Grim Dawn discussion thread

[Colif]

So since he doesn't ever use a shield, naturally game gives him heaps

I didn't know this boss dropped a shield.

I don't know of any insects after her though, so that 10% less is pointless?

I will save that in bank as a rare shield.

 

[Frindis]

It was the one under the cellar. I have a feeling her damage is way low just because she is one of the first mini-bosses you meet. Her attacks do little compared to the other one you mentioned or for example the toxic dart-throwing one in mud flats (or close by) that you have to fight in a close encampment together with countless of her minions.

That level 35 mini-boss (warrior beast thingy?) I have encountered a couple of times at a low level. Both times I popped in and popped out equally as fast. That warrior does not mess around.

I can only see the value of coins being for buying end-game pots/relics from different vendors. You do get some better items in vendors with progression, but the chance of getting anything good most likely defeats the purpose of roaming the different vendors looking for a bargain.

10% insect reduction does not really seem that important. Maybe there are more insects in the DLC, but regardless they are for the most part easy to nuke down. The blood draining ones can be a bit annoying at times though.

Cronley mobs sure let you know of the spike in difficulty if you do not have resistance. Those bullets hit hard, lol.

The rush attack as nightblade I think will be pretty awesome against the ranged, especially the healing ones.

 

[Colif]

It was the one under the cellar. I have a feeling her damage is way low just because she is one of the first mini-bosses you meet. Her attacks do little compared to the other one you mentioned or for example the toxic dart-throwing one in mud flats (or close by) that you have to fight in a close encampment together with countless of her minions.

if you have expansions it warns you that something that is vastly above your lvl is in the cave... you don't have to fight it, you leave it and fight when you a more logical lvl.. I don't know what that is. I have fought it before, on base game. I have a weapon from it to prove it...

That level 35 mini-boss (warrior beast thingy?) I have encountered a couple of times at a low level. Both times I popped in and popped out equally as fast. That warrior does not mess around.

smugglers den? I have not fought it. I have read about it though. There are a few extra zones hidden around. One starts in the 1st area of the game. Need dynamite to get in. He might be a bounty from 1st area once your rep is higher, they offer bounties.
Need to be beat boss in chapter 2 normally to get them to offer them. Its the desk in prison bosses office. I have only done one on one character, had to fight Cronley again but with two bosses present in same room. Game does that if you over powered, I been getting extra bosses all day on this guy below. He just kills them.

Made a templar which is Oathkeeper/Arcanist. I wanted to use Righteous Fervour with a 2 handed weapon. General lack of it on 1 handed weapons but halberds in expansion has it or smite. Both works for me.
For 99% of the game, I can use this weapon:

but for the times you meet skeleton archers, you use

Main difference being shield adds +3 to my energy bubble and archers although still ever present, aren't constantly eating my health as much.

it kills my DPS but at least I got to end of dungeon intact.
Helm + shield both add +3 to same energy shield. Have to watch energy usage as I have seen negative if you put too many points into that skill and not compensate with energy regen.

She has 2 Halberds, one adds to smite and the other Righteous Fervour. The smite weapon does more damage as the other one is acid. Damage output is similar.
Biggest hit so far is 12k.
Been wearing same belt since about lvl 10, nothing beat it yet, She lvl 35 but average gear lvl is 24

 

[Frindis]

He is located in the Smuggles Basin and is named Gutworm the Maneater. Nasty guy, who does a charge attack that can kill me easily. Not the typical guy you can kite around at a low level. Perhaps if I had a good shield and a lot of patience. Maybe a stun would work before he hits or slowing him down like you could with the Duriel boss in Diablo 2. (Boss location at 2:33)

Gutworm can drop a medal and I would not mind it.

 

[Colif]

You fight a boss like that on the main quest chain but mid way through chapter two, you aren't supposed to beat a lvl 35 monster before lvl 20. He is a handful at that level, I am amazed you can do any damage to it,
Majority of the time, the level difference is only 5 max. Even with bosses. It probably changes in later difficulties.
Guess it makes sense, you don't expect there to be high lvl monsters in the first zone of a game, so obviously you try to beat it.

