Info about Grim Dawn - Ashes of Malmouth Expansion:

Official game description:
Ashes of Malmouth picks up where Grim Dawn leaves off, expanding the world and story with two new chapters in the epic struggle to free humankind from the horrors of the Aetherials. Deep within the fallen city of Malmouth, the Shaper of Flesh crafts grotesque living weapons that could deal a final blow to the human resistance. You must forge new alliances as you push forward through deep forest, the void and into the city itself in a heroic effort to end the Aetherial terror. Venture into dangerous new parts of the world as you discover unique items, empower your characters and make difficult choices that have a lasting impact on the people of Cairn.
Key Features:
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*   Level Cap Increased to 100 - Reach for ever greater power with an increased level cap of 100 and an increased Devotion cap of 55!  
*   Two New Class Masteries – Unleash your vengeance upon the enemies of humanity with two new Masteries: the Inquisitor and the Necromancer, both of which can be combined with the base game’s Masteries, nearly doubling the possible combinations!  
*   Two Story Chapters - Confront the devious Aetherials and their twisted abominations in the fallen city of Malmouth as you push forward alongside the Black Legion and Inquisitor Creed in two epic Chapters!  
*   Transform Your Appearance – A brand-new Illusionist Service NPC enables you to transform the appearance of your equipment and customize your ideal look! Draw upon every item in your collection across all characters!  
*   New Environments - Explore new parts of Cairn to the north of Burrwitch and beyond! Traverse the treacherous forest of Gloomwald and the murky Ugdenbog as you seek passage to the fallen city of Malmouth.  
*   Four Factions - New Factions provide more opportunities to make allies…and enemies. Earn their favor to unlock unique rewards, or become a nemesis to spawn powerful foes.  
*   14 Constellations - Unleash the might of the Arkovian Gods with 14 new Devotion Constellations that open up even more combinations in Grim Dawn’s massive constellation map.  
*   Collect Hundreds of New Items - Dozens of new Monster Infrequents and Hundreds of Epic and Legendary items are waiting to be added to your collection! Combine them with the new Illusion System to create a look unique to you!  
*   Item Skill Modifiers - Transmute and empower your Mastery skills using new modifiers found exclusively on equipment.  
*   New Nemesis and Super Bosses - Tackle all-new vicious threats and earn their unique loot. Discover Cairn’s secrets to summon supremely powerful foes.  
*   A New Rogue-Like Dungeon - the Ancient Grove. Once the haven of the beast god Mogdrogen, this sacred place has become tainted by the corrupting presence of the Aetherials and the Chthonians. Venture inside and face off against grave new dangers, and powerful unique rewards.  
*   Expanded Stash - Stow away precious treasure with a vastly expanded Personal Stash and an additional Shared Stash Tab.  
*   Reset Your Attributes and Mastery Bar - Find a new type of potion that allows you reset your Attribute Points. Speak to a Spirit Guide to unlearn the Mastery Bar down to one point.

Release date: Oct 11, 2017

Categories: Action RPG, Character Progression, Loot-Driven Combat System, Dark Fantasy, Progression System, Multiplayer, Cooperative Multiplayer

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Highly Positive; summary: The overall sentiment from user reviews is highly positive, with many appreciating the traditional expansion model and the lack of microtransactions. Some users mention the high price of the DLC, but they still find it worth the cost due to the extensive content and value provided.
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game appears to have good compatibility with Linux using Proton. Most users report that it runs well with minimal issues, such as an occasional freeze during gameplay. The overall experience seems positive with only minor tweaks needed.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with crashes and stability, particularly with the DX11 version of the game. However, the game appears to be generally compatible with Proton on Linux systems, with some users reporting smooth performance. The overall user experience is marred by stability issues, which are a major concern.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence indicates that users generally find the game and its expansion to be worth the full price, suggesting a high perceived value. Several reviews mention that the game is worth its full price, implying that the community considers the base game price to be fair. Additionally, mentions of sales and bundles suggest that while the full price is deemed fair, there are opportunities to purchase the game at a lower cost, which may influence the perceived fair price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 100.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes several direct references to the extensive playtime associated with Grim Dawn - Ashes of Malmouth. The first quote mentions '100s of hours of gameplay,' which strongly suggests a high value for game completion time. The second quote states 'at least a thousand hours,' which, although likely an outlier, supports the idea of a very high playtime. The third quote reinforces the notion of significant playtime investment with 'the amount of hours I've pumped into it.' The fourth quote, in German, also suggests a very high playtime with 'unzählige Stunden' (countless hours). These quotes collectively indicate that the game offers a substantial amount of content that requires a significant time investment to fully complete.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with a tedious and repetitive experience but can become addictive and fun after overcoming the initial slog.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Overcoming the initial repetitive and tedious gameplay.
  - Time to anchor: 10h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive and tedious early gameplay; Difficulty in navigating early areas; Limited early rewards and progression
  - Unlock drivers: Addictive gameplay loop; Long-term engagement potential
  - Conditions: Playing solo; Enjoying repetitive tasks; Appreciating long-term progression
- Player Archetypes:
  - Old-School Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: Appreciation for classic ARPG elements and deep gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Grinding and exploring all content thoroughly.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: veteran; old-school player
    - Reference games: Titan Quest; Diablo 2
  - Content-First Critic (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of content and value for money.
    - Playstyle: Balanced play with a focus on story and content.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; fan
    - Reference games: Diablo 3; Path of Exile
  - Frustrated Newcomer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Seeking an enjoyable and accessible gaming experience.
    - Playstyle: Struggles with game mechanics and difficulty.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: newcomer
    - Reference games: Diablo 3; Path of Exile


