The post is meant to be like semi-review of the game from the perspective of world design, lore, and quests. I deliberately excluded classes, items, build diversity etc. because I didn’t want the thread to devolve into x item needs a nerf/buff.
It’s a really long post.
The Return
Until this expansion, I hadn’t touched the game in almost 5 years. I was still posting about playing other games on this forum but had actually stopped playing Grim Dawn.
Anyway, this was my first time experiencing the newly added areas. This should tell you just how out of touch I was. Not being updated on the changes to the game also meant that the Sunder mechanic and the new Dodge skill were completely new to me. I had read about them in patch notes but had no clue what to expect.
Character Progression
I started a fresh character. Didn’t bring over anything from my experienced toons. No materials, items, potions, no mandates. For however long it was possible, I wanted to experience the game how a newbie would experience it.
I picked a Mystic (Berseker + Occultist) with the intention of making a Chaos Werewolf. I am not sure how to describe it but I didn’t really like the feel of the melee combat. It lacked the oomph factor imo. I spec’d out of it and switch to a Poison Wereraven before reaching Homestead.
Again, this is just to set the context that I played with something that can genuinely melt most of the game with ease. I don’t wish to dwell on the builds/classes etc.
Acts 1 & 2
I fully expected to regret my decision to use a fresh toon. But, the moment that Devil’s Crossing
OST hit, I remembered what made me fall in love with this game.
In the last few years, I had picked up a couple of CRPGs. The ones I picked were very grounded adventures. The story slowly builds up into a grand adventure. So, coming back to Grim Dawn I expected to experience a power-fantasy that an ARPG narrative typically delivers. I guess I thought this way because my last memory was killing a literal God.
I had forgotten just how brilliantly the base-game’s narrative was weaved together. Here’s a couple of bullets -
- You go to Burial Hill to investigate the increased attacks from the dead. Not to kill Kyzogg. You were a scout who over-performed.
- The quests you get in Devil’s Crossing are about making the lives of the survivors a little bit easier. Be it repairing the water pump or helping the resident seamstress improve the prison’s living conditions.
- Your first kill mission relates to dealing with Warden Krieg. The main threat to the prison.
- Then in Act 2, you’re asked to neutralize another threat to the prison in the form of Darius Cronley.
- After killing two big bads, you’d think our next enemy is an even bigger boss. But instead in Act 3, you’re tasked with seeking out another set of survivors who might be able to help with Devil’s Crossing’s food shortages.
In Acts 1 through 3, the post-apocalyptic feeling oozed throughout the world. The pits of burnt corpses, the twisted undead, relatives of Devil’s Crossing NPCs turned into monsters. From Devil’s Crossing to Burrwitch, you traverse through empty settlements filled with its former-living residents. It was honestly brilliant.
But it’s not all bleak. Throughout the madness and chaos, you still encounter survivors whom you can send back to Devil’s Crossing. Sending them back makes the prison feel cozier, several different parts of the prison also get repaired as a consequence.
The lore notes added a lot to building up this atmosphere. The final moments of the survivors, notes from before the Glorious Dawn that showcased how meticulously the Aetherials had planned this whole event, how they had infiltrated the population. We weren’t dealing with mindless demons, these things knew where & how to hit us.
It wasn’t just Aetherials though. As you made your way to Burrwitch, you encountered another threat along the way. Followers of cult that worships a deity wronged eons go, the Bloodsworn. The Bloodsworn seem to be at odds with the Aetherials. But unlike the alien invaders, their ranks are composed of humans indicating that they’re not a new threat, but rather an old one that has been growing in the shadows. With the Grim Dawn, they no longer have any reason to remain hidden. This is proven after you explore one of the newer locations.
Their placement is brilliant as their camp is just outside Burrwitch which indicates that they’re ready to assault the Aetherial stronghold and Devil’s Crossing. This is in-line with the lore note that drops from the brains behind the operation in Burrwitch.
Act 2 is brilliant in its own right. You encounter a faction of Rovers who have taken up arms. Normally, peaceful and nomadic, this faction focuses on taking the fight to Cronley. The Cronley section was never my favorite but I had forgotten that you actually rescue ex-gang members. It also confirms something hinted at with Warden Krieg, that the Aetherials were clearly influenced by their host.
Cronley’s gang never felt like a real threat to me. At least not until I reached Act 3.
It was clear that Acts 1 and 2 were methodically crafted to perfectly convey the post-apocalyptic feeling.
