Ascendant Mode
Ascendant Mode is a challenging new difficulty option that dramatically enhances the main campaign’s world with new ways of earning loot and of course dangerous new foes. Characters playing on Ultimate difficulty that have reached level 100 can toggle Ascendant Mode at any time from the main menu.
Ascendant Mode is a new game mode included in the Fangs of Asterkarn expansion for Grim Dawn.
Customize Your Game Experience
When you reach the Kurn settlement in Asterkarn, you will gain access to this sacred site. The Ascension Altar enables you to cater the game to your playstyle by inserting crafting materials from across the game.
The altar is split into two sections: the center and the outer circles.
The middle of the altar channels the elements themselves, allowing you to manipulate all of your item drops. By inserting different crafting materials, you can bias loot to match your preferred damage type. Looking for Bleed damage items? Use a Ch’thonic Seal of Binding. Interested in pet gear? Insert a Manticore Eye.
Doing so will override any inherent loot biases items such as Monster Infrequents already have. If you were looking for a niche prefix and suffix combination that did not match the inherent damage of a Monster Infrequent, this system will enable you to change the odds in your favor!
While the center manipulates your loot, the outer circles will aid you in acquiring it. Each material inserted in the outer circle improves your odds of encountering the new Ascendant Mode mechanics, or in improving drop rates.
If you are a fan of Monster Totems, the new Bloodbound Totem crafting material will increase your chances of encountering Tempest Totems! Likewise, Celestial Essence will make it more likely that you draw out the vicious Dread. If you want to level up faster, you can spend Aether Crystals to increase experience gains. Each mechanic is associated with a different crafting material, and you can combine them in any way you please.
But be aware: while the Ascension Altar will aid you in your endeavors, it will also empower your enemies. Every crafting material inserted into the altar will boost monsters differently. This way, you are not only catering the gameplay to your desires, but also scaling the challenge to meet your skill level.
Ascendant Mode Mechanics
Ascendant Mode features a number of mechanical changes that will spice up your campaign gameplay. For starters, the difficulty is significantly increased from the baseline Ultimate difficulty scaling. Fresh level 100 characters may want to gather some gear before venturing in. All of the mechanics you are familiar with in the campaign are also enhanced in various ways.
However, thanks to the Ascension Altar being available on all difficulties, you have the ability to enable any of the Ascendant mode’s mechanics even if you do not play in Ascendant Mode! This way, you are not missing out on any of the exciting new mechanics, but are not forced to play with them either if you do not want to.
Ascendant Drops
Ascendant Mode grants all common items a chance to Ascend. Ascended items will roll a third affix that comes with many powerful and unusual bonuses. These will help you get some hard to find skill bonuses, and to fill in gaps in your stats. You may even find a damage conversion that cannot be found anywhere else.
This not only makes common drops more exciting again, but give you all new ways to deck out your builds! And, of course, this new affix is compatible with the Affix Reroll system featured in Fangs of Asterkarn.
Tempest Totems
If you are a fan of Monster Totem hunting, then this feature is for you. In Ascendant Mode, all totems have a chance to upgrade to a new challenging Tempest Totem. These accursed effigies spit out powerful enemies and a mini-boss, which you will have to defeat to earn their loot. Tempest Totems have a chance of dropping some unique items that you will struggle to find anywhere else in the game!
As every totem in Cairn has a chance to upgrade in this manner, all of your favorite farming routes are a valid option.
Resplendent Troves
When playing in Ascendant Mode, you will find that Treasure Troves have a chance of upgrading to a Resplendent Trove. Predictably, you will find vastly improved drops should you stumble upon one of these!
Explorers searching every nook of the world should be sure to carry some dynamite around. They are far more economical than a set of lockpicks!
Marked by the Void
In Ascendant Mode, virtually all treasure chests have a chance to become marked by the void. When this occurs, opening the chest will attract fiends from the darkest depths of the Ch’thon’s domain to your location. Defeat them to earn additional loot and some of the new crafting materials from Fangs of Asterkarn.
The Dread
As you progress in Ascendant Mode, you may find the unsettling feeling that you are being watched. As you slay enemies, you may attract the attention of the Dread, an unspeakable horror drawn to wanton slaughter and destruction.
This powerful foe is not something to be trifled with. Only the most prepared characters will have any hope of defeating it, ones that regularly tackle some of Grim Dawn’s mightiest enemies…