 

[Colif]

Oddly his first secret area video doesn't show all of the extra places hidden around stages but his second stage one does. Breakable walls seem to be all over the place in the wardens cellar.
He also didn't mention two other areas

 

[Frindis]

Visited Gutworm again. He did not make it.

@Colif Do you know if you keep your character when you install the DLCs? I'm wondering because Im thinking of playing this Bladeassasin until the 16th of March when there might be a steam sale on the expansion packs.

 

[Frindis]

Hmmm, I wonder what is wrong with this picture @Colif.

 

[Colif]

Expansion packs : yes, old characters do work. They get new quests to link them to the expansion
I will look at picture on my pc, it is too small on my phone

 

[Brian Boru]

what is wrong with this picture

Main thing is it takes ~5 mins to read all the text—and most of it is so arcane you have to start over again as soon as you finish a run!

I recommend screenshots on a second monitor

PS Oh look, someone dropped a giant piece-of-eight.

 

[Colif]

I don't see anything wrong with the shot

You playing on veteran?

I assume you not in chapter 1 still as 27 is getting on in age.
But the incline I mentioned before between difference in gear between Homestead and beginning of chapter 2 is pretty steep. The base game really doesn't have much to do in that level range, its why chapter 7 is where I basically go as soon as I find the 2nd portal in chapter 2. I play chapter 2 until about lvl 24 and then swap across. Works out best for most of my characters, they grow up in the desert and can come back and walk over Cronley.

I wouldn't try all the hidden areas in chapter 1 as some are for when you in chapter 4.

I haven't played in a few days, I will again... I just have things I should do before then.

 

[Frindis]

@Brian Boru @Colif Is it small even if you "blow up" the picture as you can on PC and put it vertically? Is there an image setup that I can use that would help mobile users in for example Imgur or similar image uploaders? I can try to stretch the picture as Brian mentioned. Not sure if I have long enough arms though.

@Colif I am playing on Veteran so I can level up a bit faster at the beginning while testing out my build against a bit harder foes. As long as I am melting them, I know I am at least in the right direction of what goes skill/weapon-wise for speed/damage. I'm currently using Blitz, Shadow Strike and Chaos strike for high damage and speed. Also using Cadence on default attack for more area attacks + some random procs from devotion and items.

I'm level 27 at beginning of Act 2. Or, well...the thing is that if you look at the quest on the right side of the picture you'll see it says "Kill Darius Cronley". I already killed him. It happened because I ventured all the way from the start of Act 2 and up to Darius without doing any other quest. I was basically testing out some new skills while having fun and suddenly I was inside his hideout. There seems to be a bug in Grim Dawn (at least in vanilla) where if you go back and talk to the captain and choose the "wrong" dialogue options, you are locked out of the option of telling him that you have already defeated Cronley.

 

[Colif]

i looked on my PC, apart from you still seeing yellows and not hiding them using the loot filter, I can't see anything wrong

that vengeance quest can be finished in chapter 3, depends how you resolve it in chapter 2, I must remember it from long ago as I always get it right now. The answer is literally just up the road from quest giver.

doing quests before you get them works for the most part in the game. there is a boss I kill in chapter 3 that one faction wants dead. I often kill him before they ask since he attacks you on sight, and the only answer in conversation is me saying I already killed him. Unlike Sacred 3 where it would break them before you got them.

chaos strike? I know the other 2, there is another like blitz now but its for Oathkeeper... a class you don't have. All the charges are useful against archers shadow strike just kills everything but its only single target. The oathkeeper one goes through groups unlike blitz.

I had to look up alarcity as many of the items in game seem to have suffix.

I might play it tomorrow... i shouldn't.

 

[Frindis]

@Colif This is the one I use:

 

[Colif]

I rarely use the item bonuses so that is why I didn't know it. I mostly ignore those.

 

[Frindis]

Beginning to be happy with my build now. I don't have good resistance yet, but I don't need it on this difficulty. Armor mitigates most of the stuff and I got blood drinker/leech, blade trap, and a couple of other life-saving skills I can use to get HP back if needed. I mostly melt stuff with Ring of Steel/Cadence/Dual Blade (Belgothian's Shears, Amarasta's Quick cut & Whirling Death to avoid any conversion to elements) The Act 3 boss died almost instantly and tanked enemies have a hard time against my piercing. Ranged attacks with bleed or similar are the only things that can hurt me, so I try to charge them first and then clean up.

