I FINALLY Fell in Love with Grim Dawn (First Impressions Review)

[@canuck64]

My vote is 100% for Grim Dawn...best one I've ever played...and I'm 60 yrs old...The second is Titan Quest.

[@lindamasha3552]

Why is everyone 60 nowadays on youtube. When our 50 year old parents arent

[@whathappenedto9374]

​@@lindamasha3552probably a lot of people retire and have more time for video games or play them for the first time

[@jchinckley]

@@lindamasha3552 Because people that aren't your parents still age and still play games regardless of how old they are. I've played games from the first time I was able to play them. I've always loved games from AD&D on through consoles and then PC games. It's no strange thing except for those that fell for the "mature people don't play games" line. I'm 63 and I'm not even the oldest player of these games. Skyrim grandma just quit playing because she got tired of it and she's like a decade older than I am. Correction...she's old enough to be _my_ mom. www.youtube.com/@ShirleyCurryTheOlderGamer

[@athrite2118]

good thing grim dawn is made by the same people who made titanquest with the same engine, probably why its so good

[@canuck64]

@@athrite2118 You're exactly right

[@maddahy]

It was the single game ever at which, after aprox 10hrs, I threw my card at devs as hard as I could. They unironically released soundtrack DLCs at comunity request, to have a way to pay them more. The only ever case where I have zero shame in being a fanboy, but first of the devs and then of the game. I'm 44 and these guys are a guarantee that gaming, as I knew it when I was a teenager, ain't getting lost in the toxic dev/marketing/monetization combo of these days. The 2nd which really shows promise is Greg/Slavic Magic, the 1-person dev of a completely different genre game, Manor Lords.

[@deathbydiarrhea9146]

The different levels of hostile factions btw also does affect the game, if you get one hostile faction from hostile > despised > hated > NEMESIS, the faction will send a nemesis boss after you. It's kinda like a super boss bounty hunter from that faction. :)

[@travissullivan6575]

It also increases mob density and the number of rares you see

[@Quackz86]

Good Job-- when i first hit a new area i usually farm up to Nemesis... was going to mention this on my inputs about the review.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

i call them walking loot chests😂

[@tonynittoli4792]

By far the most underrated game in the genre. When the video started and I could hear the background song, I started a new guy.

[@Prohxyy]

The rotating camera actually does have practical uses. If you have a movement skill that requires a target you can angle the cameras corner to get some further range. It also allows you to see whats ahead using the same method and walk into single mobs aggro range to kite more dangerous enemies or bosses from their location. Not having it in other arpgs is my biggest hurdle to get over to be honest.

[@CaptainBrash]

Also handy for finding the many secret areas in the game.

[@kennethburridge862]

The fact that it feels slower is in my opion one of the strenghts to the game. It takes me back to a time when games made you invest in them, feel them, just not as,many modern games are,, mostly about fast paced action all the time.

[@deenman23]

it gets fast

[@kennethburridge862]

@@deenman23 , Yes it does. Have played through several times. But for a long time it is rather slow paced compared to most others in the genre- Which is good.

[@genericgoosereturns]

the game is not challenging. even playing on highest available difficulty and veteran mode it took hours before i was ever in danger, even ignoring skills and attributes at levelups. the levels are way too big and take forever to get through. nothing is happening. i played for 37 hours and barely slogged through to homestead after multiple playthroughs. as with all arpgs the story is very rudimentary and exploration is pointless (there are a few things worth going for, but it takes forever in the massive world and they are always in the same place, so it's not really exploration). and as with all aprgs it's all about slogging through dozens of hours of 'tutorial' to get to the 'real game', where, maybe, you will actually get challenged. combat is too simplistic to carry the game. not to mention you will have to replay the campaign over and over for every new character and it's the same every single time. who thought this is good design? i hope no one is going to bring up hardcore, because all that does is makes your character disappear after the aforementioned 40 hour boring slog of nothing at all happening or challenging you, forcing you to do it all over again. why cant there be an arpg where combat is a challenge that you have to beat to get through the story, instead of a 100 hour tutorial for the pointless infinite endgame grind?

[@marcosdheleno]

i dont ming it starts slower, i do mind how the leveling feels terrible because you are forced to waste dozens of levels on boring class levels just so you can use the abilities. it reminded me of the worst aspects of most classes in ragnarok online, in how you are forced to spend so many levels on boring stuff, just to unlock the things that will be fun, 20-30 levels later!

[@genericgoosereturns]

@@marcosdhelenoyeah that also sucks dead levels are never fun i've been playing din's curse and din's legacy and they are pretty much everything i'd ever want from an arpg and more

[@diekrahe7151]

As someone who has 1000 Hours and more than XX Lvl 100 Chars, I have to say that this is my favourite game of all time, not only of the ARPG's. I actually had one issue, when I started playing GD in 2016 when it came out. It really took some time until I really learned to love this game. It really grows on you over the time. Its like a flower that just gets more beautiful and meaningful the more you look at it. There are so many aspects, which make this game an absolute masterpiece, the complexity of building your character, the little details about the world and especially the lore notes. The whole game concerning combat/masteries etc is perfectly balanced, everything works with everyting if you really invest a little bit of time into theorycrafting. It enables some really smart ways to play the game, which is pure fun. Also: Crate Entertainment might be one of the best Developement Teams of all time. They really listen to their community and understand their own game really well, which is a rarity nowadays... I mean... look at Bethesda, or EA, or Blizzard...etc. I could go on and on about what I love about this game, but in conclusion: Its a milestone in ARPG history.

