Grim Dawn - Now Content Complete!!

[bystander36]

Sounds like fun. I've just been plugging away at Ultimate. I looked around and it sounds like a lot of builds simply can't do Ultimate, and that defense pretty much doesn't work, as everything has ridiculously high offense (people use block, high resists and active protective abilities). So at least I know it is not me, but I did rework things again (spending tons of gold) and I got to decent defensive setup. I have almost all primary resists maxed except for vitality with 26K DPS. -50% to resists due to Ultimate was a bit shocking at first. The only issue is dealing with all the highly resistant hero mobs.

I have my doubts I'll be capable of finishing ultimate with this build. Perhaps I can do everything else, or maybe some super awesome gear will fall into my lap.

 

[sweenish]

They're still balancing, which is why it's still an Early Access game.

 

[flopper]

Is anyone else on Ultimate difficulty? I'm wondering if it is supposed to be this slow going. It's a lot slower killing stuff than before and while normal mobs are well over 100% chance to hit, a hero drops to 70% with a 60% chance to crit you. Is this normal, or is it my build?

depends, its a little bit unalanced atm, but the resists and defenses are important to handle the burst and then the pools of posion etc.. almost maxed out resists myself and its still difficult. also need to know what mobs requires what resists etc..

its a challenge for sure

 

[bystander36]

Things have gotten better since then, but the burst damage is still pretty unreal. I have issues with swarms, and have to kite. When I meant defense, I meant the defensive rating, my resistances are pretty solid. I've also gained about 1000 Offense since that post. I'm at Homestead, about to clear the fields to the west.

I also changed some devotion points to help with resistances against my damage. I picked up Manticore. While the damage type is of no help, it debuffs mobs -38% resistances (maxed it will hit -50%) and started using the haunt debuff from my relic for another -30% debuff to chaos, aether and vitality.

 

[Rhezuss]

Really cool to know that the game is now completed, I waited for that moment to seriously start playing the game. I was one of the early backers, before they put the game on kickstarter and they sure took teir damn time to finish it lol.

Still, one of the most solid ARPGs ou there with a cool theme and fun gameplay.

I loved the Adventures of Van Helsing 1. I tried the second one but lost the will to play, the game felt unpolished. Victor Vran has the same weird unpolished feel too. But now that Grim Dawn os complete, I can start the game for real and enjoy it.

 

[Denithor]

Bystander are those empowered versions of gear (your weapon and gloves specifically) or the original lowish level stuff that drops? I found the same graphic weapon and gloves the other day in four-player on normal at lower level, wondering if you just keep using low level gear all the way up due to percentages versus specific amounts of damage add. Or are there new/upgraded/empowered/whatever versions for higher levels/difficulties?

 

[bystander36]

Bystander are those empowered versions of gear (your weapon and gloves specifically) or the original lowish level stuff that drops? I found the same graphic weapon and gloves the other day in four-player on normal at lower level, wondering if you just keep using low level gear all the way up due to percentages versus specific amounts of damage add. Or are there new/upgraded/empowered/whatever versions for higher levels/difficulties?

These are legendary gloves. The low level versions are blue and with completely different stats. They are Aethereach:
49% Aether Damage
176 Energy
2 energy per second
21% caster speed
18% Aether Resistance
16% elemental Resistance
+2 Albrecht's Aether Ray
+2 Disintegration

But a lot of my gear is empowered if it isn't legendary. I just picked up an empowered gun with +1 to Arcanist, so I swapped out my +2 to Aether Ray dagger(was over max by 2 already). It has energy regen and caster speed +'s too, so I'm at 31K DPS and 200 energy per second now.

 

[bystander36]

Really cool to know that the game is now completed, I waited for that moment to seriously start playing the game. I was one of the early backers, before they put the game on kickstarter and they sure took teir damn time to finish it lol.

Still, one of the most solid ARPGs ou there with a cool theme and fun gameplay.

I loved the Adventures of Van Helsing 1. I tried the second one but lost the will to play, the game felt unpolished. Victor Vran has the same weird unpolished feel too. But now that Grim Dawn os complete, I can start the game for real and enjoy it.

Van Helsing was never very polished, but it was a fun game. I couldn't get into the 2nd one either. One of the issues for me is there just isn't much room for varying character builds.

 

[Denithor]

So what exactly are the empowered items? Same skin with higher level/different stats? Or is it something you have to do to change the item? I asked over on the official forum and got crickets...

 

[bystander36]

So what exactly are the empowered items? Same skin with higher level/different stats? Or is it something you have to do to change the item? I asked over on the official forum and got crickets...

They are just higher level versions of the same items. They often add new stats or increased stats. You will start noticing them around level 50+, as you are significantly higher level than the original items. Your old gear is unchanged.

 

[Denithor]

Cool. So the legendary (purple) items are actually different from these, right? Completely new items, not just upgrades of lower level stuff?

 

[bystander36]

Cool. So the legendary (purple) items are actually different from these, right? Completely new items, not just upgrades of lower level stuff?

So far, all the ones I've found are new.

 

[bystander36]

I'm really impressed at the rate at which you find gear. I'm continuing to find better and better gear, slowly increasing all my stats. I received a new relic recipe which is quite nice, allowing me to have enough -skill cost to drop my book for a better damage one.

Damage is starting to get good again:

 

[Denithor]

Not always, lol. Did another run with our 4 person group last night, got to and through the Steps of Torment, entered the rogue-like under that. Our arcanist got killed off pretty quickly, didn't even make it off the first floor. I died next on one of the big things that pops up out of the floor (got trapped by a pack doing vitality damage, ouch), leaving our two pet build toons. Buddy's wife died at some point but my nephew was able to make it through and finished the last boss (normal mode, mind you). We found some blues and greens but not a single piece was an upgrade for any of us. We link all blue and green equipment and if it's not going to be used by finder it's up for grabs by the rest if needed.

 

[Rhezuss]

Oh boy this game changed A LOT since my last fiddle with it early 2015. Wow i'm really impressed with the final feel of the game, it's awesome. Six classes now and the Devotion stuff is cool, didn't saw that coming.

The Shaman sounds freaking fun and I might play a Shaman/Soldier. I started a Solider but it's not that fun but i'm only level 9 now...but the Shaman sounds a bit more my style.

What a nice piece of entertainment that will probably go under the radar, unfortunately.

 

[Denithor]

Rhezuss, keep playing that Soldier - one more level - dual class into Shaman to make a Warder. Very high survivability and great damage, fun in-your-face class to play. Of course, on my warder I started saving skill points from around 6 onward, so went heavy into Shaman as soon as it unlocked. But anyway...have fun!

 

[Rhezuss]

Rhezuss, keep playing that Soldier - one more level - dual class into Shaman to make a Warder. Very high survivability and great damage, fun in-your-face class to play. Of course, on my warder I started saving skill points from around 6 onward, so went heavy into Shaman as soon as it unlocked. But anyway...have fun!

Good idea, will do. There's no real downside for the "second" class right?
I'll go back and buy back some points to go heavy in Shaman.

 

[bystander36]

I usually go full on my primary class until I hit a critical skill, at which point I will consider my 2ndary class, but it depends on the build you are after. Sometimes you have key skills in 2 classes.

 

[bystander36]

Turns out that I could beat Ultimate with the char, it just took some practice on Elite to figure out how to control the fight. It might have taken 15-20 mins, but I was in full control the whole time. I think I got faster as time went on.

 

[Denithor]

Ran through the early part of Bastion last night on Veteran up to the skeleton key gate, I pretty much have to kite everything. Died once when got surrounded and couldn't break free of a pack. Had many, many close calls though, the burst damage is crazy. Picked up my first Empowered item, a fire-skill shield that I had found lower level on my Warder the other day. Much better boosts, required level 58 versus the lower one required like mid 20's I think. Would love to find my Duelist's Sabers again in Empowered form!

 

[bystander36]

I found in the early levels, I could overpower mobs with pure damage and some occasional kiting. I also relied on mirrors some. On Ultimate, I had to kite a lot more. My last update to my build included the improvement to Blitz nearly maxed out to reduce damage from targets so I could tank a little. This seemed key to making the final battle manageable. There is one battle in the Bastion of Chaos rogue zone that also needs it.

This build is a glass cannon. You kill fast, and die fast.

 

[Adrenaline]

I am up to Log on Ultimate with my BM. I feel Ultimate is so badly out of tune it is ridiculous. It has been pulling a mob away to kill it and then run back to grab another. This is not fun to me at all.

I farmed on Elite for a long time to get gear so I wouldn't get wrecked.

Hopefully I can finish Ultimate and then continue my Spellbreaker or start a Warlock, Warder, Battlemme ot Trickster.

 

[datalink7]

Up to level 30 on my conjurer.

Just following a build that looked good on the forums. I am not into finding out what's the best skills on my own. But that's the only "spoiler" I've done. Haven't looked at any other guides, so am experiencing the locations fresh. Pretty fun so far. Will keep playing it casually.

 

[bystander36]

I found Ultimate to be really hard at first, but a few tweaks and gear upgrades as I go, and it turned around for me. I still can't just wade into things, but I don't have to kite nearly as much. Only if heavy hitting heroes show up do I have to run now, or things like Flesh Hulks.

Besides high DPS, I learned Blitz is really good to deal with many heroes by knocking them down, along with Callidor's Tempest and transmuter. I also added Blindside to Blitz to debuff 40% damage from mobs (I may take this higher). This lets me tank in small doses. I took the Freeze spell to 10 for a large radius to help slow down large packs.

The last major piece to the puzzle for me, was picking up the devotion ability Acid Spray. It's in Manticore, which is not a mage tree, but its debuff completely fixes all the low damage I had prior against resistant mobs. It's awesome seeing your first few ticks of AAR hit for 4K crits, then hit for 10K crits after the debuff.

 

[Adrenaline]

Here is my current build with gear. The incoming damage is still high. I have been working through it.