A side note, Hargate’s Isle and the lore around the Slith is brilliant in its own right. Adding such a brilliant & twisted narrative for an in-game creature was interesting.
Act 3 - Reaching Homestead
To combat the prison’s food shortage, you’re tasked with reaching Homestead. You take a roundabout way to reach it by traversing the remains of an ancient civilization. In this section, you realize that the Cairn actually has a deep history.
The world building in the Arkovian section is brilliant. It sets the premise for Necromancers in the world. It establishes that the Akrovians were a very prosperous civilization and that explains why you encounter similar looking ruins throughout the map.
While the Coliseum was rather underwhelming from a lore perspective despite being a brilliant addition, the Corrupted Tomb proved to be an interesting insight into Chthon. Naren Kur’s lore note showcased that Chthonic influence is ancient and has plagued the world since the beginning.
After leaving the remains of Arkovia, you traverse huge sections of wastelands and wilderness in this act. I thought it was brilliant attention to detail to not have a lot of Aetherial or Chthonian enemies here. The Aetherials invaded our world by slowly taking over key settlements. They had no real way to infiltrate the uncivilized sections you encounter in Act 3. In fact, the touches of Aetherial corruption only become a thing as you get closer to Homestead.
It’s undoubtedly a long journey to reach Homestead. But it’s by no means uneventful and it’s also brilliantly structured. You don’t have long swathes of linear section with very few points of interest. In fact, part of the wilderness sections are actually in the opposite direction of Homestead. I’m referring to Pine Barrens, Jagged Waste, Shaded Basin, Tyrnat’s Hold. I’ve always hated these areas so I decided to clear them out before taking the Homestead rift.
Tackling them again, I realized something interesting. 3 lone Black Legion members in the midst of the wilderness is pretty awesome. I don’t know if it’s intentional but it felt like the first sign of hope, that humanity actually has a chance to live through this apocalypse. I had newfound respect for Kadris in this run.
The interesting thing in this section was the new area - Arkovian Docks. This was a brilliant addition for two reasons. One, it added credence to the dominance of the Arkovian Civilization. Second, it added a proper gunslinger boss. Adding Cronley gang members here was a brilliant move. There was no reason for Cronley to not try to attack Homestead, and this bridges that gap. Speaking of bridging gaps, the Twin Falls bridge can finally be repaired.
Act 3 - Homestead
On your way to Homestead, you realize that you’re not the only extraordinary individual in this post-apocalyptic world.
After reaching Homestead, you meet old faces if you weren’t a massive dick to certain people.
The Homestead section is brilliantly structured -
- You get to know about an organized resistance effort in the form of The Black Legion.
- You get to meet the author of the lore notes you find in the Warden’s prison - Inquisitor Creed.
- You learn about who has been feeding these guys.
- Despite being in the middle of 3 different threats - Aetherials, Dermapteran, and Chthonians, you don’t feel overwhelmed to tackle everything at once.
While your primary objective is to secure food for Devil’s Crossing, you quickly get burdened with the problems of Homestead.
The Homestead side of quests have theme of survival. Everything you do helps the farmers and in-turn helps the factions dependent on them. The Black Legion quests are about taking the fight to the enemy. This includes retrieving canons, taking back the lumber mill to get the lumber needed to improve Homestead, and killing everything that moves.
The Aetherials might feel like second-class citizens in this act. But, there’s a brilliant narrative tie-in to explain that. While the Aetherials targeted the major settlements in the Erulan empire, the Bloodsworn targeted strategic locations to fulfill one singular purpose. One such settlement was Darkvale. The strategic purpose of this location, to block the way to the north where their real plan is unraveling. While in Act 1, you barely encountered Chthonic fiends, in Act 3 Blood Grove and onward, you fight a mix of fiends and cultists. To prove just how strong the Chthonic presence is, there’s even a rift to the void in the Blood Grove.
The Aetherials aren’t completely gutless here btw. Their focus was corrupting the farms to cripple the humans, and they were successful. They also have a minor presence in the mine near Blood Grove and much larger presence in The Conflagration. It’s clear that their primary target is the Black Legion.
If you’re willing to take a slight detour, you can also access the Aetherial stronghold of Port Valbury in Act 3. A locked dungeon that has a brilliant story to tell. About how Aetherials methodically turned the city’s populace into mindless slaves. In the base game, it’s the best example to showcase just how deeply the Aetherials had planned for this whole ordeal. You do learn something important, one of the brains behind the design of these abominations is named Theodin Marcell.
