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Grim Dawn |OT| It's always grimmest at dawn.

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Developer: Crate Entertainment
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Genre: Action RPG, Hack and Slash
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date: February 25th, 2016
How to Buy: Developer Website (steam key) | Steam | GOG

Useful Links
Official Site | Developer Site | Official Forum | Character Planner | Checklist | Item Database | Game Wiki | Subreddit | Latest Grim Misadventure | Build Compendium

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Grim Dawn is developed and published by independent studio Crate Entertainment, a company formed of previous Iron Lore Entertainment employees who are most well known for their work in developing Titan Quest. Similarly to Titan Quest, Grim Dawn is an entry into the Action Role-Playing Game genre, set in a darker world based on the Victorian era.

Grim Dawn began development early 2010 after acquisition of the Titan Quest engine. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign development proceeded slowly, but steadily, eventually making it onto Steam Early Access in 2013. Fans have enjoyed seeing the progress since with each new build release. February 25th, 2016 marks the game’s official release.


You find yourself in the war-torn world of Cairn, home to a once proud empire which now lays in ruin caught between two factions of otherworldly creatures that threaten humanity’s extinction. One sees humans as a mere resource to twist and degrade into abominations through sick experimentation. The other seeks to prevent that through the simple destruction of as many human lives as possible. The cataclysm between these two powerful foes has come to be known as the ‘Grim Dawn’ among several remaining denizens who fight and struggle to survive.

One survivor is you, a “Taken”, a human possessed by ethereal spirits and sentenced to hang. Lucky for you they fled your body moments before life leaves completely and you find yourself in Devil’s Crossings, a former prison turned refuge for other survivors. The fleeing spirit didn’t take with it all of its influence however, its former host tinged with powers unknown to most of man. To some this leaves you blessed, but to many more you are cursed, an aura of fear and understandable distrust surrounding you. It is up to you to regain that trust, and to cultivate your powers for your own survival.


Dual Class System allows the player to combine two of six distinct character classes to fit their playstyle. Each comes with 26 unique skills, both passive and active, as well as modifiers to several for further customization. Additional classes are to be added in future expansions.

Devotion allows a player to pray at a shrine, granting them further customization by aligning a character with the very heavens encircling the world. Each star grants the player a benefit, ranging from a simple increase of health, to unique new skills that may process with an attack, as well as many more. Completing entire constellations will allow a character to unlock more powerful ones, gaining their favor.

Factions of survivors are present in the world, many who competing with one another. Because of this a character will sometimes find themselves locked in a tough decision between two opponent groups, with no opportunity to appeal to both. Survival requires you to either choose a side, or risk offending both. Note however that while your choice will increase your reputation with one group, it will impact negatively on the other, resulting in them attacking you on sight.

Loot is ever-present as one may expect in such a world. At the start of the character’s journey they will find leftover junk and scrap fashioned into improvised weapons. However as they progress deeper into the maelstrom more magical and powerful weapons, armors, and trinkets are to be found. Items of legends, or armor sets belonging to those who could only be described as gods wait for those brave enough to seek them.


Arcanist - To Arcanists, the manifestation of magic is not some unexplainable mystery or the will of the gods, but a science meant to be unraveled. This pursuit of knowledge drives all Arcanists, always eager to discover a new technique to make their namesake. Arcanists warp Aetherial and elemental energy to their will, creating devastating demonstrations of power that rival small armies. However, such raw force leaves little in terms of defense.

Demolitionist - Pyrotechnic masters of the imperial army; Demolitionists are part engineer; part sorcerer. They were used to break enemy ranks and breach fortifications with their devastating array of explosives and destructive magic. They usually prefer to fight at range; engaging enemies with guns, traps and explosives but they can also be proficient with melee weapons.

Nightblade - Nightblades were clandestine warriors that sold their services to the great houses of the empire. Nightblades excel with all manner of martial weapons but are most feared for the deadly blade magic that is the secret of their trade. Nightblades are not suited to go toe to toe with tougher enemies and rely on illusion to close for quick, devastating attacks or fight from a distance with phantasmal blades.

Occultist - Once hunted by imperial forces in an effort to control eldritch power, the Occultist's craft focuses heavily on summoning and borrowed powers granted by the three witch gods Bysmiel, Solael and Dreeg. Their diverse arts include abhorrent curses and spells that inflict damage with poison, acid, and entropic energy. Excelling with neither sword nor gun, they can use either to augment their offense.

