Vitality Cadence Bloodknight - Super safe 170 tank; 770k cadence crits when buffed/bannered

[veretragna]

If you already after ~3 years have done all legit builds in the game, isn’t it time to move on to another game?

Not needed if one still enjoys the game

[sir_spanksalot]

Because I have this https://imgur.com/rK1QHIi

Building off my homie x1x1x1x2, I suppose I enjoy creating builds moreso than playing the game if that makes sense?

I just don’t see the point in killing grava’thul a bajillion times just to get an item only to realize that the concept I had in my head sucks the hairy one.

Given the difficulty of getting the greens to make end game builds work, personally do my utmost best to create builds with as few greenies, and will often include far more accessible gearing options in my guides.

Truth be told, I don’t think most of my builds are unrealistic to gear for at the end game stage.

[sir_spanksalot]

Building off my homie x1x1x1x2, I suppose I enjoy creating builds moreso than playing the game if that makes sense?

I just don’t see the point in killing grava’thul a bajillion times just to get an item only to realize that the concept I had in my head sucks the hairy one.

Given the difficulty of getting the greens to make end game builds work, personally do my utmost best to create builds with as few greenies, and will often include far more accessible gearing options in my guides.

Truth be told, I don’t think most of my builds are unrealistic to gear for at the end game stage.

I suppose you can also consider using the wildblood mace. I just didn’t want to include it as an option because said build is the brain child of mad_lee.

[malawiglenn]

Building off my homie x1x1x1x2, I suppose I enjoy creating builds moreso than playing the game if that makes sense?

I just don’t see the point in killing grava’thul a bajillion times just to get an item only to realize that the concept I had in my head sucks the hairy one.

Given the difficulty of getting the greens to make end game builds work, personally do my utmost best to create builds with as few greenies, and will often include far more accessible gearing options in my guides.

Truth be told, I don’t think most of my builds are unrealistic to gear for at the end game stage.

You won’t believe how many hundreds/thousands of hours I have sank into Diablo II grinding for items for weird builds and then when it is time for testing it, 9 of 10 cases I get disappointed. But it is a part of the game and the challenge. I would never in my life consider using some kind of char/item editor. It is like fabricating experimental data in an experiment…

Grinding is a part of the game, enjoy the ride

[Superfluff]

If you already after ~3 years have done all legit builds in the game,

You can’t really unless you make it a full time job

[sir_spanksalot]

You won’t believe how many hundreds/thousands of hours I have sank into Diablo II grinding for items for weird builds and then when it is time for testing it, 9 of 10 cases I get disappointed. But it is a part of the game and the challenge. I would never in my life consider using some kind of char/item editor. It is like fabricating experimental data in an experiment…

Grinding is a part of the game, enjoy the ride

I’m not sure if I agree with you entirely. For example, every single drug which has been pumped out by pharmaceutical companies have undergone many stringent stages of testing.

AFAIK, people don’t typically go out to the real world to test an idea, they usually do so in a controlled environment first.

How is GDstash different from that?

To continue this analogy, fabricating data in an experiment to make it work would be akin to creating a whole new item which exists outside the itempool.

Fake data = Analogous to fake items.

Just my 2cents.

[malawiglenn]

I’m not sure if I agree with you entirely. For example, every single drug which has been pumped out by pharmaceutical companies have undergone many stringent stages of testing.

AFAIK, people don’t typically go out to the real world to test an idea, they usually do so in a controlled environment first.

How is GDstash different from that?

To continue this analogy, fabricating data in an experiment to make it work would be akin to creating a whole new item which exists outside the itempool.

Fake data = Analogous to fake items.

Just my 2cents.

Yes, but this is a game where a huge part of that game is to grind for items, improve builds, grind more items, improve builds further.
Posting builds made in editors are just a way of obtaining huge e-peen.
A tool such as grimtool calc should be enough.

[sir_spanksalot]

What IS e-peen?

