About this video

hey guys! i just started my first playthrough on path of the damned. it was tough at first, but my build is making it super easy so far! i was inspired by these three videos and managed to combine them into one super build with some extra tweaks to take it up a notch, I got a little lazy with food actually can did max out all my buffs in every fight so you can be much strong than want you see in the video with food:
https://youtu.be/e4CpqEkZoPE?si=DluSysTQpwJJ0pt4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY26ELZI0DE&t=458s
https://youtu.be/zMgvvFIApNs?si=rrlqoAJX6oj3BY3l
i’m using a blood mage tank/summoner build. the setup is straightforward: you never run out of hp or essence, and you can spam spells continuously. you can get most of this stuff pretty early—basically, by early act 3, you should be mostly complete. you won’t need health or essence potions anymore. the only things you really need to upgrade are your armor and grimoire; everything else is optional.
for stats, focus on might + constitution first; the rest doesn’t really matter.
your primary weapon doesn’t matter since you’ll always be casting spells. the only essential item is the grimoire of great elements, which i think is the best in the game for spamming spells.


for key abilities, blood magic is essential for this build; hp cost doesn’t matter since you’ll have so much of it. constant recovery is useful for getting back lost hp, but you probably don’t need more than one point. arcane veil is a must-have against pesky archers. get 2 points asap; 3 isn’t really necessary. survivalist is key for hp regeneration. food is broken in this game, and this ability makes it even better. scaling it higher could be worthwhile. corrosive siphon is arguably the strongest spell in the game for temp hp and stuns, but struggles against skeletons and constructs. does anyone know if corrosive damage or healing boosts affect this spell’s healing? summon bear is decent for drawing aggro away from you and your party. inspiring triumph keeps your party going strong.
for early/mid-game setup, use the grimoire of greater elements with crackling bolt, fireball, blizzard, and bristling frost. level them to 2 so the grimoire can push them to level 3. you’ll mostly be spamming these.
for late-game, switch to eilara's grimoire with a similar strategy but expect heavier spell costs.
for godlike abilities, dream touch is amazing for reviving your team and restoring hp in a pinch. scion of the immortal land makes you even stronger.
for armor, focus on stacking healing-boosting items. you’re so tanky with food that nothing can really touch you, even on path of the damned. the eothasian breastplate is excellent for tankiness and healing boosts. for rings, forager's friend, wayfair, and gourmet delight offer insane food regen and hp. for an amulet, go for anything that boosts summons. boots with a 5% bonus to healing are a good choice. for arms, pick anything you like.
for food, strangebrew resets second wind, which feels almost broken. wizard's mind bomb lowers cooldowns significantly—might have a cap, though There a food item that gives you 50% Crit with is pretty OP if you actually Feel like attacking. ivory spinner and sporeling fire pot speed up regen and are cheap and easy to make. magran's blessing adds 20% damage and defense for easy encounters. grog clears accumulations, which is still a problem even with high constitution. fresh water is great for speed boosts.
the gameplay loop is simple. for the food loop, eat a bunch of food for regen, use ivory spinner and sporeling fire pot for faster regen, magran's blessing for damage reduction, and wizard's mind bomb for cooldown reduction. for the combat loop, spam spells, use summon bear to draw aggro, and keep hp up with corrosive siphon and survivalist. rinse and repeat.
let me know if you guys have any suggestions or if i missed something! also, if anyone has more info on how corrosive siphon’s healing scales, that would be awesome.