Grim Dawn

One of the best ARPG's out there. Nothing matches the atmosphere of Grim Dawn. Its a must play in my opinion.

An ARPG that benefits greatly from it's dark tone and setting. Builds are diverse and supported by enough mechanic elements to be interesting without being convoluted.

Must play for any fan of the ARPG genre. Great single player experience. Great itemisation. Great build potential.
An amazing successor to Titan Quest, and definitely competitive to Diablo 2 and PoE.
Fans of the genre should be thankful this game was created.

Grim Dawn – Solid Foundation, But Wears Thin Over Time

I'd put this between thumbs up and thumbs-down. Thumbs-up if its on a deep-sale (which is what I bought it on, so ultimately I'm happy).

Grim Dawn held my interest for a little while, but it quickly became repetitive to the point where it started to feel more like a chore than fun. The gameplay loop didn’t evolve much, which made progression feel a bit monotonous as time went on.

The early game also felt particularly slow, with a sluggish progression curve that made it harder to stay engaged from the outset.

I didn’t enjoy the camera controls or field of vision either—it felt more restrictive compared to other ARPGs I’ve played. Tree canopies and building facades often obscure visibility to the point where I found myself wrestling with the camera more than focusing on the actual gameplay.

Visually, the game’s graphics feel quite dated, and while functional, they don’t do much to elevate the experience.

I’ll likely finish my current playthrough with my first character and might check out the DLC quests, but I don’t see myself rushing to do another run with a different character.

One of my favorites. I've actually logged more like 5k hrs but previously I had the game on GOG...

I know I'm very late to this game, but it is a really good "Diablo" style game - isometric, with lots of loot and other similar mechanics. It goes a lot deeper than that too, but for a casual player like me, it's just really soothing and has lot of areas to explore at a decent pace. There's a ton of expnasions too, that I haven't touched yet so we'll see when we get there :)

As a Diablo lover who's too old for Torchlight, too stupid for PoE 2 and too burnt by whatever Diablo 4 is, Grim Dawn was a fun time.

The world design is interesting and there are a ton of possible builds, but they all end up taking forever to get into and you end up spamming the same 2-3 abilities. God awful combat. I really tried but the game just doesn't get any better.

Hear me out—this is the best ARPG on the market, in my opinion. It hooked me right away with its gloomy environment and dark, twisted story. I even bought the DLCs for it! The game keeps me playing with every class combination. You should definitely try Grim Dawn—it's worth it!

Unfortunately it’s a no. It is a good game to begin with but has the same pointless grind as other games in in genre.

Decent loot is non existent, 99% of loot is trash.

It has no endgame other than repetitive pointless fights.

Excellent game that offers potential to make a vast amount of unique and viable builds.

This game is almost a decade old, still gets updates and has less paid DLC BS than games still in Early Access.

Worth

Absolutely incredible and time consuming.... love it

One of the best ARPGs out there, lots of updates over the years. One of the things that makes this game so great is the mod's that can be made for it. There are a bunch of amazing mods out there for this game which transform the game into completely different experiences. I can't recommend this game enough.

Grim Dawn - A Masterpiece of ARPG Brilliance!

Grim Dawn is an absolute gem in the ARPG genre—fast-paced, deep, and incredibly rewarding. The combat feels visceral and satisfying, with tons of build diversity thanks to the dual-class system and epic loot. The dark, gritty atmosphere is immersive, and the world design is packed with secrets and lore.

Compared to Path of Exile 2, Grim Dawn is just so much more engaging. POE2 feels sluggish and overly complicated, with slow combat that drains the fun out of grinding. Grim Dawn, on the other hand, keeps the action intense and progression meaningful without unnecessary bloat.

And here’s the funny thing—you don’t even realize how good Grim Dawn is until you try POE2. After slogging through POE2’s clunky pacing and tedious mechanics, you suddenly appreciate Grim Dawn’s smooth combat, rewarding loot system, and player-friendly design. It’s like going back to a perfectly cooked steak after eating plain oatmeal.

If you want an ARPG that respects your time and delivers constant excitement, Grim Dawn is the way to go!

it's a good game that's a nice mix of Diablo and Path of Exile in terms of it's difficulty. if you think D4 or D3 are too easy and PoE 1&2 are too hard then this is the perfect middle ground. Stuff feels complex with out being overwhelming and challenging with out being frustrating.

Having played Path of Exile 1 i think the story, lore, and characters in this game are far better than in Path of Exile. Characters actually feel like real people who have motives that don't exclusively revolve around you. The world feels like it exists even when your character isn't there. Don't get me wrong your character is still the main character(tm). But you get the feeling that if weren't there the rest of cast would still find a way to push through.