My weapons are not the best, but they got physical damage/piercing which is what I am focused most on. Bleed is secondary and I got some of the bleed to proc with Cadence skill (hits every third attack). I'm three levels before I get Circle of Slaughter which is going to be a fun skill to use with its high crit and bleed/pierce dmg.

 

[Colif]

You catching me... although I haven't played in a week. I want to get other things done and so been not playing.

Guess I do start a new character every few days, whereas you more focused. My newest guy is up to end of chapter 3, I just got too tired to keep playing.

Beating the god took more time to do.

I think act 4 boss has 3 stages. The god did as well but it all merged into one thing... hit and run away to heal, rinse repeat.

I don't like the mutant weapons really.

the phermones quest is the queen bug Ravna. She drops nice daggers. I thought I had kept a few but well, I have too many characters.

I did the lost cannons quest once. On a necro... I don't bother doing it now. Its not clear how to get to. I used a video to show me.

Where did you get the Groble tyrant quest from? you been going into extra areas? I haven't looked in Tyrants hold as there were no quests pointing me there.

 

[Colif]

I did my usual thing, seemed to get lots of greens in chapter one. Drowning for choice. I have had characters who struggled to see one green. I had drops where it was all greens... not monster shrines as that is expected.

like my resists? the 60% poison is one item, the rest is not intentional. Only one I worry about is vitality. Guess it would help to have some bleed but it was accidental. I might have a ring or something I can swap.

Probably about time to do Cronley. Desert really doesn't have anything for savagery unless you use 2 handed weapons. I am trying a shaman who uses 1 handed weapons. Most of mine face roll Primal Strike but it gets boring.
Advantage to Shaman/Oathkeeper is I have 2 buffs that increase my health and regen rate. I normally get health back faster than things can hurt me. Just as well since best weapon she found so far is a dagger

So thats where that lightning bolt came from.

damage is about 2k per second. I think I have a good one handed lightning weapon... somewhere. Other hand has a shield. Oathkeeper has a skill that adds the damage on the shield to your total... so its protection and attack.

Weapon DPS comparison only looks at minimum DPS. I saw it say weapons with lower minimums were better than weapons with higher maximums. It also doesn't take into account skills on weapons. I was told my previious weapon was better than dagger, but once I equipped it I saw otherwise.

I can't play for a few days now as weather conspiring against me.

 

[Frindis]

Where did you get the Groble tyrant quest from? you been going into extra areas? I haven't looked in Tyrants hold as there were no quests pointing me there.

It seems to be a quest you get in Pinebarren from Deathmark Vallar. I just fly around the map and try to make all the unknown areas known. Found a couple of places for skeleton keys, have to try those soon. That or save them for later when I get a bit higher in character level for better loot. One place cost 40 scraps and 10000 bits to open, most likely not a dungeon for my level, but I can't leave a bridge broken or rubble on the ground, that is not environmentally friendly.

Speaking of loot, the drops are so wierd. I have low lvl loot that beats most of the 40+ loot and it takes a long time to find something decent. A lot of the loot (I only have blue/green++ in the loot filter now) just seems weird, especially the poison ones that drop ALL the fricking time and with almost always the Forcewave skill which I don't use! It's like there are not many items that are unique to each other and most noticeable not for my classes. Lost Epoch does it much, much better from the get-go as you can find a lot of decent loot even below lvl 10.

Yeah, I'm more focused on one character. I normally tend to play a few for some levels and then find the one that fits my style of play the most.

I beat The Loghorrean, the Voice of Ch'thon yesterday. Not sure how many phases it has, but I think you are right with three. Boring fight to be honest,....a big SpongeBob. Never been a fan of bosses that just sit there, especially when the phases are lackluster also.

Going to finish up the rest of the quests later today or tomorrow and see if I can squeeze a couple of more levels in before going to the next difficulty. I did get a legendary after spanking the final boss, unfortunately not for me:

 

[mainer]

Lost Epoch does it much, much better from the get-go as you can find a lot of decent loot even below lvl 10.

