I just started fucking around with this Sunday night (the end of my 2 week vacation no less, when I could have been fucking playing every day...alas), and I guess I'm fortunate that a new league is starting, but I really have no fucking clue what is going on with most of this game. I mean, I've played all the Diablos (even the first one, when it came out!), and a shitton of Grim Dawn, so I understand the genre.
I went back a month on this thread and have read everything up to present, and I've watched a bunch of beginner videos, etc. (including a bunch from Engineering Eternity) so I have a decent grasp of what I don't understand, and I am not looking for hand-holding or anything like that, but I see you guys talking about these patch notes and I realize I have zero clue what all the ramifications are, what they used to be like and why people like/dislike the changes, etc.
So, while I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions along the way, all I really want now is some advice on a decent league starter that is also good for an almost complete newbie. I've played around with a couple of characters already just to get a feel for the different mechanics, and from stuff I've played in the past I feel like my natural inclination for a first character is going to be some sort of tanky melee class that, when geared and skilled relatively decently, will be tough to kill unless I do something really stupid. I'm ok with it taking a little longer to kill things than someone more experienced would tolerate, because I don't know shit and I just need to learn the game this league, not rush to end content and earning shekels. I'm positive I would suck at that right now anyway. And even if buying/selling is as easy as everyone says, I don't really want a build that is going to require me to go out and find a couple specific items to work properly either. I'm not going to play SSF, but I don't know what my buying potential will be either, so just looking for a generic good build.
I have seen that Juggernaut is supposed to be super tanky, although I'm not locked into that or anything. I fucked around with Molten Strike a little, and I'm not super-thrilled with that mechanic. And while I haven't actually played any of these, I'm also not really excited about whatever that jump-slam movement ability is, it almost looks like you're teleporting forward constantly and then smashing the ground/mobs. Nor do I want to just endlessly whirlwind across the screen. I know, those are probably some of the best abilities for clearing super fast, and I'm sure eventually I'll be tired of killing shit slowly, but for now, which builds will let me do decent aoe damage (and single target, of course), and maybe have some nice auras or casts when I get hit, that sort of thing. I know I'm not describing it very well, but before I knew even this little bit, I saw some videos where it looked like the character had a damaging aura or the poison rain (which I understand is being nerfed?) that reacted automatically, not something I had to constantly click to activate (like, I'm not a fan of Molten Shield/Aura/whatever it is called, and that only does damage when it ends). My click ability I'm hoping for something like a ground smash or shocking burst or something.
I'm not opposed to having some minions that help me out, or are created when I attack or get hit, but not really feeling totems at all, and I haven't tried traps so not sure if that's what I'm looking for, probably not. I don't want the main focus to be minions or traps or bows or spells. The main thing I want to do is smash faces with a weapon, and have crazy shit going off around me when I do it, and when stuff hits me, or just when I get near them, whatever. And I want to be tanky. I know what PoB is, and have stared at it endlessly, but I know I'm not smart enough to make my own build yet. I can follow instructions from one though, I think.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. And sorry if I'm being too picky or too vague or just too much of a n00b that I don't know what I'm talking about. I freely admit all of those things.
P.S. My VERY first drop in the entire game that wasn't a white was a Tabula Rasa. Not shitting you at all. I thought it was just some "shitty unique" that everyone got, because of the lack of stats, and almost vendored it, except that I am a hoarder so who am I kidding, I hold onto literally everything that I'm unsure of. But I thought it was terrible and didn't use it for awhile. Until I learned how the augments worked. Now I'm just super bummed because I won't be able to use it when the league starts
I guarantee I won't see one the entire league now.
