[Class Build] Flavour (but also damage oriented): The Demolition Dwarf

[Gutbuster]

So, I've been tinkering (pun intended) with this build and felt the need to share it as it's amazingly fun to play.

 

Basically it started it with me for some random reason starting to think about Arcanum and a build I ran in there many years ago

 

Dwarves in Arcanum were a highly technological race and it got me thinking on how to transpose it into PoE.

 

Most of these choices are for flavour reasons and I rarely drop stats below 8 for some unknown reason that my brain has decided on.

Therefore, this build can be min/maxed further but I personally don't see a need for it as it's blowing s**t up even on 1.1 PoTD.

 

Anyway, allow me to introduce the techy tinkering, gun tooting and exploding, demolition dwarf.

 

Character Creation

Race: Mountain Dwarf

Classes: Assassin and Sharpshooter (Assassin because Grenades works with assassinate! and sharpshooter for some crazy pen with blunderbusses, ghostheart would work if you hate pet management)

Starting Abilities: Cripling Strike and Marked Prey

Culture: Living Lands

Profession: Scientist

Pose: Energetic (very important)

 

Stat spread: 

Might: High

Constitution: Low

Dexterity: Low/Medium

Perception: High

Intellect: Low/Medium

Resolve: Low

 

Low: 6 - 10

Medium: 11 - 15

High: 16-20

 

Might is very important for this build as is perception. I personally leave Dex at 10 as I find the reload time to be more than good enough anyway and bring Intellect up to ~15 for grenade radius and because he's a scientist after all..

 

Weapon focus: Blunderbuss and Pistol

 

Skills:

Active: Pump all but a few points into Explosives, I'd recommend 3-4 points in stealth to allow for some insane combat openers.

Passive:  Streetwise and Survival even split.

 

Abilities: 

Resilient Companion

Wounding Shot

Gunner

Two Weapon Style

Marksman

Dirty Fighting

Deep Pockets (gotta be able to fit them grenades in)

Marked for the hunt

Accurate Wounding Shot

Debilitating Strike

Finishing Blow

Evasive Roll

Concussive Shot

Devastating Blow

Driving Flight

Deep Wounds

Uncanny Luck

Improved Critital

Concussive Tranquilizer

Survival of the fittest

Evasive Fire

Deathblows

 

There's a few points left there, the build kinda comes together around level 15 or so and the additional abilities after that are just gravy.

 

Equipment of interest:

Acina's Tricorn

Ring of the Marksman

Betty: Xefa's Empirical Explication

Bessy: Kitchen Stove

 

Then generally speaking items that add to explosives and stealth.

 

I have with a few of these pieces and some enchants got 2.3 second reload time on the blunderbusses which I find to be plenty good.

 

Grenades:

All of them have their uses, for straight up damage the concussion bomb is the best but honestly all of them are great and come with various debuffs.

 

Playstyle:

Generally what I aim to do is open up in stealth and lob a grenade into the unsuspecting gathering of mobs, one might see initial results such as this

 

This will flat out kill weaker mobs or damage them pretty badly, after that high tail it outta there and send the meatshields in and continue either lobbing carefully placed grenades at the engaged mobs or target the backline.

Where one wants to save on the grenades, ol' Betty and Bessy comes into play make use of the low cost Full attack skills of Crippling Strike and Wounding shot to pump them enemies full of lead.

 

That's it, I'm having a blast with this build, it started out as a flavour/RP style build but has turned into an absolute beast.

 

I'm not the greatest at writing these kinds of things up so do let me know if you'd like something else covered, I'll do my best to answer it.

 

If you decide to do a play through with the build I'd be very curious to see how you find it.

 

Edit: interestingly also noticed a bug I think, the blunderbuss -10 Accuracy doesn't seem to apply to the offhand.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Gutbuster

[Dorftek]

Yeah this is my favourite type of build in this game so far. Love the grenades and the blunderbusses! I maxed INT for bigger blast radius tho.

 

Also, big fan of Arcanum it was truly amazing back at its time!!

[Gutbuster]

Yeah I agree about Int, I don't max it but set it to about 15 or so. (updated that section to point this out as well)

 

And yes, Arcanum was amazing for sure.

[Porcelyn]

Yes! Perfect for my dwarf, thanks you.