And to each their own I guess. Who am I to say what’s the best way to play this game?

I just do what I enjoy and hope it doesn’t impinge on the fun of others. I do apologize if I have in anyway done so.

P.S. The only reason why I even share my builds in this forum at all is because I personally have learnt a lot from the top crafters like fluff, chthon, JoV, DaShiv (I could go on naming them, but I shan’t).

It’s my way of giving back to the community if that makes sense? Hence my super recent join date.

EDIT: Just googled e-peen. WELL. MAYBE I’M COMPENSATING FOR MY LIL’ ASIAN WIENER.

Jokes aside, I suppose I can see how/why people might think that. But whatever. If I lived my life fearing the judgement of others, I’ll never do what I enjoy.

[sir_spanksalot]

Also, by undercity - I really meant SoT.

Sorry! Brain fart.

[malawiglenn]

I guess if the game developers intended that one could simply make all items available at all times, they would have included that feature…

The wildblood mace seems like a decent upgrade too, can it drop from any boss with sufficiently high level?

[sir_spanksalot]

It drops like any other purple.

P.S. Game devs never intend for many things to happen. If people stuck by the rules all the time, we wouldn’t have DoTA for example.

[malawiglenn]

I know what DoT and Dota 2 is, but not DoTA (it is not listed in the acronym compendium)

[sir_spanksalot]

I meant DOTA.

You can substitute that with any popular, mod-able game (e.g. L4D2)

[Evil_Baka]

Regarding the GDStash discussion - whether you do or don’t, at the end of the day, Grim Dawn is a single player-focused game that supports modding.

Everyone will change/play the game how they want to. Like someone said earlier on too, stashers like spanks do know that not everyone plays like this so don’t trade edited items or post builds that aren’t functional with mid-tier gear (his stashed builds show what an absolute perfect setup would be but perfect is not required to play it).

On-topic, good job on the build spanks. Always good to see more builds using Blood Knight as it is a very fun and strong set

[sir_spanksalot]

Thanks evil_baka!

I know I’ve said this before, but it really means a lot coming from the vets.

[malawiglenn]

I have some n00b questions, what is a circuit break under defense?

Why is transmuter Harvester of death used on Bone Harvest? I thought the idea was to go Vitality damage, what am I missing?

It seems like you are using Ill omen over War cry, what is the idea behind that?
(in the other versions that you posted, you have neither War cry or Ill omen and instead Ravenous earth which I do get since the 33% reduction of monster life from war cry is not really useful against those superbosses, perhaps I will switch to this skill but the short radius is something that I am worried about or is enough that a monster gets “hit” by it to have reduced damage?)

How useful is Counter Strike on this build actually? I do not see the purpose either, so what am I missing?

[veretragna]

I have some n00b questions, what is a circuit break under defense? Strong defensive skills with long cooldown and limited duration - Mirror of Ereoctes, Mark of Torment etc.

Why is transmuter Harvester of death used on Bone Harvest? I thought the idea was to go Vitality damage, what am I missing? +30% Weapon damage and 20% total damage mod is HUGE damage boost to Bone Harvest even if some Physical damage is converted to Cold. Don’t forget that Weapon’s main damage is Vitality, so only bonus from Deadly Momentum is physical here.

How useful is Counter Strike on this build actually? I do not see the purpose either, so what am I missing? It’s passive healing ability with this set. Everyone hitting you will get punch and heal you for 12% damage dealt.

Green color is the best color.

[x1x1x1x2]

I have some n00b questions, what is a circuit break under defense?

Why is transmuter Harvester of death used on Bone Harvest? I thought the idea was to go Vitality damage, what am I missing?

It seems like you are using Ill omen over War cry, what is the idea behind that?
(in the other versions that you posted, you have neither War cry or Ill omen and instead Ravenous earth which I do get since the 33% reduction of monster life from war cry is not really useful against those superbosses, perhaps I will switch to this skill but the short radius is something that I am worried about or is enough that a monster gets “hit” by it to have reduced damage?)

