Complete post rework Ogryn guide.

Hello dear reader! My nickname is NRGaa, maybe you have seen my ogryn named “Morkgrin” in high havocs, im actively streaming DarkTide on my twitch channel https://www.twitch.tv/nrgaa . If you have any questions about DarkTide or you want to improve at the game or want to learn how to do High Havoc content , you are always welcome.

Ogryn survivability is ALWAYS Toughness based in any build. If you are using 3xHP curios you are playing ogryn wrong. Use at least 2x Toughness curios and 2x 5% Toughness rolls on your curios. With this out of the way, enjoy the wall of text.

Weapon section & Tier list.

Melee Weapons Section:

Shovels:

1.  Brute-Brainer Mk XIX Latrine Shovel Light spam weapon with a really powerful heavy and Special attacks. Good choice for ranged ogryn build with Confident Strike blessing on it. 

   B Tier weapon.

   Horde: Spam Lights

   Elite targets: Spam Heavies or Folding Heavies. 

2.  Brute-Brainer Mk V Latrine Shovel Heavy spam weapon with very weak Light set, but if you want to have fun in Havoc

   and oneshot multiple elites or any enemy ogryn target except the bosses, that's your go to. Splendid boss damage on charged folded heavies. 

   B Tier weapon.

   Horde: Spam Heavies can mix with Push Attack.

   Elite targets: Spam Charged Heavies or Folding Heavies.

3. Brute-Brainer Mk III Latrine Shovel Mixed combo set and faster heavy attacks compared to previous shovels, but cost of that is folding special attack, but great Elite targets dps.

   A Tier weapon. 

   Horde: Spam Lights or Light>Heavy combo can mix in Push Attack.

   Elite targets: Heavy>Light combo.

Cleavers:

1. Bull Butcher Mk III Cleaver Light spam weapon with weak armor damage. Heavy attacks are overheads, but damage is meh. Push Attack is bad too. C Tier weapon.
2. Krourk Mk VI Cleaver Light spam weapon with weak armor damage. Chaining cleaving Heavy attack , but it is way too slow. C Tier weapon.

3. Krourk Mk IV Cleaver Mixed combo set weapon with strong Light spam armor damage. Best Cleaver and S Tier weapon imo. Slap Confident Strike on it and you are almost invincible.

   Horde: Push Attack>Heavy>Light>Heavy>Light or just spam Lights.

   Elite targets: Heavy>Special>Spam Lights

Bully Clubs:

1. "Brunt Special" Mk I Bully Club Mixed combo set weapon with powerful overhead Heavy attacks. A Tier weapon.

   Horde: Push Attack>Light>Heavy>Light>Heavy

   Elite targets: Heavy Spam

2. "Brunt's Pride" Mk II Bully Club Mixed combo set weapon with unique light attack after special. But this is the slowest Bully Club in the roster and the moveset is not to my liking.

   B tier weapon.

   Horde: Heavy>Light Or Push Attack>Heavy>Light

   Elite targets: Light>Heavy

3. "Brunt's Basher" Mk IIIb Bully Club Mixed combo set weapon with very fast and powerful Light spam. In combo with Confident Strike easy S Tier Weapon.

   Horde: Light spam

   Elite targets: Heavy>Light spam

Pickaxes:

1. Karsolas Mk II Delver's Pickaxe Heavy spam weapon, best cleave in the family. Really easy moveset. S Tier weapon.

   Horde: Heavy spam 

   Elite targets: Heavy spam or Special>Heavy>Light

   Havoc captain shield: Light spam

2. Branx Mk Ia Delver's Pickaxe Heavy BONK weapon, best solo target damage in family. Splendid boss damage. But it's slow and cleave is bad as a tradeoff. S Tier weapon. 

   Horde: Light>Heavy or Push Attack>Heavy>Light

   Elite targets: Charged Heavy>Cancel next attack with a quick block press>Charged Heavy or Charged Heavy>Light

   Havoc captain shield: Light spam 

3. Borovian Mk III Delver's Pickaxe Heavy spam/Mixed weapon. Average attack speed in pickaxe category, but got more weakspot damage. Personally don't like combos on this one, but still an S Tier weapon.

   Horde: Heavy>Light or Push Attack>Heavy>Light

   Elite targets: Light>Heavy>Light or Heavy Spam

   Havoc captain shield: Light spam

Shield:

• Orox Mk II & Mk III Battle Maul & Slab Shield Heavy spam weapon with some useful tech and lots of stagger, Light set is awful. Special use can block almost all damage in the game, can aggro Daemonhost and just turtle in a corner with Special. Block can negate shots of enemy shooters, with addition of Attention Seeker blocking will cause Lesser shooters and Shotgunners to engage you in melee combat. A Tier weapon.