[Frog Man]

Your name and portrait are top notch as well.

 

<tips hat>

[Gutbuster]

Your name and portrait are top notch as well.

 

<tips hat>

 

Thanks, the name has been  my game persona for going 16 years or so now so it's just stuck with me everywhere.

 

Also decided to re-brand the build, the more I thought about it the more I found grenadier to be slightly misleading since it implies strict focus on grenades, whilst although it does well is not the only aspect of it. The build is very strong with the blunderbusses as well, driving flight and the enchants for prone/knockback really demolishes groups of mobs. 

Edited June 10, 2018 by Gutbuster

[Nemesis7884]

thats a cool build

 

im wondering if another class than ranger might work as good/better?

 

Are there enough grenades / ingredients in the game to make really use of a grenade only build throughout the whole game i wonder?

 

maybe on a next playthrough i'll turn aloth into a bomb throwing battlemage and see what happens ^^

Edited June 10, 2018 by Nemesis7884

[Dorftek]

thats a cool build

 

im wondering if another class than ranger might work as good/better?

 

Are there enough grenades / ingredients in the game to make really use of a grenade only build throughout the whole game i wonder?

 

maybe on a next playthrough i'll turn aloth into a bomb throwing battlemage and see what happens ^^

Infinite supplies at Alchemy shop and dark cupboard in perikis overlook.

 

If u play in grp I'd recommend fighter/rogue for max possible hit to crit conversion.

[apher]

Classes: Assassin and Sharpshooter (Assassin because Grenades works with assassinate! and sharpshooter for some crazy pen with blunderbusses, ghostheart would work if you hate pet management)

 

What about streetfighter since you're using blunderbuss anyway? -50% Recovery and +50% Damage. Is the assasinate fight opening bonus vital for this build?

[Gutbuster]

 

thats a cool build

 

im wondering if another class than ranger might work as good/better?

 

Are there enough grenades / ingredients in the game to make really use of a grenade only build throughout the whole game i wonder?

 

maybe on a next playthrough i'll turn aloth into a bomb throwing battlemage and see what happens ^^

Infinite supplies at Alchemy shop and dark cupboard in perikis overlook.

 

If u play in grp I'd recommend fighter/rogue for max possible hit to crit conversion.

 

 

'better' is a matter of perspective, but yes the only required class here is assassin, Sharpshooter gives access to wounding shot and Concussive Tranquilizer which I happen to find highly useful with blunderbusses as well as thematically appropriate. Between Crippling Strike and Wounding Shot with Driving flight that's a lot of Full attacks per encounter which I also like and contributes to the carnage.

 

Fighter would definitely work as would Paladin. 

Edited June 10, 2018 by Gutbuster

[forbs]

Ranger also gives you Gunner for reload speed and driving flight later on. Only other class with similar would be chanter with swift handed chant. If it's a party and you have a chanter then a fighter might be better. 

[Verde]

A Dwarf with low constitution!? Blasphemy!

[Gutbuster]

A Dwarf with low constitution!? Blasphemy!

 

Haha I know exactly where you're coming from... which is why 10 is the absolute lowest I can deal with.

[Porcelyn]

I love this build, it's so fun! I went with a Boreal Dwarf though. Here is my baby bomber (Pike voice FTW!) and her riding bear Kaboom. I had some difficulty due to low con but Xoti saved me twice from death.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by Porcelyn

[mukurome]

i tested this bomber idea, and it's for sure most powerfull build if made corectly. There are some bugs - last tier rogue skill invisibility attack is different from other invisibilities - we have around 10 sec of nonbreakable invisibility = around 2-3 bomb drop, which one can make even more than 200 dmg. In my opinion best multiclass are cipher and priest of skaen. Cipher multi give us +20 def/accuracy that stack with assasination = +45 accuracy, not to mention that we have some cipher powers. Priest of skaen give us +2 uses of invisibility (total around 7 uses per fight), +2 final blow +some nice def spells and healing. Invisibility break most of damage dealing speals (storm of holu fire break invisibility each time meteor hit), but shining beacon dot from tier 4 make powerfull dmg, and if cast from stealth, we can dissapear fast and watch the whole world burn Definitely one of the most fun game build, overpowered hard :D Also assasination work with spells, so minoletta missels that require 5 skill point can 1hit ko most of enemies ...