GD is a game I keep coming back to after about 600 hours spent in PoE2 and who-knows-how-many hours spent in PoE1, D3, Dungeon Siege, Chronicon, etc. A lot of the stuff that came about well after D2. Live service model games need to continually make decisions based on what will sell microtransactions - sometimes that means having players do chores to keep them in-game, sometimes it means limited inventory and stash space to sell "quality of life" microtransactions, sometimes it means more aggressive advertising. There's none of that here and it's very refreshing. I get the sense that nearly every decision made by the team is purely devoted to making the player experience the best it can possibly be while retaining all of the classic appeal of a good loot and class-based ARPG. The team doesn't compromise because they don't have to. Power fantasies are in full effect, gearing is fun, endgame is great, and if I ever get tired of any of this you can bet I'll start modding the crap out of this game.

One of the best games I've ever played, and I keep coming back to it time after time.

Awesome ARPG! I bought it for around $20 in 2016! this game is one of the best ARPGs around. Better even than Last Epoch and that is saying alot!

engaging with in-game mechanic of enemies being able to heal one another makes me want to engage with the out-of-game mechanic of pulling my hair out

really fun game probably the best top-down action RPG i've played ever

Give this game a chance, forget about the graphics, yes it is old, looks old, but has a lot of support still, if you like making your own build like in path of exile this could be a very comfortable game for you, this game is all about exploration and gameplay no bs straight forward ARPG, no need for micro transactions, no buying stash tabs, no p2w, the only "bad" part about the game could be its price and DLC content, the game is 24,99 which is really expensive, and 60 bucks with all the DLC content except the supporter packs which are just cosmetics, i would recommend to wait for a sale where you can buy it all for about 25 bucks the whole game with all the DLC and for 3 dollars just the base game, i recommend getting the DLC because it adds a bunch of content but more importantly classes, if you are reading this while the games is still full price just wait and wishlist it, if its on sale... just buy the damn game its awesome

What an amazing little RPG. I had no idea how hooked i was gonna be. I had little expectations and honestly thought it would just sit in my steam library but i was wrong. The amount of ways to build your character is truly limitless. For the price i highly recommend you give it a shot. Sometime your quest log might seem a little outrageous but your free to go about it as you please and you will randomly find something or kill an elite and notice that you just completed one randomly. All in all I'm having a great time and am glad i gave it a chance.

It's like Diablo 2.5 or 2.9, kinda around 3. Was way more engaging than Diablo 4. The environments feel worth exploring, the classes and multi-classing are fun. Only grpe is everything is a little middle of the road. I do like Diablo 3's wittch doctor, and none of the classes here are quite as distinct. overall 7.5/10. Fun and scratches the Diablo 3 itch, but overall, could use some more unique flavor. Bland but satisfying. A tortilla chip bag of a game, with plenty of dip.

For someone who has played the game for 1000+ hours is a 10/10.
Although the game is outdated when it comes to graphics it still looks good.
Game play, controls and mechanics of the game is really good.
The developer is continuously doing major updates for the game.
This is more addicting to play versus D2R but it wont win againts POE.
The skill tree is not as complicated as POE but almost the same as D2R.
There are a lot of classes to choose from melee, range, summon, magic, DOT, etc..
Each has its own choice of sub build for attack or magic type damage.
Just being a tank with a retaliation build works here, basically standing and let the monsters die when they attack.
The story of the game is also good, especially the DLC of the game is so good its worth it.

This is the the best single player ARPG out there. If what you are looking for in an ARPG is build variety, replayability, and tons of meaningful loot, this game is for you. Don't bother with the bigger names out there. Crate has actively supported this game for 9 years (it looks great) and still has a major expansion on the horizon. This is not an MMO which means no microtransactions, no wonky action house economy, no shifting meta. You can still play multiplayer with up to three of your friends, though (similar to the old Torchlight II). The best part of the game is all the builds work. You won't have to look up some 500 skill point allocation guide to religiously follow (did I mention respec is dirt cheap :). TLDR: Best implementation of an ARPG I have ever seen.

I'm over 50 hours in and technically still haven't reached end-game on my first character, there's so much content here it's genuinely impressive; this ARPG released in 2016 that looks like the Overlord series graphically is beating out Diablo in like every way possible. The graphics look bad but in reality they're heavily stylized and as soon as you play the game and see it in motion, it looks perfectly good, the class building is top tier and both easy to grasp as well as having immense complexity, there's so much damn loot and somehow most of it has genuine reasons for me to consider using it, the world the game is set in is interesting and very enjoyable for anyone who likes grim dark stories/worlds.

