My interest in video games started in my early childhood days when I spent a lot of time playing Diablo 2 and eventually, Grim Dawn. As a person familiar with the various ins and outs of both games, we’ll go deep on Grim Dawn vs Diablo III and put the whole “which is the best game” debate to rest.
Diablo III holds the gold standard of what a great Action-RPG (ARPG) should be. It has a great story and rich lore, remarkable character classes with a flexible build system, impeccable combat, and an expansive and rewarding endgame.
On another note, Grim Dawn boasts a traditional kind of ARPG. This game seems to be your best bet in finding the spiritual successor of Diablo II. Unlike the Diablo series, Grim Dawn allows players to pick two classes and invest in both of its skill trees. This is one of the selling features of the game. In addition, Grim Dawn also has great lore. It takes place in a thematic grim fictional world combined with elements of fantasy and steampunk.
In this article, we will go through some of the crucial elements of each game that will help us determine which ARPG is better than the other. So, let’s get right to it!
Lore Elements
The world of Sanctuary had been quickly unveiled since the first release of the Diablo series. The game series offers players a rich lore to follow and an incredibly captivating storyline with demons and all that.
However, the recent installation—Diablo 3—had some loose threads and it did not tie up as well as the previous ones did. Although, it still featured an extensive lore and fairly pleasing storyline that was enough to entertain and keep players on edge.
On the other hand, Grim Dawn gave one of the most intriguing and lush stories that you can find in action RPGs. There were details that the game might have missed like demons, other races, and whatnot. However, players can interact with fascinating NPCs with dynamic features and complex stories which result in a rather immersive gameplay.
Character Class
Jumping in Diablo 3 for the first time, you’ll find a familiar locked-class system and character options with the rest of the series. As you play, you will find the character progression tree very straightforward featuring skills particular to the class you’ve chosen. Diablo 3 players also have to bear with a very slow and unrewarding character progression in the early levels. When it comes to Diablo 3’s relaxed approach to its class system, you’re locked into the one you’ve chosen.
Grim Dawn brings around Diablo 3 with its flexible class system and a crossover tree that lets you create whole other awesome combinations and a diverse skill system. You’ll find a good mix of core abilities, passives, supporting skills, and the ultimate one. Having this extensive customization lets you play the game your way freely. However, it comes with a downside. Having this feature leads you to confusion due to having too many options, especially for new players.
Content & Replayability
In Diablo 3, completing the story campaign lets you play online with a Dungeon and Dragon kind of theme. You are left with endgame content options such as rifts, ubers, and special event areas to explore. And even if you’re in it for a cutthroat experience like climbing the greater rifts and hitting the top spots for your class on the leaderboards, it may appear repetitive at some point.
Grim Dawn has a bit more content to offer from the very start. With its great deal of content comes an extensive and highly dynamic crafting system, combo mastery, and a whole bunch of side-content that may feel too vast and tedious in some ways. But if you are into it for that kind of gameplay, then you might like how competitive it gets.
Graphics
In Diablo 3, each region gives an awe-inspiring rendering of autumnal fields, gleaming sands, burning pits, and an aesthetically pleasing grim and gothic theme. It greatly captures the realm’s mood. However, the soft-focus textures and scribbly detailing tends to appear blurry at times.
While Grim Dawn was released years after Diablo 3, it failed to outdo the latter in this category. Somehow, the crucial flaw of the game is its graphics that seem to appear dated and dull. Even with immersive gameplay and a rich dynamic world, it failed to uphold other action RPGs on this end, especially with its greatest competitor Diablo 3.
Verdict
Grim Dawn offers a solid traditional action-RPG experience. If you are looking for something with a more unique appeal to it, Grim Dawn doesn’t have much to offer aside from a fresh setting. Diablo III is the purest game out there and still the staple among ARPG choices. All things considered, both games are absolutely worth giving a shot.
