

Gear can be modified in several ways, socketed with stat-boosting gems and attached to special enchantments, a system Runic keeps flexible by allowing for enchantment and gem removal in case you make a decision that doesn’t wind up working out. You’ll want to complement your skill build with the right items, which come with all sorts of attachments from elemental attack and resistance bonuses to health, mana and attribute buffs. It never lets you make a decision without feeling like you’re missing out on something interesting, which strengthens the desire to replay content and makes the results feel worthwhile. It’s a system that rewards those willing to heavily invest in a handful of skills that mesh well together, specializing and creating a unique style of combat for every created character. Should you build the Outlander into a superpowered rapid-fire ranged damage cannon with duel pistols? Or should you instead build the class with crowd control skills to keep enemies away and focus on summoning, so that simply by killing enemies you’re simultaneously spawning an army of shadowy helpers? Or maybe a mix? You could, theoretically, learn every skill in a class’ tree, but doing so would mean you’re not spending those points on powering up existing skills and, with every five points, unlocking new effects for the skill. In another game the process of replaying content could be dreadful, but the fantastic skill design of Torchlight II prevents this. This approach to character development builds a sharply defined sense of identity for every created character, and provides an incentive to replay the same class over and over again, experimenting with new and radically different builds. The way you develop your class is also, for the most part, permanent, which adds tension to every interaction with the skill tree, yet a very limited respec option leaves just enough room to try out different skills.
Torchlight ii platforms full#
When you level, skill and attribute points need to be manually distributed, giving you full control of your character’s growth and specializations. Play Runic Games stuck with a classically-styled character progression formula, which makes sense given the studio's Blizzard North pedigree. Throughout all this the gameplay never gets stalled in the muck of tedium, because distractions so often pop up and ensure there’s no all-purpose approach to battle. Monsters cast devastating area of effect spells, teleport, charge at high speed, poison, and generally make it excruciatingly obvious they’d like to kill you, forcing you to stay alert and mobile to stay alive. Killing an itinerant phase beast might open a portal to a dungeon filled with gold. Random wave-based challenges might start up around what was, at first glance, an unremarkable stone. Often what seemed like a small pack of monsters could double or triple in number as one summons help.

If there’s only a speck of shadow indicating unexplored space on your minimap, chances are creatures lurk underneath, so there’s never a lack of targets to swat at. The world of Torchlight II is utterly stuffed with monsters. All the while Runic maintains the element of surprise and ensures the action doesn’t get dull. Torchlight II feels like more an adventure than the original, as you’ll cross large outdoor spaces, from stony fields to deserts to poisonous bogs to the murky depths of a steampunk hellscape. Runic Games’ world design helps with this. It’s an expertly paced cycle of upgrading that never leaves room for rest, as more menacing challenges are never far away, and the promise of greater reward never fades. Playing is a constant tease, where each magic blast or arrow flurry might reward you with the ideal upgrade, which when equipped inspires confidence, a feeling of ever-growing personal power as you descend into the next dungeon and battle whatever unknown dangers await. Sometimes it’s a basic pistol you’ll never use, sometimes it’s a rare two-handed sword with high damage and the perfect statistical attachments to complement your play style. Play Like with Diablo, item drops from monster are randomized, so you’re never sure what will fall from the dead.
