It’s time for…another Grim Misadventure! Last time, we took our first look inside the ruined city of Malmouth. But you won’t be the only one fighting to liberate the ruins from their conquerors.
First though, an update on the expansion’s progress. When the expansion first entered closed testing several weeks ago, we opened up roughly 50% of its content to the testing group. Late Friday night, they got access to the full expansion, minus a new roguelike dungeon. This included the Final Boss encounter, which is one of Grim Dawn’s most intense fights yet. Spoiler: the Final Boss is Barnabas.
Much still remains to be done in regards to polish and bugfixing, but things are progressing steadily and smoothly. As always, we expect it to be out posthaste with a Q3 release not out of the picture.
Now, let us return to Malmouth, where valiant souls are dying every day to retake what was once theirs from the manipulative Aetherials!
When the Aetherial attacks began, the fall of the city came swiftly and painfully.
It started seemingly everywhere, making it abundantly clear that the Aetherials planned and prepared for a long time. Their reanimated dead and fleshwarped abominations appeared everywhere at once, sowing chaos and overwhelming the guards. They sabotaged the city’s inner defenses, all except the outside walls. Those they quickly gained control of and closed off, cutting off any escape from the city. Every movement was surgically precise. The Aetherials hit the docks next, burning the ships so that nobody could flee by water. It was carnage with no way out. But don’t take my word for it. Hear it straight from the mouth of a poor survivor of that fateful night.
“Last night the Steelcap barracks was attacked. It happened suddenly in the dead of the darkest hour. The doors were smashed open and a flood of terrors charged through the brothers of the guard like a butcher through a flock of lambs. Their screams as they woke from sleep to the darkest nightmare still ring in my ears.
I was crippled with fear. If it weren’t for Captain Wilfor’s quick action none of us would have survived. My squad and I were fortunate to have been assigned to an overflow area adjacent to the main sleeping quarters, as we were just transferred there the previous day. When the attack started, the captain barged in and began shouting orders at us. Our training took over and we followed, barricading the main door proceeding outside through the back. What awaited us was unthinkable.
The world was on fire. A foul stench enveloped the city and a putrid green light burned the sky over the Candle District. At dawn we experienced a series of explosions that shook the foundation of the city like a massive earthquake. The scale of these attacks is unthinkable, the damage indescribable.
At Wilfor’s command, we moved silently about the ruins of the city, from barracks to barracks, in search of other guardsmen. But they all contained the same horrific scene: everyone killed in their sleep, at their posts, just slaughtered.
I’m beginning to fear that we’re all that’s left. Wilfor ordered us to protect some civilians while he checks nearby for another group of survivors from the city guard. Just hours ago, we found a dying man who claimed that a stronghold was established near the Candle District by a full contingent of guardsmen. I pray that it’s true.
We’ve seen such horrors today and the men are injured and broken. I’m not sure we can muster the will to go on.
Gods be with us.
Raiken Baeron”
The resistance formed a few days later, consisting mostly of the surviving city militia and dozens of scrappy volunteers. But they could never hope to defeat the massive, and rapidly growing, numbers that the Aetherials fielded. They had to resort to guerilla tactics and scavenging. Soon, even that became difficult. The resistance was in full retreat almost since day one.
The Malmouth Resistance
The Aetherials had complete control of the city. With Crown Hill for his throne, the Aetherial master of the region began work on his greatest masterpiece; the people of Malmouth, both living and dead, would become the fuel for that creation.
Some managed to escape the city though, whether to flee for safety or to seek aid. Few of those survived what awaited them beyond the walls. The Aetherial domination over the area was absolute. With the aid of their obelisks, Aetherfire spread as far as the eye could see, scouring clean any remnant of humanity or nature. Should any survivor even make it past that living hell, then the savage land of Ugdenbog awaited.
It would take exceptional luck or skill, or perhaps a combination of both, to escape Malmouth and find refuge in the shattered world of Cairn…
The Malmouth Resistance is one of four new factions coming with the expansion, not including Beasts becoming an official hostile faction. Will you help bring the Black Legion to the fallen city and save these people? Or will you succumb to the Aetherial forces and become just another body on the battlefield? The Master of Flesh awaits…
Like knowing what is coming up next for Grim Dawn? Check back on 09/04/2017 for our next development update!
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This is because they left him outside the gates.