Make sure to use GDDefiler to start at the highest difficulty. The loot is far better this way.
https://forums.crateentertainment.com/t/mod-reign-of-terror/35347
Other than that, it’s quite stunning. Let’s face it, compared to what they can pump out these days, D2 level design is quite primitive. But seeing it translated into Grim Dawn with fresher-looking assets and evolved terrain, it’s frikkin amazing.
Against my better judgement I forked out an extra 40 bucks to buy the 2 necessary expansions - which lend assets to the D2 remake - and I haven’t regretted it.
Playing through it feels even more awesome if you have NOT played much of the vanilla Grim Dawn - because this way I can’t tell if the levels I’m playing through are simply renamed areas from the standard game, or have been recreated from scratch using just assets.
Rest assured, level design appears to be quite individual regarding each area. Stony Field and Dark Wood look vastly different to each other in comparison to the D2 look. And Black Marsh really IS a black marsh, very dark and very slimy.
That’s as far as I’ve gone at this stage because I’ve been taking my time exploring every nook and cranny in order to get as much loot as possible so I can go further.
If you don’t own GD, trust me it’s worth the cash just to play this. For starters, it’s already a completed project - Acts 1 to 5 are available, and it’s a far better option than to wait years for this lot to put out an uber-crappy so-called “remake” like Warcraft 3 turned out.
To install:
- download the 6.2gb “ReignOfTerror_0.6.1.5_standalone.rar” package which is the base mod. Then grab the latest update pack.
- extract the base mod into the main game’s installation folder (GOG Games\Grim Dawn\mods), which should create a “ReignOfTerror” folder inside.
- then extract the update pack on top of it.
Both packs contain a “ReignOfTerror” folder, so extracting the update pack will overwrite some files within the existing ReignOfTerror folder.
Then simply run GD, select “Custom Game” from the main menu, and select “ReignOfTerror” from the sub-menu.
Start a new toon, load into town, take in the sights and sounds of the new and improved Rogue Encampment, then exit the game, load GDDefiler, load your toon and on the right hand side menu of “Highest difficulty unlocked” - select ULTIMATE.
This will begin the playthrough from scratch so don’t bother leaving the Rogue Encampment to kill stuff before changing the difficulty.