Shaman - Hailing from the untamed northlands, Shamans were the spiritual leaders and guardians of their people. Claiming an astounding attunement to the wilds and their patron deity Mogdrogen, Shamans are capable of wielding the terrible forces of nature against their foes or even calling upon savage beasts to come to their aid. Shamans excel in the use of brutal two-handed melee weapons, but can easily adapt to other tools of war when conjuring their primal powers.

Soldier - Soldiers of the imperial army were trained to survive in the most hellish conditions and hold the line against the deadliest enemies of the empire. Soldiers prefer the use of close combat weaponry, such as a sword and shield, but can also prove formidable with firearms. What a Soldier may lack in outright damage output is made up for in fortitude and leadership.

More classes are to be added in future expansions.
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Some Screenshot (Note: I don't have the greatest hardware so a few settings are turned down. I will replace these with better ones in the future. Animated gifs are not mine.)


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I will be updating this post more in the future. It is my first OT, so please feel free to PM or post if you would like to see more information in it.
 

stuminus3

Member
It's finally here!

Game turned out super fun. If any of you tried it in the early Kickstarter days and weren't impressed, try again now. It's great.
 

Patryn

Member
It's crazy that it's actually out.

I backed this way back in August of 2011, well before the Kickstarter campaign when they were simply doing funding directly on their web site. So it's been a long ride for me.
 
Awesome OT!

I finished the first act back on the initial release and stopped because I wanted to play the whole thing once it was completed.

I look forward to playing this again!
 

epmode

Member
Crate Entertainment is awesome. ~Five years ago, it seemed like this day would never come.

From the most recent Kickstarter update:
The project waxed and waned and waxed again as early volunteers joined up but then drifted off, I found myself working alone some days and things ground to a crawl, then KS gave it a kick in the ass and we were off again with new team members. This went from a crazy dream I knew was against the odds to the current reality of a 10-person team. I struggled through PayPal freezing our first crowd-funding account, lead poisoning, the passing of family members, all manner of technical and hiring challenges. It’s almost hard to believe looking back on it all.

We’ve delivered a lot of content beyond the promise of our Kickstarter, including an extra Act, a sixth class, major gameplay systems such as devotion and many more hours of gameplay than we originally talked about. Thanks to the success of Grim Dawn in Early Access, we’ve also been able to add VO for main quest dialog and an animated intro trailer, which are included in the new build.

...

It’s fantastic to come out of this with not only a complete game that’s bigger and better than I dared imagined it would be but also a team and company on solid footing,capable to launching new projects on our own.

<3 Crowdfunding <3
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
I hope this thing turned out -- it looks reallycool.

For those who want a DRM-free release, the devs confirmed that they'll be bringing it to GOG in March.
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
I've owned this game since forever ago but I've never tried it. I guess now's the time to jump in.
 

Maledict

Member
Brilliant game - I only picked it up a couple of months ago, but it's superb and definitely worth playing. It nails the D2 sequel feeling better than any other ARPG out there.
 

zenpuff

Neo Member
Played through a whole hell of a lot of this game a few months ago. Loved the way you can combine classes. Really, really fun game. I'm sure I'll boot it up again when I want to start up a new loot fest.
 

TripleSun

Member
I never jumped into it to try it out but am glad the official release is finally upon us! Loved everything I heard and saw!
 

jaekeem

Member
fun, fun game

rolling a soldier atm

idk if I should put points into any other classes yet. i'm doing 2H, so if I do it'll probably be shaman
 
I've invested at least 500 hours into this game, and feel I could easily invest countless more. I love the range of builds it gives the player, and the selection of gear and loot available. If anyone is in need of help or looking for a key piece of gear let me know and I'll see if I can help.
 
I found out about this game this week totally by accident. Brings back the fun of the Diablo games, been playing with my friends and just beat the boss for the first time.
 

bounchfx

Member
Probably picking this up tonight, stoked to give it a go! The guys making this are awesome, super talented folks. Buy it!
 

Fistwell

Member
Downloading an update right now, did anything major change?

Rly rly rly liking the game btw, 150hrs in the past cple of months. Would love to coordinate with some of y'all for coop over the weekend.
 

DadEggs

Member
OMG!!! its finally ready?! ive been waiting for so long.


buying 100% after work....or maybe ill wait till gog as i prefer to buy from there.
 

Roadrunner

Member
Awesome OT!! Nice work!!

Been playing for 2 years and it's finally out of EA.

To see this game growing has been great.

