Before the 1.1.9.6 update, the Desolator was used in multiple builds that focused on the passthrough aspect and either focused on Fire or converted away from Fire. Now, with the passthrough removed from this weapon, there doesn’t appear to be any draw to using this weapon, with the only video evidence of this weapon being used is Mad_Lee derisively referring to this weapon as a “meme” in this video: Meme Desolator Paladin vs. Crucible 150-170 (4:59 run) - YouTube
I wanted to try the Demo + Soldier bonuses since this weapon is swimming with them, and came up with this build: Commando, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.6) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator. My initial thought was that the beefed-up Vindictive Flame + 15% ADCTH would have been suitable for most content, except this build is squishy. Very, very squishy. Yeah, it has Blast Shield and Ghoul, but I’ve had so many instances where I’d get 20,000 damage per second that I just gave up on the concept.
I’ve tried Crucible 7 times and failed all of them. I died every time Grava’Thul was on the field, and that is with multiple Sanctified Bones to increase Cthonic damage. Most notably, resists are very tight on this build, especially Physical Resist but most other resists are hard to overcap as well. AoE damage is alright now that we can use passthrough Zolhan’s + Plunderer’s Talisman + Seal of the Void, but single-target is hard to come by.
How to improve the weapon? Replacing the -offensive ability mod to Flashbang with a more general %reduced damage mod would be a good step, since Ulzuin’s Wrath is inconsistent with what targets it hits. Giving a resistance (any resistance) to Mythical Ulzuin’s Torment is a good step as well, since the belt is essential from an offensive point of view.
Anyone else have any experience with the weapon since the update? For a weapon that was changed so drastically, I haven’t seen anyone bring up the weapon at all.
Agreed with OP. As I’ve mentioned on a passthrough thread (Pls add passthru to more item skills - #6 by lMarcusl) I’ve been using the gun on a Pyromancer before the change. Where previously the build completed 3 out of 5 SR75-80 runs within timer and could even get 4/5 done on a good day, now I’m having to sweat pretty hard on the later chunks to get to that same result, and that’s after having to make some pretty painful sacrifices just to bring the clear back where it used to be (most notably having to sacrifice Korvaak’s Brand on a Fire Strike build). If I left the build as it was it was an easy 1/5 build now cause the single target went up by around 10 % and clear went down like a ton of bricks.
Now, I wouldn’t be all that heartbroken at my build getting castrated by the change if there were other avenues I could explore to maintain the chosen playstyle. But Desolator feels like the ONLY usable 2-h fire gun in the game if you intend to actually attack with it. You’d have to get pretty godly rolls on the fire MI’s (primarily attack speed and in most cases also flat cause the only one with flat is Messenger’s Blaze Cannon) and they all offer nothing in terms of usable modifiers or skill bonuses for an attacking build. The Epics all get their flat damage in the form of Burn which takes them all completely out of the running. Purples are all caster guns except Hellborne which is a whole build of its own. Which means that with the Desolator nerf, 2-h ranged fire became forgettable in its entirety (at least for non-WPS classes) unless you’re
a) willing to farm for a great MI roll and gain chunky flat damage at the cost of survivability – a humble Searing Messenger’s Blaze Cannon of Alacrity will cost you +2 to demo, 600+ health, some % attack speed, bunch of % damage and a chunk of acid res. Demo/fire isn’t generally overendowed on the defensive front/acid res front and is hungry for +skills so that hurts.
b) willing to jump through some brutal conversion hoops like using Ugdenbog Arcaneweaver and converting all Cold and Lightning to Fire. You lose on skill bonuses and most of the other stuff I mentioned in a) but at least you get some passthrough on Fire Strike…
I can say that at least from my build’s perspective the change to the Flashbang mod you suggest wouldn’t improve anything due to the overlap with BWC’s Demon Fire. But as it stands, the Flashbang mod is doing me no good anyway as the OA reduction overlaps with BWC already. Given how much the gun has lost on clear, I feel the compensatory flat damage it got was too low. It also definitely wouldn’t hurt to get some sort of a defensive boost out of the gun, like a phys res mod to Flame Touched or a chunky slab of extra health. If bringing the gun up to a usable level for non-WPS classes comes at such a cost on other fronts (for instance, my build lost 15% WD to Fire Strike, 6% lifesteal, res, health, +2 to Demo skills, flat fire from Annihilation relic etc.) the least it could do is be very good at killing single targets with some safety. Having to replace Annihilation with Plunderer along with other changes to get passthrough and AoE cost me more flat fire on gear and Fire Strike levels (went from lvl 22 FS to 17) than I gained on the flat fire buff to the gun.
