GRIM DAWN / SYSTEM

Angrim or Duncan? Which Blacksmith to Pick

Pick Angrim if your build wants armor and pierce resistance, Duncan if it wants energy regeneration and Defensive Ability. Choice is per difficulty. The real difference is the pool of random crafting bonuses each smith rolls from, one per craft, so you can take the other smith on Elite or Ultimate. The unlock comes from the Act 1 quest Tale of Two Blacksmiths, which opens exactly one of them. Learned blueprints can be crafted at either, though each smith carries some innate recipes of his own.

Last updated: 2026-08-01

Verified: 1.2.1.6Checked: 2026-07-17Difficulty: All difficulties (the choice is made per difficulty)DLC: Base Game

DO THIS FIRST

▸Short answer: choose Angrim for armor and pierce resistance; choose Duncan if your build values energy regeneration or Defensive Ability (DA). Neither choice affects quests or progression.
▸Picked wrong? You can't change it on that difficulty, but the choice is independent per difficulty - pick the other on Elite or Ultimate.
▸The actual bonuses: Angrim rolls things like 3-7% pierce resistance, 2-4% armor, +2-4% physique; Duncan rolls 8-16% energy regeneration, +4-12 Defensive Ability, +2-4% physique (one random bonus per craft).
▸Recipes: learned blueprints can be crafted at any smith, but each smith's innate recipes differ (Angrim/Duncan each carry low-level weapons of their own specialty).
▸Later smiths arrive with act progression and expansions, each with its own bonus lean. The Elite+ Celestial Smiths handle the respec tonics (see the Respec article).

01 / CHOICE

The Choice and How Permanent It Is

▸The Act 1 side quest Tale of Two Blacksmiths decides whether Angrim or Duncan is unlocked (see the related quest for the walkthrough).
▸Within that difficulty the choice cannot be changed.
▸But the choice is made independently per difficulty, and choosing differently elsewhere has no effect on other difficulties - a character who picked Angrim on Normal can freely pick Duncan on Elite.
▸Neither choice blocks progression or quests; the difference is crafting only.

02 / BONUSES

The Crafting Bonus Pools

Crafting gear at a smith attaches one random bonus from that smith's pool - the substantive difference between the two.

▸Angrim (the military-gear expert): a defense-leaning pool with 3-7% pierce resistance, 2-4% armor, +2-4% physique, and the like.
▸Duncan (the magical-smithing prodigy): a caster-leaning pool with 8-16% energy regeneration, +4-12 Defensive Ability, +2-4% physique, and the like.
▸Choose by bonus value: take Angrim if armor or pierce resistance suits your build, Duncan if energy regeneration or Defensive Ability is what you want. Every bonus applies to the player - none affects pets directly.
▸The bonus rolls randomly per craft, so re-crafting the same item to chase a specific bonus is possible - budget permitting.

03 / RECIPES-AND-LATER-SMITHS

Recipe Scope and Later Smiths

▸Smiths craft gear, components, relics, and more from blueprints, and learned blueprints work at any smith.
▸Each smith's innate recipes differ, though - Angrim and Duncan each carry specialty low-level weapons of their own.
▸More smiths join through act progression and expansions - thirteen in total across the base game and DLC, each with its own bonus lean.
▸The Celestial Smiths met on Elite and above are the special case handling respec tonic crafting (see the Respec article).
▸In practice the first choice carries little weight: later smiths pile up and each difficulty re-opens the choice, so pick whichever fits your build without agonizing.

SOURCES

Verification Sources

Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Crafting — Confirms the Angrim/Duncan bonus pools (3-7% pierce res, 2-4% armor, +2-4% physique / 8-16% energy regen, +4-12 DA, +2-4% physique), the innate recipe differences, the thirteen total smiths, and the per-difficulty independence of the choice.
Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Blueprints — Confirms learned blueprints being shared (within the mode) and usable for crafting regardless of smith.
Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Crafting (Celestial Smiths) — Confirms Celestial Smiths appearing on Elite+ and crafting the respec tonics without blueprints.
Official Crate Forum: Grim Dawn v1.2.1.6 + Hotfix — Official patch notes for the verified version.