Grim Dawn DLC Guide: What Each Adds and What to Buy

The Landscape and Prerequisites

• ▸Install order: FG requires both the base game and AoM; AoM needs only the base game.
• ▸The Crucible installs independently of the expansions (its waves extend from 150 to 170 with AoM).
• ▸FG and non-FG players cannot share a multiplayer session.
• ▸FoA released 2026-07-23; this article treats all four as released DLC.

Ashes of Malmouth (AoM): the De Facto Must-Have

• ▸Adds Acts 5-6 to the campaign - a continuation after Act 4, though optional since the next difficulty unlocks at Act 4 regardless.
• ▸Adds the Necromancer and Inquisitor masteries (class combos grow from 15 to 28).
• ▸Raises the level cap from 85 to 100 (21 more skill points via levels 86-100 and quests) and the devotion cap from 50 to 55.
• ▸Adds the Mythical tier above Legendary - the main band of current endgame gear (see Legendary Farming Basics).
• ▸Big QoL too: roughly 5x personal stash, larger shared stash, Illusionist appearance customization, and item skill modifiers.
• ▸Verdict: with level 100, devotion 55, and Mythicals baked into current builds, it's effectively mandatory for long-term play - and FG requires it.

Forgotten Gods (FG): the Endgame and QoL Pillar

• ▸Adds the Oathkeeper mastery (famous for weaponizing retaliation damage; combos grow to 36).
• ▸Adds Act 7 (the Korvan lands) - an independent storyline you can start right after each difficulty's Act 1.
• ▸Adds the Shattered Realm (SR), the current endgame's main arena for gear, materials, and XP together (see Endgame at a Glance).
• ▸Concentrates the alt-friendly QoL: Merits (difficulty skipping), Monster Totems, medal augments with movement skills, Transmute (set conversion), and the three-faction choice.
• ▸Leaves the level and devotion caps unchanged (while adding constellations and shrines).
• ▸Verdict: if endgame (SR) or multiple characters are in your future, it belongs in the cart alongside AoM.

The Crucible and Fangs of Asterkarn

• ▸The Crucible: a separately sold wave-arena DLC - 150 waves at base, 170 with AoM, and thirty more with FoA for a total of 200 (the added waves still require the Crucible DLC). It pays XP, Tributes, and gear, but progresses independently - nothing in the campaign or endgame needs it (see XP to 100).
• ▸Fangs of Asterkarn (FoA): the largest expansion yet, released 2026-07-23 at $18.99, adding the tenth mastery Berserker (a shapeshifter) for 45 total combos.
• ▸FoA expands the world by over 30% with the western Asterkarn region, a new story centred on dealings with the Kurn tribes, hundreds of new items, potion customization, and affix transmutation.
• ▸Its headline addition is Ascendant Mode. Per the official guide, a character at level 100 on Ultimate can toggle it from the main menu at any time, and it scales above baseline Ultimate. It populates the campaign with Tempest Totems (upgraded Monster Totems), Resplendent Troves (upgraded treasure troves), chests Marked by the Void (which spawn extra fights), Ascendant's Spoils (extra rogue-like dungeon rewards), and the superboss known as the Dread - and it is where the Ascendant affixes that upgrade gear come from. Japanese names for these FoA mechanics are not verifiable, so the English names are used.
• ▸The Ascension Altar in Kurnhold is available on all difficulties, so you can switch on the individual mechanics without playing Ascendant Mode itself. Inserting crafting materials biases your loot - and empowers monsters at the same time.
• ▸The Dread's spawn conditions moved twice during v1.3. v1.3.0.0 slightly reduced its base spawn chance and raised the minimum kills before it could reappear, compensating by strengthening the effect of Celestial Essence. v1.3.0.4 then restored the spawn chance to its v1.3.0 values while significantly increasing the minimum kill count to spawn or respawn it. Celestial Essence in the Ascension Altar now reduces that minimum kill count as well as raising the spawn chance, and at five stacks the Dread can appear even more often than before.
• ▸Since v1.3.0.4 you can switch the Dread off entirely. Visit its Remnant in Devil's Crossing or Kurnhold to disable its spawning, and the change is reversible at any time (including by boosting its spawn rate at the Ascension Altar). Turn it off while it is out of your league and re-enable it once your gear catches up.
• ▸v1.3.0.4 also reduced the Dread's health by about 12%, making the kill itself more realistic than it was.
• ▸Per the official guide, FoA requires the base game plus both the Ashes of Malmouth and Forgotten Gods expansions - so the AoM-then-FG order below also builds toward FoA.
• ▸Verdict: the Crucible is a taste call for wave-defense fans. FoA is worth a lot if you have a level 100 character and want a fresh endgame inside the campaign world; if you are still working through the base story, getting AoM then FG first builds a better foundation.

