I hope crate takes this to heart 
Putting full skill names besides the numbers creates way more clutter and confusion.
If anything, closely grouping it in a vertical manner makes slightly more sense, but it only
slightly reduces the same issue. The way to differentiate without introducing as much clutter
would be to have a small, very simple icon for every skill and considering how many skills there are… good luck. Coloring damage based on damage type will both look great and be very functional, but then how do you deal with multi damage-type hits. Do you split it in two - making your original problem much worse - or do you interpolate between the color of all involved damage types - resulting in an incomprehensible mess.
The tool-tips make a lot more sense and look really nice, however, I would keep the damage numbers off-white or a tint/shade of the element color (but the off-white offers much more consistency) , otherwise legibility is severely compromised. I can’t tell you how many items I gloss over and if I had to stop on every single line to determine where the numbers end and the letters begin, I would just get a headache, stop playing and either learn how to mod the game or wait for somebody to do it.
The energy cost indicator is also very unreadable, the green isn’t recognizable and despite having used these skills hundreds of thousands of times I struggled to figure out what it was for. A simple “Energy Cost” goes a long way, not everything benefits from being minimal 
But my biggest advice is to try and see what you can mod in the game interface-wise, I think that you will come to understand why most things are the way they are and that solutions aren’t so simple and straightforward. It’s also easier to see self-contradicting measures in practice, I bet you’re used to doing a ton of prototypes for that very reason anyway.
Will the old GD font be removed in the .arc/avail extract resources with the new release, or is there no need to backup an old file to be able to “mod” classic text back? 
Please add WASD movement I have an impairment and it would really help me play the game.
1 Like
You will get it, but it will be Cave-Manish basic
I thought “oh wow getting older eh” then realized I’m the same.
I really like your idea of having a lot of details, with tooltips getting bigger with damage. Similarly, an end-of-battle log against a boss could be useful to know how much damage the boss received, from which sources, and which types…
1 Like
I’d like to have WASD movement controls.
1 Like
We all have wishes!
Soooo f… cool <3 <3 <3
Same here, I was here after Grim Dawn kickstarter finished a few months earlier (the pre-alpha days in 2012) and around that point I was almost 22 years old…and here I am with another year ending with me turning 36 years old in 2026.
Edit: Sadly I could not get into Titans Quest back in my high school days since I was running a crappy computer from 2004 to 2010. Diablo 2 was pretty much what I depended on.
1 Like
You old fart… xd
1 Like
Thanks for the critique. I’m used to the ‘prototype and fail’ cycle, so let’s dig into the logic behind these choices:
1. The FFXIV Influence
My inspiration for the floating text actually comes from FFXIV. Even in the absolute visual madness of a 24-man raid, you always know what’s happening because the text gives ‘OOMPH’ to big hits and clarity to procs.
- The Goal: It’s not just about info; it’s about that satisfying feeling when a massive crit lands.
- The Reality: Grim Dawn can become a ‘particle soup’ where you can’t see animations. Whether it’s through text labels or a ‘particle reduction’ toggle, the goal is the same: let the player see the game.
This also can be toggled ON/OFF. Should be OFF by default.
2. Vertical Grouping
The idea of grouping text vertically (like FFXIV) is actually a great middle ground. Since Grim Dawn is more action-heavy, we’d need to tweak the ‘float’ physics, but the core problem of ‘unlabeled numbers = confusion’ still stands.
3. Solving the “Tooltip Tower”
Current tooltips are vertically massive. My goal with icons (Energy/Cooldown) is to reclaim screen real estate. The Icons: A green circle or a flask icon—the visual can be debated—but removing the words ‘Energy Cost’ and ‘Skill Recharge’ on every single tooltip saves a huge amount of space.
Regardless of color or icons, the top of the tooltip must show the final, calculated math. Having to look at the top for base damage, then scroll to the bottom to see item modifiers, then do mental math is a UX failure. The UI should do the work so the player can do the slaying.
This is a mockup, not a final build, so I appreciate the feedback on legibility. The goal is to evolve the UI from a 2006 spreadsheet into something that matches the modern masterpiece the game has become.
2 Likes
Glad to see I’m not the only one whose eyes have started to retire while the rest of me is still gaming! No matter how old we are, great games will always pull us back.
The boss summary idea is brilliant. A “Death Recap” or “Boss Post-Game” window would turn those “Wait, what just happened?” moments into actual build improvements.
If we’re going to spend our 30s theory-crafting instead of sleeping, the game should at least give us the data to do it right.
1 Like
Pff, you youngsters. Says the recently turned 73 year old. 
8 Likes
Happy birthday even if late then. In a few years you’ll be like “Dang, I started playing Grim Dawn in my 60s and now I’m playing Grim Dawn 2 in my 80s”.
2 Likes
Cross fingers I live long enough to do that. 
9 Likes
Let’s hope you live to see Grim Dawn 3
WASD is the way forward, i couldnt grasp it for about 1 hour of play on PoE2 now its almost unbareable if an ARPG doesnt have it.
1 Like
You’re probably right, but it does not belong in this game. Not because WASD doesn’t work, but because it would work too well and completely trivialize the content, which is already pretty easy thanks to the massive power creep we’ve had.
2 Likes
Grim Dawn is a classic ARPG which doesn’t need WASD, because the game was not built around that. It is a polarize modern feature in ARPG.
I prefer classic ARPG over modern ARPG 24/7 on any Sundays…
3 Likes