Similar to Acts 1 and 2, everything in Act 3 felt deliberate and methodical. It tied into the the unique world of Grim Dawn.
Act 3 - Trip North
You’re tasked with opening up the way to the northern settlement of the Black Legion - Fort Ikon.
For this you must traverse the Chthonic-infested areas and kill the local cult leader - Karroz.
Before even facing your first Chthonic enemy, you also get to make a new ally. Pick between a faction of Necromancers (Order of Death’s Vigil) and another faction of religious fanatics (Korvaak’s Chosen). The lore around these factions and their quest represent the first real departure from the post-apocalyptic theme of the game. It’s not a bad by thing by any means. Grim Dawn is set in a world where magic is a thing and these factions add a lot of flavor to the game.
Anyway, after making friends with one of them, you make your way to my favorite section of the game - Darkvale. As I mentioned, the Bloodsworn had taken over the Darkvale and the areas surrounding it for a specific purpose. But, how they went about doing it is just brilliant. The fall of Darkvale is told through lore notes that you find scattered throughout the village. If you angle your camera correctly, the bloody barrels alluded in the notes can also be seen in the distance. Absolutely hauntingly brilliant.
After clearing out the village and making your way to the final section of Darkvale Gate, you expect Karroz to be yet another powerful cult member. But, he turns out to be much more than that. A Chthonic abomination bursts from his body in the second phase of the boss fight. It sets the tone of what’s to come. After killing the creature you unlock the way to Fort Ikon. But, you also find something disturbing, details about the cult’s plan.
Now, if you’ve somehow managed to read through this entire thing so far you’d realize that you haven’t had any Go Kill Diablo missions. So far the main story missions have centered around the theme of dealing with issues that immediately impacted the survivors of the settlements you’ve resided in (Devil’s Crossing, Homestead). Even the Black Legion didn’t ask you to go and kill God.
The end of Act 3 is where things change. By reading the cultist’s plans, you realize that the Bloodsworn plan to revive an ancient Chthonic entity from ages past. Everything that they did before and after the Grim Dawn was in preparation for this moment. So, you’ve got your premise but you’re still not the solo-hero like in Sacred or Diablo II.
Act 4 - Victory against the Void
The beginning of Act 4 continues to be a slog after all these years. The path to Fort Ikon feels like a corridor. The worst NPC in the game is present there. While, The Hidden Path questline does open up a new area and gives us access to an interesting boss in the form of Rashalga, the area continues to be a drag to go through.
Thematically, the area is interesting. Due to being so far away from civilization, the area retains much of its beauty and the majority of the enemies you face are beasts. But, touches of Aetherial corruption have spread here. The Aetherials seem to be marching in the same direction as you and their mark on the land is felt as you approach Fort Ikon. Since the Bloodsworn are also concentrating in the north, you see both factions fighting each other.
After your approach Fort Ikon, you realize that the Aetherial corruption has taken hold of someone within the ranks of the Black Legion. As you’ve secured the way forward from Darkvale, Inquisitor Creed and Ulgrim also join you here.
In Fort Ikon, you also meet Anasteria, who gives you a reason to visit Port Valbury and a bunch of other locked dungeons. It’s a smart way to incentivize exploration. Lore-wise she’s one of the most important NPCs as she turns out to be an Aetherial. She’s on humanity’s side because unlike the Aetherials that you’ve encountered, she possessed a good human. This is a nice touch to the larger lore and adds color to the Aetherial faction. They’re not just intelligent fiends looking to destroy humanity, the vices of humans also played a huge part in the way things turned out.
Act 4 is pretty tight and I really appreciate that. Your primary aim is to strike the Necropolis, the place where the Bloodsworn are in the midst of summoning an otherworldly being to this world. Standing in your way? The now-corrupted Black Legion commander.
Now, like I said, you’re not the hero here. You’ve got the ability to secure rifts and the Creed wants to use it to perform a sneak attack. But, you don’t make the journey to Necropolis alone. Beyond Fort Ikon, you enter a battlefield where The Black Legion is engaging the Aetherials. This is despite both factions sharing a common goal - stopping the Bloodsworn.
Once you secure the Necropolis rift, Ulgrim offers to perform a sneak attack on the Bloodsworn to stop the ritual. You’re supposed to follow him after opening up the way to the Necropolis interior.
The Ghouls beneath the Necropolis showcase just how ancient the structure is and also add to the enemy variety. The lore notes that you find inside the Necropolis on the other hand make it abundantly clear that the structure was built for one purpose, to summon the Chthonic entity that cult now calls to this world.