[@HittheJay]

Have you tried the Dawn of Masteries mod? It adds a bunch of classes from Titanquest and D2 and D3 as well as some other ones. All the classes have items that are integrated to function with each other. Its got a bunch of other features as well. Good way to keep the hours flowing!

[@Nymerian_]

so true, i first played it for a bit and thought it was aight then left it for like 2 years then came back and its now my favourite arpg

[@angelusrufus7479]

And locations. Every time you can find something new. Hidden passages to secret places. You must look carefully to find everything.

[@vilmiswow]

what I can't get through is how long it takes to finish story 3 times.. every time I pick this game I clear like ~80% or 100% first run and just get bored..

[@Alkiskond]

100% true !

[@user-wd4xb8tr5i]

DLCs are must have, they bring those big bosses, new quests areas, dungeons, items, everything.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

and classes!

[@jimjohnson6944]

Do I need to get the dlcs right away or can I try out the base game first and buy them later?

[@krukru7036]

@@jimjohnson6944 you can buy base game and finish it's story in normal difficulty to test waters. If you end up enjoying it, DLCs are must haves like OP mentioned. Just know that the challenge from normal to ultimate difficulty is a big jump so if you find normal easy/boring and want a more challenging experience, it will be challenging/more fun on higher difficulties. Plus some bosses/items only drop from higher diffs so there's that too. Just a heads up if ever you end up dropping the game after playing it on normal.

[@ProfessorCrane]

Right away​@@jimjohnson6944

[@rednab2001]

I have a little over 4K hours in Grim Dawn. For me, it is the gold standard for ARPGs. The "drawback" of it not being a live service game is actually a bonus for me. I always play solo, and I really don't like organized trade like POE has. I started long ago with Diablo 1, then went to 2 and eventually 3 with Torchlight thrown in. I got so fed up with D3s lack of build diversity that I decided to try Grim Dawn and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. I eventually went on to play POE and LE. I play POE, but I hate POE. I am a semi-casual, older gamer and POE takes too much time and effort...and their combat feels like Sonic the Hedgehog on crack! Up to this point, Grim Dawn is the only ARPG that got combat exactly right. You will have to do boss mechanics. There is no one-shotting or insta-phasing bosses. And any decently built character will also not get one-shot by the bosses. There is actual counterplay in boss fights and other encounters. Nobody does this worse than POE. Constant one-shots and on death effects for cheap-cheesy character kills. GD's combat feels measured and fair. When you die, you will almost always know why you died. Character deaths feel fair, unlike in POE. One last comment. The base game of Grim Dawn is good, but the two expansions make it great...especially The Forgotten Gods expansion. My biggest issue with the game at base level and with the first expansion is that you could not target farm sets. I had played for thousands of hours and never put a set together. The Forgotten Gods expansion fixed that issue, making set helms craftable and the recipes farmable. Then, they have a transmute ability that lets you transmute one set piece to a random different set piece, like in D3. After that, all my end game characters were rocking full sets. Can't recommend any other ARPG higher than Grim Dawn. I have been playing Last Epoch for about 2 years and it runs a close second.

[@Alkiskond]

Absolut true my friend !

[@worldz_of_visions]

Fair review, young aspirant. The pace can be quickened substantially using the DLCs for newer PCs once the old ones have pioneered certain things. Potions of clarity can be purchased from the Malmouth faction which grant +100% experience for 1 real time hour. Merits can be purchased from a vendor in the Conclave of the Three which will unlock Elite or Ultimate difficulties. When I start a new PC, I typically play 1 round of crucible, use 1 merit and within half an hour the PC is about 24th level. Then back to crucible for 12 more rounds to unlock tributes which can be traded for devotion points. I then use normal just to jump to shrines to unlock (usually about 18 to 20). I then start the real play through on Elite with nearly 30 devotion points and level 27. You can see the pace can be much quicker. When you feel you have mastered the mechanix, try hardcore. It is my preferred way to play. When the smith says "Don't get killed out there" it means something.

[@Aezthet1C]

Lokaar set also give u extra xp on top clarity for faster lvling, and can be use up to lv 80 ish

[@worldz_of_visions]

@@Aezthet1C Someone would have to demonstrate to me surviving for more than just the first few levels with this set. Each piece is 10 armor. I figured it was more or less ceremonial. How do you take a punch for more than just a few levels with almost no armor? 80th level? or 8th level? If 80th, that's like saying armor doesn't matter for most of your leveling. There's no way I believe that. I've got 8000 hours in. Armor not mattering has not been my experience. I suppose that's why I never tried farming this guy. Especially since I play mostly hardcore. Very risky. I've only faced him once and luckily my pet build was strong enough to kill him.

[@SapFeaRon]

@@worldz_of_visions People use lokarr set all way to level94 ultimate all the time in HARDCORE, so i'm not sure what's your problem with that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYDbiZWFjK2be7s here is rekt speedruning purifier in lokarr set. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqqsZaptmrqqY7M here is his another speedlevel.

[@spankyjeffro5320]

Nope. Runs only count if you start them at the intended difficulty in the normal mode.

[@spankyjeffro5320]

Legitimate playthroughs only start via the story, no crucible is allowed.

[@GrumpyCthulhu]

Just a quick correction / FYI: You can actually respec the mastery bar as well, you are just required to clear all spell above the mastery level first. So if your mastery is at 40, you'll need to remove all level 40 spells first before you can remove mastery points.

[@kollus3234]

You're actually both correct. You can't in the base game, you need the Ashes of Malmouth expansion for that.

