After realizing that I’ve spent more hours on Grim Dawn than any other ARPG, I decided to brainstorm what qualities Grim Dawn has that made me keep playing for more than a hundred hours. I’ve made quite a few suggestions on these boards and voiced numerous balance-related concerns since the Alpha’s very first iteration, but despite these imperfections, I always keep coming back for more. Here are some of the things that draw me to Grim Dawn, and I hope other community members will voice their favorite parts of Grim Dawn as well.
- Damage types and resistances
While still far from perfect, enemy resistances and player damage types keep the game interesting and increase its longevity. Damage types are not simply re-skins–they usually have an overall theme and a strategic impact on the game. In other ARPG’s, all damage types are fundamentally the same since enemies don’t have resistances.
- Loot
If the loot system were any different in Grim Dawn, the vast majority of my builds simply wouldn’t work. I like to test the limits of character customization in Grim Dawn by making atypical builds (such as elementalist pet hybrid and shield-bearing melee pyromancer), and if the game spoon-fed certain loot to me based on my class, these builds would never be possible. Because Grim Dawn has truly random loot drops, my pyromancer is able to find shields and heavy armor, which is necessary for that specific build. Truly randomized loot also inspires the player to think outside of the box and to make more than one character at a time.
- Lore
The world of Cairn is certainly interesting enough, but what I find to me the most awe-inspiring is the backstory of the game universe as a whole. The history of Arkovia, the lore about the game’s numerous Gods, and the interactions between enemy factions really bring the game to life. Flavor text on items helps tie everything together and even gives the player hints about some of the heroes, outlaws, and gods of Cairn’s past. The fact that there have been numerous topics dedicated to this game’s lore is a testament to how well-devised and multidimensional the game’s writing is.
- Build Diversity
This is my favorite part of Grim Dawn, hands-down. I’m currently levelling 5 pyromancers, and none of them function remotely similarly. The itemization and devotion systems allow players to test the limits of any class, and theorycrafting/testing odd builds will keep me entertained for hundreds of hours in the future.