Crate Entertainment is moving on from Grim Dawn to work on its next project – a city-builder called Farthest Frontier – but has one more update for the action RPG. Update V1.1.9.0 introduces new content to the Shattered Realm, namely 20 new areas and four new Shattered Guardian’s Domains. It’s also added three new Legendary sets to The Forgotten Gods loot pool.

These sets can only be earned from the Shattered Realm on Ultimate difficulty so it’s a fitting pursuit for hardcore players. Interestingly, the update also fixed an issue with four music tracks that were present in the game but not playing. One should now here them properly, nearly two years after The Forgotten Gods released.

The Shattered Realm has also seen some fixes and changes. Damaging scaling and Offensive Ability for monsters increased at 70+ Shards while the timer penalty for dying also scales “much more” aggressively. On the plus side, bosses won’t engage players immediately unless they get closer. Numerous other changes are included for items, abilities, Devotions and so on so check out the full patch notes here for more details.

V1.1.9.0

[Major New Features]

• The Shattered Realm’s fractured reality reveals new secrets. 20 new areas have been introduced into the Shard pool, including 4 new Shattered Guardian’s Domains.
• The Shattered Guardian Set has received a visual update to make its splendor even more impressive. For those that preferred that old appearance, it is still available as a cosmetic option from the Splendors of the Shattered Realm vendor.
• Three new Legendary sets have been added to the Forgotten Gods loot pool, 12 items in total. These sets are available exclusively in the Shattered Realm on Ultimate difficulty.

[Shattered Realm]

• Increased monster Offensive Ability and Damage scaling at Shards 70+
• Boss aggro behavior has been changed and their spawn positions have been updated in higher shards. Bosses now do not engage until you get closer. It is now possible to avoid pulling all bosses in a Shattered Guardian’s Domain without resorting to camera exploits.
• Fixed an exploit involving rotating the game camera to dramatically reduce the aggro radius of nearby enemies.
• Timer penalty for dying now scales much more aggressively with shards.
• Carnage bonus for the Timer now starts lower but scales more aggressively with chain kills. The max time between kills is now also slightly shorter, meaning the bonus will be a little harder to execute.
• Timer bonus for slaying Hero monsters has been reduced by 1s.

Action-RPG Grim Dawn is kind of down-played when talking about today’s looters, but it still receives consistent support and sizeable expansions quite regularly. The latest is Forgotten Gods, which sees players traveling into the desolate sands to battle new foes. It’s out now for Steam and adds tons of new content for hardcore fans. Just keep in mind that you’ll need both Grim Dawn and the Ashes of Malmouth expansion to access it (both are currently on sale).

First, there’s the new Class Mastery, the Oathkeeper, which can be combined with the current Masteries for a total of 36 combinations. Rune Augments add some interesting mobility skills like Leap and Teleport, and there are new Difficulty Merits to provide new challenges on Elite and Ultimate difficulty.

Four new factions, Transmutation for converting duplicate set pieces into different items from the same or completely different sets, and nine new Constellations await. If that weren’t enough, you also have the Shattered Realm, a new mode where players battle foes in increasingly challenging scenarios for greater rewards. Grim Dawn: Forgotten Gods is available now for $15.99.

Crate Entertainment have already confirmed that Grim Dawn’s second big expansion, Forgotten Gods, would be coming in March. However, the developer has now straight up provided a release date – March 27th. The expansion will retail for $15.99 on PC via Steam.

Along with adding several new areas, particularly deserts and volcanic regions, Forgotten Gods will also see players embarking on a grand new adventure. It adds four new factions, several new Constellations to further bolster passive skills, and several new mobility skills. If that weren’t enough, there’s also a new Mastery – The Oathkeeper – that should open the door for tons more build variety.

New enemy types, boss monsters, and a new Shattered Realm mode, where players fight forever to earn more loot, are also incoming. Grim Dawn already had quite a bit of depth to it, especially after the Ashes of Malmouth expansion released. Let’s see how Forgotten Gods can further up the ante when it launches.

Crate Entertainment’s Grim Dawn has been going strong post-Ashes of Malmouth and other free updates. However, those waiting for the studio’s next big expansion, Forgotten Gods should stay tuned in the coming weeks – it’s set to release in March. This is according to a new gameplay trailer, which also teases much of the new content coming.

Along with a new Mastery, “The Oathkeeper” (which should mix with all present Masteries for even more sub-class diversity), Forgotten Gods will have hundreds of new Unique items as well. New Constellations and over 40 new boss monsters are also being touted. If that wasn’t enough, there will also be over 50 mobility skill augments, including a snazzy leaping slam.

Forgotten Gods also features several new areas like deserts, oases, and barren volcanic lands. What are the “secrets” that should never been disturbed? We’re not sure, but if the base game and Ashes of Malmouth are any indication, Forgotten Gods should provide dozens of hours of quality action RPG looting.