[@WanderAbroad-pq5ph]

wait wait, I'm not understanding something here - Mastery bar can have a full respect? So lets say I max out my class tree in shaman but then realize I put to many points and don't want to max the tree out, I can get get those points back? I thought I could only remove points from skills or am I misunderstanding something here. Oh and if someone could return all their points wouldn't they be able to choose a different class as well?

[@GrumpyCthulhu]

@@WanderAbroad-pq5ph It's possible to get the entire mastery bar back to 0, but even then you won't get the class selection screen again, that choice is locked in permanently.

[@WanderAbroad-pq5ph]

@@GrumpyCthulhu I've played this for years, how have I overlooked that feature? I know at the respec woman you click the talent point to return them. How do you decrease the bar?

[@hi-im-huesitos]

To be completely accurate, you can reset the mastery points to 1, not 0. You just click the same button to add points to the mastery while talking to the spirit guide.

[@KimParkkinen]

As someone with, as you said, thousands of hours in Grim Dawn I agree with pretty much everything you said! I love going back to GD every time there is a lull in PoE leagues and just blast through. My only gripe with the game is that it really does not have a good endgame. Shattered Realm from The Forgotten Gods DLC is pretty much only thing (outside of Crucible mode, which is its own DLC.) you can really push after you've killed all the superbosses in the game. But that honestly is enough to give me content to play until new PoE league or something happens in other games I play. There are actually (very minor) gameplay tricks you can do by moving the camera around. For example, literally the moment you create a new character, you can rotate the camera a bit before the bridge out of town to pick up the lore node inside Devil's Crossing for like 100 early exp before even killing one zombie. Not very useful in a long run, but a fun little camera trick. Just like PoE, this game also has its own third party lootfilter known as the rainbow filter. It recolors the tooltips to be more easily readable by coloring certain keywords differently and doing some other small QOL changes. Some people really like it, some, mostly those who've played the game before Rainbowfilter was developed, are so used to the jungle of words in the item tooltips that they probably spot what's what on glance. For new players, I do highly recommend both of the story DLC's. Crucible is fully optional, though it can be used to powerlevel a new character up 'till like level 10 or so without too many problems. But the story DLC's (Ashes of Malmuth and The Forgotten Gods) add a ton of content and in my opinion offer the "complete" GD experience with the things they bring in to the basegame alone. I'm very happy to see you jumping into the game and making a video! GD needs more eyes on it, love the game to bits! Hopefully you'll make videos if you decide to try the story DLC's and the new expansion coming later this year, can't wait to hear your opinions on those!

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

Ahhh I figured there would be SOMETHING from the community for the loot! Thats so great I'm going to look that up right now. Also, I really do want to keep going, thanks for the breakdown on the DLC. Ill be looking to see if its on sale anytime soon or if I just want to bite the bullet... lol

[@matthuck378]

In addition to power leveling from 1-10, the crucible is also good for getting a few extra Devotion points when you start a character. I think it's cool Crate doesn't seem to mind that 'exploit'.

[@curocks8360]

@@AllTradesJackReviews Crucible can also be used to get some gear to a new character from your shared stash. Normally a new character can not access shared stash until you unlock the gate at Devil's Crossing.

[@SapFeaRon]

how exactly grim dawn doesn't have good endgame compare to say, diablo 2 or diablo 3? or torchlight? or titan quest? Let's see options you have in late game - hidden bosses, superbosses, SR, crucible (dlc), totem runs, MI farming, faction rep/gear farming, boss runs, dungeon runs. D3 until release of dlc had...0 endgame at all. d2 had same problem, only boss runs. Grim dawn at release had hidden bosses, superboss, MIs, boss runs and 3(?) dungeons. And each dlc add more and more endgame options. Never played d4, but i doubt even that game has more endgame options then GD.

[@Thegooderstuffs]

I have a few thousand hours in this game over the years and still have extremely fond memories of it. It’s the game that got me into my love of theorycrafting and playing HC.

[@Estupigaia]

Yesss, I LOVE Grim Dawn. It was my first ARPG after getting a taste with Diablo 3 and the complexity of the builds, the world, the story and the amazing loot made me just fall in love with it. No TQ or D2 nostalgia on my side either, and coming from D3 I just craved something to get my brain gears going. I'm so looking forward to the next expansion. This game got me through the pandemic and I'm so glad you finally connected with it!

[@Estupigaia]

Also I really do recommend the expansions. Both are incredible, and Forgotten Gods adds a great endgame akin to maps or rifts but way more fun in my opinion, as well as movement abilities that make the game feel that much more modern. Crucible is a fun side mode but not as essential.

[@9Nifty]

Grim Dawn's did 1 thing really well. Escalation: 1. Fire shot will summon a fireball at level 20 2. Fire shot will summon a volcano at level 40 3. Fire shot will summon a meteor storm at level 80 Every other AARPG your skills look and function the same for most of your experience.

[@majorgear1021]

I don’t know if many game have this. But I prefer when a spell has different versions. Like a level 1 fireball spell that shoots 1 fb with low mana cost, a level 2 that shoots 2 and costs more mana , and so on. Then if you think you only need a level 2 spell, you can cast that instead of the level 5 spell that would waste mana.

[@Ninakoru]

Yeah, TQ, and GD are more slow paced than other ARPGs, and have the exploration element in it. I would say from a mechanics point, Grim Dawn while hugely complex, they dedicated an absurd amount of time to make the game as balanced as possible.

[@pbonfanti]

I was playing path of exile before, but when started to get the hang of Grim Dawn, it is amazing, the proper pace, not overly complicated, and i dont need trade with players to play the game.