  Horde: Spam Heavies or Heavy>Cancel next attack with a quick block press>Heavy

  Elite targets: Heavy>Cancel next attack with a quick block press>Heavy 

Power maul:

• Achlys Mk I Power Maul Mixed combo set weapon. Light spam is potent. Got access to Confident Strike, so you can be really durable while using it. Special attack opens Bulwark for free attacks.

  A Tier weapon, prove me wrong.

  Horde: Heavy>Light or Heavy spam or Push Attack>Heavy>Light

  Elite targets: Heavy>Light spam. 

  Crusher  Special Light>Heavy>Light spam

  Bulwark  Get inside the shield while charging Special Light>Heavy>Light spam

Ranged Weapons Section:

Twin Stubbers:

1. Achlys Mk VII Twin-Linked Heavy Stubber Best value Stubber in family. Accurate at long distances with short bursts, best synergy with talent tree, best handling compared to competition. S Tier weapon.

2. Gorgonum Mk IV Twin-Linked Heavy Stubber Slow firing Stubber with nice hipfire accuracy. Bad handling, but more armor penetration.

   A Tier weapon.

3. Krourk Mk V Twin-Linked Heavy Stubber Bad handling, inaccurate, recoil is huge.

   D Tier weapon.

Heavy Stubbers:

1. Achlys Mk II Heavy Stubber Big brother in Heavy Stubber family. Hipfire is terrible, always aim with that gun. Requires good precision from the user. Got more penetration compared to other Heavy Stubbers. Best choice for Havoc missions. S Tier weapon.
2. Gorgonum Mk IIIa Heavy Stubber Middle brother in Heavy Stubber family. Recoil is more manageable compared to Big brother, but still it's best to aim with this gun. A Tier weapon. 

3. Krourk Mk IIa Heavy Stubber Small brother, can be fired from hip with decent accuracy. Best handling in the family.

   A Tier weapon. 

Ripper Guns:

Whole family got access to Can Opener, which is really helpful with Crusher and Boss dps. 

1. Foe-Rend Mk VI Ripper Gun Double burst hipfire, triple burst braced. Accurate, low recoil in both modes. Best stagger stick weapon from the Ripper family. 

   B tier weapon.

2. Foe-Rend Mk V Ripper Gun Triple burst hipfire, best dps, huge recoil.  Automatic fire while braced with moderate recoil. Best mark according to a lot of ogryn players.

   B tier weapon.

3. Foe-Rend Mk II Ripper Gun  Slow triple burst hipfire. Automatic slow firing fire with moderate recoil while braced.

   B tier weapon.

Kickback: 

• Lorenz Mk V Kickback Mixed Horde buster and stagger tool. Shines when combined with Run 'n' Gun and Blaze Away.

  A Tier weapon, but S tier in Auric.

Rumbler:

• Lorenz Mk VI Rumbler Busted weapon. Crowd control, armor killer, boss killer, mixed horde killer, fps killer, team vision killer.  S tier broken toxic weapon.

Grenade Gauntlet:

• Blastoom Mk III Grenadier Gauntlet Good support weapon for any melee ogryn build, especially after recent buffs. Can stop a group of gunners from shooting if you hit in the middle of the pack. Explode Poxburster in one hit. Close Demonic Growth objectives solo with ease, when you have this weapon in your loadout. 44 meters max grenade travel distance and grenade travel time are two limiting factors for that weapon, which won't let me place this weapon in S Tier. Solid A Tier weapon.

Tree nodes review:

Top cluster:

1. Lynchpin : Bad node, coherency regen is not needed, while you have Steady Grip . Even less value in Havoc.
2. Steady Grip : One of the best survival nodes in ogryns roaster. Crossing a pox gas cloud? Trading with gunners? Cornered without Toughness? That node is your answer to all of that. Always take it.
3. Furious : Trap node. Doesn't give you anything except horde damage. Tiny boss damage boost. Requires pathing through Lynchpin, so you waste 2 points on this node. 
4. Heavyweight : 30% Damage and Damage Resistance combined in one node vs big guys. That's a grab!
5. Smash 'Em! : First core Toughness regen node for ogryn. Melee ogryn? Ranged ogryn? Take it! No exceptions! 
6. The Best Defence : Second core Toughness regen node for ogryn. Your Toughness replenishment tool for hordes. Ranged ogryn can save one point here (But use a weapon with Confident Strike to not die).
7. Towering Presence  : QOL node, good combo with Bruiser . But you have more valuable nodes at your disposal.

