Grim Dawn - Grim Misadventure #56

This weeks Grim Dawn Misadventures post from Crate Entertainment introduces everyone to caster weapons that you use while playing the game.

Grim Misadventure #55: Introducing Caster Weapons

Hello and welcome back! Today’s Grim Misadventure will discuss the intricate implementation of incantation-inducing implements, or caster weapons for short. Caster weapons have been a topic of some discussion, both internally and here at the forums. With the impending release of our pure caster mastery, we decided that it was time to address the issue.

The fantasy of spark-throwing wands or staves does not really fit the lore and gritty world of Grim Dawn, so we had to consider what a weapon used by spellcasters in Cairn would actually be. In the end, we settled on two distinct weapon types: Daggers and Scepters. These two archetypes fit the vision of devious sorcerers slitting their palms over a ritual circle, or powerful priests swinging implements of righteous fire at the foul undead.

Common-Quality Scepters

Once we had the visual direction settled, we set our artists upon the task while design tried to determine what the attributes of these caster implements would be. It took several iterations before we settled on something compelling that opened up new build possibilities.

Caster Weapon Attributes

Caster implements originally started as physical damage-based weapons that dealt lower damage per second (DPS) than their standard counterparts, but had some base spirit and offensive ability to make up for the difference. This presented some immediate flaws, mainly because the base spirit attribute conflicted with the attribute requirements, but also because they were just not that compelling for a caster to wear.

The current iteration has caster weapons dealing pure magical damage, one of the seven possible types. This allows for hybrid builds that can deal some heavy magic-based damage, which will bypass the defenses of most enemies, but it also comes at the cost of being in melee range. In addition, we have revised the affix tables for caster weapons so that they will favor %-based bonus rolls, while completely removing the possibility of some less desirable bonuses. We realize that getting the correct bonus on your equipment as a caster can sometimes be challenging. These alterations will make caster weapons a more reliable source of your ideal stats.

All of this does not mean that non-caster weapons will be unviable for caster builds though. There are still many interesting options available on other weapon types that can complement your builds. We do not expect caster weapons to become a must-have part of every caster build, but they should definitely provide compelling new options for those of you who favor magic damage over the brute force of physical attacks.

Epic Caster Weapons

We cannot just go around announcing new weapons without also talking about the powerful new uniques being added too! With the introduction of caster weapons, 22 new Epic items will be added to the mix, two of which can be crafted. The Blackwood Wand will also be converted into a Scepter (this change is retroactive). These forgotten artifacts were once implements of some of the most powerful sorcerers and occultists in Cairn. They now fall into your hands. Will you have the mental strength to wield them?