Torchlight II launched all the way back in 2012. That was seven years ago and until now it has only been available on PC platforms. That is a shock considering the first game at least came out on Xbox 360. On top of that Diablo III launched the same year and just one year later released on consoles. So what was the hold-up?
Well, whatever the reason is doesn’t matter now because PS4, Switch, and Xbox One owners can rejoice as it has finally arrived. Even though the game may be old, it still feels great and is still the best Diablo clone on the market. Here are some starting tips to make the first go of it a bit easier.
10 One Way To Pause
There are two ways the game should be able to pause. The first is when one goes to the equipment screens. The second is the actual in-game menu where the options are located. Both of these do not actually pause the game. It doesn’t matter if the game is online, or not Torchlight II is always live.
However, if one plays the Switch version, tapping the Home button will actually pause the game. That is true for every game on Switch so at least there is a backdoor pause cheat.
9 Merchant Pets
The coolest part about this franchise that differentiates itself from Diablo are the pets. One of the most useful things they can do is run to town in order to sell the goods given to it.
This not only frees up the inventory with unwanted gear, but it also saves time with not having to use a portal and talk a merchant personally. How a wolf, or a panda can carry all of the loot is beyond us.
8 Don’t Forget To Load Out Pets
Another great thing about pets is that they are constantly with the player. That means even in solo play there is an A.I. partner to help out. To make them stronger don’t forget to equip them with gear.
Yes, they too have armor to make them stronger even though their menu is tucked away at the end. On top of that don’t forget to feed them as well. They won’t die, but it will boost some stuff if fed properly.
7 Try Every Class
There are only four classes in the game: Berserker, Embermage, Engineer, and Outlander. The Berserker is like a cross between a fighter and a rogue. An Embermage is the typical mage and yes they know more than fire magic despite their name implying otherwise.
The Engineer is a cool twist on a Paladin type class. And the Outlander is the Ranger of the group. The reason we think it is important to try them all out is because it is so easy to jump into a game and fool around for a good hour. That is enough time to give players an idea of what they are getting into.
6 Save Loot
On that same note we also encourage players to keep blue-tier loot and above. Putting it into the shared storage box in town will ensure other builds that one creates can get good loot straight away.
Levels will hinder some of that progression, but the sentiment remains true. This goes for weapons and armor. When it comes to regular black and green gear though, sell that stuff straight away unless the current character can benefit from it.
5 Do Every Quest
Torchlight II is a pretty short game, which is great considering games like these are won with replay value. On top of that this means each new area is fairly small. With that said we think it is important to take on every quest in an area and finish them before moving onto the next region. Most places only have like three or four quests anyway.
Doing everything will ensure that one’s loot level and actual level will be strong enough before entering the next place.
4 Multiplayer Mayhem
Another great thing about these types of dungeon crawler loot games is enjoying them with friends. Up to four players can engage in quests both online and off. If one has friends to set up matches on a constant basis, then that is great. If one doesn’t then whenever starting a game, make sure to create an online session wherein people can join randomly.
As long as they are there for whatever, they shouldn’t hinder progress.
3 Understanding The Difficulties
Along with that it is probably important to talk about difficulty levels. If one is determined to play this game alone but doesn’t want to grind each area for levels, we recommend Casual.
Normal has about the same range of difficulty, but one that does actually require some grinding or at least one friend by the ready. Anything higher than this, on a first run, would be silly. However, if one has a dedicated clan of three other friends, each with a different class, then it is doable.
2 Don’t Buy Gear
This may be redundant to say since this remains true for most loot based games, but never buy gear from vendors. We know it might be tempting if something shiny catches the eye, but trust us when we say it will be a waste of money.
The game throws plenty of loot around like candy on the 4th of July. Money is best served for buying scrolls and for weapon augmentation.
1 You Can Respec
Another shop in town that can be handy is the respec guy. It doesn’t cost that much to do it so here is what we recommend. Each class has three tiers of elemental powers.
Stick with one elemental tree and put all points into it. It would be great if the first build works best. If not the respec guy will be standing by.