Grim Dawn Grim Misadventure #129

The “Grim Misadventures” development updates for Crate Entertainment’s action-RPG Grim Dawn are less frequent now, but that just means that when they are released, they have that much more substance to them. The latest one, for example, outlines the team’s plans for the next few updates, that are to follow the recently released Ashes of Malmouth expansion, in great detail. We should expect bug fixes, balance adjustments, improved casting behavior and enhanced controller support, new arenas and waves for the Crucible, and a new Roguelike Dungeon. See for yourself:

V1.0.3.0

The next large update is actually nearly here. It’s already in testing and is expected to go live in the next two weeks. This patch will address many reported issues, whether that’s concerning loot, questing, items or otherwise. It will also bring with it some overall balance adjustments and improvements to the new Components introduced in Ashes of Malmouth.

But that’s not all. We can’t just have a big patch and call it a day at some bug fixes and balance changes. That is simply not how we roll. V1.0.3.0 is highlighted by two major features: improved casting behavior and enhanced controller support.

What this means to you is that the casting behavior of all skills will be updated to be much more responsive. Casting a skill will make the character cast it immediately in the targeted direction rather than forcing the character to run up to the skill’s casting distance.

As an example, let’s say you try to cast the Arcanist’s Callidor’s Tempest. Currently, if you point the cursor far away from your character, your character would run up to the minimum distance that ability can be cast and then actually cast the skill. With the V1.0.3.0 improvements, it won’t matter where your cursor is on the screen. Callidor’s Tempest will cast immediately without any additional movement. A major improvement!

The other feature, which actually made the above possible, is to dramatically improve Grim Dawn’s functionality with a controller. This means much better controller configuration and custom UI elements catered specifically to the controller (note: active only while you have a controller enabled on your PC).

This is another major step towards getting Grim Dawn onto the Xbox, and the PC version benefits in the process!

V1.0.4.0

Coming up fairly quickly after V1.0.3.0 is in your hands, this patch will be focused on upgrading the Crucible.

First up, we are introducing not one, but two new arenas for your combat pleasure. These will be available to all players who own the Crucible DLC, whether you have Ashes of Malmouth or not. […]

The other change, a much bigger endeavor, is not only going to incorporate Ashes of Malmouth enemies into the Crucible, but also extend the difficulty with the introduction of additional waves. We have not yet finalized how many new waves we will be adding, but you will have ever greater challenges to crush, and more loot to gather. The addition of Ashes of Malmouth enemies will be focused primarily on these additional waves, though we will sprinkle in a few encounters in waves 1-150 as well.

And don’t worry about certain Arcane heroes and Nemesis encounters. As with Loxmere before them, they will be adjusted accordingly for the Crucible.

As the new waves will include expansion-only enemies, this feature will be exclusive for owners of Ashes of Malmouth and the Crucible DLC.

Beyond…

There are many things in store for you after V1.0.3.0 and V1.0.4.0, and sharp eyes will notice that I haven’t even mentioned the new Roguelike Dungeon yet.

The upcoming dungeon will introduce you to Mogdrogen’s personal haven within the world of Cairn; or it was the beast god’s haven until the corrupting presence of the Aetherials and the Chthonians took root within the Ancient Grove.

When its gates are opened to you in early 2018, you will face off against once majestic beasts of the wild, forever tainted beyond redemption by the invaders of Cairn. With a heavy heart, Mogdrogen will implore you to enter his domain and bring an end to the corruption. You will be tasked with ending the existence of a guardian as old as the bog itself, the Heart of the Wild, the grove’s Keeper. The ceaseless vigil of Mogdrogen’s mightiest creation will finally come to an end.