helps you do more damage- pick those first.
-or you can stick them in defensive stuff temporarily like resistance or HP nodes.

You can change these later as you get further in the campaign.

(Edit: ahh, so…Pretty much expanding on what Aerinqq suggested earlier)

8

My 2 cents:

  1. Above all, fix this weapon! Killing first is the best to survive. Focus on cold damage, and stack the bonus. You are in the middle of elite, so you should have access to Arkovian undercity and Steps of torment. Go there and farm for 2 good spectral axes (or any cold-damage weapons). Should be easy and quick. Put 2 coldstones and there you go. Don’t forget one point in dual blades to allow you to carry both.

  2. As already mentioned by the others, grab some better green armors. Faction vendor are really good, pay them a visit. If you have access to the armor of the legion or the outcast, you will find something suitable for sure. Favor armor value, resistance, OA/DA, HP. If you don’t have access to them, farm the merchants, but it might take longer. Order of Death Vigil items can be good too in your case.

  3. Once you have fixed your items, adjust the components accordingly to rise your resistances, and/or your OA/DA (resistances first though). If you have access to augments, don’t forget to apply them in the same purpose.

Let us know if this is better, and then we can speak about your skills. Generally speaking, I find you have not invested enough in the mastery bar, which means too low HP and stats.
Devotion-wise, you have enough to aim at tier 3 constellation. Maybe rush at leviathan and grab Rhowan’s crown in the process.

9

Your mastery bar is way, way too low.

This bar isn’t to unlock the required skills, this bar is the ONLY real way to increase your health / energy. At the levels you have I wouldn’t feel safe walking around in Veteran at level 30 ish, let alone anywhere at level 50+. One of your bars should be maxed at the very least.

You are losing so much health / energy with such little amounts in the bar I’m not surprised you’re having problems.

As a general rule of thumb for new players the best way to survive is to put 2 points into the bar / bars and one point into a skill each time you level up. Pumping skills as you have done leaves you very, very fragile.

Take some points out of skills and slap them into your mastery bars asap.

You don’t need to max both, but make sure the one that gives you the best return on health / energy, or the one you intend to use the max level skills on is maxed straight away before you take your char out again.

Edit, your yellow gear is basically junk, +cunning and + spirit, are really not worth the time esp as that’s all most of your gear has, Really should have a load of greens well before now.