As you reach the deepest layer of the you realize that the summoning was successful as the entity’s tentacles are tearing through the floors. This bit is a brilliant way to build up to a boss. The Loghorrean isn’t just the boss of Act 4, it’s the boss of the base game and build suits it. The boss fight is equally brilliant, Ulgrim actually deal damage to the boss right until he’s warped away by a Chthonic rift.
The base game ends with the Loghorrean’s defeat as Ulgrim is taken by the void.
Act 5 - The Beginning
Act 5 is where the Ashes of Malmouth expansion begins. It starts with an amazing cut-scene. The premise of the expansion is brilliant. A new Aetherial monstrosity appeared through the rift in Devil’s Crossing and started wrecking havoc. It was stopped through the sacrifices of many NPCs.
It’s a brilliant start to the expansion. You’d think that your next logical step is to look for Ulgrim, but the enemy flipped the script by hijacking one of your rifts and attacking the prison. We also learn about one of the first cities that fell to the Aetherial invasion - Malmouth.
You can explore around Devil’s Crossing after the attack. All that hope that your actions had brought to the survivors got snuffed out by one single attack. It brought back the post-apocalyptic vibe to the story that got snuffed out at the end of Act 4 because of our victory against one of the big players on the board. You also get a new addition to the settlement, a former resident of Malmouth. She hints at what you can expect when you reach the city.
Creed of course isn’t going to let Ulgrim remain in the void. He also gives a pretty sound reason for wanting to rescue him. He tasks you to seek the first allied faction in the expansion, the Coven of Ugdenbog.
Act 5 - Welcome to Jungle
You go past the Burrwitch Estates to access the locations added in this expansion. This part felt weaker than I remember.
While the atmosphere of Gloomwald is undeniable the area feels too short and uneventful. There’s no civilization for Aetherials to corrupt so all you see are cannibals and exotic beasts. Not a lot of quests or detours to be taken here. It’s a really atmospheric corridor. It’s so atmospheric that I didn’t recognize its linearity until my latest play-through. Despite this, it’s still better than what’s to come once you reach the Coven.
The Coven has survived in the jungles of Ugdenbog since before the Grim Dawn. They are witches so I didn’t really expect them to give me the post-apocalyptic themed quests. Their quests make sense thematically but aren’t particularly interesting. Solving The Coven’s problems allows us to get the stuff we need to track down Ulgrim.
Now, Act 5 might feel like busy work and it probably is. But, skipping past Ugdenbog and Barrowholm and seeing the Aetherial corruption covering the entire land was hauntingly beautiful. It cements the narrative reason for why we can’t just walk past the jungles and why we need the help of the Coven to reach Malmouth.
Anyway, Ugdenbog felt like a slot to explore. That being said, the ruined statues scattered throughout the bog were a nice touch. As was the Tomb of Ugdall. Which should tell us just how vast the reaches of the Arkovian empire was.
In the northernmost part of the bog lies Barrowholm, Scorv memes aside, the faction is interesting on many fronts. Whatever impression Creed gives you about the Coven engaging in vile rituals is quickly proven false once they reveal that Carraxus’s heart is meant for healing salves. On the other hand, Barrowholm straight up asks you to make burgers out of people. Narratively Barrowholm adds very little, the Ravager might as well not exist. It’s weakest Celestial. That being said, it’s the faction with the best quests in Act 5.
Act 5 ends with you traversing the void and rescuing Ulgrim. This part will never cease to be awesome. It’s not some grand rescue mission. You find the dude sitting next to the corpse of the Loghorrean. He had bested the fiend despite it having home turf advantage. He probably could’ve escaped the void himself if given enough time.
Act 6 - Entering Malmouth
After escaping the void, you land in Lone Watch which is pretty close to Malmouth. The outskirts of the city, specifically Mourndale are fascinating. It’s the mirror opposite of the Necropolis. The Chthonians are battling the dominant force of the region - the Aetherials. The area doesn’t have a lot of quests but it’s interesting to explore nonetheless.
Malmouth is vast but also very well designed. Amala had mentioned that a resistance is present. Your first course of action is to secure a rift inside city and reach the resistance. The entirety of the city is riddled with much stronger and much more twisted Aetherials. The lore spread across the entirety of Act 6 is Port Valbury on steroids. It’s twisted and beautiful, especially the political conspiracies you get to read about in the notes scattered throughout Crown Hill.