[@Beezlbae]

TBH one of the few games where from the get go you can make a summoner build and the minions actually do the job for you. Not many games know how to make summoner builds feel like they should feel. I get that a game has to have a sense of difficulty but when I am running around with a group of skeletons or zombies they need to have an impact otherwise why play the build or the game if I have to wait till lvl 25 to be good.

[@KanetsidohiKanotoush]

I've put 1800+ hours on Grim Dawn, and I think its best characteristic is replayability, you can start a game with the same class everytime but choosing different skills, change everything Another interesting aspect is mono-class, either you never choose a second class or, you choose a second class to fill the mastery bar but never choose any skills on it The devs are still taking care of the game, and buffs are automatic now which is good or bad depending on what you think of it. I like it but it takes away a little of the thrill in my opinion as before, reaching that zone where is that mage type boss which not only nullify all the buffs on my hardcore character but made it with a big ominous message on screen, was a thing of nightmares

[@Grandmastergav86]

The greatest ARPG of all time, nothing comes close IMO. You can't deny the brilliance of Diablo 1 & 2 (as well as their historical significance), Path Of Exile, Titan Quest and I'd even include Torchlight 1 & 2 but GD trumps them all. For very low budget yet surprisingly complex and dynamic affairs, I'd highly recommend Din's Curse, Zombasite and Din's Legacy - they're all very low-fi but are wholly unique and (for me) very enjoyable.

[@krzysztofs3t532]

Grim Dawn is one of a kind game, the play is slower then PoE and Last Epoch. And this is a good thing. The unique thing in GD is the world, the amosphere and the connection that you have with the game environment.

[@LetoZeth]

You can't skip the reputation grind if you want to get into the end-game, as it's the only source of a certain armor and weapon enhancing item. It's required to reach maxed out resistances and not get one-shot. But you also don't really have to "grind" reputation, if you got that far in the game then you got the reps unlocked already.

[@cory9919]

Im always pleasantly surprised every time i see a new patch or update post from Grim Dawn. I remember back after the 2nd expansion the devs were winding down, the game looked like it was going to be done with no more development, with the team moving on to other games...and yet here we are 8 years later and they are STILL pumping out content for it. I absolutely LOVE these passionate "forever" games. Games like Grim Dawn, and Dont Starve, and Terraria even though they are on teir last, final definitely never going to be another Patch

[@IamNoOneUknow]

I just bought this game on Steam’s summer sale this morning for $7.49. I’m looking forward to blasting it after I finish Last Epoch’s 1.1 cycle play through.

[@tumbllweed]

Somehow this hasn't been on my radar but it is now. Recently quit playing D4 and started Last Epoch. Saw someone mention playing this while waiting for the LE release next week. Looks like this a game worth trying.

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

It’s definitely worth a try and goes on sale often!

[@subhankitbasu620]

One thing i found is that shoot cupboards and shelf for more lore notes so more exp

[@matthuck378]

It's still my favorite top down ARPG. I'll be playing yet again when the new expansion comes out, for sure. Another thing that's so great about the camera is replayability. Orient it with South (or east or west) "up" all the time, and it's almost like playing a new map.

[@liquididentity101]

Normal is "enjoy at your own pace" mode. You rarely have to refine your gear or skill setups as almost anything will get you through will minimal potential for enemies to faceroll you. As you climb difficulties you start accessing more epic and true legendary items with sets becoming more apparent. Honestly, normal is an introduction and once youve played through it once and become familiar with the game, you'll want to skip it entirely through use of difficulty runes purchased by your higher level characters.

[@nixielee]

Grim Dawn is the GOAT. Specific stats doesn't matter, just get some res and as much OA/DA as possible

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

LOL do the stats matter at higher levels or difficulties? Or maybe in the expansions?

[@deenman23]

@@AllTradesJackReviews depends on the enemy,all stats matter,and how you pilot matters,armor,armor absorb to 100%,phys res,maxed out res,oa/da,and very important are the stats that reduce enemy resitences,ofc there are builds out there that manage to work with very low defensive ability,you can always check the forum,its very bussy and full of detailed guides on basic stuff

[@SapFeaRon]

Great video, but couple nitpicks... Aetherials don't want to destroy world, they want to get it back since they consider it theirs ( and they have rights to think so). Chthonian don't care about world, but their goal(bringing back Ch'thon) will destroy world hence why they are final enemy in base game. You don't need to grind faction rep at all. On normal you just want all of them unlocked, and by the time you in ultimate and level 70+ you will get max rep anyway. You can't even use their best things in normal anyway since they locked behind level 70+. Bosses are weak in normal, but if you turn on veteran...well from character sheets i saw in video, you would probably instantly die since veteran stop holding back. For example : -9% poison resist means that you take 89% more poison damage so 1 poison DOT will probably instantly kill you. Minor spoiler - First hidden boss you can find right next to first starting area (dreeg's guardian) does...poison damage. As well as every mob in his area. Considering that even with 80% poison resist he still does respectable damage, having negative resist is yikes.

[@Amadourrr]

the atmosphere in this game is *CHEF KISS* i was so immersed in my first playthrough, the transitions between the various hostile landscapes is so flawless, i loved it !

[@Saigaiii]

I love this game. Started playing it about a month ago and got a character to 100 to try and farm my endgame build. There’s so much too it, and playing like SSF works great for me since I like playing alone.

[@loalen7561]

I've played grim dawn since late 2016. The problem when i started was act 1. It reminded my of act 3 in d2. It's raining and you go through a swamp like area until burrwitch. I didn't know to watch for in stats so it made it harder. But when i finally got to homestead i got to like the game even more. And when i hit 50 and got my first legendary i was completely sold. After a while i really put time in trying to build alot of different devotion trees. I also found grim tools that helped ALOT. Now i level up characters in 2 nights (8-10 hours) i don't play hardcore though.