If you're looking for your introduction game to the ARPG genre I think Grim Dawn is a great starting point, it being almost entirely single-player and not relying on seasonal content means the game is always going to be easy to get into and completely lacks any sense of FOMO you could have in regards to "League" or Seasonal content; you can try the game, get busy, come back months later and be no further behind than when you left. Even if you're just looking for something to play to scratch that ARPG itch while you wait for your main games new League or Seasonal update, Grim Dawn is still a fantastic way to scratch it.

Grim Dawn delivers an exceptional experience with its rich world-building and deep lore that pulls you in from the start. The class system is impressively complex, offering tons of creative build possibilities, while the crafting and itemization add another rewarding layer to game play. Overall, it's a standout title in the ARPG genre—a solid 9 out of 10 and an absolute must-play!

I don't usually play these type of games but this is really good
I wish you could kill direni after he gives you the key though

a very good game with an interesting lore, the scenery is amazing and they added many QoL mechanics that feel really great

Love it and infinite gameplay and update by the dev

Its a great game, but a recent update has broken the controls on the Steam Deck. If that's how you play your games like me, I can't recommend this game right now.

Really fun and addicting gameplay loop, cool classes with the combination mechanic, meh story, very nice world building with interesting lore, thick and wonderful atmosphere. Personally my fav ARPG highly recommend.

A wonderful classic Diablo-like adventure with very thick lore and great amounts of DLC to boot! Crate have done an amazing job! Thoroughly recommend this game - it's worth your time and money!

A criminally underrated game that has thousands of hours of content

Grim Dawn is my comfort game in light of me selling my old 360 copy of Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls. This game might not be made by a large company such as Blizzard, but it has the heart and soul of a modern cult classic in the making. The developers continue to work on expansions for the game and what currently is available is excellent!

If you are curious about the DLC order, I would play Forgotten Gods last while I finish the other DLC. Crucible is more of a challenge mode, which isn't integral to lore or anything.

If you are a fan of Diablo or any other hack and slash looter this is definitely for you!!

Enter a world where Diablo is truly evil. Since the Titan Quest, there has been a Path of Exile until our Last Epoch. What is a Torchlight anyways am I right.
Good game, crafted with loved, and almost fully ChatGPT supported ask a build creation and assistant tool.

Grim Dawn easily has the most hours of all the ARPGs I've played, to me it is the spiritual successor of Diablo 2. It has that dark gritty feel, straight forward combat, excellent soundtrack, a massive amount of customization across multiple systems (classes, talents and devotion points) and does not bother the players with micro transactions or constant tweaks through updates and allows offline play just like old D2.

One of the best hallmarks of a good ARPG is when you find a piece of gear while playing that you can't use on that current character but immediately become excited to make another character just to try out the build. This is what I ended up doing over and over again until I reached the point of having over 30 characters and maxed out chests filled with gear for different builds.

It might not be as intensive as POE but the amount of builds you can make far exceeds anything from POE or Diablo. Even though its listed as 36 possible multiclass combinations, there are actually more than that because each skill tree for the classes has mulltiple skills you go with and then you can further modify those builds with devotion points + gear set ups.

One major plus that very few are mentioning is how low the requirements are for the game and how smoothly it will run on a subpar PC or when even on a good PC when you have half a dozen other programs open.

The game is a gem and worth every penny and I actively suggest it to every ARPG fan I come across and even to those who aren't big on ARPGs but love customization and dark fantasy games.

I've tried newer ARPGs, but I keep coming back to Grim Dawn. Its just so immersive and clearly well designed. Sure it would be great to have some more customization, particularly with character models, but that's a minor thing. This is an awesome experience that you will not regret sinking time into.

Top tier ARPG, but require some mods due to how old it's i recommend Rainbow filter and grim league mod which has it's own version of rainbow filter to include the new content it adds and updates or you can rawdog the game + don't kill me if you are a purist and think i just committed the worst sin imaginable

Great game with lots of mods to extend it's life and will soon be getting another expansion.

Great D2 clone that fixes a lot of the issues of that old game. Lots of chaos! Beating the game lacks a little gravity, which is unfortunate, but that's not a big nit for most. The expansions add a lot of content which is great. Lots of flexibility on build options with 2 class choices that combine in many ways with each class allowing many custom build tree paths and therefore lots of replay value.

Grim Dawn - A Spiritual Successor to Titan Quest

Overview:

Grim Dawn is a love letter to fans of action RPGs, serving as the spiritual successor to Titan Quest. Developed by Crate Entertainment, this game delivers a dark and immersive hack-and-slash experience that stands out in its genre. It masterfully combines deep character customization, intense combat, and an engaging grind system that keeps players hooked for hours on end.

Gameplay & Combat:

One of the strongest aspects of Grim Dawn is its grind system. Farming legendary-tier set items and reaching the max level requires dedication, but the journey is rewarding. The combat mechanics feel weighty, and the impact of every hit is satisfying, making it one of the most solid experiences in the genre. Whether you're cutting through hordes of enemies with a two-handed weapon or raining destruction with magic, the vuruş hissiyatı (hit feedback) is undeniably satisfying.