The Verdict: Buying Order

• ▸The baseline order: base game, then AoM, then FG - with AoM+FG treated as a set for the current endgame.
• ▸Add the Crucible whenever the mood strikes; FoA is already out, so consider it once you have a level 100 character.
• ▸The base game alone offers four acts, three difficulties, Nemeses, and rogue-like dungeons - confirming the game clicks before expanding is a sound plan.
• ▸Sale prices and timing vary and are out of scope - check the store's current price.

1. Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Ashes of Malmouth Overview — Confirms Acts 5-6, Necromancer/Inquisitor (combos 15 to 28), the 85-to-100 cap (+21 skill points), devotion 50 to 55, the Mythical tier, Illusionist, ~5x personal stash, and skill modifiers.
2. Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Forgotten Gods Overview — Confirms Oathkeeper, Act 7 (Korvan lands, startable after each difficulty's Act 1), SR, Merits/Totems/medal augments with movement skills/the three-faction choice, unchanged caps, the base+AoM prerequisite, and the FG/non-FG multiplayer split.
3. Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Crucible Mode — Confirms the Crucible as a separate DLC, its rewards, and campaign-independent progression. The page is from the v1.2 era and still gives 150 waves (170 with AoM); FoA added thirty more for a total of 200, so the wave count follows FoA's official product page instead.
4. Official Crate Forum: Grim Dawn: Fangs of Asterkarn Releases July 23rd, 2026 — Confirms FoA's release date (2026-07-23), $18.99 price, Berserker (tenth mastery, 45 combos), the Asterkarn region expanding the world 30%+, three factions, Ascendant mode, potion customization, affix transmutation, and the two rogue-like dungeons arriving as free updates.
5. Official Grim Dawn Guide: About Fangs of Asterkarn — Confirms the official statement that FoA requires the Ashes of Malmouth and Forgotten Gods expansions and the base game.
6. Official Grim Dawn Guide: About Forgotten Gods — Confirms the official statement that FG requires the base game and AoM.
7. Official Grim Dawn Guide: Ascendant Mode — Confirms the Ascendant Mode content: the Ascension Altar sits in Kurnhold and works on all difficulties, inserting materials biases loot while also empowering monsters, and the Tempest Totem / Resplendent Trove / Marked by the Void / Ascendant's Spoils / the Dread mechanics, plus Ascendant affixes being applied at the Runekeeper in Kurnhold. No resistance-penalty figure appears on this page.
8. Official Grim Dawn Guide: Game Difficulties — Confirms there are still three difficulties - Normal, Elite and Ultimate - and that Ascendant Mode is a separate game mode available only to characters that have reached level 100 (requiring FoA).
9. Official Crate Forum: Grim Dawn Version V1.3.0.0 + Hotfixes — Confirms v1.3.0.0's tuning of the Dread: 『Slightly reduced the base chance the Dread appears in Ascendant Mode and increased the minimum kills before it can spawn again. To compensate the effects of Celestial Essence on the Dread's spawn rate have been increased.』
10. Official Crate Forum: Grim Dawn Version v1.3.0.4 + v1.3.0.5 — Official patch notes for the verified version (v1.3.0.5 is the latest as of 2026-08-06; a Discourse search confirmed no newer version thread since 2026-08-01). Confirms the three Dread entries: (1) 『Chance of the Dread spawning has been increased back to its v1.3.0 values, but the minimum kill count required to spawn/respawn it has been significantly increased. The minimum kill count is now also reduced by placing Celestial Essence in the Ascension Altar, in addition to increasing the spawn chance. At 5 stacks, the Dread can spawn even more frequently than before.』; (2) 『The Dread's spawning can now be disabled in Ascendant Mode by visiting its Remnant in Devil's Crossing or Kurnhold. Disabling the Dread is reversible at any time, including by boosting its spawn rate in the Ascension Altar.』; and (3) 『The Dread's health has been reduced by ~12%.』
11. Official Product Page: Grim Dawn - Fangs of Asterkarn — The FoA feature list confirms 『Crucible Expanded - thirty additional waves (requires the Crucible DLC)』; thirty on top of AoM's 170 gives 200. It is also the source for the Three Factions, Ascendant Mode, Potion Customization and Affix Transmutation feature names.