spriteloom

Shared Loot Pact

Shared Loot Pact keeps Grim Dawn style deep builds and loot hunting but ties two players' skill trees together, so each upgrade you take also changes your partner's abilities.

37% of Co-op Action RPG games found an audience, yet few came out lately. 60 of 133 judged games reached 1,000 reviews, and 50 came out in the last three years.

What it feels like

You feel like half of a build, where every choice you make reshapes your partner's power.

The core loop

  • Fight: Clear hordes and bosses in hack and slash combat as a pair.
  • Loot: Pick up gear and gems that can feed either player's build.
  • Link: Spend skill points on a shared tree where your picks add or change your partner's abilities.
  • Plan: Talk through builds together before the next run to chase combos neither of you could make alone.

One sitting

One sitting is a few zone runs ending in a boss, then time at the shared skill tree. Players leave with a new combo to test next time.

What sets it apart

  • The linked skill trees give co-op a build layer that Grim Dawn lacks, since it is mostly played as a solo build game.
  • Loot hunting and hack and slash stay central, which fits the ingredients common among hits.
  • Bosses with fair health and no one-shot deaths answer what Grim Dawn players wished for, along with a respec option for linked picks.

The first playable

One small zone with two characters, a short linked tree of a few nodes and a basic loot drop. Check whether a pick that changes your partner feels good.

Scope

  • Two playable characters
  • Small linked skill tree
  • Basic loot drops
  • One zone and a boss
  • Several zones and bosses
  • Larger linked trees with multiclass options
  • Gear and gem system
  • Online co-op and respec

Art

Use a dark, painted look with strong class silhouettes and glowing links between the two heroes, which stands out in a capsule. Keep environments simple with reused tiles and lighting.

Risks

  • Linked trees can become confusing or lock players into bad builds. Show partner effects clearly in the tree and allow free respecs.
  • Players complained about repetitive loops in the closest hits. Vary zones and add events that reward new linked combos.
  • A balance patch that raises difficulty sharply upset Grim Dawn players, and Darktide players were upset by missed promises. Test changes with the community first and publish a plain roadmap you can keep.

Price

$20 to $40: Most games in this band found an audience, and it suits a deep loot game in the range of Grim Dawn.

Co-op Action RPG games that found an audience

The other idea

Lantern Bearers

More room