Grim Dawn vs. Last Epoch (current state)

[fishbrains]

I'm pretty much done with D4 S1 and looking for another grindy ARPG. I've had both LE and GD on my radar for a while, and it looks like there is currently an increased interest in both games. How do ya'll feel LE compares to GD in its current state?

[Blood Mage]

GD as of 1.1.9.8 is a complete bug free game. As of LE is a risky early access. Best way to do it is to wait. You can get easily 40hours with GD base game only for all content. Only downside is if you only own the base game you miss some QoL throughout the expansion.

[FlamingX21]

I played them both, and @Blood Mage explains it nicely.

However, wana add that Last Epoch just feels dull atm, without any impact. Final boss there was very questinably designed and it would make u ask wonders why it's like that, won't spoil anything.

Sure the game looks nice, Last Epoch that is... but I just think it's not worth it and it truly is risky with all the publisher Tencent involvement back there and such.

Grim Dawn has no limits and is very enjoyable from start to finish, perhaps not off the gate with act 1 tutorial but it will be something to behold for new eyes.

[VerminatorX]

Grim Dawn all the way imo. Wait for sale and buy a complete package, it's full of great content.

[archelonian]

Grim Dawn is way better. I tried to get into Last Epoch, but the loot was boring and character customization was too limited. As others mentioned Last Epoch has better graphics, but that is about it. Grim Dawn has the best character customization of any ARPG with diverse loot and itemization to support it. A first time player might look at the mastery system and think that it would be difficult to mix 2 classes, but as the game progresses you get increasing access to items and abilities that transmute one damage type into another. This means that your fire damage build can eventually incorporate skills using other damage types without having to make a major investment into multiple damage types. A notable mention is monster infrequent items which are mid-tier rarity that are guaranteed to have specific modifiers to various character skills. Some just increase base effectiveness of specific skills, but others shift the skill's emphasis (either to different damage types or to different roles).

Grim Dawn also has the best balance between offense and defense in an ARGP that I am aware of. Too often it feels like ARPGs incentivize dumping everything into offense which makes decisions boring. In Grim Dawn both offensive and defensive abilities and stats are valuable.

Once you get past the opening cut scene (which feels a bit cheap compared to the rest of the game), I also like the lore in Grim Dawn much more which is much more thought out and developed than most ARGPs.

[Violesta]

GD is a finished product. With great developers who actually listen to their community. Heck after all this time they still support the game. They are about to have another major patch which is in beta testing atm. Next year they are putting out another expansion,
Theres also a great modding community. The mods still keep coming. So its endless.
& lol with this latest patch what did the devs do? Asked the modders what do you guys want?
Ive played last epoch & other games. But I keep coming back to GD, in my mind it offers the best of what an arpg is suppose to be.

[PXR5]

I have both. And like what others have said only the graphics are better in LE. LE is always online, there are bugs present that have been present since launch and have turned into features like respawning enemies when entering a previously cleared map. Hit boxes on some boss monsters that are wonky for some attacks, Attacks that always miss on bridges, your pc can get one shotted from offscreen without anything you can do about it... But go on and read their Steam forum.

[Vivisector 9999]

Of course you're going to get a biased response asking this in a Grim Dawn forum.

It remains, though, that the above comments are not wrong. Grim Dawn IS in all ways a finished game (even if another expansion wasn't on the way), while Last Epoch isn't there yet.

As such, I would recommend sticking with Grim Dawn. By the time you're done with this one, Last Epoch might at last be ready.

[Bludbonez]

As someone who owns and has around 140 hours in Diablo 4. Grim Dawn is a major improvement over D4. I enjoy Grim Dawn so much I have accumulated around 1100 hours since I bought this title on May 5th. I have not looked back!

You will not be disappointed with Grim Dawn. As to Last Epoch. I have not bought it yet. I am waiting for a finished product. Will see what happens! The nice thing about Grim Dawn is they will wait on a patch til any quirks or issues are fixed. A solid development team as well as a very solid community.

[madrigal]

LE is a decent game for the money IMO, but it has some glaring early access issues and is not well-balanced. If you like grind, then go play it. Honestly, the main thing I don't like about it is that it's way too easy and takes forever to get to any challenging content. You can gimp your character on purpose or pick weaker skills to get a challenge. For best results, follow a build guide.

Their steam forum is a toxic cesspit and to be avoided at all cost. Their official forum is a much better place to get information.

[$Dominu$]

Never played LE but GD is one of those games that have me coming back after long periods of not playing,i'd say pick that one up and expansions when you get the chance they are really worth it

[Blazer Wifle]

Grim dawn has way more content so the comparison isnt fair. Last Epoch feels empty compared to the grim dawn world.

[NairBoT]

I recently quit D4 after being done with S1 too.

If you find the slower pace of GD jarring like I did, there are mods.
I have not played Last Epoch.

Some mods other people made are ok, the ones for cosmetic changes like textures.
One exception would be GD stash, an external program for extra stash space.

For actual gameplay changes, I recommend you edit your current game files yourself.
It's not hard, the game comes with the modding tools.
***I initially installed other peoples gameplay changes but then realized the game files they edited were outdated and not current.

For other peoples mods, I like,

-GrimTex
-Larger Cursors
-Malmouth UI Theme
-Playstation button prompts
-GD Stash

Gameplay changes I did myself because its nothing more than editing some variable in a file,

-Player(male and female) base movement speed increase 200%(Default 92-93%)
MAX movement speed cap increased to 500%(Default 135%)
-MAX attack speed cap increased to 500%(Default 200%)
-MAX spell cast speed increased to 500%(Default 200%)
-Pet movement speed increase 200%(Default 0%)
Not sure why default is 0%, probably means it just matched the player base speed
Now the pet is faster than you so no issue keeping up. :)
-Monster Mob Density Increase 1000%(Default 0%, 100%, 100%)
Variable by default is why there were three settings? Just a guess
-Champion Density Increase 500%(Default 0%, 200%, 300%)
Variable by default is why there were three settings? Just a guess

Note: The MAX increases are just set high so there is no cap.
Gear affixes, potions, etc...

One thing I haven't done is increase movement speed of the mobs and champions.
That way the enemy is increased along with you and your pets.
I might try experimenting with this but I am happy with my current changes.

If anyone wants to try my gameplay changes, it's just a tiny 94KB file.
It's a mod. To install, drop the My Mod folder into Grim Dawn mods folder. Easy.
https://filebin.net/8c0biyz452zcgruo
The link expires in 6 days.

To run any mod, at title screen select custom game instead of main game.
If you don't already have a custom game character, will have to create one.

Note: This works with 1.198 game and DLC, not the new 1.2 that will be releasing soon.
I haven't installed the 1.2 playtest.
It will need updated for 1.2 and new expansion.
Specifically, the file edits are based off the second expansion files. I will need to update for the upcoming third expansion Fangs of Asterkarn.

[volek]

Did you ask the same question on the Last Epoch board? I wonder what they are saying... probably the complete opposite of what's been said here

[Wakkachikka]

both games are solid and really fun to play, although LE is not finished yet, so maybe lack a bit of end game content. also i feel LE grind for gear pieces is more tedious, GD feels like perfect drop rate.

personally i like Grim Dawn more for its atmosphere (grim obviously). Last Epoch is different but i also enjoyed it, lots of great QoL features.

[Senki]

GD because it's a finished game with 2 expansions released

By the time you're done with this LE will probably be in a better state and you'll be able to play that too

gameplaywise LE is a bit better but GD has better balance and content