Dakota Krout

A former web developer and computer programmer with degrees in computer science and philosophy, Dakota Krout began writing as a hobby before self-publishing Dungeon Born in 2016, the first book in his Divine Dungeon series. The novel's premise — a sentient dungeon core that grows stronger by defeating the adventurers sent to loot it — helped establish the "dungeon core" subgenre now common within LitRPG and progression fantasy.

Since then, Krout has built a large backlist across multiple ongoing series, including Completionist Chronicles and Full Murderhobo alongside Divine Dungeon. His audiobooks have been recognized by Audible, appearing among its top fantasy picks and, in 2024, on its list of the top 100 fantasy audiobooks of all time. Krout is also the founder of Mountaindale Press, an independent publishing house focused on LitRPG and fantasy authors. He lives in Minnesota with his family.