[@marzatplay]

I finally finished the game/all expansions on Ultimate last night. WooHoo! PS, I skipped Epic, went straight from Veteran to Ultimate.

[@blaggzear3152]

I have played every kind of H&S Games since 2000 (Diablo 2).. and i have also played Grim Dawn since release for about 2yrs leveling up every available class. Overall i'd say it's one of my favorite H&S. The only thing that i would wish would be much better presentation of the lore. Something that let you imagine the epicness of the War going on. Only reading text is not what really impresses when playing the game. Other than that the Game is a true Gem in the genre.

[@Siaynoq8]

I've said a similar gist on many GD videos, but I adore this game. Also as a Diablo refugee, this game brought just the right balance of tone and complexity for me. I love the background story of the Cthonics vs the Aether and it's a fun backdrop to roleplay in as you make up a story for your own character. And that roleplaying is reinforced splendidly by the dual mastery system. Like, if you're on Occultist, and you also pair that up with a Necomancer or a Shaman, you might come up with a nice story in your mind as to why your character has that common or unlikely combination of classes. I love the engine and the feel of the combat. It's easy to complain that the game feels dated, but I think it still looks and feels great. I have over 800 hours in this game. I could gush about it for nearly as long a time.

[@toddwilliams8128]

My current playthrough, I made a conscious effort to read the lore pages I collected, and it made me appreciate how much thought the devs put into building the world. It really puts events into context. 10/10 game, sitting firmly at the top next to POE, which is another 10/10 game with a different approach to greatness.

[@GraySlave]

Grim dawn is the giga chad arpg. The only negative thing is the absence of official seasons. The atmosphere, the world, the music, the combat...all are great. The boss fights are not as awesome as in Poe or Last Epoch, they remind me of the bosses in diablo 2. Just give this game a chance all of you seriously. The dlcs are absolutely worthy. Also pay attention to the story and lore, try to read the lore pages you find throughout the game. I also play Last Epoch but i don't really like the world, the atmosphere and the overall feeling. LE has also been greatly inspired by Grim Dawn in a lot of ways. It saddens me that everyone is hyped about last epoch(including me), but Grim Dawn does not get the recognition it deserves.

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

I have to try the DLC! And I agree, Grim Dawn has always felt like its a bit hidden. Everyone knows it exists, but its not really "in the popular scene" so people don't always talk about it enough. Maybe thats because there arent seasons, like you said! But hopefully the expansion will bring enough attention to it that Grim Dawn 2 will be hyped up for real!

[@shimik11]

Grim Dawn is atrocious for new players.

[@GraySlave]

@@shimik11 Yet easier than Poe, right? Also the first time i tried it i didn't really like it. It is one of those games that you need to give it a second chance to appreciate its quality.

[@shimik11]

@@GraySlave ive tried it 3 times and didnt like it, even with the D2 mod. Its easier than poe but then again, i dont like poe either. Last epoch hits the right balance (even though i feel it was a bit overrated but 1.0 looks like its made A LOT of improvement to the game).

[@Pikoso27]

What do you mean atrocious? Game couldn't be simpler when you first start@@shimik11

[@HateMachinist]

GD is the best ARPG I have ever played. And that includes LE and PoE, which are absolutely top-notch contenders. The way that GD rewards exploring, the crafting systems, the grinds and targeted farms simply feel different. Even the endgame feels unique, almost a bit MMO-RPG-ish, compared to other ARPGs. And the choices you do with talent-trees hits hard and feels so damn impactful. My only critique is that levling can be a slow and dreary ordeal, especially if you pick the wrong class, so here is a short list of skills which make the levelling fast: Necromancer's skellyboys, Demolitionist's blackwater cocktail, Soldier's force-wave, Occultists bloody pox, Inquisitor has an elemental seal, and shaman have thunder-strikes. Arcanist and nightblade are generally well balanced, but oathbreaker should sadly be avoided until level 50.

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

I definitely want to try the necro… and maybe a good occultist.

[@HateMachinist]

@@AllTradesJackReviews necro is good for pets, frost and acid-builds, and is by far the best support-class for Aether-builds. Arcanist+Necro=walking death-ray. Though I hear vitality-builds are very strong after the latest patches, so maybe necro/occultist is the way to go now?

[@TheAniki94]

​​@@HateMachinist Necro Occu is usually more on the pet side, it's an incredible slave driver to blast through the whole game. If you want a Vitality caster you would rather go with Occultist first and Shaman as a second spec, or either necro instead of Shaman. I prefer Occu/ Shaman myself it's a blast to play :))

[@HateMachinist]

​@@TheAniki94so I made an occultist/shammy vitality-caster. Stacking vitality-resistance reduction is far too easy.....

[@TheAniki94]

@@HateMachinist that's the spirit 🤓 enjoy the free ride to endgame!

[@lllwarchildlll]

This was an excellent & informative video. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. Everything you shared was easy to understand. My only suggestion would’ve been to cover the multiplayer aspect (trade possible items?, independent loot pools?, can you trade materials? Etc etc). Thanks again. 🙇‍♂️ bow*

[@censortube8662]

It starts off at a slow pace but later on the combat can be insanely fast paced depending on how you build your character. You can find low level sets that boost your movement speed and experience gained to make leveling alts much faster. Clarity potions also give +100% experience. Leveling alts in this game is so addicting with the shear amount of build options from the class system. It may be the best ARPG ever to me and I've played them all.

