So I’ve never played a nightblade build but I was really really wanting to get one going for Hardcore (HC) mode. I don’t have a ton of gear or sets (so take that into account).
I was looking for some fun nightblade builds that can get through Hardcore without struggling massively.
I really appreciate your help - this game is freaking awesome so far and I’m excited to see what peoples thoughts are.
Thanks so much for your help <3
Arcanist 2nd for shadow strike spammer or trozan sky shards. Do not recommend either of these for newer HC player w/o items, but it is doable if you really want.
Necro 2nd has two options. DW cold auto attacker, can maybe squeeze in some nice shadow strike values too even w/o gear. 2h focused on bone harvest+shadow strike, can easily grab an alkamos weapon (one of which has fat life steal) for a nice weapon. Reaper’s can be a bit squishy at times, but access to ravenous earth/decay and mark of torment help a ton there.
Both 2h breaker and necro really want a Soulrend from Alkamos which is fairly easy to farm, but be warned he might kick your ass when he spawns with it 
Inquisitor 2nd = dw cold or rune of hag spammer. As melee this is pretty safe one due to having 2nd heal, reduced dmg aura, and seal to stand on. Not sure how reaper vs inquis compares w/o gear tbh hopefully someone can chime in, but they are both very doable for sure.
I would probably go rune of hag infiltrator unless you really wanna melee. As gearless melee nb most people are gonna have a few oh shit moments in expansion content and numerous chances to die, as without gear you need to know when to play it slow and have some okish heal timings. As a kitey caster with 2 heals you are gonna have trouble dying unless you do really stupid things. Not only is RoH is a top tier skill, but with just faction gear + an easily farmable MI in Rolderathis’ tome you can get rune up to 26/16. Being able to fully overcap such a powerful skill with easy to get gear is something very few builds get access too and makes it a great farmer for your other chars. Rune also looks super cool 
Btw you want coven sky seals for these builds ASAP. They give up to 4% OA/DA and ~100% bonus to cold and frost, keep rerolling on vendor till you get 4% OA and DA
definitely would go the infiltrator route for HC imo… its not even comparable how durable that combo is vs all others with nightblade early on. Inquisitor seal and aura of conviction are really strong, especially when combined with shadow dance.
check out my guide here if you are interested in going the melee route in hc…
http://www.grimdawn.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70221
just keep in mind you will have to play more carefully than I do in those videos to ensure you dont lose your character lol.
I also agreed that rune of hagraad spamer is the safer route
You guys are awesome. I’m going to have to give these a try - I will prob try a few on SC too!
Awesome guide btw - I love when people break down builds by the lvl. Help noobs like me understand the builds a lot better and not feel overwhelmed.
Much love you 2
Write here more after few days of use. I am interested what do you feel.
So far his linked guide is working pretty good. I am liking it. I havent had any issues yet - about to hit homestead. The double heal is really nice and the aoe damage is great. Pretty nice.