Overview
This build turns the reworked Gemling Legionnaire into a ranged demolition specialist, trading traditional projectiles and sustained DPS for a controlled sequence of timed explosive blasts. It leans on the patch 0.5 grenade rework, where explosive, cluster, flash, and oil grenades all scale hard through added Quality and hit far above their base versions. The result is a build whose identity is tactical: you shape the battlefield with deliberate volleys rather than holding a single attack button.
What makes it stand out is how little it asks of your gear. Because the core damage comes from projectile gem levels, Quality scaling, and a bit of flat elemental damage rather than expensive rares or crit stacking, the build starts strong on a low budget and spikes in power with just a handful of early upgrades. It also runs a single setup with no weapon swapping, so it stays stable and approachable from the campaign all the way into juiced endgame maps.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Very cheap entry cost — functions well even without its recommended uniques
- No weapon swapping; one stable setup from leveling to endgame
- Excellent clear speed as cluster grenades chain explosions across whole packs
- Beginner friendly — you can level with grenades from the very start of the game
- Flexible kit: each grenade type (burst, wide chains, blind, exposure debuff) covers a different situation
Cons
- Rotation-based playstyle rewards positioning and timing rather than face-tanking
- Explosive grenade’s longer detonation makes it clunky for pure clearing (reserved for tough targets)
- Life recovery is limited — leans on flask recovery rate on the belt as its main sustain
- Redemption crossbow imposes a cooldown-recovery penalty until you build Explosive Rhythm stacks
Key Skills
- Cluster Grenade — main mapping skill; near-instant detonation via bonus Quality, wide area coverage
- Explosive Grenade — highest single-hit damage, used on tough rares and bosses
- Mortar Cannon — ballista totem that fires grenade volleys; bonus Quality raises the totem limit to two, roughly doubling boss damage
- Oil Grenade — coats enemies and ground for follow-up ignitions and applies -20% elemental resistance exposure
- Flash Grenade — fastest grenade, used as a utility interrupt to blind and stun
- Mirage Archer — triggers on dodge roll to keep explosive pressure up while repositioning
Gear & Anointments
The recommended weapon is the Redemption crossbow for its cooldown recovery and extra projectiles, which massively boost grenade output; aim for a high roll on percent physical damage and, ideally, gaining Explosive Rhythm every two grenade uses. Constricting Command lowers the enemy count needed to be “surrounded,” keeping the while-surrounded bonuses active even in small packs and single-target fights. Heart of the Well is a universal jewel that slots in well.
Rares focus on life, evasion, deflection, capped resistances, and the heavy attribute requirements grenades demand. A well-rolled rare crossbow with plus-levels to projectile skills and high physical damage can compete with Redemption during progression. Defensively the build layers life, evasion, and deflection, with Wind Dancer creating a blinding knockback safety zone. Specific unique rolls should be confirmed against the source video.
Endgame Notes
Cluster grenade handles fast mapping and heavy delirious content, while Explosive Grenade plus a two-totem Mortar Cannon setup shreds tough rares and bosses. War Banner (with Dresso’s Passion halving the Glory cost) and Herald of Ash round out burst windows and clear. The while-surrounded nodes, picked up from around level 38 once Constricting Command is online, give a large offense-and-defense spike since you are almost always surrounded while throwing.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Odealo. See the source video for the full grenade Gemling Legionnaire setup, gem links, and skill-tree pathing: Ultimate Grenadier Gemling Legionnaire — Patch 0.5 Update.