Grim Dawn Tier List — Current Rankings

This Grim Dawn tier list ranks every major option by overall effectiveness. Rankings factor in damage output, survivability, versatility, gear requirements, and how well each option scales.

Tier definitions: S = best in class, always a strong pick. A = strong and competitive, minor weaknesses. B = solid but clearly outperformed in most situations. C = viable only for players who enjoy the playstyle.

Builds Rankings

Detailed Builds Analysis

Soldier (S-Tier)

The most versatile mastery with strong physical damage, excellent defensive passives (Military Conditioning, Menhir's Will), and the Field Command aura. Soldier combines with almost everything — Commando (+ Demolitionist), Warlord (+ Oathkeeper), and Death Knight (+ Necromancer) are all top-tier.

Best with: Krieg Death Knight Set (Death Knight), Warborn Set (Warlord) Stat focus: Physique, Offensive Ability, Defensive Ability, Resistances

Demolitionist (A-Tier)

Fire and lightning specialist with the best AoE through Canister Bomb and Mortar Trap. Thermite Mines reduce enemy fire resistance. The Commando (+ Soldier) and Shieldbreaker (+ Oathkeeper) combinations are excellent for fire-based builds.

Best with: Darkblaze Pyromancer Set (Pyromancer), Ulzuin Set Stat focus: Fire/Lightning Damage, Offensive Ability, Cast Speed

Occultist (A-Tier)

Versatile mastery providing pets (Familiar, Hellhound), Curse of Frailty resistance reduction, and the Bloody Pox DOT skill. Conjurer (+ Shaman) and Ritualist (+ Necromancer) are top-tier pet builds. Witch Hunter (+ Nightblade) excels at acid/poison.

Best with: Lost Souls Set (pet build), Venomblade Set (acid build) Stat focus: Pet bonuses (pet builds), Acid/Poison damage (acid builds)

Nightblade (A-Tier)

The melee DPS mastery with dual-wielding bonuses, Shadow Strike for gap-closing, and Pneumatic Burst for healing. Blademaster (+ Soldier) using the Belgothian set is the classic dual-wield build. Infiltrator (+ Inquisitor) dominates cold damage.

Best with: Belgothian Blademaster Set, Deathmarked Set (Infiltrator) Stat focus: Attack Speed, Offensive Ability, Cold/Pierce Damage

Arcanist (A-Tier)

The caster mastery with Devastation (massive meteor AoE), Mirror of Ereoctes (invulnerability), and Maiven's Sphere (damage absorption). Spellbinder (+ Necromancer) and Druid (+ Shaman) are the strongest caster builds.

Best with: Trozan Druid Set, Iskandra Set (Spellbinder) Stat focus: Spirit, Cast Speed, Elemental Damage, CDR

Equipment Rankings

Equipment Analysis

Krieg Death Knight Set: A full legendary set for the Soldier + Necromancer (Death Knight) combination, converting Forcewave to aether damage. One of the strongest and most farmable endgame sets — pieces drop from the Krieg bosses in Malmouth. The set enables a tanky caster playstyle.

Ultos Warder Set: Lightning-focused set for Soldier + Shaman (Warder) that turns Primal Strike into a devastating lightning auto-attack. Primal Strike Ultos Warder is one of the simplest yet most effective endgame builds. Set pieces are world drops.

Darkblaze Pyromancer: A chaos/fire set for Demolitionist + Occultist (Pyromancer) that enhances Blackwater Cocktail and Fire Strike. The Darkblaze set creates one of the highest AoE damage builds in the game. Craftable through a specific blueprint.

Belgothian Blademaster: Dual-wield focused set for Soldier + Nightblade (Blademaster) that enhances Belgothian Strikes (default attack replacer). The fastest attacking build in the game with dozens of weapon procs firing simultaneously. Set pieces drop from specific roguelike dungeon bosses.

Trozan Druid Set: A cold/lightning caster set for Shaman + Arcanist (Druid) that enhances Trozan's Sky Shard into a nuclear AoE spell. Each Sky Shard drops multiple projectiles that each deal full damage. World drop set pieces.

Meta Analysis

The current meta in Grim Dawn centers on dual mastery system and devotion constellation. Builds that leverage both systems outperform those that focus on only one.

What's strong right now:

• Soldier with Krieg Death Knight Set is the benchmark. Everything else is measured against it.
• faction reputation builds are gaining ground as players find new synergies.
• Occultist remains essential for learning hard content.

What's underrated:

• Demolitionist is consistently overlooked despite being the most flexible option.
• Darkblaze Pyromancer offers excellent performance for its investment level.

What's overhyped:

• Pure Arcanist builds. High ceiling but the consistency isn't there for most players.

Quick Picks by Situation

For full build guides, see Grim Dawn builds. For progression help, check the walkthrough.