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Adds new content and keeps game fresh (weight 0.6): The DLC adds a variety of new content including areas, quests, classes, weapons, armor, and other items. This keeps the game fresh and engaging.
- Highly praised DLC (weight 0.48): The DLC is considered very good, adding a lot of content and providing excellent value for its price. It is praised for its storyline and overall quality.
- Level cap increased to 100 (weight 0.32): The maximum character level has been increased to 100, providing players with more progression and gameplay opportunities.
- Praised as a top ARPG (weight 0.23): The game is praised as one of the best ARPGs, offering a complex and fulfilling experience similar to classic games like Diablo 2.
- Improved storage space (weight 0.22): The DLC includes improvements to storage space, providing players with more room to store their items.
- Continues and improves the story (weight 0.2): The DLC continues the storyline of the game, adding new story chapters and improving the overall narrative.

Common complaints:
- Malmouth map navigation issues (weight 0.36): Players find the Malmouth city map difficult to navigate and not enjoyable. The map design is criticized for being confusing and frustrating.
- High difficulty and spikes (weight 0.32): The game has sharp difficulty spikes at higher levels, making it challenging and sometimes frustrating for players.
- Game crashes and optimization (weight 0.27): The game experiences crashes and optimization issues, particularly with the expansion, affecting gameplay.
- Ugdenbog area design flaws (weight 0.21): The Ugdenbog area is considered ugly, frustrating to navigate, and too large, with performance issues such as FPS drops.
- Multiplayer compatibility issues (weight 0.2): Players cannot play with friends who do not have the expansion, causing frustration and limiting multiplayer options.
- Lack of game balance (weight 0.2): The game suffers from balance issues, affecting both difficulty and gameplay mechanics.
- Excessive grind (weight 0.2): The game requires an inhumane amount of grind for levels, renown status, and special items, which can be frustrating.
- DLC pricing concerns (weight 0.17): Many players feel that the price for the DLC is too high, making it less appealing to purchase.
- Paywalled content (weight 0.16): Content is paywalled behind DLCs, making it inaccessible to players who do not purchase the expansions.
- Annoying enemies (weight 0.15): Certain enemies, such as aetherial enemies, are annoying to fight and can detract from the gaming experience.
- Short storyline in Malmouth (weight 0.12): The storyline in Malmouth is criticized for being too short and not engaging enough.
- DLC content quantity (weight 0.12): Some players feel that the DLC content is lacking and does not offer enough new material to justify its price.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.12): The game becomes repetitive and lacks imagination, affecting player engagement.
- Disappointment with DLC content (weight 0.12): The DLC content is disappointing compared to the base game, leading to a lack of satisfaction.
- Limited content beyond campaign (weight 0.11): There is not much content beyond the main campaign, leading to a lack of replayability and engagement.
- Large and empty zones (weight 0.11): Some zones are too large and empty, making navigation tedious and unrewarding.
- Campaign ending criticism (weight 0.11): The ending of the campaign is criticized for being unsatisfactory or abrupt.
- Performance issues on lower-end computers (weight 0.11): The game has performance issues on lower-end computers, affecting gameplay.
- Combat and gameplay focus (weight 0.1): The game is criticized for being too focused on caster gameplay, which may not appeal to all players.
- Mission bugs (weight 0.07): Some missions have bugs that prevent them from being completed, affecting gameplay.
- Rarity of pet gear (weight 0.07): Pet gear is much rarer than players hoped, making it difficult to obtain and use effectively.