[@AaronStanczak]

The game really starts on ultimate difficulty. Most veteran players just speed run normal and elite in a few hours to max devos and grab a few MIs.

[@K4rmaRules]

Yep it's really good. I was watching somebody else play it on here, the other day and realised you can turn the area around you to get another view. Good for finding things in buildings etc.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

and within a multiclass, you can also make completely different versions. i have the said Warder ( soldier shaman), with a retaliation build. basically mobs destroy themselves when they attack me. And being a Tank with huge hp. Or make a caster that blasts a continuous beam, while freezing enemies. Or a dual wielding pistol user, or dual swords. etc etc etc. do get the DLC's, it makes the game so much better

[@alexgoldbar]

Game is amazing. I have over 1k hours on it. Waiting for the upcoming expansion now.

[@Z1pZ1p3r]

The sad part is not every class combination is a winner.

[@SapFeaRon]

to be fair, each class combo usually has at least 3 viable endgame builds that can clear all content. Mage hunter considered bad combo, but still has PRM, Allagast and AAR builds. Double Resist Reduction masteries are better then single RR ones, no doubt about that.

[@unspeakableoaf]

Sometimes you have to work for it, or get to a fairly high level to get to the good stuff. Some combinations don't benefit from more than a narrow line of powers in the secondary. But in general, every combination has something going for it. It just took some out of the box thinking, and finding the right items, before it clicked. I do hate not having a class with a default attack replacement though! I feel so weak. Some masteries have useful default attack passives which alleviate it a bit, and going full skeleton army lessens the need.

[@D2modplayer1]

I wasn't used to the complexity, it also took me a few years to get into it. I simply didn't understand it or know why it was great.

[@LabofmusicRecords]

Grim Dawn 2024 club here 🤠😎 A new release of this game with new quests and grafics would be very nice

[@CorruptorPeste]

Totally agree on the negative side of loot. I started the game twice and both times i left it just thinking about drops. "oh no i`m going to play and the monsters will drop gear and i`ll have to read aaaalllll those stats" or something like that was my thinking.

[@marcinpirog755]

Greatings from DoM HC👊We really need that new expansion,im bored after 8k hours in game😉

[@glennp1690]

There is much for you to discover with this Legendary game. Best ARPG ever IMO ;)

[@INFINITYREALM]

After playing a lot of Diablo 4, I find the exploration of this game very refreshing. Dungeon crawling feels meaningful. Thanks for the video.

[@Spectans1]

Grim Dawn must be the most supported game Ive ever played. It has been so long they released it and it still receives updates.

[@8-bitbenzu529]

Great review. I never got into GD but I'm honestly considering giving it another chance - you made it sound delightful. Maybe if and when I get bored of Last Epoch 😊

[@Furymgs3]

It's a bit of a problem with old-style ARPGs and games inspired by them. The first difficulty is more of a tutorial than anything else... a 30-hour long one. Titan Quest, Borderlands 2 and Grim Dawn were like that for me. These games tend to pick up steam in the higher difficulties, both in terms of loot variety and difficulty. I'm still baffled to this day that True Vault Hunter Mode was DLC for Borderlands 2, when it felt so much like "the real game".

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

I think Grim Dawn hits a 'sweet spot' of complexity. D3 and D4 lack complexity almost entirely. You have two or three viable builds per class, and then it gets out of your way and lets you hacky-slashy across a procedurally generated map. It has all the depth of a puddle, but has the accessibility to let almost anyone get into the action out of the gate. PoE is the other extreme, requiring a dual-PhD in Game Mechanics and Character Building just to get past Act 1, with a passive tree deliberately built to be as obfuscating and intimidating to new players as possible, but has fantastic depth that you really don't even start to scratch until post-campaign mapping. Grim Dawn strikes a balanced middle ground between these extremes. With two classes to combine, you have endless possibilities for class synergies and build ideas that are viable. However, the classes are presented in a straightforward manner that is easy to comprehend. The Constellation system is similar to the passive tree from PoE, but instead of deliberately designing for obfuscation, it is designed for clarity, grouping abilities under themed constellations. It is more accessible and has a lower bar of entry than PoE, but more complex and more game depth than D3/4. It's also primarily offline. You *can* play it with friends, either LAN or having someone act as a host, but it is primarily intended to be an offline game. Which is something I tremendously appreciate. I don't need to hear some guy's goblin drummer (that he had to pay cash to obtain!) going off every ten seconds while I do my vending and quest turn-ins in town. Thanks.

[@majorgear1021]

Does the game have any humor in it? Something I loved about Sacred 2 was the funny dialogue with NPCs and events like a heavy metal concert with monsters rocking it out that are part of a quest. It’s been a while since I played, but I think that it had some 4th wall breaking stuff. Like if you don’t move your character for a while, it was start saying things like “I’m getting bored here, can we move now?” “Are you there? Did you fall asleep at the keyboard?” Its small touches like that that make me really enjoy a game.

[@Pavel-Geleznov]

my favorite in this game is "shared stash", to swap items between characters

[@seeess925]

This is the best arog right now. But not without it's flaws. I remember seeing a preview for Diablo 4 a long time ago. Where there was actual tactics involved along with get paced action. I avoided that game for other reasons. And it seems to have devolved into mindless blindfold tazmaniac play. Just like most Diablo 3 contemporaries. That are nothing like what the original Diablo was meant for - a dark fantasy. I remember during level 12 of Diablo 1 how happy I was when a white broadsword dropped. Because they didn't just throw piles of loot at you or make them easy to show up in the shop. Grim Dawn is also a dark fantasy. Which means it cannot by definition offer a power fantasy style arpg. Better referred to ss mindless inanity. While Grim Dawn does lack in the correct atmosphere and scarcity loot econ. It at least is a bit more tactical than mindless arpgs like Last Epoch.

