Grim Dawn Ashes of Malmouth is an expansion for the action role-playing game Grim Dawn on PC. It continues the story of humanity's fight against the Aetherials with new chapters set in the fallen city of Malmouth and surrounding areas.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on exploring dangerous regions, battling hordes of enemies, and building a character through dual class masteries. Players select one mastery early and a second around level ten, creating hybrid combinations from the base game options plus the new Inquisitor and Necromancer. The level cap rises to 100 with a devotion cap of 55, allowing deeper investment in skills and constellations.
Combat involves real-time action against monsters and bosses using weapon attacks, spells, and summons. New item skill modifiers let equipment directly enhance or alter mastery abilities. Exploration covers fresh northern territories including the forests of Gloomwald and the swamps of Ugdenbog before reaching Malmouth itself. An illusionist service allows players to change the visual appearance of gear drawn from their entire collection across characters.
Four new factions introduce reputation systems where players earn rewards through alliances or face stronger enemies as nemeses. Fourteen additional devotion constellations expand the available power choices. Hundreds of new items, including monster infrequents, epics, and legendaries, drop throughout the content. New nemesis and super bosses guard unique loot, while attribute and mastery reset options support experimentation with builds.
Game Modes
The expansion adds two story chapters that advance the main campaign through new acts focused on confronting Aetherial forces alongside the Black Legion. These chapters integrate directly into the existing progression with scaled difficulties that unlock at specific levels.
A dedicated rogue-like dungeon called the Ancient Grove offers repeatable runs with escalating dangers and exclusive rewards. Players enter this tainted sacred site to face unique threats and collect powerful items in a self-contained challenge format separate from the main world.
Standard campaign progression includes three difficulty tiers, with transitions available after reaching appropriate character levels. The expanded personal stash and shared stash tab support inventory management across all activities.
New Content and Systems
Transforming equipment appearance through the illusionist service adds customization without affecting stats. Item drops emphasize variety with dozens of new monster-specific rares alongside epic and legendary tiers. Faction interactions create branching opportunities for rewards or powerful enemy spawns based on reputation choices.
The Ancient Grove stands out as a self-contained rogue-like experience with its own progression and loot pool. New environments feature distinct enemy types and hazards that tie into the expanded narrative around the Shaper of Flesh and living weapons.
Is It Worth Playing?
This expansion suits players who enjoy deep character customization through mastery combinations and long-term loot progression in a single-player action RPG setting. The added masteries nearly double build options, while the story chapters and new areas extend the campaign significantly.
Those seeking repeatable challenges will find value in the Ancient Grove dungeon and the expanded devotion and item systems. The game maintains active community interest years after release with no major new seasons or updates required for the core experience. It appeals most to fans of methodical combat, faction reputation management, and experimenting with hybrid classes in a persistent world. If the base game's style of exploration and buildcrafting appeals, the expansion delivers meaningful additions without unnecessary complexity.