Choosing a Blitz:

• Big Friendly Rock : Mutant killer and snipe tool. Mainly use it with weapons which don't have Mutant oneshot capability.

  With additional point spent in That One Didn't Count can be a really potent special snipe tool, but requires precision.

  List of guaranteed oneshot targets in any mode: Pox Hound, Poxburster, Dreg Rager, Mutant, Gunners and Shotgunners of both factions.

• Frag Bomb : Your big fat NUKE which you want to keep for a really bad engagement or boss ledging. Can use it for rescuing teammates, but only one charge, so spend it wisely! Havoc note: Huge value on a Ritual modifier, can save your team from potential DH fight, like in this clip: https://www.twitch.tv/nrgaa/clip/JollyIronicReindeerMrDestructoid-twyqsLtsDuFwQigZ 
• Bombs Away! : Teammate rescue and space winning tool. Throw at downed teammates feet and go for the safe res or use it when cornered to win time and fight back. Threat is as a stun grenade. But with addition of Fire Away and Bigger Box of Hurt can clear clustered packs of enemies.

Diamond cluster:

1. Soften Them Up : Really good node which provides damage vs beefy targets. Must take for any melee ogryn.
2. Payback Time : Nice damage node for both melee and ranged ogryn. Always take it.
3. Pumped Up : Very potent node in combo with Slam. But if you are short on points Just path through Strongman .
4. Focused Fighter : Imo mediocre node. In combat scenarios you will always get hit by trash mobs, which reduces the value of this node drastically. Gains only one stack per hit.
5. Strongman : Good value node for any ogryn build.
6. Can't Hit Me...Again : Super potent node for Havoc, still good value for Auric.
7. Keep Shooting : Using Kickback or Rumbler in your build? This node is your friend.

Choosing an Ability:

• Indomitable : Mobility Ability. Best melee ogryn choice for Auric. Can be used as a Crowd Control tool, when you stop yourself prematurely by pressing “Backwards movement key”. Can ledge bosses with impact and followed with Frag Bomb. If you choose Indomitable taking Stomping Boots  is a must, because it makes Indomitable your emergency Toughness replenish tool. Rest nodes are not that potent imo: Pulverise is a fine node, which lets you start fights with maxed out Delight in Destruction damage reduction plus adds some damage on top. Trample node is not needed, you have more than enough damage to deal with anything.
• Loyal Protector : This ability really starts to shine in havoc. You can push bursters away with it, interrupt hidden in crowd netters on sound queue, boss ledging, rush in on gunners and taunt them all. Tons of usage scenarios. Modifiers: No Pain! very potent emergency Toughness tool. Valuable Distraction big value in current Havoc, improves your team boss damage potential. Go Again! With this modifier you will create a ton of space for your team (Full tank builds), because cooldown on Loyal Protector will be really short.
• Point-Blank Barrage : DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA (Achlys Mk VII Twin-Linked Heavy Stubber builds) Modifiers: Bullet Bravado Toughness regen while DAKKA and on reload. Light 'em Up incineration DAKKA. Hail of Fire armor rending and more damaging DAKKA most useful on Kickback, Rumbler, Heavy Stubbers and Gorgonum Mk IV Twin-Linked Heavy Stubber .

Aura cluster:

1. Beat Them Back : Good node overall. Must take for Heavy weapon builds and decent value for any other weapon. 
2. Crunch! : This node shines with Heavy weapons, but skip it on Light weapons.
3. Strike True : Mediocre pathing node to Batter, skippable on builds w/o bleeds.
4. Batter : Your source of Damage Reduction in combo with Delight in Destruction and additional layer of damage. Best used with fast weapons.
5. Slam : Stamina regen and Impact combined. Really good node in combo with Pumped Up.
6. Brutish Strength : Questionable node. But to get a full value of it you need to push 4 times, so better grab a weapon with Thunderous.
7. Simple Minded : Interesting node, but it requires pathing through another questionable node. Avoid it.
8. For the Lil'Uns : Teamplay node with decent value. When playing with Slam in your build, not a bad choice.
9. Unbreakable : This node allows you to block Crusher and Scab Mauler overheads. But it requires a lot of points.
10. Ammo Stash : More ammo = more DAKKA.
11. Concentrate : Fore more accurate DAKKA on twin stubbers and tighter Kickback spread.
12. Big Boom : Primary usage targets are Rumbler and Frag Bomb and Bombs Away!. 