- Slow endgame progression (weight 0.07): Endgame progression slows down, making it less enjoyable and rewarding.
- Rarity of new items (weight 0.07): Finding new items is very rare, which can be disappointing for players.
- Bullet spongy enemies (weight 0.07): Enemies are bullet spongy, requiring too much effort to defeat, which can be frustrating.
- Limited new quests (weight 0.06): The DLC offers only a few new quests, which may not be sufficient to keep players engaged.
- Visually monotonous areas (weight 0.06): Some new locations, such as forests and swamps, are visually monotonous and may not appeal to all players.
- Underdeveloped factions (weight 0.06): Certain factions in the game are not fleshed out enough, leading to a lack of depth and engagement.
- Time-consuming gameplay (weight 0.06): The game can be time-consuming, which may not appeal to all players.
- Dark dungeons (weight 0.06): Dungeons are too dark, making navigation and gameplay challenging.
- Quickly aging content (weight 0.06): The first part of the DLC gets old quickly, reducing its appeal and replayability.
- Loot system issues (weight 0.06): The loot system is criticized for being poorly designed or implemented.
- Complex constellation system (weight 0.06): The constellation system is complex and may be difficult for some players to understand and use effectively.
- DLC marketing strategy (weight 0.06): The DLC is seen as a marketing strategy, which may not appeal to all players.
- Confusion for new players (weight 0.06): The game may be confusing for new players, affecting their overall experience.
- Devotion limits build options (weight 0.06): Devotion limits build options, affecting player customization and gameplay.
- Quest criticism (weight 0.06): Specific quests, such as 'Can't Leave Them,' are criticized for being poorly designed or implemented.
- Slow walking speed (weight 0.06): The walking speed in the game is slow, making navigation tedious.
- Initial translation issues (weight 0.06): The game had initial translation issues, which may have affected player understanding and enjoyment.
- Monsters stuck in environment (weight 0.06): Monsters can get stuck in the environment, causing issues with gameplay.
- Beasts faction progression (weight 0.06): The Beasts faction reaches Nemesis status too fast, affecting gameplay balance.
- Co-op character access issue (weight 0.06): There are issues with accessing characters in co-op mode, affecting multiplayer gameplay.
- Initial lack of Japanese localization (weight 0.06): The game initially lacked Japanese localization, which may have affected its appeal to Japanese players.
- Specific bug with item Gutsmasher (weight 0.05): There is a specific bug with the item Gutsmasher, affecting gameplay.
- Expansion activation process (weight 0.05): The process for activating expansions is criticized for being poorly designed or implemented.
- Disappointment with dual class naming (weight 0.05): There is disappointment with the naming of a dual class, affecting player satisfaction.

Gameplay feedback:
- New areas and content (weight 0.97): The expansion adds new areas, quests, factions, items, enemies, and bosses, significantly increasing the amount of content available in the game.
- New classes introduced (weight 0.72): The expansion introduces several new classes, including the Inquisitor and Necromancer, along with new skills and mechanics associated with these classes.
- New items and mechanics (weight 0.49): New items with skill modifiers, transmogrification system, and other mechanics have been added, enhancing gameplay and customization options.
- Multiplayer and storage (weight 0.18): New multiplayer features, including co-op mode, and increased storage space for items have been introduced.
- Difficulty adjustments (weight 0.15): The expansion includes adjustments to difficulty levels, providing new challenges for players.
- Comparisons to other games (weight 0.13): The expansion has been compared to other games in the genre, such as Diablo 2 and 3, and Path of Exile.
- DLC integration (weight 0.1): The DLC blends unique elements into the base game, feeling like an enhanced version of the original.