This weapon really needed some Soldier modifiers when passthrough was removed. I also think ranged fire FS needs some love, it has too many unconverted damage types, and if you try to i.e. convert all global chaos damage to fire you end up with poor defensive stats and low skill points.
My own Desolator/Shar’Zul Commando, updated after passthrough removal:
It’s a Ranged/Melee hybrid build that works not so differently since playing ranged also means shooting from point blank range. Gear choice is to reach 22/22/22/22 Firestrike line. Fire Strike damage in game is like 40k fire and 5k burn (140k FS dps), defensive and sustain from 10% adcth + 6% adcth to Fire Strike + ghoul proc and blast shield, DA/OA reduction coming from leap rune which converts 1/3 of its damage to fire. In game physical resistance is 22.
Despite impressing maxed Fire Strike line, in range it’s very lacking single target damage to an extent it barely completes SR75 (highest tried and failed is 80). The build is squishy, making fast Nemesis like Grava, Kaisan, and Iron Maiden become impossible to kill on those shards, even Kaisan is impossible at SR75 too. Fabius and Reaper can be kited provided the map is big enough and empty. Another worth noting boss is Sister Crimson and Ram’zul. Sister Crimson’s normal 3 orb attack takes 1/3 health and a guaranteed death if all 3 hits, while Ram’zul slow slap immediately kills at full health, even when avoiding his DA debuff rain.
Part of the problem is the cold conversion has no use in this build, lightning conversion is much more preferable to converting the Static Strike damage. I would propose this change, the goal is to fully utilize the current unconverted flat damage instead of adding more flat fire:
add global lightning to fire at the Desolator or the glove,
add 50% physical to fire mods to Field Command on Desolator, and
add 100% chaos to fire to Flame Touch for the headpiece.
Another problem I’m noticing when making this build is most items that support Fire Strike give no bonus to other supporting skills that synergy with Fire Strike, on the build above only the glove and weapon slot that also give a bonus to non Fire Strike. Even with +4 Demolitionist and +2 Soldier, the build still lacks skill points.
The save file for those who want to try it _Raqi.zip (1.5 MB)
this is my version of Purifier with Desolator. Build kills Mogdrogen and Lokarr, cannot kill Ravager, Callagadra, Crate.
It clears SR 75-76 safely, so probably developers think it’s where weapon should be in view of power considering it is faction item.
I’m fine with it, still a strong ranged weapon overall, single target dmg is a bit lack luster. Could change the mod -100% energy cost to something useful (like 5% physical res or 200 armor to Flame touched), and add a mod to Soldier mastery ( like -20% fire rr to MAvantage).
Unfortunately, that’s not possible as “-%RR” cannot be added to attack skills or WPS. Perhaps it could add “reduced target’s Resistances” since that can be added.
doesn’t viper and revenant/rhowan make any RR mods, superflous?
unless the new mods are higher than those (probably still taking viper for OA in the end i guess anyway)
if you’re making a fire solder, you’ll likely be wanting the highest sources of RR, so if it’s like Stormserpent set with a measly 20rr, it’s probably not gonna result in much in the end anyway?
or am i just being too much of a downer here
Purifier is still going to be strong with this, while I really don’t know how the soldier support was ever supposed to work. It sounds mildly fun until you run into grava with only mines and two sanctified bones as racial and you run for your life through multiple null bolt cycles. I’ve tried it for giggles on fire cadence as well which ended the same.
Giving it passthrough to a soldier wps works thematically but is still going to fall apart in harder content imo, it would need other damage bonuses. Doesn’t necessarily cover the general purpose pyro use mentioned either. Probably the biggest/only major tradeoff from the passthrough changes.
Made some devotion tweaks and the new Desolator update raises the ranged FS to 45k. Really wish at least the Commando side got a way to convert more physical and lightning to fire as cold to fire is pretty much useless on this build.
I’m noticing a better killing experience against fire or burning hero in SR. But when fighting Kaisan, IM, and specially Grava, it becomes impossible at range mode and must swap to melee for a chance to kill IM or Kaisan, even then with the +70% mutator it is just an immediate loss.
