I'm new to the ARPG genre. Very little experience with these games. So I'm glad Grim Dawn is the one I've truly started out with. GD does a ton of things right. It's little stuff that makes it feel like actual gamers developed it. Gameplay is smooth, fast, and functional. Load times are super quick. Hotkeys make sense, and if they don't, they're customizable. Lore is everywhere: the dialogue is technically skippable, but I found it very well-written and always informed me of better choices to make. Endlessly customizable character classes. The last boss is far from the endgame, a la the Pokemon series; if you want Legendary equipment, your journey has only begun. The game was daunting to me as a newcomer. You get a lot of items and stats thrown at you you may not be ready for. That's fine. Take your time. There's tons of grinding to do anyway. Oftentimes, traveling by foot feels like a chore, but I blame that on GD's excellent Rift fast-travel system. On occasion, shadows tear onscreen in an annoying, but not unplayable, fashion. These are minor qualms. Given all the intangible positives I felt playing Grim Dawn, the drawbacks do not define the game. I don't know how well GD compares to Diablo, or Wolcen, or whatever else is in this genre. But GD has set a very high bar for my enjoyment, indeed.
