Warlord Physical Blitz Starter Build Guide
Last Updated: Jul 29, 2026 by RektByProtoss
About
This RektByProtoss's Physical Blitz Warlord (Soldier + Oathkeeper) - one of the tankiest, highest-damaging, and most mobile sword-and-board starter builds for Grim Dawn. Designed to be 100% Hardcore (HC) viable, it relies on easily farmable Monster Infrequents (MIs) that directly empower Blitz, turning it into both your primary burst damage source and key mobility skill.
Skill Rotation
The build features a straightforward active playstyle focused on high burst mobility and constant resistance reduction:
Mobility / Engager: Use Vire's Might or your active movement augment to gap-close or reposition.
Main Burst: Cast Blitz into enemy groups or bosses on cooldown to trigger massive physical burst and area damage.
Sustained Damage & Buff Maintenance: Use Righteous Fervor as your main attack replacer between Blitz cooldowns to build up stacks, deal consistent single-target DPS, and trigger weapon-pool skills (WPS).
Passive Debuffs & Utility:
Summon Guardians of Empyrion passively applies physical resistance reduction via Celestial Presence.
Shattering Smash automatically triggers off your attack replacer for additional physical resistance reduction.
Activate defensive buffs (Overguard, Ascension) during dangerous encounters or heavy burst damage phases.
Skills
Buffs
Standard Gear
Components, Augments and Ascended Affixes
Weapons
Armor
Jewelry
Skill Trees
Soldier
Blitz & Blindside: The core of the build. Blitz provides massive movement and burst physical damage, while Blindside increases target count, adds flat damage, and shreds enemy defensive ability.
Menhir's Bulwark (Exclusive): Recommended for the defensive/hardcore setup. Offers massive health regeneration, physical damage, and damage absorption.
Overguard & Veteranship: Key survivability tools providing rapid health regeneration and emergency mitigation.
Field Command & Squad Tactics: Greatly boosts Offensive Ability (OA), Defensive Ability (DA), armor, and attack/total speed.
Soldier
Blitz & Blindside: The core of the build. Blitz provides massive movement and burst physical damage, while Blindside increases target count, adds flat damage, and shreds enemy defensive ability.
Menhir's Bulwark (Exclusive): Recommended for the defensive/hardcore setup. Offers massive health regeneration, physical damage, and damage absorption.
Overguard & Veteranship: Key survivability tools providing rapid health regeneration and emergency mitigation.
Field Command & Squad Tactics: Greatly boosts Offensive Ability (OA), Defensive Ability (DA), armor, and attack/total speed.
(Click on the image to expand it)Devotions
We recommend putting your Devotion skills on the following:
Assassin's Blade - Summon Guardian
Tortoise - Field Command
Behemoth - Presence of Might
Dire Bear - Righteous Fervor
Tree of Life - Presence of Virtue
Light of Empyrion - Menhir's Will
Remaining points are put into Obelisk of Menhir.
To complete the needed points we use Rat and Hammer to move forward and unlock the higher tiers, once you have the constellations completed - you can remove them.
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