The resistance hideout is inside the sewers. That is peak post-apocalyptic trope. Once you meet the resistance members in the sewers, you’d think that they’ve never known any hope ever. Even the leader of the resistance has no faith despite you arriving with good intentions. The OST which has been nothing short of excellent throughout the game really stands out here. In fact the Malmouth Resistance track is the only one I remember as much as the Devil’s Crossing theme.
Act 6 - Reclaiming Malmouth
Your first course of action here is to instill hope in the resistance. You do that by lowering the bridge to allow the Black Legion and Inquisitor Creed access the city. That shit was hype. But it was somehow about to get better.
See throughout Acts 1-5, we’ve only defended and reinforced settlements. In Act 6, you get to reclaim a lost settlement. Taking the Steelcap District base is easily my favorite mission in the game.
After reclaiming the base you get to rescue members of the resistance, other survivors scattered throughout the city, and the docks!
At the end of Act 6, you deal a crippling blow to the Aetherials by killing the Master of Flesh, Theodin Marcell. The architect behind the abomination you faced in Homestead, one who Van Aldritch wanted in Port Valbury. The build up to the boss fight is brilliant. Nothing you see throughout Act 6 can prepare you for the Fleshworks. The atrocities committed against humanity surround you, the spirits whose flesh was used to build the abominable structure cry in pain. It’s not just the build-up though, even the boss-fight is brilliant. Specifically, phase 3 is really cool looking.
After killing Marcell, you learn through Anasteria that Korinia is also an Aetherial. Act 6 is where Grim Dawn ends, and the ending is a hopeful one because Malmouth’s factories and docks can serve as an important base of operations for the resistance.
Forgotten Gods - Part 1
The Forgotten Gods expansion is either Act 7 or 8. Honestly, it doesn’t matter.
While some side-quests in the expansion occur canonically after the Ashes of Malmouth expansion, the core narrative of this add-on happens in isolation and has no relation to the core narrative of Acts 1-6. That being said, the story of Forgotten Gods has its roots in the base game.
Back in Act 3, you were given the choice to pick between Kymon’s Chosen and the Order of Death’s Vigil. These two factions expanded upon the lore of the world. While the Order had its roots in the Necromancer that brought ruin to the Arkovians, the Kymon’s Chosen introduced us to another major player on the board, another God. This God, Korvaak is revealed to be true power behind the Kymon’s Chosen. This name isn’t referenced a lot in the base game. However, if you’re observant enough, you can spot shrines dedicated to this God spawn in random locations throughout the base game. In this expansion, your job is simple, stop Korvaak from returning to the world. To achieve this goal, you work with the Gods of the Eldritch Realm - Dreeg, Bysmiel, and Solael.
I’ll be honest, I expected to hate playing through Forgotten Gods again. I’ve hated desert areas since forever. Didn’t like anything about Act II of Diablo II, not even Lut Gholein. Bugs, sand, I wasn’t looking forward to this at all. And I wasn’t exactly wrong, the first half through the desert is brutal for someone like me who hates those beetle monsters. But, it wasn’t all bad, the dinosaurs were nice. The second half of the expansion, that’s roughly after the Vanguard of The Three is beautifully designed. No complaints there.
While the post-apocalyptic vibe of Grim Dawn is thrown out of the window, the mystical tone of the expansion doesn’t feel anymore alien than the side-quests you did for the Order or for the Chosen. Since the core narrative is a continuation of an open-ended item from the base game, I felt motivated to pursue the thread.
The expansion is a lot better than I remember. Quest and map design is tight. There’s no major stretches without anything happening. You’ll always have a point of interest, be it a side quest, a unique enemy, or a piece of lore. Quests focus on exploring old ruins, rescuing members of the cult of the three, do the cult’s bidding by slaying some creature, etc. Nothing felt out of place.
The lore is greatly expanded upon in this expansion. While you get your theoretical history lesson about the Korvan people through the lore notes scattered around the lands, you get the practical lesson by exploring the ruins. The ruins paint a picture of how beautiful these lands once used to be and just how far they’ve fallen. The enemy design in the second half tells its own story. While you initially only face normal zealots of the Kymon’s Chosen, you quickly start encountering zealots mutated by Korvaak’s Eldritch powers.
You’re still not some lone wolf. You’ll find members of the cult of The Three fighting alongside you. If you explore enough, you’ll also encounter your Necromancer pals.
