Grim Dawn or Path of Exile?

MightyUnclean · March 2019

I'm looking for a solid ARPG to get into. I've tried D3 a few times and just couldn't get into it. I'm currently dealing with a hand injury, so I need a game that I can play at a bit of a slower pace. Maybe one with a minion build or other build where I don't have to do tons of rapid movement adjustments. Would Grim Dawn or Path pf Exile possible work? Maybe something else entirely?

Thanks!

TheDarkrayne · March 2019

Grim Dawn is my favourite of the two. Necromancer/Shaman pet builds are super strong so you'd have no problems with it. You need the Ashes of Malmouth expansion for that class combo though. You can literally get all the pet skills and put one skill like Bone Wall on your left mouse button and just run around with the left mouse held down. That's all you'd need to do.

There's a lot I dislike about PoE.. like the confusing currency and trading system.. extremely limited respec options and the way that it's focused more on starting again over and over in new leagues. But.. considering it's completely free... it's a fucking excellent game.

I consider Grim Dawn to be the best aRPG going right now.

marcio519 · March 2019

Hmmm, well, i've played path of exile for 2500 hours and grim dawn for 300hours and still going, grim dawn have a easier learning curve and poe, well, even with 200+ hours you'll still be a bit lost, both are pretty good games with a vast variety of spells and skills with their own mechanics, POE can be anoying sometimes with oneshot mechanics and you'll need to trade ALOT in order to get the items you want it, or be really really lucky dropping the items for your build (rarely), still POE have more build diversity, i don't really recommend it if you're going to play on slow pace, since most of the time you're going to learn about builds, items, spells mechanics and such. Grim Dawn on other hand like i said have a easier learning curve and more like to be played alone, since you can find items for your build farming for yourself, and for both games minions builds are good and viable for endgame ( i liked grim dawn minion items and build interaction most). Both Games are great, POE is free so you can give a shot if you want it.

Foncl · March 2019

They're both great games and both have interesting options for summoner/minion builds. Path of Exile is more fast paced and complex in general, if you are the type who likes to play your builds to maximum potential. If you don't feel a need to min/max and push it to the limit, then a minion build can be pretty relaxing to play in PoE.

I suggest watching some youtube videos of Necromancer builds in PoE and Ritualist(Necromancer+Shaman) builds in Grim Dawn, it's a solid choice like The Darkrayne mentioned.

In PoE you play on official servers with lots of options for multiplayer with friends or random people, people mostly play alone though. In Grim Dawn you play singleplayer locally and you can host your own server for up to 4-player multiplayer.

PoE is free to play so you could always jump in and try it, you'll most likely want to buy some extra stash tabs if you end up playing the game. PoE had a new league(smaller expansion) released on march 8:th, so it's pretty fresh. Grim Dawn just got a new expansion the 27:th so it's a good time to try that game :]

Xasapis · March 2019

Regarding Path of Exile and regarding Witch Necromantic builds in particular, I'll leave this one for consideration:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2451975

From the creator's description:

I deal with post concussion syndrome. Without getting all "doctor" on you, if I want to play a game for a good while and be able to function when I'm finished playing, I have to avoid many things in video games. Some examples of things that I try to avoid in games are:
- Fast or unpredictable movement on screen
- Quick and specific button presses at specific times (like flasks)
- Specific aiming/clicking with the mouse (the inventory exhausts my mind)
- Bright flashes and busy screens
- Quick thinking and reacting
- And a billion other things

So my build and guides are great for:
- New players.
- Players that don't like button mashing.
- Players that like playing with only one or two buttons.
- Players that like a relaxing PoE experience.
- Players with medical conditions (like epilepsy or those with with physical limitations that are restricted in how they use keyboards or mice…)
- Players that like the best builds ever made in the history of Path of Exile.

Noobmaster_95 · May 2019

Path of Exile for sure, nothing to ask about

BraceLead · May 2019

Grim Dawn, of course!

Kyleran · May 2019

Been playing POE since March, a really good game actually, first ARPG I've ever really enjoyed.