How useful is Counter Strike on this build actually? I do not see the purpose either, so what am I missing?

veretragna had a reply to this but it seems like it was deleted for some reason.

Circuit breakers are skills that save your life when a certain condition is met, usually when you’re about to die. Examples are Menhir’s will, ghoulish hunger, mark of divinity proc.

Transmuter on Bone harvest is great cause the drawback conversion is negligible. There is only a very small amount of physical in there that it doesn’t matter if it becomes cold.

Warcry, Ill Omen, Ravenous Earth serve the same purpose. Ill omen and raenous earth are better when it comes to devotion proccing. RE is obvious. Omen not that much. The way the skill works is that you cast Omen, it hits a few guys, even just one will work, then it will spread like a plague to nearby people, and it ‘attacks’ them every second, making it very good for proccing.

vounter strike, It’s a skill naturally supported by the set. When enemies hit you, you hit them back and since it deals weapon damage, you get lifesteal, not to mention the lifesteal mod BK set gives it.

[TomoDaK]

I have some n00b questions, what is a circuit break under defense?

Why is transmuter Harvester of death used on Bone Harvest? I thought the idea was to go Vitality damage, what am I missing?

It seems like you are using Ill omen over War cry, what is the idea behind that?
(in the other versions that you posted, you have neither War cry or Ill omen and instead Ravenous earth which I do get since the 33% reduction of monster life from war cry is not really useful against those superbosses, perhaps I will switch to this skill but the short radius is something that I am worried about or is enough that a monster gets “hit” by it to have reduced damage?)

How useful is Counter Strike on this build actually? I do not see the purpose either, so what am I missing?

1. breaker is anti death proc/skill
2. The transmuter only converts physical to cold. Since our weapon is pure vitality there’s no issue here and it’s simply a big damage boost
3. As long as monster gets hit by re they have reduced damage. He puts all the pts into omen to increase duration so it’s always up and spreading amongst enemies for ultimate rattosh proccer
4. CS is super useful. Contributes very nicely to aoe, provides huge life steal, and does more single target than you think

[sir_spanksalot]

Wew. That’s a whole buncha questions. But luckily for the 2 of us - I’m on summer break!

1. What is a circuit breaker (CB)?
   CBs are essentially any defensive mechanism which procs when you’re low on HP. A great example would be mark of divinity.

I admit I am therefore using the term CB here rather loosely in my guide. The closest things I have to an actual CB in the literal sense are ghoul, and menhir’s will.

However, MoT and haunted steel do grant you extreme survivability. And they are fantastic because you are free to use them whenever you want.

2. Transmuted BH:
   I’ve tested it, the massive damage boost outweighs the conversion the transmuter gives.

3. Ill omen vs war cry vs RE
   Each has it’s pros and cons. So let’s do 'em individually (bearing in mind this is nothing more but my opinion):

War cry - AoE damage reduction. Easy to hit. But has a 2 (or is it 3?) second downtime. 12 skill point cost.

RE: Has 0 downtime due to its short cooldown. This also means that it has to be recasted constantly which in turn decreases dps as you arent hitting things if you’re casting RE. Also, projectiles can miss. 13 skill points (because you need 1 in ravenous earth)

Ill omen: 0 downtime. Spreads like pox. Fantastic devotion proccer. Weakest of the 3 in terms of damage reduction. 10 skill points.

After testing out funky_gandalf’s suggestion of using RE, I found the increase in defence wasn’t that noticeable given that I’m constantly cycling through one of my available ‘CBs.’ I ultimately chose to stick with omen due to the lower skill point cost, and for less autoattack interruption.

Ultimately, it depends on player preference.

4. Counterstrike
   TOTALLY worth IMO. The fact that you’re using a 2H weapon means that the 25% is applied to a much bigger damage pool. You can lifesteal off counterstrike; you can damage things while kiting; and the set gives it such a nice bonus.