Grim Dawn bows out in style: Fangs of Asterkarn is now available
Grim Dawn's biggest — and final — expansion is out: a huge frozen region, the shapeshifting Berserker mastery, the new Ascendant mode, and a free 1.3 update for everyone.
Crate Entertainment is closing out its ARPG on a high note: Grim Dawn: Fangs of Asterkarn is now available on PC (Steam, GOG and Humble) for $18.99. It's the game's biggest — and final — expansion, a send-off the studio called a "love letter to the community." You'll need both Ashes of Malmouth and Forgotten Gods to play it.
Asterkarn: a massive frozen new world
The new region is the expansion's main draw. Asterkarn spans roughly 6 km² — 190% the size of Ashes of Malmouth and 250% that of Forgotten Gods — and grows the total game world by about 32%. The trek takes you across snowy peaks, frozen caverns, forest valleys and hot springs as you purge Ch'thonic corruption and parley with the Kurn tribes, who bring a fresh chapter of the story and its darker history.
Berserker, the tenth mastery
The headline build addition is the Berserker, the game's tenth mastery, able to shapeshift into vicious beastlike forms. With this class in the mix, dual-mastery combinations climb to 45 possible options, so there's plenty to tinker with for new builds.
Ascendant mode, bosses and loot
For those chasing a challenge, the new Ascendant mode turns the entire campaign into endgame content, with far tougher bosses and dungeons. The expansion adds 60+ new bosses, hundreds of items (Epics, Legendaries and Monster Infrequents) and deep customization: 6,000+ potion combinations, affix transmutation to reroll rare and magic gear, and Epic item awakening to push them up to Legendary. It also brings three new factions.
The 1.3 update, free for everyone
Alongside it, Crate shipped the free 1.3 update that every player gets, expansion or not: a UI redesign, a stash overhaul, WASD accessibility controls, HDR lighting, more detailed tooltips, balance tweaks and bug fixes.
A finale Crate calls "Grim Dawn 1.5"
The studio manages expectations and raises them at once: "This may not be Grim Dawn 2, but to us it is very much Grim Dawn 1.5," said production director Kamil Marczewski. With this release, Crate wraps up Grim Dawn's development and turns its attention to new projects. You can watch the official release trailer and grab the expansion on its Steam page.
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