But I am playing with a few friends, one who is very knowledgable which really improves the experience.

Slapshot1188 · May 2019

They are both fun. If you are looking to play mostly solo or just with a friend or two then I'd say Grim Dawn. If you are looking for more of an online hub type game then I'd say PoE.

Hariken · May 2019

Played both and I would go with Grim Dawn every time. The Necro/Shaman pet class is a blast to play.

Slapshot1188 · May 2019

Hariken said:

Played both and I would go with Grim Dawn every time. The Necro/Shaman pet class is a blast to play.

My first character was a tank that reflected back damage to attackers. Was pretty hysterical to run through hundreds of mobs and have them kill themselves. Some bosses were a bitch though. Literally had 20 minute slap fights

k61977 · May 2019

If you are looking for a single player game Grim Dawn is one of the best ARPG out there. If you are looking for a multiplayer game POE would be the better choice. Grim Dawn has a ton of different viable builds you can do. You truly can make a character your own an pick what you want to do an how to do it. POE has the same but is more based on your gear than anything else. Overall you can't go wrong with either game.

Iselin · May 2019

I have played a lot of both of those and IMO, Grim Dawn is the better one. But in the past few months I've gotten into D3 and it finally "clicked" with me like never before once I got into max difficulty end game builds.

D3 also has very lazy to play pet builds especially Witch Doctor (Zunimassa) and Necro (Command Skeletons Thorns build with Legacy of Nightmares) in case you decide to just give D3 another shot.

Celcius · May 2019

MightyUnclean said:

I'm looking for a solid ARPG to get into. I've tried D3 a few times and just couldn't get into it. I'm currently dealing with a hand injury, so I need a game that I can play at a bit of a slower pace. Maybe one with a minion build or other build where I don't have to do tons of rapid movement adjustments. Would Grim Dawn or Path pf Exile possible work? Maybe something else entirely?

Thanks!

Both. Grim Dawn is a good game, but it is more of a game you play through once or twice. (Primarily single player as well) Maybe return when they have an expansion,ect. It is still a great game, but the replay value in terms of MMO-lite like features,ect is much stronger in PoE.

PoE is a great game for jumping into whenever you find a league that looks fun. Every league I like to jump in and try out builds I have not before,if I don't like the league I skip it and come back for the next one. It is a great formula!

So for me I play Grim Dawn when an expansion comes out until I am done and stop playing. It is a great game for me, but lacks the persistence that a multiplayer game has. Path of Exile, while I do exclusively play leagues, feels more like I am part of a community. You also earn cosmetic rewards that carry through each league and it is fun to see how many challenges you can complete during a league for your account. Grim Dawn has modding and player hosted servers, so players can cheat / mod the game to make it easer,ect. It just makes it feel like less of a genuine experience in multiplayer so I just don't touch it there.

As far as cost, I would say they are roughly the same. Yeah, PoE is F2P but you really need to get a couple of stash tabs after you have played for a while for convenience. You can get away without having them, but it makes the game far more enjoyable if you do. The most you really have to spend on stash tabs is 25-30$. I don't mind spending money on the game at all though since I know it is a game that gets a content patch every 13 weeks with a ton of great stuff and a mega expansion once a year that radically alters the game and adds a TON of content. (The last one doubled the size of the game effectively) You can usually pickup Grim Dawn for 20$ish, although expansions will cost you more.

Scorchien · May 2019

I dont think either will be very good if your hand is bad ... Maybe Titan Quest is somewhat slower or Warhammer Inquisitor

JeffSpicoli · May 2019

Last time i blew out my hand was the mid 90's, the SPICE channel was having a free weekend so i just played LOOM on the AMIGA all week.

blamo2000 · June 2019

I really can't get into arpgs so I can recommend the ones I was able to get into as a non-arpg fan. Since I can't get into either PoE or Grim Dawn I cannot help with that decision.

