Grim Dawn is Crate Entertainment's action RPG built on the Titan Quest engine, offering one of the deepest character build systems in the ARPG genre through its dual mastery and devotion constellation systems. Set in a dark Victorian-era world ravaged by two warring otherworldly forces, the game combines satisfying click-to-kill combat with build theory that rivals Path of Exile in complexity. The dual mastery system (pick 2 of 9 classes to combine) creates 36 unique class combinations, each with distinct combinations. Two major expansions (Ashes of Malmouth and Forgotten Gods) extend the campaign and add three more masteries, pushing combinations to 66 total. Grim Dawn is the thinking person's ARPG.
New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Devil's Crossing | dual mastery system basics | Demolitionist |
| 2. Early | Homestead | devotion constellation mastery | Demolitionist |
| 3. Mid | Fort Ikon | faction reputation + gear | Soldier or Demolitionist |
| 4. Late | Malmouth | Build optimization | Soldier |
| 5. Endgame | Forgotten Gods | Min-max | Soldier or Arcanist |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Devil's Crossing)
The first hub town and quest hub. Merchants sell faction-specific augments at max reputation. The bounty table provides repeatable quests for XP and reputation. The prison area below Devil's Crossing is the first dungeon.
Level/Difficulty: Level 1-20 Key Rewards: Starting quests, bounty system access, basic augments
What to Do in Devil's Crossing
- Learn dual mastery system. At level 2, you pick your first mastery (class).
- Pick Demolitionist as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Ultos Warder Set or whatever's available.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand dual mastery system fundamentals
- Demolitionist selected and functional
- Devil's Crossing main content cleared
- Ready for Homestead
Phase 2: Early Game (Homestead)
The second hub town in Act 2 with expanded merchants and higher-level bounties. The surrounding farmlands are excellent for Monster Infrequent farming. Several faction NPCs provide reputation quests.
Level/Difficulty: Level 20-40 Key Rewards: Act 2 quests, MI farming areas, expanded bounties
What to Do in Homestead
- Work on devotion constellation. A separate progression system where you spend Devotion Points (earned by restoring shrines) in a star constellation map.
- Farm for Ultos Warder Set if you haven't already.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Fort Ikon.
- Consider whether Soldier might suit your playstyle better than Demolitionist.
Phase 2 Checklist
- devotion constellation integrated into gameplay
- Ultos Warder Set acquired
- Homestead fully cleared
- Ready for Fort Ikon
Phase 3: Mid Game (Fort Ikon)
The military fortress hub in Act 3 with the most faction vendors. The approach to Fort Ikon through the Blood Grove contains dangerous Nemesis spawn areas. The Bastion of Chaos roguelike dungeon is accessible nearby.
Level/Difficulty: Level 40-60 Key Rewards: Bastion of Chaos, Nemesis spawns, high-level bounties
What to Do in Fort Ikon
- Master faction reputation. Six friendly factions and several hostile factions track your reputation.
- Start working toward Krieg Death Knight Set. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Start investing in loot filtering for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- faction reputation mastered
- Krieg Death Knight Set acquired or in progress
- Fort Ikon fully cleared
- Ready for Malmouth
Phase 4: Late Game (Malmouth)
The Ashes of Malmouth expansion's hub city, a ruined metropolis overrun by the Aetherials. The Crown Hill area contains the Krieg bosses who drop the Death Knight set. The most challenging base game campaign content.
Level/Difficulty: Level 60-85 Key Rewards: Krieg set pieces, expansion story, endgame quest lines
What to Do in Malmouth
- Finalize your build. You should be running Soldier or Demolitionist with optimized gear.
- Krieg Death Knight Set should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- monster infrequents optimization starts here.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Forgotten Gods.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Krieg Death Knight Set upgraded to max
- Malmouth fully cleared
- Ready for Forgotten Gods
Phase 5: Endgame (Forgotten Gods)
The second expansion's desert region accessed through a portal. The Shattered Realm endless dungeon provides the best endgame loot farming. Three cults offer unique devotion-altering augments.
Level/Difficulty: Level 75-100 Key Rewards: Shattered Realm, cult augments, endgame blueprints
What to Do in Forgotten Gods
- Forgotten Gods tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- The endgame loop: run Forgotten Gods, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Arcanist for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where monster infrequents mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Forgotten Gods fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Investing too many points in the mastery bar without putting points into skills. The mastery bar provides stats, but skills provide actual combat ability. Balance both.
- Ignoring resistance capping. Players who face-tank on Normal then enter Elite with 30% resistances wonder why they die instantly. Cap before advancing difficulty.
- Picking two masteries without checking if they have complementary damage types. A build splitting between fire and cold damage invests in two types without maximizing either.
- Not using components and augments in equipment. Empty slots mean missing thousands of points of stats that accumulate across all gear pieces.
- Farming level 50 content for endgame items. Legendary drop rates in the game only become reasonable at level 94+ content. Rush to max level before serious farming.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Cap all resistances at 80% before entering Elite difficulty. Overcapping by 20-30% accounts for enemy resistance reduction effects. Uncapped resistances in Elite and Ultimate are a death sentence.
- Devotion constellation planning matters as much as mastery choices. Use Grimtools (grimtools.com) to plan your entire devotion path before committing points in-game.
- Monster Infrequent items with double rare affixes (green name with both a rare prefix and suffix) can be best-in-slot. Don't discard green items without checking their affixes.
- Sell items to faction vendors to gain reputation faster. The sell value doesn't matter. The reputation gain per transaction accelerates faction progression.
- The Shattered Realm (Forgotten Gods) is the most efficient endgame loot farming method. Reaching Shard 75-76 and farming those two shards repeatedly maximizes legendary drops per hour.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
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