Build Intro:
I sat down one day and tried to come up with a more powerful build based on Ultimate Harcore Tactician- The Harmacist. Messed around with itemization, and ended up with a pretty solid outcome.
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/luches/art/Faith-Flame-and-Bolter-391923636
Pros & Cons
PROS:
- Very high damage output with fairly consistent critical hit rates
- Durable ranged attacker that can stand at the frontlines, great at sustaining own health via life steal
- Can provide useful debuffs / buffs in coop through a variety of skills
- High mobility
- Extremely simple playstyle
CONS:
- Health pool could be higher
- Slightly worse crowd clearing speed compared to ranged purifier builds
- Very poor health regen ; must hurt / kill enemies to keep HP topped up
Leveling
For leveling, I referred to this guide [1.1.9.0] Pure Soldier [HC] Beginner Forcewave 1-75 Leveling Guide + Endgame Options and Class Combos
There are other ways to get to level 94, but an Obsidian War Cleaver with decent affixes and suffixes is extremely easy to farm. Most notably, it grants a significant damage bonus to Forcewave which turns it into a devastating skill.
Since the final build has a really simple playstyle, with zero complexities, the switch from melee to ranged at the endgame really feels like a reward more than anything. You can level up from 1 - 94 as a ranged character, but Forcewave leveling just feels simpler and more straightforward in my opinion.
Before moving on, here is how I recommend distributing our skill points following each Level Up:
- 2 points into Soldier / 1 point into Inquisitor Skill Tree (Level 2 - 50)
- 1 point into Soldier / 1 point into Inquisitor Skill Tree (Level 51 - 90)
- If you are done with the soldier tree, then focus completely on the Inquisitor Tree
Soldier tree Skill allocation is as stated in the guide, though you might want to consider these options from the Inquisitor Tree as well while leveling:
- Deadly Aim
- Word of Renewal
- Vigor
- Steel Resolve
Once you have hit level 94, please continue reading and prepare to respec your skill points.
Build
Tactician, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.7) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator : Final Build
Attribute points- Physique /13 Cunning /94 Spirit /0
Play this build as you would with any other ranged auto-attacker characters. Place Inquisitor Seals for more damage absorption and to strengthen your damage output.
War Cry should be used sparingly as it is binded with the ‘Ulzaad’s Decree’ Celestial Power. Ulzaad’s Decree has a lengthy 22 seconds cooldown by default (this amount can be lower if you have any cooldown reduction bonuses) so only use war cry when you need a lot more firepower ; stand on an inquisitor seal for maximum effectiveness.
While the tactician can take a lot of abuse, always try to keep your distance and maintain proper seal usage as your main means of survival - Leave the actual tanking to shield melee characters.
In a coop setting, Field Command, Word of Renewal, Aura of Conviction, Inquisitor Seal & War Cry are skills that can help your teammates, so try to always stay close to your allies especially while on the offensive.
In terms of performance, you can compare it with this similar build here [1.0.7.1] DW Ranged Physical Cadence Tactician (no greens) . My build techs heavily into Markovian’s Advantage for burst damage which is also reflected in my choice of items. You may also opt to redistribute more points into physique for higher health & defensive ability.
Constellations
- Yellow Crossroads
- Assassin’s Blade (Bind of Cadence)
- Blue Crossroads
- Eel
- Empty Throne
- Ulzaad, Herald of Korvaak (4 nodes only, Bind to War Cry)
- Crane
- Hammer
- Sailor’s Guide
- Azrakaa, The Eternal Sands (5 nodes only, Bind to Summon Deathstalker)
- Toad
- Owl
- Oleron (6 nodes only)
- Hawk
- Refund Blue and Yellow Crossroads
- Chariot of the Dead (5 nodes)
Final Words :
Though I would have preferred a more support / healer oriented character, a frontline offensive character which acts as a leader of sorts feels like a nice alternative as well. That and it is quite rare for me to see a ranged attackers with solid defenses, so I just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. I’m kind of looking forward to testing this on post endgame content if I ever have the time, but as far as normal story content is concerned, this build felt pretty powerful all the way until the end.