Build Intro:
This build revolves around the Gravetouch shield, which I choose to pair with Chillheart. Since Sword & Shield oriented Eye of Reckoning builds are still relatively rare, I decided that I wanted to give that playstyle a try.
Image Source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/e0VR83
Pros & Cons
Pros:
+Excels at Crowd Clearing
+Respectable Aoe /Single Target Burst Damage potential
+Good Survivability- High HP + Moderate DA, Fair chance to dodge
+Melee build that is also suited for evasive, hit & run playstyles
Cons:
-Jack of All Trades: Balanced performance, but master of none
-Durable, but unable to tank damage
-Hybrid playstyle which takes some time to get used to
Leveling
I felt adventurous, so I opted to level from 1 - 94 as a dual wield ranged character with cold as my main damage type. Given that there arenât a lot of suitable leveling items that can scale / convert damage to cold for the Dervish, it was important for me to pick skills which have â% weapon damageâ scaling instead to compensate for the lack of damage modifiers during the early & mid game phases. Note that leveling was done in Normal & Elite mode.
ATTRIBUTES
Your Cunning stat should be raised to 446 as early as possible, since that is required for the weapons that we will be equipping. Feel free to dump the rest into physique and have just enough spirit to equip accessories while leveling. We can always respec our stats to match our finalized build later.
SKILLS
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Prioritize Righteous Fervor 16/16, then immediately move on to Amarastaâs Blade Burst 16/16 and max its modifier Lethal Assault 12/12 as well. Quickly rush Oathkeeper Mastery to the max as soon as possible- Activating Summon of Empyrion 1/16 & maxing out its modifier, Celestial Presence 12/12 along the way. This step is CRUCIAL, otherwise your damage potential will never scale properly even during the early game. Dervish, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
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Next, we are going to max both Pneumatic Burst 12/12 & Anatomy of Murder 12/12. We will also max our Nightblade Mastery at this point. All these will give us good sustainability, a substantial boost to total HP and enough Cunning to meet item requirements. Activate Blade Barrier 1/12 along the way: Dervish, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
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Elemental Awakening 6/12 & Phantasmal Armor 8/12 is what we should aim for next. You can spend lesser points in either skill if your elemental & pierce resistances are looking good. Alternatively, you can skip this step and move on to step 4 if you are not aching for resistances. Dervish, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
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Finally, we will activate Presence of Virtue 1/12 & max Haven 10/10 purely for the increased HP. Dervish, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
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From this point on, our essential leveling skills have been filled out. All that is really left is to boost our damage output and survivability even further. The skills that I would recommend spending leftover points on are Merciless Repertoire, Veil of Shadow, Nightâs Chill & Ascension: Dervish, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator
GEAR
NOTE: I was using magic (yellow rarity) 2 handed ranged weapons until level 66 in my playthrough. I mentioned that the leveling abilities have â% weapon damageâ scaling, so I was still doing quite a bit of damage, regardless of damage type. What I did was just buy a more powerful weapon each time I went back to sell my loot; if a weapon I browsed showed up as having a higher Damage Per Second on the item card, then I would buy it.
The weapon I want in particular is Deathâs Revolver which will take a while to unlock since Deathâs Vigil only becomes available later on in the game, hence why I was stuck with yellows even past level 50. Once unlocked, even the level 35 variant felt better than the yellow weapons I had at level 66, and the level 70 variant can be used until level 94 on Elite. Also, reminder that you need a Gunslingerâs Talisman to dual two Deathâs Revolver as the Dervish.
Also, there are a lot of rare (Green items) and obviously some Epic / Legendary ranged weapons which will be better than Deathâs Revolver, so please equip them if you find them. I was testing the leveling process with faction items, so thereâs no real reason for anyone else to refuse better gear other than as a challenge.
Faction Items:
Deathâs Revolver
Deathâs Mantle
Outcastâs Chilled Pauldrons
Rhowari Grips
For the other gear types, feel free to equip any items you find along the way (Rare quality or better). Emphasize on Resistances, with +Cold/Elemental damage modifiers as a secondary focus. +Skill items, epics or legendaries are nice, but only if they donât compromise your resistances while leveling. Iâve stuck with mostly rares and faction gear while leveling in Normal & Elite.
Build
Dervish, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.8) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator : Final Build
Attribute points- PHYSIQUE 49 / CUNNING 39 / SPIRIT 19
NOTE: This build was finalized during version 1.1.9.7, and played on version 1.1.9.8. It seems to work as intended, but do inform me if something seems out of place. I havenât gone through the entirety of the patch notes yet, so I canât really tell what caused specific changes (if any).
The important thing to remember about this build, is that Eye of Reckoning (EoR) is your primary crowd clearing ability, while Ring of Steel (RoS) functions as both your single target / AoE burst skill. Mobs really should not be a problem, since you can just use EoR with the occasional RoS thrown in when appropriate. Even if you get surrounded, the constant damage you put out makes it pretty easy to life steal and keep yourself healthy.
Just remember that tanking certain enemies (like Kymon) is generally a really bad idea- This isnât exactly a spin to win class since although you have decent DA + dodge/deflect chances, you will want to pull back the moment you can see that your life steal isnât catching up with your lost health. As such, sometimes going in and out of range while using RoS exclusively can be the best tactic. Use EoR for some additional damage when you can, but always play it safe with RoS if it is too risky; It might not be as damaging as Shadow Strike, but RoS can be activated without compromising your movements so much, allowing you to remain as a huge threat even if you do nothing but run around.
If you want a more straightforward and aggressive âSpin2Winâ EoR build, then this: [1.1.4.1-1.1.9.3] Physical Spin2win EoR Warlord. 150-170, SR 75 viable, no greens Warlord build would suit you better. My build can feel defensive most of the time, mostly because at the end of the day, itâs about how much damage I can avoid and not how much damage I can take, all the while weaving in and out of range just to deal quick bursts of damage. As the great Muhammad Ali once said âFloat like a butterfly, Sting like a beeâ, I think that quote alone summarizes exactly how my build would fight a powerful foe.
Devotion
1.Green Crossroads
2.Spider
3.Blue Crossroads
4.Sailorâs Guide
5.Red Crossroads
6.Jackal
7.Murmur, Mistress of Rumors (4 nodes, Bind to Ring of Steel)
8.Amatok. The Spirit of Winter (4 nodes towards Blizzard, Bind to Eye of Reckoning)
9.Finish Murmur, Mistress of Rumors
10.Finish Amatok. The Spirit of Winter
11.Eel
12.Ultos,Shepard of Storms (5 nodes)
13.Purple Crossroads
14.Empty Throne
15.Rhowanâs Crown (3 nodes, Bind to Summon Guardian of Empyrion)
16.Ghoul (4 nodes,Bind to Resilience)
17.Behemoth (3 nodes, Bind to Veil of Shadow)
18.Refund Blue & Purple Crossroads
19.Chariot of the Dead (6 nodes, Bind to Presence of Virtue)