[@HyperQuarks]

This is my favorite game of all time, hands down. I will say you need some QoL mods like rainbow filter which assigns colors to stats like vitality or burn so its easier to identifiy on the wall of text.

[@jerrygump1422]

my fav arpg still, it's no bullshit to the point - turn off anti aliasing to get rid of ugly blur

[@temjiu9915]

In spite of the fact that I only play it a few months a year now, This is by far the best ARPG I've ever played. Sorcerer is a blast. literally, explosions everywhere! if you want a great setup, I have one built. It's my favorite class, just dropping bombs and fire and mortars all over the place, including calling down massive meteors from the sky! Also, quick note: most of the actual story is found in journals and mail you find as you explore. Think of the NPC interactions as the skeleton of the story, with all the journals, writings, and letters really round out the story and make it feel very real and connected. Like finding the journal pages of a woman in the mountains who steadily goes insane after the loss of her husband, and ends up using her daughter to entice men in and kill them for food. Grisly, and heart wrenching. And I love the possible options of classes and interclass builds. not many MMO's where you can play a mage, a warrior, a gunslinger (arcane gunslinger even), necromancer, and demolitions specialist in the same game. very cool lore and roleplay possibilities.

[@sasa11133]

You should look at the stats of mythical legendary augmented gear. Aside from that, grim dawn got some neat hidden bosse

[@StudioGym24_7]

Hi, your advice for Start character? I have GD

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

Honestly, with Grim Dawn its all about the class. Choose what interests you and it will carry your interest in the game. Don't be afraid to explore, and if you like your class exploration will be fun because combat will be fun!

[@Deviljho5]

Last time I played this game I was lost. I am new to ARPG style games but own a few. Last Epoch was my recent purchase and I am hooked. Maybe I will give it another try.

[@GraveUypo]

this is a perfect review. completely relatable to me and to my brother who i'm trying to convince to play with me once. i've played this game once almost 10 years ago, i know it's fun. but my brother is scared of complexity. and well, we're old now (he's 40 i'm 38), so even i hate when games shower you with loot full of meaningless small stats instead of being simple like... diablo 1. ah, that is still the GOAT to me. but this is a good game and we've never played it together

[@redinthesky1]

Grim Dawn is amazing. For those that have already played, or find it a little too archaic in presentation, Last Epoch is a lot like what a Titan Quest/ GD 2 would be

[@omegadroidzero]

Last Epoch is way too easy and much faster paced than this. Its more of a power fantasy and you get too powerful way too quick. Its fun and casual but thats about it...when the servers work that is.

[@Quackz86]

For the Crafting system one you unlock that item from on your main toon you actually get to craft it on all toons very rewarding system if your willing to be the work in.. Grind Hard to make future runs easier

[@deenman23]

its always a good sign when the only negative aspect someone finds in a game is an aspect that most others see as a big plus lol

[@Fantazmo_Art]

are there more ppl who didn't touch the camera rotate throughout the entire gameplay?

[@hiroomero8969]

its true, i won the game since 2018, and i have played almoust all the arpg games ever made, and GD can satisfy you. gives you back the joy of descover the world, items, coombos, etc etc

[@Tyra2007Wolfeye]

May I ask where is the art of the barbarian female on the thumbnail of this video, from ? Looks nice.

[@robertlustmord1636]

The Fangs of Asterkarn. It's an upcoming expansion for the game.

[@Tyra2007Wolfeye]

@@robertlustmord1636 Thanks, wow, I didn't imagine they would make a new expansion :)

[@robertlustmord1636]

@@Tyra2007Wolfeye Yup. I thought they were done after Forgotten Gods, but they're still supporting this game for at least a decade now.

[@keepitshort4208]

If this is almost perfect, than which one is perfect that give flexible builds, nemesis system and a lot of context with replayability ?

[@TheFantom_X]

The best arpg mankind has ever made.

[@tomdub5215]

I just starrted Grim dawn about 20 hours in this game is light years better then last epoch

[@fallensith]

Yeah and what can be criticized about the game could be argued against due to the fact that this was their start up game which is still being updated to this day and adding a couple new features here and there.

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

I can’t wait for GD2 to see what they can do!

[@RobertJohanssonRBImGuy]

grim dawn season 7 community league starts on saturday its a great chance to experience GD differently

[@buddybarlow9604]

Over 1500+ hours in this game. Absolutely f'n fantastic experience and also some of the BEST soundtracks in any game ever.

[@infatuated9970]

I've owned this game for a while now and it's very underrated. Great game.

[@MaxAngor]

My only issue, and maybe you can help with this, is I don't feel the dopamine points offer enough compared to Diablo 3/Last Epoch. POE has a similar problem for me. I don't feel like I'm making ANY headway on getting powerful and I've tried dozens of builds in both GD and POE. In D3/LE (especially the latter,) when I unlock a big changer be it passive or skill, it feels impactful. The devotion system in GD is better about that but with the skills especially, there feels like a lack of balance and every skill I like seems underpowered which simply can't be right. Whereas in LE and D3, it felt like I could take a skill and build around it. It helps that I have mobility problems so I can't go using a full bar of skills. Any advice?

