Grim Dawn - Steam Loyalist Items Pack 2 Review Summary

While the ARPG gameplay is exceptional with high-quality skins and responsive devs, the poor value, missing DLC, and misleading promo images leave much to be desired.

High-quality cosmetic skins: Players frequently praise the visual design of cosmetic skins and armor sets, noting they look amazing and enhance character appearance. The variety and aesthetics are highlights across multiple clusters.

Exceptional ARPG experience: Reviewers consistently rate the game as one of the best action RPGs available, often comparing it favorably to Diablo and praising its gameplay, story, and build variety. It is considered superior to most competitors.

Active and responsive developers: The development team is commended for listening to community feedback, actively communicating, and consistently adding content and quality-of-life features. Players feel valued and supported.

Visual variety for classes: Specific armor sets, such as the Dark Wizard, White Mage, and Dragon General, offer distinct looks that stand out and enhance character identity. These styles are praised for their design.

Multiple cosmetic sets included: The DLC provides several complete illusion sets and cosmetic options, allowing for extensive customization and mix-and-match possibilities. This adds value and variety for players.

Purchased DLC items not received: Multiple players report that purchased Loyalist Items Packs do not appear in the game despite being downloaded or installed. This issue persists even after restarting the game and checking various in-game menus.

Poor value for price: The DLC is widely described as wildly overpriced and not cheap, offering minimal content that is purely cosmetic with no gameplay impact. Reviewers feel that the price-to-performance ratio is extremely poor.

Transmog items not found: Players are unable to locate purchased transmog items in the Illusionist's collection or inventory, even after talking to NPCs and switching interface languages. Some items require in-game currency to use for transmogrification.

Misleading promotional images: The DLC's promotional pictures are misleading, particularly for staffs which appear as tiny left-hand held toothpicks rather than long two-handed staves. Armor sets also display a weird shader effect and look like plastic in-game.

Cosmetic sets incomplete and mismatched: The Dragon Knight cosmetic set has too few parts and items do not match in-game items, resulting in a mismatched appearance. Weapons for mage and dragon commander outfits are also not included in the DLC.

Action RPG with Diablo comparison: The game is described as an action RPG similar to Diablo, with classic ARPG gameplay. This positions it within the well-known hack-and-slash genre.

Diverse character builds: The game features a large variety of builds, including melee, caster, and pet summoner archetypes, with elemental and physical damage types. This offers deep character customization.

Transmog and cosmetic systems: The game offers various cosmetic systems including appearance changes, armor illusions, and transmog sets. This allows players to customize their characters' looks.

Inventory and stash management: The game includes inventory and stash management systems, with cloud storage for the public stash. This is a core feature for item management in ARPGs.

Extensive DLC content: DLCs like Malmouth add new zones, story, features, classes, and transmog sets. This expands the game's content and replayability.

Cosmetic look drops frame rate: Applying a cosmetic appearance causes a significant frame rate drop, impacting gameplay performance.

Cloud storage loses items: A cloud storage issue resulted in the loss of player items, indicating a data synchronization problem.

Game crashes frequently: The game crashes, leading to interruptions and frustration for players.

DLC fails due to Steam: The DLC was not working because of a Steam download issue, not a problem with the game itself.

Worth buying to support developers: Many reviews recommend purchasing the cosmetic pack to support the developers, citing the positive intent behind the purchase. Specific clusters highlight the desire to support Crate Entertainment and acknowledge the value of backing the studio.

Recommended for cosmetic value: The cosmetic illusion sets are considered worthwhile, with reviewers specifically recommending the purchase for the visual items. The value is measured in enjoyment and cosmetic appeal rather than damage output.

Fun and worthwhile purchase: Multiple reviews express that the pack is worth buying based on enjoyment and overall recommendation, with some giving it a 10/10. The positive sentiment is driven by the fun factor and support for the studio.

Not for damage-focused players: The pack is not suitable for players who only care about damage output, as it is primarily cosmetic. This feedback indicates the pack lacks gameplay-enhancing stats and is targeted at a specific audience.

High-quality game and sale increase value: One review mentions the DLC is worth buying because it is for a high-quality game and is on sale, making the purchase more justifiable. This points to pricing and game quality as factors influencing the recommendation.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Content-loving ARPG Enthusiast: Engages in both single-player and online co-op, exploring all available items and features. Motivation: Enjoying substantial content and supporting a passionate developer. Stance: buy.

Diablo-Inspired ARPG Seeker: Grinds for loot, engages in combat-focused progression, likely plays solo or in groups. Motivation: Finding a Diablo-like ARPG with satisfying hack-and-slash gameplay. Stance: buy.

Cosmetic Fashion Enthusiast: Investigates and coordinates transmog pieces, prioritizes visual aesthetics over other content. Motivation: Expressing creativity through character appearance and collecting cosmetic sets. Stance: buy.

Monetization: The game is a single-player ARPG with optional cosmetic DLCs and season passes. No evidence of real-money gacha, loot boxes, pay-to-win, or paid convenience appears in the reviews. Complaints center on the perceived overpricing of cosmetic items and pre-loaded DLC being locked, but these are isolated and not predatory. Many players purchase DLC to support the developers, indicating a healthy monetization model.

Purchases support developers: Many players buy the Loyalist Packs or DLC specifically to financially support the developers and the game's continued development. This is seen as a positive way to contribute.

Developers provide ongoing support: Multiple reviews praise the developers for constantly updating and improving the game even years after release. This consistent support is highly valued by the community.

Items claimed from Lancel: Loyalist Item Pack items and transmog are claimed from the NPC Lancel the Knight outside Devil's Crossing gates. Players must interact with this NPC to receive the content.

Developer communication is praised: The developers are active on forums, streams, and through the Grim Misadventures series, listening to community feedback and explaining balance changes. This transparency builds trust.

DLC includes cosmetic transmogs: The DLC provides cosmetic outfits and transmog items, allowing players to alter their appearance without stat changes. The content is purely cosmetic.