Big thanks to @desioner @WyreZ @WeaponZero for piloting.
I’ve been building and playing MP as of late, thinking of teams that can press SR or would just be memey fun. I put this team together bypassing conventional wisdom just a bit, conventional wisdom for team play being as many classes as you can get for skills and unique stackable sources of damage, rr, buffs, etc. But, at the same time my general experience in single player is that more pets edges out fewer more powerful pets (to a degree, so long as the more pets build isn’t sacrificing resists, damage, etc). It has been my experience that one powerful briarthorn is not as good as two average briars. One more powerful bird is not as good as two birds with the full Bysmiel set. That’s just been my experience in the game, most of the time.
With that in mind, I sacrificed a few classes in this team build for more briarthorns. That is more strong pets at the expense of fewer even more powerful, more buffed pets. Could my experiences in SP translate to MP, where the loss of a class or two can be compensated for and then some by MOAR briarthorns? Well, we’re still early in testing, we’ll see where this team hits a wall, but S̶R̶1̶5̶0̶ *edit - SR175 down and done so quite comfortably at the time of this writing, so far.
Also, while these builds would do “ok” in solo, some do not have their resists up fully or are missing out on normally used skills as other members of the team have those skills. You’ll see three shamans in this team, but only one with Mog Pact, only one with briars that have emboldening presence, one uses devouring swarm for rr, one uses wind devils, etc. Also, while all pets are getting the same team auras, the three sets of briarthorns all do different damage types (vitality, elemental, physical). Some toons are lacking acid / poison resist, aether, chaos etc. as the team has numerous sources of that as team buffs, when together resists are all a-ok. But alone, any of these toons can be a little lacking.
The team:
Kotoha Miyamasu - Conjurer - This toon’s job is to be the pet and DPS anchor. Lots of rr, team buffs, lots of pets with high HP. This toon rolls up it’s sleeves and gets dirty.
(why two GT links? Because I built it how I envisioned it, the pilot playing the conjurer is a builder at heart… can’t blame him on that… and made his edits )
Conjurer, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator - As drawn up originally
Conjurer, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator - Tweaked by Desi, as played in the video below
Team buff: Storm Spirit (22/12), Hellfire (12/12), Mog Pact (22/12) + Heart of Wild (18/10) + Oak Skin (13/10), Blood of Dreeg (16/16) + Aspect of the Guardina (10/10)
Team rr: Devouring Swarm (18/16), Curse of Fraility + Vulnerability (2/10,10/10)
Team heal: Blood of Dreeg (16/16), Healing Rain (Devo), Mend Flesh (6/16)
Pets: 2x Briars (26/16 - vitality), 1 bird (defensive), 1 hound (defensive), 3x Ghosts (gear - Arms), 1x Stalwart Guardian (gear - ring), 1x Salazar blade pet (1H), Bys Cuffs pet (Devo), Conjure Primal Spirit
Six Pack Storm Briars - Druid - Adds two more capable briars, buffs, resists. Not as much DPS as the conjurer, but this is no slouch in dishing out the hurt on the team.
Team buff: Iskandara (21/12) rest of line at soft cap
Team rr: Wind devil / Raging Tempest (15/12), Rhowan Crown (Devo)
Team heal: 1 Wendigo Totem (15/12), Healing Rain (Devo)
Pets: 2x Briars (26/16 - elemental), Primal Instinct bugs (Relic), Salazar Blade temp Pet (1H), Primal Spirit (12/12)
Six Pack Fiizikal Briars - Elementalist - Don’t let the class fool you, these briars have no conversion and lay down the smack via physical damage… and of course the many layers of differing damage types from team auras.
Team buff: Flame Touched (22/12) + Temper (16/12)
Team rr: Thermite Mine (16/16) + Hellfire Mine (12/12), Assassin’s Blade (Devo), Dire Bear (Devo), Blackwater Cocktail + Agonizing FLame (13/12)
Team Heal: Healing Raing (Devo)
Pets: 2x Briars (26/16 - Physical), 1x Salazar Blade Pet, 1x Primal Spirit
You got briars I fix briars - Tactician - No pets, no damage. Just pure tanky healy goodness here.
Team Buff: Field Command 22/12 + Squad Tactics 22/12, Aura of Conviction (17/12), (Vigor 17/10), Battle Cry (legs), Battlecry (chest)
Team rr: Word of Pain + Death Sentence (14/12), War Cry (22 flat rr from conduit) + Break Morale (14/12)
Team Heal: Healing Rain (Devo), Apothecary Touch + Apothecary set heal, Menhir’s Bastion (Relic)
Pets: Inq Seals 22/12
Thanks @WeaponZero for the editing!!
SR150 chunks 3-4. We have done 120, 130, 140, 150 *edit - 175 now… we’ll see where it hits a wall, but very comfy up to this point.
Update as of 1/2/2023 - SR175 update: