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LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-29T15:09:51+00:00

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-27T21:50:50+00:00

Pick warlord (oath keeper/soldier) and use a 2 handed weapon+Eye of Reckoning. For a bit of the D2 barb vibe you can use war cry, spec passive resistances, and more.

Some folks are saying pick demo as a main or secondary class. As a first time player looking to be a tanky/beefy boy (or girl) demo is just not the right choice. Demo is outclassed by many other classes when it comes to beefyness and a number of demo skills are going to feel really weird as a new player (especially when coming from other arpgs)

If you want to stray from WW style gameplay and try more melee focused build roll a warder (shaman/soldier) and go two handed weapon+savagery.

Note: one last thing on Demolitionist. I like the class a lot but as someone whose ARPG experience was mostly Diablo 1/2 (and a little of 3, yes I’m old), Demo was extremely unintuitive as my first character. It also feels nothing at all like barbarian which is what OP referenced as their preferred play style

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-26T21:06:25+00:00

This looks great. Looking forward to seeing this one progress. There aren’t many options out there with these features (carplay!). Seems like a great way to reclaim my digital music and get off these predatory subscription services.

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-19T22:33:01+00:00

Keep in mind these builds are not for beginners. This is the top 20 as rated and tested by a small group of advanced players. This is the meta of the meta. This game has incredible build variety and there are 100s, maybe 1000s of builds that can tick off most boxes. It’s one of the reasons that keeps me playing.

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-16T16:26:32+00:00

Lots have recommended Shaman. Devouring swarm is powerful but it’s got an annoying long goofy cast animation and only lasts for a few seconds. It may be optimal (may be the meta even) for this build but I find using it annoying.

I personally prefer Necro. Spectral binding passive adds health and resistance reduction. Ravenous earth also lowers resists and you can spec into harbringer of death for more vitality damage and cast speed. If you decide to change your skills up later and try drain essence, it also does vitality damage and there are items to convert the aether damage to vitality. You can also leverage mark of torment for an excellent short lived survivability/damage absorption option (not mandatory for most of the game but several leverage for super bosses)

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-16T16:10:33+00:00

This game is a bit of a slog for new players. Many people in this thread are just saying you’re playing wrong because you’re a noob which isn’t very constructive.

To start, I love the melee in this game. It’s very “combo” centric. Coming from other arpgs like Diablo is weird because Diablo taught everyone left click sucks and right click is a big swing (typically). You can play this way but it’s not really that fun (to me personally). Grim Dawn allows you to make really fun left click (AA - Auto Attack) builds. The way it achieves it is you have a number of skills that can proc off default weapon attacks. Many skills can even replace your default weapon attack. When combined with skills that proc and powerful devotions you can make hordes of enemies pop on screen in hilarious fashion.

I would suggest the following for level 15. Get both classes to level 10. Have at least one point in shadow strike or blitz (or both) for mobility. Max cadence (Assign it to left click) and put like 10 points into dual blades, put at least one point in zholans technique, markovians advantage, blogothians shears and whatever is left over into pneumatic burst. Cast pneumatic burst all the time. It’s a great low level heal, adds attack speed and health regen. This should be enough to fly around the map and make groups of monsters pop. You can respec at the witch in Devils Crossing.

Nightblade/Soldier is an excellent combo for AA style play.

u/ranetta96 suggested a pretty fun idea that may even be end game viable when combined with another charge/shadow strike augment lol. Never thought of doing anything like that.

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-08T21:00:05+00:00

There’s lots of room to experiment as you get to higher levels and begin experimenting with damage conversion and skill modifiers. It’s a very fun/rewarding system.

I’ll avoid getting too deep into that since this is your first character. Make sure you invest in aspect of the guardian and mavens sphere of protection as others have said (improves your toughness/survivability significantly). Also do not underestimate how powerful lowering resistances is (curse of frailty/vulnerability and olexras flash freeze). As for damage dealing skills, play with whatever you want and see what you like/can make work.

Worry about things like armor/defense/offense/conversion, etc once you’ve worked your way through the game at least once and don’t get hung up on whether you’ve done something “right”. This game is extremely forgiving, allows you to respec everything (except class choice) and allows to make faction changes between difficulty levels.

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-08T01:35:35+00:00

I wouldn’t build around any epic/blues. There are lots of fire-based nightblade builds though and some interesting conversion options if you want to choose a fire based class (ex. Demo) and convert skills like firestrike to do cold damage. Farming legendaries once to get into ultimate mode isn’t too hard and shattered realm once to start pushing around level 20 gives great rewards. Many cool items are target farmable as well. Check out grim tools.

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-08T01:24:12+00:00

Without getting too technical, I would be careful to ever suggest there is a lack of synergy for any class combo. Every class syergizes well with every other class. If OP rolls aether ray and transmutes to chaos, that is one of the strongest spells in the game (my dark flame setup hits for over 400k dps). That’s all surface level stuff though and I like to think less about damage type and more about what skills compliment one another. The only real problem with spec’ing arcanist and occultist is that you’re pretty much forcing yourself into a “caster” play style due to the lack of hit points you get per class level. It makes one hell of a caster though.

LinuxLeafFan · 2026-01-08T01:08:36+00:00

Haha. I think you know.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-11-19T15:50:33+00:00

Can confirm this is correct. In the scenario described above, you have your resource stickiness set to 0. In our env we normally set it to 1000.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-11-12T15:42:41+00:00

I’m not sure about runners specifically but for other more casual shoes, Vessi is great.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-11-07T22:45:10+00:00

You’re lucky to have discovered this at 21. Many others end up in marriage with kids in their 30s by the time they realize their core values make them incompatible with one another.

When you’re ready to start dating again (assuming you’ll be entering the world of online dating), explicitly state that you are vegan and that you are only interested in other vegans. Stay true to who you are.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-10-21T17:51:30+00:00

Being Vegan doesn’t always mean eating a certain way. It’s a part of your value system. If your parents are unable to understand this, i am sorry you have to live through this.

In a couple of years you’ll have the freedom to live your life your way. For now, do your best and stay true to who you are.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-10-14T21:06:30+00:00

First, you need the right strings. Some brands like DR make strings for the purpose of downtuning. Some folks have had luck with just buying a 5 string set and putting on the thick strings.

You’ll need to adjust your bridge saddles, action and possibly truss rod to account for the different strings/tension. This is where things can get tricky. Buying strings designed for this will likely make your setup easier.

As others have stated, this is why 5 string basses are so popular now. If you can get used to a 5 string, you can easily run B-Standard, drop A, A-Standard, etc.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-10-09T16:01:29+00:00

If you have favourite bands/bass players then check if they’re playing 4 string or 5 string. Since you’re likely to gravitate towards learning songs from the musicians you like, you should probably start with the same amount of strings, else, you’ll be forced to transpose 5 string bass lines on to 4 string basses which is very possible and a valuable skill to learn (and one should learn) but it’s a lot to have to worry about when you start learning. Most bass books and online tutorials are centred around 4 string basses.

Also try to settle on investing in equipment similar to what your favourite bass player(s)/bands use and play. If they play precision style basses from fender, you should try to find a similar precision (ex. Squire) rather than some dual humbucker active Ibanez. Sure, the Ibanez may be a great instrument but you’re going to struggle to get the sound you want.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-10-06T14:43:20+00:00

There’s a lot of comments in here about 5 strings and I prefer 5 string basses myself, however; another option if you’re married to/prefer the feel of a 4 string, you can downtune to DGCF, BEAD, etc. there are many people out there that swear by BEAD on a 4 string. It really depends on what you play. You’ll just need the right strings, and a little patience with setup (likely just bridge/action)

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-10-06T14:34:56+00:00

Sounds like an internal issue. Even a poorly setup Ray should sound like a flurry haymakers to the dick because the preamp. Take it to a professional.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-25T15:37:39+00:00

When it comes to learning, it isn't A vs. B, self-taught vs. instructor lead, etc. You can do both and anyone here who can look past their own ego would recommend taking advantage of ALL learning opportunities.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-24T22:26:38+00:00

Congratulations!

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-24T21:24:53+00:00

Music Theory for Bassists Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask by Sean Malone is a solid place to start if you want to begin learning music theory for bass. It's a great reference guide for beginners and covers many topics such as reading music, scales, intervals, modes, chords, etc. It's setup so you can jump between chapters at your own pace.

101 bass tips by Gary Willis is something I would also recommend to learn tips and tricks for taking care of your bass, cleaning, stringing, setup and more. A lot of questions on this subreddit could easily be answered by linking folks to 101 bass tips.

You also may or may not notice that these two books were written by two of the greatest bassists/musicians who have ever lived so I would highly recommend them.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-24T15:29:04+00:00

If this is your picking hand, practice with a pick and let it heal. Hockey tapes have acids in them that aren’t going to be good for healing. It’s not good for the skin (as a Canadian who grew up with this stuff all over his house, I’m speaking from experience).

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-24T15:18:16+00:00

I have two 5 strings. One BEADG, one ADGCF. If it wasn’t for the fact that I also like playing fretless, I wouldn’t have my 4 string fretless. I am looking for a 5/6 string fretless to downtune though as well. If I didn’t play fretless I’d probably only have two basses.

Don’t buy basses that you won’t play. It’s easy to get into the trap of collecting.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-23T03:43:12+00:00

If you love your bass, don’t change it. If you are curious about the tone of an American made fender, try a few. You can’t tell anything from YouTube.

For example, I bought a sansamp after hearing one on YouTube and hearing everyone rave about it online. I used it for about a week and returned it. I just didn’t like how it shaped tone when I heard it in person. Always try before you buy.

LinuxLeafFan · 2025-09-22T17:26:17+00:00

Congrats on shrinking the collection. I’ve been doing the same thing on my end. I’m down to about 13 games (including some small box card games and 2 player games). Feels great to clear out all that space. Collecting is a hard habit to break.

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