Forgotten Gods - Part 2
Before you reach the temple of Korvaak, you can also take a small detour to explore the region’s locked dungeon - Tomb of the Heretic. Arguably one of the most well-written pieces of lore in the game. The tomb introduces an entirely new cosmic entity and it does it splendidly. The tomb also happens to be the location of the side quest of the second-most mysterious NPC in the entire game - Riggs.
As you approach the temple of Korvvak, you encounter what I’d say is the weakest bit of the entire game - Uroboruuk. Now, I was never impressed with how Crate handled the reveal of Uroboruuk. The master Necromancer who has been alive since or before the days of Arkovia is encountered lying at the temple gates, at the brink of defeat by his own son. You defeat his son, whose entire existence only makes complete sense if you paid attention to Dahlia’s side-quests. After that, Uroboruuk sacrifices himself to open the temple doors. Imo, Crate could’ve replaced him with some high-ranking members of the cult of The Three whom you interact with throughout the expansion, who then sacrifice themselves to open the temple doors. Now, Uroboruuk’s appearance wasn’t entirely unexpected. Him being interested in investigating Korvaak’s return was hinted at in the base game. I expected an Ulgrim-style assist from him, not dying in such a pathetic fashion.
You enter the temple of Korvaak and get to witness the price Kymon paid in exchange for the receiving the Primordial’s power. After striking down Kymon, you enter the Eldritch Realm and strike down Korvaak himself. That boss fight is genuinely the best one in the game. While approaching Korvaak, you get to see him hanging by changes. When you enter Throne of the Three, you’ll be confused by who you’re supposed to face since all you see is an emancipated, chained up figure. Once he breaks free from the chains, he slowly starts gaining back his power throughout the 3-phase boss-fight. It was the perfect end to the Korvaak saga.
After you defeat him you learn 3 things, you’re still not that much of a hot-shot. The God you killed was incredibly weakened and that The Three were manipulating you all along. It’s also interesting that Riggs knows about Korvaak being in a weakened state when he fought you.
Overall, the expansion is a fantastic add-on. Despite happening in isolation, it ties up some plot threads from the base game, so it never feels too disconnected from the core plot. The biggest flaw of the expansion is that it has a named area that’s inaccessible - Maw of Apesh. It makes an otherwise great expansion feel incomplete.
Fangs of Asterkarn - Journey to Kurnhold
My motivation for getting back into the game. I got into Fangs of Asterkarn right after I completed Ashes of Malmouth.
The premise to enter the expansion to rescue a couple of Black Legion scouts was quite smart. It’s a simple premise that nudges you in a certain direction without hinting at there being a larger plot.
The Frostveil Highlands is just beautifully designed. The beasts are unique, the region is beautiful, and exploration is rewarded. From a narrative perspective, very smart decision to not have Aetherials in the region. The map design is peak Crate, I took a detour at the beginning and encountered a giant wolf in the Icehowl Cavern. Having an environmental hazard in the form of a never-ending blizzard is also a nice touch. The environment sets the tone that normal people can’t survive here. So, I went in not expecting to encounter a single survivor.
While there’s no way to replicate the Act 1-6 post-apocalyptic feel, I did appreciate how befitting the quests were to the region. They focused on getting food to help the Kurn standing by the fire, or getting bird feathers to treat injured tribesmen. It was fascinating.
We eventually find the scouts being under attack by a beast tainted with Cthonic corruption. We slay the beast, rescue the scouts, and ask the nearby Kurn for details. While initially skeptical, he gives the coordinates to Kurnhold. So far, the expansion has a very straightforward narrative and is genuinely intriguing.
The journey to Kurnhold is no different. The regions are well designed, the new undead enemy variant - Wights have an interesting move-set. I even got to see a couple of burnt houses on my way to the stronghold.
Fangs of Asterkarn - Helping the Kurn
Upon reaching Kurnhold, I get treated like an outsider due to the ancient history between Erulan and the Kurn. So far so good.
Kurnhold might be one of the best designed city hub in an ARPG. It has lore reason for having vendors from all factions in one spot, has the expansion’s end-game mechanic, introduces us to the potion crafting mechanic, and none of this feels crammed. It’s all evenly spaced out.
It’s here you learn of the main enemy faction of this expansion - The Bloodbound. At first, I thought maybe I missed them on my way to the stronghold but then I figured that they’re probably concentrated up ahead. While you get to learn of the main foe, no one is interested in your help and everyone is very cagey. You’re tasked with going and witnessing yourself whatever plagues the lands.
