Vanity Will Be Their Doom
At this point Grim Dawn doesn’t need introduction. However, what is less know is what I will write down here. Over the years this game changed for the better or the worse, depending on the update. It peaked in 2023 with its V1.1.9.8 update, which made the game a powerhouse of the ARPG genre. With that update the game gave us lots of build variety with its dual class system. Improved a lot of previously useless items by introducing skill modifiers, damage conversion, attributes rework (all three with my suggestions in the forum) and buffs overall. A well planned build was able to clear the content on its three difficulties, and good builds were able to kill super bosses in the game. Opponents were balanced. They expanded upon existing areas in the base game with expansion releases. Two major expansions: Ashes Of Malmouth and Forgotten Gods introduced a lot of good mechanics like illusionist, which allows players to customize appearance. Crucible DLC was bad for almost a decade since release, but with V1.1.9.8 it was balanced right. THE GAME WAS FUN.
That all changed in late 2023, with introduction of V1.2. This was the first step to turn the traditional ARPG game into the slops-like game, by introducing the dodge mechanic, and by adding one-slop mechanics to the bosses. Gradually they artificially ramped up the monster difficulty, just to make it harder for the sake of pandering to their most intimate circle of follower fanatics from their forums. First thing they did is they took away physical resistance from most builds, and compensated with minuscule armour upgrades. It didn’t feel like a handicap at the time.
In 2026, with the introduction of Fangs Of Asternkarn expansion, V1.3 turned the game into total slops-like trash. New expansion added bosses, which mimic movements of souls-like games, with lots of telegraphed attacks and one-shot mechanics. They drastically increased physical damage dealt by monsters, especially of new monsters, just to make things harder for the sake of it, and to penalize players for the lack of previously removed physical damage resistances. They took all the fun out of once a great game. None of us who played the game since 2016 were on board with this when we bought the game.
The worst part is how they handle constructive criticism and goodwill advice. They let their forum loyalists lash out at every single person who suggests a change or improvement, and they do nothing to sanction them. They encourage them to bully people, since they never ban them for their misbehaviour and breach of forum rules. They let them drag people through dirt with verbal abuse and personal insults, and then they ban the person who started a conversation, who simply had a different opinion, which is out of range of their closed echo chamber bubble. Crate Entertainment (developers who are active community members and moderators alike) turned their forums into a safe space for their cultists. This is what happens when a programmer, who was probably bullied through his childhood for being geek makes some money via selling his game, and then gets a digital god status from his cult followers. From now on I avoid everything that is made and published by this company. So should everyone, who does not approve of their community practices. The only way to play this game is V1.1.9.8, which is only available on Steam via some rollback channels, or if you obtain it by other means.
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