Crate Entertainment Gives Update on Fangs of Asterkarn

The ARPG genre is thriving, with titles like Diablo 4, Path of Exile 2, and Last Epoch offering players a wealth of options for battling monstrous hordes in pursuit of epic loot. Alongside these, classic games are making a comeback—Titan Quest 2 is slated for 2025, and Grim Dawn, the acclaimed 2016 ARPG, is gearing up for a major revival with its upcoming expansion, Fangs of Asterkarn. A recent update from developer Crate Entertainment reveals the impressive scope of this DLC, and it’s shaping up to be massive.

For those unfamiliar, Grim Dawn is a dark-fantasy ARPG with a 93% positive Steam rating from over 84,000 reviews, even nine years after its debut. Set in a world where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, it offers impactful quests, deep buildcrafting via a dual-class system (six base classes, nine with DLCs), and a vast array of class combinations. Fangs of Asterkarn, the game’s third expansion, first announced in August 2023, takes players to the Nordic-inspired Asterkarn mountains, introducing a new Berserker mastery (bringing total class combos to 45) and a challenging Ascendant game mode for veteran players.

Crate’s latest developer update addresses community concerns about the early announcement, made when Grim Dawn was in maintenance mode with no prior plans for a third expansion. To keep players engaged, Crate has rolled out significant patches while developing Fangs of Asterkarn. The expansion’s scale is staggering: at 3.55 square kilometers, it’s half the size of the base game and 10% larger than the Ashes of Malmouth DLC. Its main hub, Kurnhold, spans four zones, dwarfing the smaller hub in Forgotten Gods. The expansion features 47 main and side quests (with more planned), 54 new bosses (including eight Nemesis encounters), over 380 new Unique items, and 120 Monster Infrequents. Additionally, Ascendant mode introduces 33 unique affixes, and two roguelike dungeons with more bosses and loot are planned post-launch.

Compared to the base game and prior expansions, Fangs of Asterkarn is Grim Dawn’s largest DLC, packed with new assets, animations, and creatures. However, this ambition comes with a delay. Initially targeting 2024, Crate now eyes a late fall or winter 2025 release, with a possible slip to spring or early summer 2026. Juggling four projects simultaneously has stretched the studio, and without a publisher, Crate is prioritizing quality over rushed deadlines. While the wait may test fans’ patience, the studio encourages those frustrated to step away and return closer to release.

Fangs of Asterkarn won’t arrive before late 2025, and 2026 is possible, but its scope suggests it will be worth the wait for Grim Dawn enthusiasts.