Now, the quests that you get here are among the best in the game. You are expected to solve the quests with little hints to work with. Be it hunting a gryphon, retrieving objects of Kunr heroes, or even something as simple as retrieving a family heirloom; you have to use your brain. I liked this approach a lot. There are simple fetch quests like killing a couple of giants and retrieving the stolen ale or putting a dead NPC’s spirit to rest. Even restoring shrines pushing back the corruption was an excellent touch.
Anyway, as you start exploring the lands outside the Kurnhold, you finally start encountering the Bloodbound. Once you make it to Guardian’s Sorrow, you’re greeted with one of the best boss fights. A Bloodbound unique enemy that phases into a Chaos Werewolf. Very very well designed.
Upon returning you learn the tale of the great beast Beronath. The beast was corrupted during the war with the Erulans. You’re tasked with helping the Kurn kill it. The expansion to the lore is genuinely interesting, I was very intrigued. So, you then decide to march towards the Dread Wastes.
Fangs of Asterkarn - Approaching the Chaos
Beyond Guardian’s Sorrow, we encounter Ulo’s Remorse, a short area that showcases the true extent of the Chthonic corruption that plagues the lands. The idea of Chthonic energies have the same corrupting influence on the lands as Aetherial energies was a smart thing to implement. The rift in there had a the quest to rescue the inventor. I liked it, you didn’t really have a way of knowing whether or not she was a Bloodbound in disguise.
Then, I started exploring Ulo’s Springs, despite its proximity Guardian’s Sorrow, Ulo’s Remorse, and Utak’Kunar the lands look remarkably clean. I am fine with the corruption not covering the entire lands, in fact the design of Ulo’s Springs is nothing short of mesmerizing. But, there’s no gradual progression/regression of corruption, it feels like someone flipped a switch. It’s not a small area either, it’s huge area with a great quest but otherwise little else to do. I’d have preferred if more corrupted beasts roamed the springs and we had some patches of corruption in the middle of it as well.
Kruu’Sul Crags which is also next to Guardian’s Sorrow is equally bad. Why isn’t there even a hint of corruption? I didn’t even notice any protection wards to halt the spread of corruption we witness in Guardian’s Sorrow.
It’s not all bad btw, the exploration using magma spheres is very refreshing. I often opened up areas that I didn’t suspect were explorable.
We then reach Ruins of Utak’Kunar, this area has a similar problem. There’s tons of wights which makes sense from a lore perspective but the Bloodbound are mostly nestled inside Bloodbound Bastion. From Bloodbound Bastion to Dread Wastes, you again have a huge patch of snow. Why? Prospector’s Trail to Homestead showcases how you should do progressive corruption. Why is this section so weak?
Again, I loved the quests in this section. So, it’s not all bad.
Fangs of Asterkarn - Dread Wastes
This area is very well designed. You have Chthonic fiends warping in at random, the wildlife is corrupted, there’s even Chthonic rifts here.
Before entering the area, you take a side quest to search for some kids. The area was so hauntingly beautiful, I expected to find those kids to be skinned alive. Turns out, I was wrong. I got to play savior once again.
This is where the praises end. Beyond the Black Citadel lies Glacier’s Edge. The way to it can be unblocked very easily. Beyond it lie, Pilgrim’s Rest, Aurora Peaks, and Aurora Pinnacle. Why isn’t there even a hint of corruption here? The Bloodbound clearly made their way to the Roof of the World, what did they do? Hop on Nimbus and fly away? The lack of the Bloodbound isn’t the only problem, the areas feel rather empty, there are some very good quests, but otherwise you just sort of pass through them.
Once again, the areas are beautiful. Pilgrim’s Rest in particular is mesmerizing. There’s a couple of really interesting quests in these areas, and some really awesome standalone locations like Scarstone Depths, Glacierbound Cave etc. worth exploring.
Fangs of Asterkarn - Cockblock
Beyond the siloed corruption, the mostly absent Bloodbound, there’s a much bigger issue with the game, the penultimate quest.
The Kurn realize that there’s a chance to cleanse Beronath of its corruption. It felt like a refreshing turn of events that you have an alternative to permanently slaying the beast. You’re tasked with collecting items for the ritual.
Thematically, the quest is brilliant, you get the essence of nature, the essence of the very thing corrupting Beronath, and the essence of an ancient being that clashed against Chthon. Practically, the quest sucks.
- You’re supposed to get one item from Ugdenbog, this felt fine to me since Ugdenbog is very easy to access.
