Cold is not well supported in either tree. Occultist/Shaman would nudge you toward pet builds, not specifically melee, for Occultist melee is niche (and usually requires conversion of some type, complicated stuff) and statwise would nudge you towards some form of magical damage (Spirit raises magic damage, Occultist's main stat). I didnt even realize you can put a special on left mouse click lol I still have a base/non-special for my left mouse. Thanks, just noticed your bar at the bottom.
![grim dawn stash mod grim dawn stash mod](https://i2.wp.com/nerdbear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Grim-Dawn-Mods.jpg)
Been looking at cold and frost since end skills seem to have them as well as devotions. Didn't know bleeding was one of the weaker ones. I think i have the 2nd class narrowed down to occultist or anarchist. As of now, main is 2H halberd with primal, since it has nice lightning, have swarm for more ranged and got the pet to help aggro. However I am guessing that becomes pretty important on higher difficulties? I have read about single damage type, but seen some others that suggest 2, just in case you run into something that it resistant to your one and only attack. Started playing for fun and oblivious to everything else, so still need to pick a 2nd class and firgure out devotion points lol game can be pretty intense with all the options/possibilities, however I would say so far on normal I'm guessing one could probably just walk through the game and beat it without any issue w/o a 2nd class or any devotion skills. Not too far so far, maybe lvl 45 and as far as homestead, but ready to move forward from there. with its Aoe you can literally wipe a whole screen in one fell swoop, single target needs a range of other stuff on top) This single item just straight up triples a skill's potential if you have the right focus in damage types. I happened to focus specifically on all Elemental damage. Here is an example of those items that turn your skills into godly stuff. If you want really decent clear speed, focus Vitality until you're past level 50 or until you get solid melee stuff, and spam Devouring Swarm, later add Wendigo Totem, or splash Lightning to move towards melee oriented Savagery and Primal Rage or Wind Devil.
#Grim dawn stash mod full
That said, in the beginning, without a stash full of crafting mats and nice pieces for levelling, the advice for Soldier is solid, because its an easy self-found combo that can get decent clear speed. So that is why the second class pick isn't fixed at all based on your first or even your playstyle. Sets in Forgotten Gods take that to the next level as they create wild combinations where say an Occultist could pick Shaman and convert literally everything to Chaos damage, and Monster Infrequent items (found everywhere) can boost specific skills to the moon in a radically different damage type.
![grim dawn stash mod grim dawn stash mod](https://s8.postimg.cc/65jfra8zp/GDS_Collection.png)
The key to maximizing damage output in Grim Dawn is not just stacking that selection of damage types properly - the key is conversion. For Shaman, the ones the tree supports most are Physical, Lightning, Vitality. Not the best example because bleed is arguably the weakest or one of the weaker damage types to get, but you get the gist: your second class could relate or focus heavily on the damage type you want to focus on. For example, in the case of Soldier, you would say 'omg I need to go physical' but Shaman/Soldier might also find its melee properly bumped with, say, Bleeding which it shares across both classes. Build around that before picking your second class. Including their damage-over-time variants in most cases.
![grim dawn stash mod grim dawn stash mod](https://i.imgur.com/IfoNvZC.jpg)
![grim dawn stash mod grim dawn stash mod](https://www.requnix.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Grim-Dawn-Factions-770x490.png)
Combining stuff was at least far more interesting than the generic skills in FFX that were spread across a humongous grid and most characters shared or could get the same skills in some I don't know how deep you went into Grim Dawn yet, but the key to a strong build is sticking to a single or a pair of damage types. Was it FFX calibre? No, but in some ways it was also better. I loved it back in the day, the class/dress up approach. For all the girly stuff that game has a really nice combat system IMHO.