(Sorry, guys, I'm veering a bit off topic here). How is the gameplay of Last Epoch? I've had it on my wishlist since it went into early access back in 2019, but haven't bought or tried it yet, but the time travel mechanic seems like it could add an interesting twist to an ARPG. I get in the mood for an ARPG from time to time but usually default to Diablo 2 Resurrected, Grim Dawn, Sacred 2, or Titan Quest

 

[Frindis]

@mainer It has been a while since I played last so I would not be the best to answer, but from my experience, it was fun (going to play now since there is a new update with multiplayer). Easy to respec (though you can't respec subclasses), cool skill effects (especially magic spells), the crafting system is good to mess around with and you don't really need to use any guides for making your own character. It's not like PoE where you are met with a giant wall of a talent tree that you have no idea to work out well. The loot filter is very good and you are able to adjust the loot filter while grinding.

The stash tabs are customizable in both names/colors and you can make a main stash tab and then several secondary stash tabs under the main stash. This is much like PoE only in this game you don't have to pay with real money if you want to expand tabs. I'll play a little Lost Epoch tonight, and see how the game runs now.
------------------------------------------------------

Update:

@mainer Tried the game now for some levels. It took a little time to get used to the more zoomed-down perspective than Grim Dawn. Right now I feel the game is a bit buggy, meaning there are some strange ones like a clothes bug where it looks like you unequipped your clothes and you have to rezone to get them back. My computer also gets more warm playing the game, so I have to put the settings on low/very low, which makes me think it is a bit poorly optimized for some rigs. I have no problems with much, much more resource-demanding games. I think a lot of this has to do with the latest patch (a couple of days old) so I'm confident they will at least fix the clothes bug. I am enjoying the gameplay though, so I'm definitely going to be playing more.

 

[Colif]

I did think that the legendary would at least match your class. But then it does same thing in Torchlight 2, random legendary after end of game
Has your character died at all? that used to be what made me restart a character but now its the not knowing what the fight is like that makes me restart again.

Death doesn't really mean anything but to me its a fail. Build isn't good enough, start again. though now I just play combos I haven't... I don't think there are many of those.
I have too many characters. I think death is inevitable but I still try to avoid it. I think only 1 character I have now has a death recorded.
I don't want to get to the end as then I need to find a new game. Its why I like Journey as there is no end.

 

[Frindis]

@Colif I have died from not paying attention, which is the number one killer After my build got better I have not died since Act 2. I also stopped playing veteran in Act 2 because it started to give me less xp, so my build had to be adjusted. Right now I am confident I will be able to stay alive for the next difficulty, though I need to keep a close eye on my resistance.

Not dying seems like a fun playstyle, but it is definitely one I would just try a couple of times in this game. I would hate to lose a mid to high-level character to something like lag, getting too sleepy, doing dumb mistakes, or not really being motivated in the fight. I guess one way to make it easier is to not make a hardcore character and make rules as to when you really die, so lag for example would not be one of them. Do you start over regardless of what happens or is it only if you don't know the fight?

 

[Colif]

Lag? It is single player, I don't get lag.
The not dying thing is just a left over from playing sacred 2. And in torchlight 2, I would see a death as a fail. Meant character wasn't right.
I have died twice, one from not taking attention to being poisoned on a necro and once from a boss one shotting one of my characters - I don't know what killed him but it was an optional boss that I now just ignore. That is out of too many characters. Most are just me wanting something easy to play at beginning of the day so they all around the same level by time I am finished the day. Rinse repeat
If steam didn't have a character limit I would keep doing that pattern.
Part of me is annoyed that you are past me but you don't have the expansion packs so there isn't as much to do before end for you, so it makes sense. I am one God ahead and am up to the boss you beat, just haven't tried it yet. I need to as it opens up chapter 5 then.
I don't want to finish games as then I need something else to do.

 

[Frindis]

Lag? It is single player, I don't get lag.

I should have said frame stuttering, not that I have experienced it yet, but it could happen I guess.

I don't want to finish games as then I need something else to do.

You could do as I do, have a few thousand games to choose from, then you'll never ever manage to finish a lot of them