Challenge dungeons are areas in Grim Dawn that contain some of the most difficult content of the game, and are intended to provide the player with a means to test their skills, as well as additional end-game and farming options. Numerous side-areas fall into this category, as well as the special "rogue-like" dungeons.
Rogue-like dungeons[ | ]
At the pinnacle of challenge dungeons are "rogue-like" dungeons, which are named after the early predecessor of the modern action-RPG genre called "Rogue (1985)" . Rogue-likes are characterized by random layouts and permanent death that made the experience intense, and final victory all the more satisfying. Unless playing a hardcore character, death is not permanent in Grim Dawn, but Crate have tried to capture the thrill of rogue-likes in these special challenge dungeons by sealing the door upon entering and disabling riftgates so that there is no way out except by death or reaching the end.
A crafted Skeleton Key is required to unlock the door to a rogue-like dungeon each time the player enters. These dungeons are populated by various traps and numerous unique enemy heroes and bosses. Layout is also partially randomized, so that the player may not be able to take the same way through as the previous time, and treasures may not appear in the same locations.
There are five different rogue-like dungeons for the player to explore, each with their own theme and monster faction.
Steps of Torment[ | ]
The first challenge dungeon, the Steps of Torment, can be accessed in Act 2, with the entrance located in the Broken Hills. Populated by the Undead, this dungeon consists of 5 levels. Level 4 and 5 make up the rogue-like section.
Port Valbury[ | ]
Port Valbury is found in Act 3. It is accessed via an Aetherial Rift that is located beyond the Detonation Site in The Conflagration. This dungeon is an above-ground zone over-run with Aetherials.
Bastion of Chaos[ | ]
Found at the end of Act 4, the Bastion of Chaos entrance located in the Necropolis Interior. Populated entirely by Chthonians, the dungeon has four levels, with levels 2 to 4 comprising the rogue-like section.
Ancient Grove[ | ]
The Ancient Grove is found in the southeast corner of Ugdenbog in Act 5. It is populated by Beasts. A Skeleton Key is required to enter the Feral Thicket and progress to the Tainted Wood.
Tomb of the Heretic[ | ]
The Tomb of the Heretic is accessed via the Lost Oasis in Act 7. It consists of three levels, with a skeleton key required to access the final two. The Paying Debts quest leads the player to the tomb, but is not required to access it.
| Soldier Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Blade Arc (Clean Sweep - Laceration) • Blitz (Blindside) • Cadence (Discord - Fighting Form - Deadly Momentum) • Forcewave (Tremor - Rending Force - Internal Trauma) • Overguard • War Cry (Terrify - Break Morale) |
| Passive Skills |
| Decorated Soldier • Fighting Spirit • Markovian's Advantage • Menhir's Will • Military Conditioning • Scars of Battle • Shield Training • Veterancy • Zolhan's Technique |
| Toggle Skills |
| Counter Strike • Field Command (Squad Tactics) • Menhir's Bulwark • Oleron's Rage |
| Demolitionist Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Blackwater Cocktail (High Potency - Demon Fire - Agonizing Flames) • Canister Bomb (Concussive Bomb - Improved Casing) • Fire Strike (Explosive Strike - Searing Might - Searing Strike - Static Strike - Brimstone) • Flashbang (Searing Light) • Grenado (High Impact - Skyfire Grenado) - Shattering Blast • Mortar Trap (Heavy Ordnance - "The Big One") • Stun Jacks (Quick Jacks - Full Spread) • Thermite Mine (Hellfire Mine) |
| Passive Skills |
| Blast Shield • Ulzuin's Chosen |
| Toggle Skills |
| Flamed Touched (Temper) • Vindicative Flame (Ulzuin's Wrath) |
| Occultist Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Blood of Dreeg (Aspect of the Guardian) • Blood Pox (Fevered Rage - Wasting - Black Death) • Curse of Frailty (Vulnerability) • Doom Bolt • Dreeg's Evil Eye (Blood Burst - Focused Gaze - Terrifying Gaze - Vile Eruption) • Sigil of Consumption (Destruction) |
| Toggle Skills |
| Bonds of Bysmiel (Manipulation) • Possession • Solael's Witchfire (Consecrated Blade - Second Rite) |
| Summons |
| Summon Familiar (Mend Flesh - Storm Spirit - Lightning Strike) • Summon Hellhound (Ember Claw - Hellfire - Infernal Breath) |
