Arcanist
Arcanists manipulate Aetherial and elemental energy through a knowledge-driven approach, producing powerful displays of magic while having relatively little defense.
Understand this choiceThis reference focuses on the character systems described in the supplied Grim Dawn passages: choosing one or two Masteries, investing skill points to unlock abilities, altering skill and Devotion allocations, and using constellations for passive bonuses or bound abilities. It includes the official guide’s descriptions of ten named Masteries, with expansion requirements retained for Inquisitor, Necromancer, Oathkeeper, and Berserker. It also records the compendium’s specific facts about skill branches, toggled and exclusive skills, component-granted attacks, affinity requirements, and devotion-point sources. It does not evaluate strongest choices or supply individual equipment and recipe effects.

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Arcanists manipulate Aetherial and elemental energy through a knowledge-driven approach, producing powerful displays of magic while having relatively little defense.
Understand this choiceDemolitionists use explosives and destructive magic to break enemy ranks or fortifications, commonly fighting at range with guns, traps, and explosives.
Understand this choiceNightblades specialize in martial weapons and blade magic, using illusion to close quickly or phantasmal blades to attack from a distance.
Understand this choiceOccultists draw on summoning and witch-god powers, including curses and spells that inflict poison, acid, and entropic damage.
Understand this choiceShamans wield nature’s forces and can call savage beasts to aid them; they excel with two-handed melee weapons but can adapt to other tools.
Understand this choiceSoldiers emphasize close-combat weapons, shields, and firearms, with the guide highlighting fortitude and leadership over outright damage output.
Understand this choiceInquisitors specialize in ranged weapons and use relics and arcane runes that also make them capable in close combat; Ashes of Malmouth is required.
Understand this choiceNecromancers summon skeletal minions and sap vitality from enemies, while the guide also allows for direct martial weapon combat; Ashes of Malmouth required.
Understand this choiceOathkeepers combine loyalty and zealous fury, wielding shields and divine powers offensively; the official guide requires Forgotten Gods.
Understand this choiceBerserkers can shapeshift into beastlike forms and infuse weapons with Asterkarn’s winds; they also use savage dual weapons, with any weapon viable.
Understand this choiceMastery investment unlocks skills and supplies base attributes, health, and energy; skill points can be reset for a fee, but Mastery-bar points cannot be removed.
Understand this choiceSkills may be active, toggled, or passive; toggles reserve energy, only one exclusive skill can be active, and transmuters fundamentally alter a skill.
Understand this choiceConstellation stars grant permanent passive bonuses or abilities, while red-aura Celestial abilities can be bound to active skills to proc when cast.
Understand this choiceSome components grant usable or passive skills when added to specified item types; the compendium gives Fireblast and Greater Fireblast as examples.
Understand this choiceA source-bounded reference to named Masteries, skill-tree mechanics, Devotion constellations, and component-granted skills. The supplied passages do not describe named equipment items, crafting recipes, or individual constellation effects, so those are outside this set. Expansion-specific Masteries and point caps are identified only where the sources say so.
Explanations prepared with GPT-6 Luna and checked against the linked references. These are source-reviewed guides. They do not establish independently tested optimal builds or exact upgrade budgets. How coverage works.