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

I think you are definitely right that there is a bit of a disconnect between the upgrades you make and the power you feel in combat. In my experience, that was usually because the points I would spend were either unlocking new spells (powerful), or damage/health number upgrades which kept the spell the same, but just did more damage (not as powerful). So most levels, when you get into combat your number goes up, which is nice, but your gameplay stays the same. Especially in melee, where most of my gameplay was just cycling between left and right click on the mouse. The game’s progression focuses more on this - the stat customization and damage numbers - which left me to find most of my enjoyment in focusing on how powerful I could make my one big smash ability. Advice: stick with one or two abilities and try to make them as powerful as possible. the rest will just be support. the one big ability will make you feel much more powerful than having 4 or 5 abilities that are all medium powered. long answer, but to be honest, there are plenty of ways to alter your character in GD, i would say its just not as apparent as LE and its not nicely layed out in a skill tree. this is one reason i like modern style ARPGs - the emphasis is on the power fantasy.

[@MaxAngor]

@@AllTradesJackReviews That makes sense and the whole point of roguelikes/lites/ARPGs etc. is the "start small and build up to power fantasy." We're basically playing a shonen anime and GD (for me at least,) has too many slow filler episodes. Granted, when the new expac comes out, I'll try it again because I truly love how accessible it is and the story it tells. I want to love it. I really do. Someday, I'll find the ARPG that's right for me. :P

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

@@MaxAngor lol thats a good way of looking at it! For now, we have LE launch anyway!

[@UltromanTheTacoman]

Is that FF7 music I'm hearing in the intro?

[@InnerAtmos]

In my first play through I chose occultist and Arcanist, lol. I'm just spamming pew pew magic all the time.

[@lethal3268]

im addicted to last epoch is this worth trying to cure my addiction

[@TalkativeTri]

I am playing this game now! It is indeed good fun.

[@cepholopod777]

Ahh Tri...Your a sneaky little comment goblin aren't you... Am expecting some content for Grim Dawn now.... We need to sail this ship to a wider audience so we may get a Grim Dawn 2 in the works....

[@pietmyvrou8149]

Cannot wait to get into it but for now I'm swimming in Inquisitor Martyr

[@curiosidadesvideos3023]

Which game : last epoch , diablo4, grim dawn? I need play one please , which?

[@victorhughgo2376]

it is an awesome game, I like it a lot. It's freaking huge. Well worth the time and money, even today. I can't imagine how Crate could top it but I'd like to see them try.

[@misterymisterio8778]

This game also has some of the best mods ever released for an arpg. Dawn of masteries is my favorite.

[@birthdayzrock1426]

Tried combomod?

[@marzatplay]

About f'ing time. Now to watching the video 😊

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

lol I know I’ve been telling you forever that I’ll review it… promise kept!!! And game well worth it!

[@marzatplay]

​@@AllTradesJackReviews just finished watching. Great review of a great game. The expansions are a must to fully enjoy the game as they add to the game mechanics and end game. Just wait for the next Steam sale. I'll be getting the new expansion and Loyalist pack when they come out. Gotta support the devs. They're working on their own engine for Grim Dawn 2 atm.

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

@@marzatplay ohhh damn there’s gunna be a grim Dawn 2 in a new engine?? I’m ready for it, that seems like it would be amazing…

[@cepholopod777]

Damn, Killa..... Hype is real!!.... The Universe has spoken.....@@marzatplay

[@Kontorusaurus]

can play in i3 4030U ram 10gb?

[@renkanestark6945]

Came from playing poe since the beta, I also fucking fell in love with grim dawn wtf, lvl 84 in elite run atm, I’m too much of a completionist and was way over leveled after leaving veteran lmfao, but man I fucking love this game

[@liukang85]

Just nitpicking, but visually it's a bit too many effects. I get it for fire magic etc., but visualizing every swing of a sword with speed lines is too much

[@majorgear1021]

great point

[@IronBrutzler]

best parts are that it is mostly a Singleplayer game with coop in Mind game and it runs great on the Steam Deck. It is also on Xbox but sadly not on PS4/5. I love PoE, Last Epoch and D3/4 but for me they are feeling mostly like MMOs then ARPGs. It is hard to describe but in Grim dawn i just can play the way i want without the stress of Seasons or playing "worthless" standard Online mode

[@parabolgravity]

ive rolled a few characters and have played almost 30 hours here and there over the past few years. i like the game, but still waiting to get hooked. getting ready to to give it another go after bouncing off Last Epoch again.

[@rottenapple_]

That's exactly how I am with certain games. Sometimes I'll play them on and off for years until it actually clicks with me.

[@leadpipejustice9253]

love the top-down graphics they've been serving us since Age of Empires

[@TheParallellinial]

I. LOVE. GRIM. DAWN!

[@nomercy8989]

If you are going to get an expansion go with Forgotten Gods. Ashes is fine but has some issues mainly with pacing and map design. It took me a few playthroughs to appreciate Ashes of Malmouth but I got around to liking it.

[@theMADTXgamer]

Just got this game for $2 on steam. Had to check out a deep dive to see if it’s worth booting up. As a HEAVY Diablo 2, and 4 player I’m starting tonight

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

It’s worth it. Trust me!

[@dylangiles1861]

knew you would love it!!

[@AllTradesJackReviews]

Yes! I'm extremely thankful that you and some other viewers kept asking about it. Honestly, if it wasn't for you all I would not have stuck with it.

[@LudoTechWorld]

I spent quite some time in this game, it's really good. However, if I occasionally reinstall Titan Quest, I never reinstalled Grim Dawn (and so never bought any of its DLC) and probably never will. Maybe it's the settings, the lore, maybe the look and feel, I don't know.