Atmosphere & Sound Design:

The game's atmosphere is haunting and immersive, with a world ravaged by war, corruption, and supernatural forces. Subtle background music enhances the experience, creating an eerie yet enthralling mood as you traverse its vast landscapes. From eerie ruins to corrupted forests, each area feels unique and carefully designed.

World & Quest System:

The open-world map is designed with exploration in mind, featuring diverse biomes and hidden secrets. The quest system is well-structured, offering engaging story-driven and side missions that keep the pacing fluid. Boss battles are especially intense, requiring strategic thinking and rewarding players with valuable loot. The item drop rates feel well-balanced, offering satisfying rewards for those who put in the effort.

Character Customization & Skill Trees:

One of the game's most notable features is its deep class system. Players can choose from a variety of masteries, each offering unique abilities and playstyles. Skill trees are structured with both active and passive abilities, allowing for creative builds and experimentation. The dual-class system adds another layer of complexity, ensuring that no two characters play the same.

Longevity & Replayability:

A major draw of Grim Dawn is its replayability. Once players complete the game with one class, they often feel compelled to try out different builds and masteries. The leveling system and loot grind provide endless hours of entertainment, making it an ideal game for ARPG veterans.

User Interface & Visuals:

The UI is a blend of Diablo and Titan Quest, with an old-school feel that perfectly complements the game's dark fantasy setting. The interface is intuitive, providing all necessary information without being cluttered. The visuals, while not the most cutting-edge, effectively convey the grim and foreboding world the game is set in.

Final Verdict:

Grim Dawn is a must-play for fans of classic ARPGs. Its deep customization, rewarding grind, engaging quest system, and immersive atmosphere make it a standout title in the genre. While it demands time and effort, the payoff is immensely satisfying. If you're looking for an ARPG that offers both challenge and depth, Grim Dawn is well worth your time.

Score: 85/100

This game will forever be in my favorites. Everytime I play it I get sucked back in and have a blast.

What makes Grim Dawn awesome?
Tons of build combos and no meta builds you HAVE to play. Also it has offline mode and it's cheap to change up skill points which makes it easy to test out your classes. Love the game and the DLC's are 100% worth it.

No frills, no bull - just solid single player fun that you can game at your own pace.

Rating: 9/10 – A fantastic and addictive action RPG that offers deep customization, engaging combat, and a richly detailed world. While its story may not be its strongest point, the gameplay and exploration more than make up for it.

If you are a fan of Diablo style games, this is a must play. The amount of loot that is dropped is perfect, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the GAMEPLAY is very well done. I prefer playing this on Ultimate difficulty, because I like my games difficult, and this game handles that difficulty very well, where no deaths feel cheap. They are because my gear was wrong for a boss, or I fell asleep at the keyboard

Grim Dawn is pretty solid for an ARPG.
Cool vibes, the build system's fairly intuitive while still having some depth in terms of options, and items have cool modifiers.
It suffers somewhat in its story presentation; you're going to be reading a fair amount of unvoiced walls of barely-formatted text if you're interested in what's going on, which can easily get tiring. this is particularly the case for the many lore entires you can find.

Gameplay-wise, while the sound design and animations are satisfying, it still suffers from traditional ARPG issues like combat essentially devolving into standing still and stat sticking the enemy.
I do commend the effort: to some extent you do have to respond with a dodge button, and some telegraphed boss attacks can inflict an ailment on you that amplifies your damage taken, but overall it will still get quite repetitive and the grind of smashing through clusters of enemies is largely the point of the game.
One thing that i do applaud is that you're allowed to enter the final difficulty mode without having to go through the game 3 times, so that's a big plus in my book, though i'd really rather this "extra difficulties for replays to get the full game experience" business is done away with entirely at this point.

I will also note that you have no way of changing your mind about your main or secondary class once you've chosen them and simply have to tough it out or restart with another character if you don't enjoy them.
if all that sounds good to you, this is probably one of the best games you can get.
It goes on fairly steep discounts semi-regularly, so it can't hurt to give it a shot if you're into ARPGs.

I've really enjoyed playing this game in between content patches for POE2. Nice to have a slightly more relaxed ARPG experience to enjoy SSF without reading lots of guides. Loot upgrades feel meaningful and there are many different builds to explore with the dual class format. If you enjoy D4 or POE I think you'll enjoy this.

its really good, but difficult to start

Its a great game, deep customization of builds and equipment. Leveling is satisfying and feels meaningful. I finished the game and the expansion and i'm not sure what else to do besides the crucible. Really dont know if there is something i'm missing beyond that but i enjoyed the game for a bit.