13. Fire Away : Additional burn dot for Rumber or aoe clear tool in combo with Bombs Away!.

     

Choosing an Aura:

• Bonebreaker's Aura : Melee damage aura, good for any melee ogryn build.
• Stay Close! : Defense aura, which is usable when you are going for a tank or skirmisher(Point-Blank Barrage) build.
• Coward Culling : Making your DAKKA even scarier.

Keystone cluster:

Heavy hitter area

1. Too Stubborn to Die : Works on any Toughness regen. Good for clutching.
2. Implacable : Big chunk of Damage Resistance while charging your Pickaxe hit.
3. No Stopping Me! : New mobility while charging Heavy attack node. But almost all slowdown on charge can be negated by proper movement. 
4. Delight in Destruction : Superb node. Works on any player bleed, taking it is not a bad call, even if you don't take Batter.
5. Frenzied Blows : Shines on Light weapons, because even if you miss, you will build up stacks back quickly. Serious DPS increase, because its additional scaling to damage.
6. Dominate : You can't go wrong with more Rending and 10 sec uptime is huge. Your main job as ogryn is to kill armored targets, so this node is a must.
7. Bash and Blast : Can be used to reach certain breakpoints for Havoc. Not good.

Feel no pain area

1. Attention Seeker : This node is really good in combo with the Orox Mk II & Mk III Battle Maul & Slab Shield , you can force small gunners to move into melee range just by blocking their shots. Not needed on other weapons.
2. No Pushover : Super push every 8 seconds. Lots of people like it, but imo it worth taking only when you path to Hard Knocks .
3. Hard Knocks : Good node for any Melee ogryn, it requires 2 points, so it's mediocre.
4. Dedicated Practice : QOL node, shines in combo with Big Friendly Rock . One of the possible pathing nodes to No Hurting Friends! . If you are playing with Indomitable in your build, you want to path through this node.
5. No Hurting Friends! : Damage and Damage reduction combined in one node. And pathing nodes to it are good.
6. Bruiser : Faster Ability cooldown is a must when you play with Loyal Protector in your build. Can be used in skirmisher builds for quicker Point-Blank Barrage CD. Can be skipped on Indomitable because of the short CD. Always a good pick.
7. Get Stuck In : Speed boost shines for Loyal Protector builds. Avoid while using Indomitable , because countdown starts on button press and not at the end of the charge. 
8. Won't Give In . Not needed at all. Avoid.

Burst limiter override area

1. Pacemaker : Lorenz Mk V Kickback and Lorenz Mk VI Rumbler friend.
2. Reloaded and Ready : Second Lorenz Mk V Kickback and Lorenz Mk VI Rumbler friend. Usable on any Point-Blank Barrage build, because Point-Blank Barrage reloads your gun.
3. Spray and Slay : Third Lorenz Mk V Kickback and Lorenz Mk VI Rumbler friend. Avoid this one on DAKKA builds.
4. Mobile Emplacement : Usable on DAKKA builds, but not needed.
5. Unstoppable Momentum : Can be used in skirmisher builds.
6. Massacre : Core of DAKKA builds because of 6 Crit strings on Achlys Mk VII Twin-Linked Heavy Stubber .
7. Lucky Streak : More Damage on crits for your DAKKA.

Choosing an Keystone:

• Heavy Hitter : 80% of ogryn builds should end with this keystone imho. Just Getting Started! is always a take if you play Heavy Hitter .

  Fork #1: Don't Feel a Thing vs Unstoppable. Both are really solid choices. Unstoppable Shines with Pickaxes and Folding shovels. Don't Feel a Thing good bunch of Toughness DR.

  Fork #2: Great Cleaver vs Impactful. Great Cleaver adds a lot of value for Pickaxes on mixed hordes. Impactful can be used for easier trigger of Hard Knocks on some weapons, but personally i don't like it.

• Feel No Pain : Tankgryn keystone, use it when you are learning how to play ogryn or if you struggle with survivability. 

  Strongest!  Solid choice for quick replenishing FNP stacks. Toughest! +25% Toughness regen on any source is huge, in combo with Stay Close! is even more insane. Pained Outburst niche node which can help you, when you are pounced by the Pox Hound and nobody is nearby.  