Performance notes:
- Frequent Game Crashes (weight 0.21): Players report various instances of the game crashing, which significantly impacts the gaming experience and needs urgent attention.
- Optimization and Performance Issues (weight 0.21): Several reports highlight optimization problems and performance issues, particularly on lower-end computers, affecting gameplay smoothness.
- Demand for DX11 Support (weight 0.17): Multiple players have requested support for DirectX 11, indicating a strong desire for updated graphics rendering capabilities.
- Graphical Improvements Needed (weight 0.17): There are calls for graphical updates and improvements, suggesting that players are looking for enhanced visual experiences.
- Compatibility with Linux (weight 0.12): The Legacy DX9 Renderer is noted to work well on Linux, indicating a need for better compatibility and support for different operating systems.
- Monsters Stuck in Environment (weight 0.07): There are reports of monsters getting stuck in the environment, which can disrupt gameplay and immersion.
- Gamepad Recognition Bug (weight 0.06): A specific bug related to gamepad recognition has been reported, which could affect players using controllers.
- Sound Issues (weight 0.06): There are mentions of sound-related problems, though details are sparse, indicating a potential area for improvement.

Recommendations:
- Essential for Grim Dawn fans (weight 0.25): This DLC is highly recommended for any fans of Grim Dawn as it completes the experience and is considered an essential purchase.
- Recommended for ARPG fans (weight 0.21): Fans of Action Role-Playing Games (ARPGs) and similar games like Titan Quest and Diablo will likely enjoy this DLC.
- Worth the full price (weight 0.17): Many reviews indicate that the DLC is worth its full price, offering substantial value for the money.
- Ideal for Necromancer class (weight 0.16): This DLC is particularly recommended for players interested in the Necromancer class, including both new and old players.
- Logical next step for base game fans (weight 0.16): For those who enjoyed the base game, this DLC is seen as the logical next step to further enhance the gaming experience.
- Fair pricing model (weight 0.16): The DLC is recommended for its fair pricing model and practices, appealing to those who value fairness in gaming.
- Support the developers (weight 0.07): The DLC is highly recommended to support the game developers, indicating a positive view of the development team.
- Consider buying with other DLCs (weight 0.07): Some reviews suggest considering buying this DLC along with other DLCs like Forgotten Gods for a more comprehensive experience.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.06): A few reviews suggest that the DLC is best purchased on sale, indicating some sensitivity to the pricing.
- Not recommended: Forgotten Gods DLC (weight 0.05): There are specific recommendations against purchasing the Forgotten Gods DLC.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.23): Players feel satisfied due to the comprehensive experience provided by the DLCs, including the engaging storyline derived from in-game notes, high-quality level design, and the introduction of new classes. The value for money, significant improvements, and the absence of pay-to-win aspects also contribute to this satisfaction.
- Excitement (weight 0.18): The excitement stems from the introduction of new mechanics such as necromancy and skeleton combat, as well as the addition of new job classes and acts. Players are also thrilled by the detailed new features, engaging storylines, and the overall enjoyment of the expansion's content.
- Frustration (weight 0.14): Frustration is caused by several issues including game crashing, complex map navigation, and the rarity of pet gear upgrades. Players also express frustration with the repetitive nature of endgame grinding, difficulty spikes, and balancing issues.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Disappointment arises from the short storyline in Malmouth, the perceived drop in quality compared to the base game, and tedious, unrewarding quests. Some players feel the game looks unfinished without the DLC.
- Gratitude (weight 0.05): Players express gratitude towards the developers for their commitment to the community and the rich content provided. Appreciation is also shown for the translators and community efforts in translating the game.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): Nostalgia is evoked by comparisons to classic games like Diablo 2 and the reminiscent gameplay mechanics of classic ARPGs. Players enjoy the familiar feel of raising an army of skeletons and the overall classic expansion models.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Admiration is directed towards the developers' effort and creativity. Players appreciate the studio's dedication and the high quality of the DLC, which is seen as worth its price.
- Excited (weight 0.04): Players are excited about the new content and features added in the expansion. The amount of content and the new mechanics introduced generate a sense of excitement.
- Frustrated (weight 0.04): Frustration is caused by bugs and crashes, balance issues, and difficulties in crafting. Players also report frustration with difficulty issues, sudden endings, and specific area designs like Ugdenbog.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Enthusiasm is driven by the value and content of the DLC. Players enjoy the new content, upgrades, and the overall performance, including compatibility with different operating systems like Linux.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Enjoyment comes from the new content and classes added by the expansion. Players appreciate the roleplaying aspects and the character build mechanics.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players express love for the game and the expansion, particularly enjoying the necromancer class and its mechanics. The overall experience and new content foster a sense of love for the game.
- Fear (weight 0.01): Fear is evoked by the creepy atmosphere and enemies in the game. The Lovecraftian themes and dark environments contribute to this sense of fear.}