Grim Dawn Grim Misadventures #106: The Fall of Port Valbury

Things are getting a lot quieter as we move into the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but before the team at Crate Entertainment took any time off for feasting, they spared a few moments to dole out a 106th installment to their “Grim Misadventures” series. In it, we learn what’s in store for us in Grim Dawn’s v1.0.0.7 update, which they’ve labeled “The Fall of Port Valbury”:

Some observant sleuths have already discovered the addition of four new achievements on Steam that mention this new area. Port Valbury is our upcoming Aetherial-themed roguelike dungeon, and it is absolutely packed with new lore, bosses and monster infrequents for you to discover.

Before we dig into today’s update though, let’s get the most important info out of the way: Port Valbury and the 1.0.0.7 update are expected to go into testing in the near future and, barring unexpected issues, you can look forward to their release mid-December!

So what exactly happened at Port Valbury…?

A once proud and prosperous city with a booming port and trade network, Port Valbury has suffered greatly under the influence of the Aetherials. Even before the Grim Dawn was fully unleashed upon Cairn, their agents had begun working on undermining the population and throwing the city into chaos.

The city’s mayor, Khallos Strune, could not have suspected the schemes happening right under his nose, and when he began to realize that one of his advisors, Councilor Van Aldritch, was not using his position to the best interest of the citizenry, it was already too late. Port Valbury, as countless other settlements across the Erulan Empire, was doomed.

The Weapons of Choice

But every mastermind has their network, and so too did the Aetherial controlling Aldritch weave unsuspecting humans into its plans. If there was anything Port Valbury’s harbormaster loved more than a pitcher of ale, that would be coin. The promise of more profits made a willing ally out of Harbormaster Jarren. For reasons unknown to the harbormaster, the councilman wanted unrestricted access to the docks and no questions asked in regards to any shipments passing through with the mayor’s seal upon them.

Jarren was not the only person to fall under the Aetherial’s sway, but he would perhaps become one of the most unwilling and tortured of them all.