- Getting the the Heart of the Void sucked, it’s inside the World Tear in the Dread Wastes. But, it’s inside a 3-level Chthonic rift, gated behind a not-so-easy boss.
- The final item, the Brazier of the First Flame sucks balls, it’s located at the end of the Forgotten Gods expansion pack. What the actual fuck? I showered that expansion with praises but locking a key FoA item in its final location is really bad quest design. They could’ve left the damn thing inside the Temple of Osyr.
By the time I return to FoA, I had lost what little interest I had in helping the Kurn.
Approaching the Roof of the World, you catch glimpses of the final boss. Which is a very hype way to introduce the final obstacle of the expansion. The Beronath boss fight is interesting. It feels less awesome than Korvaak, but I assume that’s expected. I don’t mean to undersell this, the boss-fight was still pretty awesome, it made the painful fetch quest almost worthwhile.
Fangs of Asterkarn - The Kurn, The Hobo, and The Bird
After beating the boss, the Kurn tell you that they can focus on retaking the Bloodbound Bastion which originally belonged to them. This is a pretty neat quest.
Now, I glossed over a couple of things with the intention of tackling them later on.
- Before you can retake Bloodbound Bastion, you must help the Kurn rekindle their alliance with the Dranghouls. The expanded lore for the Dranghouls, how they came to settle in Erulan after the wars was interesting. But, this bit felt like it straight out of Sacred or Warcraft III. I won’t call this out as a flaw, it just for me personally this whole thing felt very out of place in Grim Dawn.
- To add to the high-fantasy trope, you get to befriend a bird. Again, there’s nothing wrong with Noktukari, it just felt very out of place. Forgotten Gods somehow feels less disconnected than post-Kurnhold sections of Fangs of Asterkarn. The faction itself sucks btw, you just do randomly generated quests. You don’t have much of a choice because the faction has some genuinely good items.
- I mentioned that there’s a lack of Chthonic corruption beyond the Black Citadel. That’s not the only problem. The amount of Bloodbound you encounter goes down as well. I could understand not encountering these guys before reaching Kurnhold. But, even beyond Kurnhold, I barely get to see them. The Bloodsworn had a stronger presence in the base game than these guys, heck I’d say Cronley’s Gang occupied more areas then them. They don’t feel like antagonists at all.
- Mogdrogen is still a useless fuckstick. Why is he even here? I had developed some respect for him in Ashes of Malmouth. He gave us a quest to stop the spread of corruption in the bog, warned us about Ravager, and added a little to the lore. In FoA, he’s just acting like Macho Man Randy Savage. The boss fight felt underwhelming. Credit where it’s due, the white werewolf is incredibly designed. But, I’ve already seen normal bosses turn into a werewolf, so it didn’t really do much for me. I kind of expected him to turn into a lightning variant of Siff Icehowl. Not a normal transformation, more like Karroz turning into the hentai fiend.
The biggest problem of the expansion, the Kurn. Why am I even helping these guys?
- I am solving the Kurn’s problem with virtually zero assistance from them. I did the same for Devil’s Crossing, but that felt different. They didn’t ask me to go and kill a Celestial, their asks felt thematically in-line with the post-apocalyptic setting. Not to mention that the denizens of the prison weren’t self-proclaimed warriors so I felt compelled to help them. The Kurn on the other hand are just sitting on their asses, inside their fortress of solitude.
- I don’t see them engaging with the Bloodbound in open battle, I don’t see them charging at the Roof of the World. Because the Kurn didn’t take it seriously, I didn’t really feel like Beronath was much of a threat.
- The Kurn are also concentrated inside Kurnhold, we barely get to see other Kurn settlements or ruins of other settlements, but we know for a fact that there are several clans. I can understand the Bloodbound being unable to mount an attack on the Kunrhold, but some isolated settlements would’ve made easy pickings. I don’t mean proper raid missions btw, more like how the Aetherials outside Homestead look like they’re trying to get inside.
- The Kurn and the Bloodbound are so isolated that neither side seems to be interested in the other. At least not until we get involved. We solo a God in Forgotten Gods and even there we at least had some help from the Cult of the Three.
I don’t mean to downplay the expansion btw. It’s a genuinely good expansion. It just happens to have way more flaws than the rest of the game.
TL;DR
Game good, expansions good.
about its layers. Well then… consider me intrigued. I checked out GoG and saw that the game was on sell for around 8.00 USA buckaroonies. OKAY SOLD!!! Well, before 10% tax of course. Oh noes, not less than 9.00 dollars. What ever shall I do?