Grim Dawnoffers players an intricate character-building system filled with class combinations, gear customization, and one of its most strategic features Devotion Shrines. These shrines are scattered across the world of Cairn and grant players Devotion Points, which can be spent to unlock powerful constellations in the Devotion system. Understanding how Devotion Shrines work, where to find them, and how to activate them is essential for optimizing any build. Whether you’re a new player or a veteran starting a fresh playthrough, mastering the system ofGrim Dawn Devotion Shrineswill significantly enhance your gameplay experience.
What Are Devotion Shrines?
Devotion Shrines are interactive objects found throughout Grim Dawn’s world, including its base game and expansions. When activated, they reward you with a Devotion Point used to unlock stars in the Devotion panel. This system grants passive bonuses and special abilities that can dramatically improve your build’s effectiveness.
Types of Shrines
- Clean Shrines: These can be activated instantly, usually requiring a single interaction with no combat.
- Desecrated Shrines: These are corrupted and must be cleansed by defeating a wave of enemies.
- Restoration Shrines: These require you to sacrifice specific components or rare items like Scrap, Aether Crystals, or rare crafting materials.
The type of shrine determines the challenge, but all of them reward the same Devotion Points and often additional loot like potions, components, or blueprints.
How Devotion Points Work
Devotion Points allow you to progress through the star-shaped Devotion tree, unlocking new passives and bonuses that enhance your chosen class. You can access this system through the character menu, and planning your Devotion path is just as important as selecting your mastery class.
Benefits of Devotion Points
- Boost core stats like health, energy, and resistances
- Unlock offensive or defensive celestial powers
- Improve damage types aligned with your build (e.g., fire, cold, chaos)
- Offer hybrid playstyle support with healing, retaliation, or pet bonuses
Devotion shrines provide the only way to earn these points, with a hard cap determined by difficulty level and content expansion.
Total Devotion Shrines in Grim Dawn
The number of Devotion Shrines you can find depends on whether you own the base game alone or also have access to expansions likeAshes of MalmouthandForgotten Gods. They are distributed across three difficulty levels: Normal, Elite, and Ultimate.
Shrine Count by Content
- Base Game: 50 shrines across all difficulties
- With Ashes of Malmouth: 55 shrines
- With Forgotten Gods: 60 shrines
You can only collect a total of 55 Devotion Points even if you revisit shrines in multiple difficulties. This means you don’t have to cleanse every single shrine to max out the system, but it’s highly recommended to pursue as many as you can.
Devotion Shrine Locations by Act
Knowing where to find shrines saves time and helps you plan your Devotion progression efficiently. While locations vary slightly between Normal, Elite, and Ultimate, the general pattern remains consistent across all difficulties.
Act 1 Shrine Locations
- Burial Hill: Clean shrine near the entrance
- Flooded Passage: Desecrated shrine requiring a combat challenge
- Wightmire: Shrine near the Cultist camp
Act 2 Shrine Locations
- Old Arkovia: Often requires Scrap to repair
- Steps of Torment (Optional Dungeon): Contains a shrine guarded by enemies
Act 3 Shrine Locations
- Village of Homestead: Typically a clean shrine
- Blood Grove: Combat-based shrine with waves of enemies
Expansion Areas
- Malmouth Outskirts: Found in sewers or near fortified zones
- Korvan Plateau (Forgotten Gods): Multiple shrines, some of which require rare crafting items
While you don’t need every shrine to hit the cap, collecting more gives you flexibility to experiment with different constellations.
Tips for Shrine Completion
Devotion Shrines vary in challenge, and it’s not uncommon for some to be inaccessible early in your journey due to level or item restrictions. Being strategic with your shrine hunts can make your build progression smoother.
Helpful Tips
- Save crafting materials: Always keep some Scrap and Aether Crystals for restoration shrines.
- Clear optional dungeons: Many high-value shrines are hidden in challenging side areas.
- Use map guides if stuck: Community-generated maps can help identify shrine locations.
- Respec if needed: You can reset your Devotion tree at Spirit Guides for a small cost.
Staying organized about which shrines you’ve completed across each difficulty can help avoid redundant exploration and maximize your point gain efficiently.
Devotion Shrines in Multiplayer
When playing in co-op, shrine interactions become shared among players. If one player activates a shrine, all players nearby can benefit from the point reward. However, combat-based shrines still require all players to be present during the battle.
Multiplayer Shrine Etiquette
- Wait for party members before activating shrines
- Coordinate material requirements if someone lacks components
- Share knowledge of locations to speed up the group’s progress
Devotion progress is tracked per character, so each player needs to collect their own points even when playing with others. Thankfully, the shared activation reduces grind time significantly.
How to Use Devotion Points Effectively
Once you’ve acquired points, spend them wisely. Devotion trees contain multiple constellations, and some have affinity requirements (e.g., Eldritch, Chaos, Order). Unlocking one node may open the path to others.
Build Synergy Tips
- Match damage types: Use constellations that boost your primary attack type (Fire, Cold, Lightning, etc.)
- Balance offense and defense: Don’t ignore health or resist bonuses
- Unlock celestial powers: Some constellations offer skills that can be bound to abilities
- Use temporary points: You can temporarily unlock affinities, then remove the points to reshuffle your tree once you’ve reached your desired constellation
Experimentation is encouraged. You can always reallocate Devotion Points later if you change your build or acquire better gear that alters your focus.
Devotion Shrines inGrim Dawnoffer one of the most satisfying character progression systems in any ARPG. By hunting down shrines and using the points to tailor your build, you unlock new synergies and powerful enhancements that shape your gameplay. Whether you’re cleansing desecrated altars, offering rare materials to restore broken ones, or simply planning your next constellation, the Devotion system ensures there’s always something meaningful to work toward. With smart planning and exploration, your journey through Cairn will not only be powerful but also deeply personal.