Can't wait for the expansion and the new classes with it.
 

PFD

Member
Excited about this game. Hopefully it turned out good

It would be nice to have some screenshots in the OT
 
It would be nice to have some screenshots in the OT

Noted, and I'm capturing some. The ones on their website are still from an older build and lack some of the newer assets.

What does 'end game' look like for Grim Dawn?

There's a couple 'rogue-like' dungeons which draws enemies from a pool for players to face against. Once you die though you're locked out of exploring them further until you use another key.
 

Jpope

Neo Member
Anyone got a good Shaman build they can share with me?
I don't know whether to go 2handers or just F*** it and go with pets.
 

Kallor

Member
Started playing it two weeks ago! 40 hours later i'm level 47, and have a shit ton of areas left to go through. Crazy how much content there is and its all soo good. I'm mixing an Occultist and Soldier class (Witchblade)

Jump in gaf, you won't be disappointed.
 

Anno

Member
So happy that Crate got this out and it seems awesome. And even a planned expansion and post-release content. TQ was the game that supplanted D2 for me.
 
Incredible game. I've been playing it for the last couple of builds. If you enjoyed Titan Quest this improves on it in every way.
 
Q

Queen of Hunting

Unconfirmed Member
i want my ternion attack from TQ back though :D
 

Akronis

Member
So glad this is finally out. I backed way before the kickstarter so it's so awesome to see it finally released :)

Titan Quest is was incredible game and this is even better. If you're a fan of ARPGs, this is definitely one not to miss.
 
Anyone got a good Shaman build they can share with me?
I don't know whether to go 2handers or just F*** it and go with pets.

My main build is a pet build, and I'd recommend starting as occultist for that, and then picking up shaman as your second class later. I also have a shaman+soldier 2 hander I like playing a bunch. So I can try to offer some assistance depending on which route you choose.
 
Q

Queen of Hunting

Unconfirmed Member
Battlemage (soldier/arcanist) is amazing byway
 

Redwing199

Neo Member
Bought this I think 1-2 years ago as they crept closer to completion. I gave in for a couple hours while in early access just to see how it was coming and loved it. Started a fresh Shaman / Soldier character as soon as B31 dropped. Enjoying every minute so far and can't wait to see what lies ahead!
 
For those who are unaware, Crate puts out an informative topic post every other week on their forums called 'Grim Misadventures'. Currently it is up to #91. I have added a link to the latest one in the OP, and will try to keep it updated every time they post a new one. The current one is particularly interesting because it looks back on development and shows how the game has changed. For example here are some of the visual upgrades during development:

Starting place:


Inventory/character screen:


Wightmire:

 

Ricker

Member
Nice OT,my Demolitionist was level 8,from last summer, and I started a female occultist this morning...looking forward to starting this up now and playing more often,I love the atmosphere in the first area's,I hope it keeps up.
 
Best Class is the Occultist!

But i'm rolling a Shaman, and by god, COMBINING pure, PURE power with two handed weapons, and summons is awesome. I'm I the only one who dosen't like hybrid classes? I like keeping it pure.
 
Best Class is the Occultist!

But i'm rolling a Shaman, and by god, COMBINING pure, PURE power with two handed weapons, and summons is awesome. I'm I the only one who dosen't like hybrid classes? I like keeping it pure.

I was running a couple pure classes when the cap was much lower. But since then I've found it more difficult because you just end up with so many points to invest that it's most prudent to take a second class.
 

Anno

Member
Best Class is the Occultist!

But i'm rolling a Shaman, and by god, COMBINING pure, PURE power with two handed weapons, and summons is awesome. I'm I the only one who dosen't like hybrid classes? I like keeping it pure.

Haven't messed around much here yet, but back in Titan Quest I was almost always a hybrid class. Defense/Nature, run around with my sweet wolves and bash the shit out of things with my shield and never die. It was great.
 

Mareg

Member
Best Class is the Occultist!

But i'm rolling a Shaman, and by god, COMBINING pure, PURE power with two handed weapons, and summons is awesome. I'm I the only one who dosen't like hybrid classes? I like keeping it pure.

Yep I've clocked around 300 hours on this game and I've never gone hybrid. I've tried every classes and I don't really see the potential. There is so many options at investing your points in one tree. I wouldn't know how to stretch them to a second one.
 
Feels like I've been waiting on the final version of the game forever, good to see it come out the other side in good shape. Definitely have to give a straight occultist a go.
 
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