Van Helsing - the three solo games are better than the combined game in my opinion. Its still good as the combined trilogy though. It has a ghost companion that is pretty intrinsic to the story and gameplay. Its more focused with a tighter and more involved story than most arpgs. I also thing it has a better than average character development system than most arpgs.

Shadows: Heretic Kingdom - This is a slower arpg. I can't explain why I liked it more than most arpgs, but I did.

Lionheart - This is more of an crpg than an arpg, but after the first part it turns into much more of an arpg content-wise.

Pikapikap · July 2019

Arterius said:

Whatever you do don't choose Warhammer: Chaoasbane that game needs to add content before its even worth the money I paid for it. So many better Arpg's for half the price

Chaosbane was so disappointing I even demanded a refund for it. It's just bad. blamo2000 said:

I really can't get into arpgs so I can recommend the ones I was able to get into as a non-arpg fan. Since I can't get into either PoE or Grim Dawn I cannot help with that decision.

Van Helsing - the three solo games are better than the combined game in my opinion. Its still good as the combined trilogy though. It has a ghost companion that is pretty intrinsic to the story and gameplay. Its more focused with a tighter and more involved story than most arpgs. I also thing it has a better than average character development system than most arpgs.

Shadows: Heretic Kingdom - This is a slower arpg. I can't explain why I liked it more than most arpgs, but I did.

Lionheart - This is more of an crpg than an arpg, but after the first part it turns into much more of an arpg content-wise.

I played all of these, those are perfect time-killers but they are kinda old.
When it comes in choosing between PoE and Grim Dawn I would choose PoE. Don't get me wrong, I like both games, it's just a matter of taste. I play Path of Exile for almost two years and it still entertains me. Sure, when it becomes boring I use this site which helps me to progress further. I hope the game will live on for many years.

Akulas · July 2019

Grim Dawn OP pets. Walk and set to aggressive then everything dies. Kit and re summon on higher difficulty and that is the i-win build. The same winning strategy and Titan Quest etc. Still a good game though. It ate up my last weekend and this weekend the same.

Palebane · August 2019

I haven’t played PoE in a long time, and certainly not enough to appreciate it, but I love Grim Dawn. It’s been in my rotation since its release and I will probably go to it whenever I get the ARPG itch for years. I have over 100 hours in and haven’t tried half of the class combinations yet. I couldn’t grind it though, but I’ve never enjoyed that aspect of these games as much as the variety.

kitarad · August 2019

I have played both and find Path of Exile more addictive by a long shot.

Boltonsquad · August 2019

I've played Path of Exile since alpha and still play every single league for a couple of months everytime they launch a new one, the game has so much depth and so much to do at endgame you'll never find yourself with nothing to do.

I've also played and completed Grim Dawn but the issue with Grim Dawn is that the end game has very little in comparison.

bhaiterabhai · February 2020

Fantastic breakdown. I agree with all points. One thing the POE has that Grim Dawn doesn't is the social element. You can easily party and trade which makes the leap to end game easier in my opinion. You have trade in GD too but its essentially a single player game in my opinion. Both great games. shareit app vidmate app

cheyane · February 2020

bhaiterabhai said:

Fantastic breakdown. I agree with all points. One thing the POE has that Grim Dawn doesn't is the social element. You can easily party and trade which makes the leap to end game easier in my opinion. You have trade in GD too but its essentially a single player game in my opinion. Both great games. shareit app vidmate app

WTH how can a post like that be an ad bot?

Dragnelus · February 2020

cheyane said:

bhaiterabhai said:

Fantastic breakdown. I agree with all points. One thing the POE has that Grim Dawn doesn't is the social element. You can easily party and trade which makes the leap to end game easier in my opinion. You have trade in GD too but its essentially a single player game in my opinion. Both great games. shareit app vidmate app

WTH how can a post like that be an ad bot?

They evolve

Gravend · February 2020

wolcen just released a few days ago and imo is more fun that poe and grim dawn. at least storyline wise

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Grim Dawn or Path of Exile?

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Grim Dawn or Path of Exile?

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