The underrated 84 Metacritic dungeon crawling action RPG with deeper builds than Diablo 4 (which feels like a true Diablo 2 sequel)

Diablo 4Season 11 has been a huge hit with fans, thanks to the introduction of the new Paladin class as well as a change in approach that ultimately fixed many pain points the game still had. Although Paladin single-handedly adds over a dozen meta builds to the game, all with different skills at their core, one of Diablo 4s biggest problem remains — the depth (or lack thereof) of its skill tree. There have been many action RPGs over the years trying to recapture the faith that used to belong Diablo 2with The path of exile and Path of Exile 2 come very close, and Diablo 4 improving more and more.

Still, there's an underrated gem from 2016 that by all accounts has been another game that Diablo 2 in the ARPG scene, and it is Grim Dawn. With two expansions under the belt (sold separately), Grim Dawn is about to get even better and bigger in 2026 with the launch of Fangs of Asterkarn, the most ambitious and biggest release ever for the game. Not only that, but the game now has deeper skill trees and class systems, called Masteries, than ever Diablo 4and this will even improve with the addition of Berserker.

Diablo 4 is a great ARPG, but Grim Dawn Nails builds and classes

Diablo 4's best Paladin builds don't boil down to just a couple of different skills like most classes, and while this is a huge plus for the newest class in the game, it's also symptomatic of a larger problem. Skill variation i Diablo 4 is very low, as each class usually only has 24 useful skills, although some have 25 or 26. There are skill upgrades and builds matter, but overall the skill trees don't offer much depth on their own without Uniques, Mythics, and the Paragon Board. Grim Dawn however, has a much more complex system.

Grim Dawn's mastery and class system is practically unbeatable

Grim Dawn's class system explained

Grim Dawn has 9 masteries and another one on the way, corresponding classes:
- Soldier: Focuses on melee attacks, defensive options like heavy armor and shields, and proficiency with firearms.
- Demolition man: Master of explosives who mixes magic with engineering, focusing on ranged attacks and traps.
- Occultist: Has access to minions, curses, and various spells that deal direct damage to opponents.
- Nightblade: The spellcaster with a sword class, has great close range damage, wields two melee weapons at once, and great mobility.
- Arcanist: A typical mage who is the perfect glass cannon, with incredible damage spells but little defense.
- Shaman: Casters with aptitude for natural magic as well as two-handed melee weapons.
- Inquisitor: Hybrid attackers who can defeat enemies from afar or in melee using relics and runes that deal with the occult.
- Necromancer: Has tons of minion-related options, with both skeleton and death magic to dominate battles.
- Oathkeeper: Use divine powers and shields to protect themselves and strike down their enemies.
- Berserk: Capable of defeating enemies with the power of ice and wereforms, shapeshifting in and out of melee.
Each Mastery can be combined with another to create the ARPG's dual classes (the first class unlocks at level 2 and the second at level 10), creating endless build possibilities and replay value.
All masteries have access to different skills that are unlocked by spending skill points in the mastery bar (which also provide attribute boosts), while each skill is unlocked or improved by spending skill points in it.
Skills from Masteries in Grim Dawn have a few different types or purposes:
- Active: Skills used by players to perform certain actions.
- Passive: Skills that give a boost passively.
- Modifier: A way to change how active or passive skills behave with certain effects.
- Transmuters: Modifiers that increase active or passive skills dramatically, potentially changing how buildings work.
- Exclusive: Skills that only one can be active at a time.
The Devotion System i Grim Dawn gives progression similar Diablo 4's Paragon Board and Glyphs, further enhancing existing builds and Masteries.

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The Inquisitor and Necromancer classes are exclusive to the Ashes of Malmouth expansion. The Oathkeeper comes from the Forgotten Gods expansion, and Berserker comes with the Fangs of Asterkarn.

Why Grim Dawn is the true successor to Diablo 2

Diablo 2 has become the benchmark for what modern ARPGs should aspire to, and that's because it was way ahead of its time with its features and gameplay. Games like The path of exile and Last era try to take what did Diablo 2 well and make it their own, and while some titles do this successfully, Grim Dawn ticks all the boxes. It has:

Amazing player agency with one of the most flexible selections of classes in RPGs in general, let alone ARPGs.
A dark, cruel world that is both unforgiving and very rewarding for those who enjoy a variety of endgame systems.
A reputation system that makes factions and vendor options relevant.
Exchange driven game.
Endless mods to choose from, which improve the game and make it extremely varied over each run, combined with already high replayability.
Grim Dawn can be played offline.