| Nightblade Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Amarasta's Blade Burst (Lethal Assault) • Blade Barrier • Blade Trap (Devouring Blades) • Phantasmal Blades (Frenetic Throw - Heart Seeker - Nether Edge) • Pneumatic Burst (Breath of Belgothian - Shadow Dance - Elemental Awakening) • Ring of Steel (Ring of Frost - Circle of Slaughter) • Shadow Strike (Nidalla's Justifiable Ends - Nightfall) |
| Passive Skills |
| Anatomy of Murder • Dual Blades (Belgothian's Shears - Hidden Hands - Amarasta's Quick Cut - Whirling Death - Execution) • Merciless Repertoire • Phantasmal Armor |
| Toggle Skills |
| Veil of Shadow (Night's Chill) |
| Summons |
| Blade Spirit |
| Arcanist Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Albrecht's Aether Ray (Tainted Power - Disintegration) • Callidor's Tempest (Wrath of Agrivix - Inferno) • Devastation • Maiven's Sphere of Protection (Conversion) • Mirror of Ereoctes • Nullification • Olexra's Flash Freeze (Absolute Zero) • Panetti's Replicating Missile (Distortion - Supercharged - Proliferation) • Trozan's Sky Shard (Frozen Core - Shattered Star) |
| Passive Skills |
| Arcane Will • Fabric of Reality • Inner Focus • Mental Alacrity |
| Toggle Skills |
| Iskandra's Elemental Exchange (Manifestation - Overload - Elemental Balance) • Reckless Power • Star Pact |
| Shaman Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Brute Force (Feral Hunger - Upheaval) • Devouring Swarm • Grasping Vines (Entangling Vines) • Primal Strike (Thunderous Strike - Torrent - Storm Surge) • Savagery (Might of the Bear - Tenacity of the Boar - Storm Touched) |
| Toggle Skills |
| Mogdrogen's Pact (Heart of the Wild - Oak Skin) • Primal Bond • Stormcaller's Pact |
| Summons |
| Conjure Primal Spirit • Storm Totem (Corrupted Storm) • Summon Briarthorn (Ground Slam - Emboldening Presence) • Wendigo Totem (Blood Pact) • Wind Devil (Raging Tempest - Maelstrom) |
| Inquisitor Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Flames of Ignaffar - (Tainted Flame - Intensify - Infernal Purge - Endless Flame) • Horn of Gandarr • Inquisitor Seal - (Null Field - Arcane Empowerment) • Rune of Hagarrad - (Biting Cold - Chillsurge) • Rune of Kalastor - (Ignition) • Storm Box of Elgoloth (Allagast's Arcane Net - Lightning Tether) • Word of Pain (Word of Agony - Death Sentence) • Word of Renewal - (Word of Arms - Vigor - Steel Resolve) |
| Passive Skills |
| Artifact Handling • Bursting Round • Chilling Rounds • Deadly Aim • Ranged Expertise • Storm Spread |
| Toggle Skills |
| Aura of Censure • Aura of Conviction |
| Necromancer Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Bone Harvest (Harvester of Death - Dread - Soul Harvest) • Call of the Grave • Drain Essence (Gravechill - Hungering Reach - Decomposition) • Ill Omen • Mark of Torment • Ravenous Earth (Decay - Foul Eruption) • Reap Spirit • Siphon Souls - (Sear Souls - Blood Boil) |
| Passive Skills |
| Necrotic Edge • Reaping Strike |
| Toggle Skills |
| Harbinger of Souls • Master of Death • Spectral Binding (Spectral Wrath) |
| Summons |
| Raise Skeletons (Undead Legion - Will of the Crypt) • Reap Spirit • Summon Blight Fiend (Unstable Anomaly - Rotting Fumes - Blight Burst) |
| Oathkeeper Skills |
|---|
| Active Skills |
| Aegis of Menhir (Avenging Shield - Aegis of Thorns - Reprisal) • Ascension (Clarity of Purpose) • Eye of Reckoning (Soulfire) • Judgment (Crushing Verdict - Heart of Wrath) • Righteous Fervor (Dreeg's Reproach - Consecration - Retribution) • Vire's Might (Volcanic Might - Volcanic Stride - Tectonic Shift) |
| Passive Skills |
| Resilience • Safeguard • Shattering Smash • Smite |
| Toggle Skills |
| Divine Mandate • Path of the Three • Presence of Virtue (Haven - Rebuke) |
| Summons |
| Summon Guardian of Empyrion (Scion of Dreeg - Celestial Presence) |
| Items |
|---|
| Weapons • Axes • Maces • Swords • Two-handed Melee • Pistols • Two-handed Ranged • Daggers • Scepters • Shields • Off-Hands Armor • Head Armor • Shoulder Armor • Chest Armor • Hand Armor • Leg Armor • Foot Armor Accessories • Amulets • Rings • Medals • Belts Unique Items • Sets • Monster Infrequents Relics • Components • Augments • Blueprints • Recipes • Materials • Consumables |
| Creatures |
|---|
| Aetherial • Aether Corruption • Arachnid • Beast • Beastkin • Chthonic • Eldritch Human • Insectoid • Riftspawn • Undead • Heroes • Bosses • Pets |
| Factions • Bounties |
|---|
| The Black Legion • Devil's Crossing • Homestead • Rovers • The Outcast Kymon's Chosen • Order of Death's Vigil • Aetherials • Beasts • Chthonians • Cronley's Gang • Arkovian Undead Barrowholm • Coven of Ugdenbog • Malmouth Resistance • Aetherial Vanguard Cult of Bysmiel • Cult of Dreeg • Cult of Solael • Eldritch Horrors |
