It’s been a big year for ARPGs, with Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred and the 1.0 launch of Last Epoch both turning out excellently, and Path of Exile 2 early access looking seriously promising as it comes around the corner. If you’re eager to fill the space until then, however, Dwarven Realms Season 2 might be just the thing to do it. Created by two-person indie team Crater Studios, it offers a simple but pleasingly intricate set of systems, making it a perfect option to fill that space in your calendar, and its new update adds more items and skills while further expanding the endgame.
At a glance, Dwarven Realms brings together the skill loadout and general interface of the best games like Diablo with the relentless on-screen mob density seen in the likes of Vampire Survivors. With hundreds of abilities at your disposal and a skill tree inspired by and reminiscent of the sprawling forest of Path of Exile, albeit at a more immediately manageable scale, the potential for customization is pretty vast, and every character will have numerous options to craft a powerful build.
Dwarven Realms Season 2 is titled ‘Depths of the Forsaken,’ and it’s pretty packed. “Zul, the Forger of Worlds, has fallen,” Crater writes. “Victory was within our grasp – or so we thought. In the aftermath of his defeat, a new threat emerges, hidden within a dark and forsaken path that leads deep beneath the realms.”
This ‘Forsaken Path’ is the core piece of the new endgame, pushing you ever-deeper into the abyss as you face a range of procedural challenges, new boss fights, and “unique mechanics that push your skills to the limit.” You’ll have to complete Rupture level 70 to unlock this, and then can use Underrealm Keys found in Infused Ruptures to enter the zone, where you must plot your path based on the rewards you want to target.
Down there, you’ll find all manner of challenges, including The Vault. This allows you to wager your gold for all manner of rewards, with better potential outcomes on the table as you raise the stakes higher. You’ll also encounter the new endgame boss, Skorch the Ash Weaver. This fight “surpasses Zul in difficulty and complexity,” Crater says, but defeating Skorch will net you a new tier of weapons that act as season two’s endgame pinnacle equipment.
There’s another zone in the Catacombs that can be accessed at Catacombs level 125, and which includes two new crafting stations. The Celestial Forge allows you to use Celestial Dust to add crafting specs to unique and flawless tier items. The Hell Forge can place unique or flawless item affixes onto epic items at the cost of Forger Dust. These new resources are earned by overcoming the toughest endgame bosses such as Zul and Skorch.
The update includes more new items and modifiers, plenty of reworks and rebalances, and an expanded skill tree to further enhance the options you have to craft your builds from. Prove yourself against the depths and you’ll be able to see your rank on the season two leaderboards. You can also earn some special seasonal gear including “rare pets, unique cosmetic skins, and exclusive titles.” If you’re tempted to give it a try, there’s even a discount in the autumn Steam sale.
Dwarven Realms Season 2 ‘Depths of the Forsaken’ is live now. You can buy the game with a 28% saving during the Steam Autumn Sale – expect to pay $7.19 / £6.12. Simply head here to get your copy.
For even more quick-hit buildcrafting satisfaction, the best roguelikes are a great option. Always on the hunt for the next hidden gem? Take a look through the best indie games in 2024.
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