A very Build 25 Grim Misadventure begins; the update that will change Factions forever, because the feature will be complete! But that’s not all that you can look forward to with our latest major content release. Today’s update is about just that.
As you are probably eager to hear, Build 25 has entered internal testing and is being vetted for various game-breaking issues. We are currently resolving a rather nasty quest script-related bug that causes NPCs and monsters spawned via scripts to not properly clean up. As an example, imagine rifting Ulgrim to Devil’s Crossing, but he’s still in the swamp And in town. This has some unusual repercussions as well for One-Shot Chests, which do not despawn correctly after being looted the first time.
Needless to say, this bug needs to be fixed before Build 25 is ready for its debut. We expect Build 25 to be released by mid-May. However, work on Build 26 is already well underway so we are expecting Build 26 to be released around July.
So what exactly is coming your way with Build 25? As always, the build is packed with features, content and improvements. Take a look at what’s coming soon to a Grim Dawn near you.
Faction System
We’ve already covered what’s coming extensively in earlier updates, but in case you missed it, you can follow these links to learn about: Nemesis Spawns,
Faction Quartermasters, Bounties, Mandates and Writs.
In short, the Faction System is going to become a major feature of the game!
Damage Over Time Stacking
Damage over Time (DoT) in Grim Dawn has long been a bit of an underdog, primarily due to the fact that if you applied a DoT effect from one attack and then applied the same DoT effect from another, the two would not stack. Instead, only the most powerful effect would deal damage.
With Build 25, we have overhauled this mechanic completely, allowing DoT effects to stack with diminishing returns, using the following array: 100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%, 0%. What this means is that the most powerful DoT will deal 100% damage, the next most powerful DoT will deal 50% of normal damage, etc. This is only applied to DoT effects of the same type (ex. Poison) and has no impact on the stacking of unique DoT effects (ex. Poison vs. Burn).
As an example: You cast Dreeg’s Evil Eye at an enemy to apply 100 poison damage over 5 seconds, and then hit them with your sword which has 45 poison damage over 3 seconds and 24 burn over 3 seconds. In Build 24, only Dreeg’s Evil Eye and the burn damage would take effect, with the 45 poison damage from your weapon nullified by the DoT from your spell. In Build 25, all three effects will be applied, with the 45 poison damage from your weapon reduced to 50% strength.
This change should make stacking DoTs much more effective.
Physics Optimization
More physics processes have been offloaded from the main thread, resulting in smoother performance, primarily during combat.
Updated Casting Animations
Tumbledown has been busy chipping away at new animations. Whenever you cast attack spells such as Dreeg’s Evil Eye, the animation will now randomly cycle between 3 different variants.
You can also look forward to new animations for: Warcry, Field Command, Doombolt and Iskandra’s Elemental Exchange as well as adjustments to the dual-gun wielding animations to help make combat feel more fluid.
New Armor, Epic Item and Faction Equipment art
Believe it or not, the artists have been making new stuff too. That includes the final art for all of our common armor (no more placeholders), the final art for all level 1-50 Unique items currently in the game and the addition of dozens of new pieces of equipment for Grim Dawn’s various factions.
Bosses Heal on Kill
With the introduction of Nemesis Bosses, we added a new mechanic that allows them to regain some health whenever they kill a player. We have expanded this mechanic to most bosses in the game on Veteran difficulty or higher.
The challenge faced by the toughest monsters in the game should now be that much more meaningful.
Component Rebalancing
We took a thorough look at our Components and made revisions to many of them in order to improve your options and make your choices that much more difficult. 31 of the game’s 83 Components have been updated.
In addition, several Component Blueprints have been made baseline instead of loot drops, making it easier to complete your crafting needs.
And more…
We could go on, but then we’d just be spoiling the full changelog! Build 25 is absolutely packed with improvements and bug fixes.
Like knowing what is coming up next for Grim Dawn? Check back on 05/11/2015 for our regular development updates!
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I rather would like to use them. 