• Burst Limiter Override : Core of any ranged ogryn build. Maximum Firepower faster cooldown for your Point-Blank Barrage. 

  Fork 1: Back Off! vs Good Shootin'. Back Off! is really potent in combination with Rumbler or Kickback. Good Shootin' shines with Twin Stubbers. 

  Fork 2: Heat of Battle vs Bulletstorm . Not much of the fork imo, Bulletstorm is a superior choice, because it works on any weapon and doesn't impact your ammo economy and it's teamwide at the same time.

Build Skeletons examples:

Indomitable + Heavy Hitter Skeleton (23 points).

• Blitz is optional, pick whatever you want. After that we only need to decide what weapon we're gonna use and take nodes to compliment that choice.

Light weapon route:

• Frenzied Blows Will give you more sustain and damage at the same time.
• Strike True + Batter Bleed on Light weapons YUM!

Heavy weapon route:

• Beat Them Back + Crunch! + Implacable are your core.
• Frenzied Blows is really good on Karsolas but mediocre on Branx. Because if you miss, building stacks back is very slow.
• Unstoppable is a really potent choice for Heavy weapons.

So we are left with some points which we can spent to close our weaknesses or for additional QOL picks:

Dying often and need more survivability?

• 15 Toughness + Can't Hit Me...Again  and go for Pumped Up + Slam combo.
• 15 Toughness + Pumped Up + Slam + Don't Feel a Thing / Unstoppable.

QOL Nodes:

• Want more horde clear? Great Cleaver.
• Want more damage? Look at Beat Them Back (But you have to weave heavy hit in your light spam here and there) or No Pushover + Hard Knocks 
• Want to play more aggressively? Indomitable + Pulverise + Bruiser for cooldown.
• Need a special snipe tool to close your Rumbler weakness? Big Friendly Rock + That One Didn't Count.

1. Light Build example: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9e6069f8-49dd-4b32-b2f8-6bf4315f8dc6/cleaver-havoc-40
2. Heavy Build example: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9e96bc9f-85a0-41c4-8f97-b7919909a273/karsolas-charge-havoc-40

Loyal Protector + Heavy Hitter skeleton (24 points). 

Same dance as in the previous section, but we now have access to the right side of the tree. For Havoc we really want to grab Valuable Distraction for team boss DPS, can skip that for Auric.

• We can have fun with Rumbler + Fire Away + Bombs Away! combo. 
• Became the ultimate presence machine for our team with Go Again! + Bruiser combo. Taunt them all!

1. Build example: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9db0be3e-de16-4f01-909c-bac073ae5dec/bonktide-havoc-40
2. Build example: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9e82f860-9f65-406d-8925-7d1e127b7b5a/karsolas-dmg-taunt-havoc
3. Build example: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9e96b909-fcb5-4283-85fd-998c413c625d/light-spammer-taunt-havoc-40

Point-Blank Barrage + Burst Limiter Override skeleton (20 points).

Blitz is optional as before, but can compliment our ranged weapon build more.

• Big Friendly Rock with improvement can be used as a special snipe tool, when you run Rumbler build.
• Bombs Away! + Fire Away combo for additional clear.
• Frag Bomb is always a solid pick, but even better with Big Boom

Weapon selection part:

• Twin stubbers will benefit from: Light ‘em Up , Massacre, Lucky Streak, Good Shootin' , Concentrate (optional).
• Rumbler will benefit from: Keep Shooting, Hail of Fire , Reloaded and Ready , Back Off! Plus: Big Boom, Fire Away, Pacemaker 
• Kickback will benefit from: Keep Shooting, Hail of Fire , Reloaded and Ready , Back Off! Plus: Concentrate for tighter spread or Pacemaker for horde busting.
• Heavy Stubbers and Grenade Gauntlet and Ripper guns will benefit from base damage increase and are not a good choice for Burst Limiter Override builds. Maybe Krourk Mk IIa Heavy Stubber can be viable option.

QOL picks:

• Dominate for additional Rending.
• Dedicated Practice + No Hurting Friends! combo fits really good in any ranged build.
• Batter + Delight in Destruction for easier life in melee and horde clear.
• The Best Defence for more survivability.

1. DAKKA Build example: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9e937bec-ff84-4514-9b09-c5afef709a39/twin-stubber-blo

Wall of text over, i hope you will have fun in your DarkTide games. XOXO

p.s. If you're gonna use this guide for making a youtube video, please just mention it in the video or at least put my twitch and guide link in the video description section, because I poured my ogryn soul into it.