For the most part Torchlight 2 is basically the first game with a few new classes, a better presented and interesting story, and, of course, multiplayer. Might not sound like much, but these are all awesome things to be additions to an already fantastic action-RPG franchise. The last announced class - the Berserker - is one of the best the franchise has to offer. The Berserker's combat tropes really compliment the games 'keep you in the action' motto. Torchlight does many things to keep you exploring and slaughtering foes, like having a pet that can run items back to town for selling when you're getting full and they can also be told a shopping list as to return with potions and scrolls if you need them.

The Berserker's combat style encourages this go-kill-go gameplay by having a frenzy meter. The meter dissipates when you're not attacking something and when it fills, you go into a murderous critical strike-fest. Not only do you have basically a 100% crit-rate for a period of time, but many of the Berserker's skill tree enhancements are influenced by critical strikes. So, the ability to heal yourself for a percentage of the damage done on a critical or any other assortment of critical related skills make you want to utilize your frenzy to its best potential. The Berserker's combat abilities really make you want to go at a fast pace and kill everything in sight as fast as possible.

Check out some of the Berserker combat.

Source

random question, but can we select genders for the different classes this time, or are they hard locked like original Torchlight?

As someone who only plays female characters (when given the option), I would also like to know this.

You can play as female or male for all of the 4 classes. You can choose between a few faces and hair options as well.

I've played 3 out of the 4 new classes so far. I've only been playing by myself, because I initially thought that you had to split gear with teammates. I like that teammates cannot see the loot that drops for you.

I liked the Berserker's Tundra skill tree. Once I got the hang of the frenzy meter, I was able to take on groups of enemies.

The Embermager has some interesting skills. I ended up using a bow as my secondary weapon after I put a few points into the passive ability that teleports and enemy away from you after it is attacked.

The Engineer is decent. I have had quite a few close calls when I was overwhelmed by enemies, but I suck at tanking.

@BraveToaster: See, I didn't really like the Tundra skill tree for the berserker. I like that one skill that sends out a slow cloud of frost that damages and slows movement speed, but that is about it.

I really like the skill shadow bind. I had its binding damage up to 25% so that whenever you do damage to any one thing, every enemy that gets hit by the AoE of the bind will take 25% of the damage that I do to anything. So, if you do a hard-hitting AoE damaging attack it, like eviscerate, it can do massive damage across the entire group of bound enemies. Eviscerate's bleed effect is spread as well.

I actually quit playing the Engineer because I thought it was too easy, that heal and gun bot are really powerful. Although, I did only have it on normla at the time and I turned it up to veteran from thereon after. An engineer named Heisenberg was the first class I played, with a ferret of course.

I don't really care for ranged too much in Action-RPGs so I haven't gotten very high with the mage.

The outlander is pretty cool though. I really like how they're good with ranged and melee combat. I enjoy micromanaging my weapon sets in combat and those little shadow demons that burst from dead bodies after you've kill an enemy are pretty badass.

I think Diablo 3 might have ruined Torchlight 2 for me. I don't know, I guess the promise of experimenting with new runes every level is a better carrot-on-stick than upgrading a skill from rank 1 to rank 2.

@Oldirtybearon said:

random question, but can we select genders for the different classes this time, or are they hard locked like original Torchlight?

yes, you can select the genders for each class.

Taking screenshots as I play, if anyone is interested.

I'm certain TL2 is going to be fantastic and that vid made the game look incredible. Gotta beta invite and all but w/all my friends busting through D3 right now I just don't see the time for it. Runic's timing could not be any worse. They had better figure out a way to get their game on XBL, in some form or fashion, in order to get their deserved market share. I'll play it for sure, pc or console undoutedly, but I'm afraid many will not considering the D3 release.

Runic's timing could not be any worse.

I knew this game was a winner. Only £14 (average pc game price £29).... actually (Diablo III £44) with excellent level design, presentation. Multiplayer. everything. A winner designed for winners. People who are excellent in nature. Very good game. yay.

@pweidman said:

I'm certain TL2 is going to be fantastic and that vid made the game look incredible. Gotta beta invite and all but w/all my friends busting through D3 right now I just don't see the time for it. Runic's timing could not be any worse. They had better figure out a way to get their game on XBL, in some form or fashion, in order to get their deserved market share. I'll play it for sure, pc or console undoutedly, but I'm afraid many will not considering the D3 release.

Torchlight II will sell lots on the pc. I'm glad they aren't wasting resources on the console.

@pweidman said:

I'm certain TL2 is going to be fantastic and that vid made the game look incredible. Gotta beta invite and all but w/all my friends busting through D3 right now I just don't see the time for it. Runic's timing could not be any worse. They had better figure out a way to get their game on XBL, in some form or fashion, in order to get their deserved market share. I'll play it for sure, pc or console undoutedly, but I'm afraid many will not considering the D3 release.

Pretty sure they've said it won't be released on XBLA, because the game overshoots the limit of size too much. They had to cut many corners on the first game's release, which sadly was obvious in the mediocre port, and I think they don't want to repeat that mistake unless Microsoft ups the size limit. Shame, wouldn't mind playing it on my 360 considering my computer can barely boot up nowadays, something I'm sure whyareyoucrouchingspock don't give two rats asses about.

@Cincaid said:

@pweidman said:

I'm certain TL2 is going to be fantastic and that vid made the game look incredible. Gotta beta invite and all but w/all my friends busting through D3 right now I just don't see the time for it. Runic's timing could not be any worse. They had better figure out a way to get their game on XBL, in some form or fashion, in order to get their deserved market share. I'll play it for sure, pc or console undoutedly, but I'm afraid many will not considering the D3 release.

Pretty sure they've said it won't be released on XBLA, because the game overshoots the limit of size too much. They had to cut many corners on the first game's release, which sadly was obvious in the mediocre port, and I think they don't want to repeat that mistake unless Microsoft ups the size limit. Shame, wouldn't mind playing it on my 360 considering my computer can barely boot up nowadays, something I'm sure whyareyoucrouchingspock don't give two rats asses about.

The guys at Runic have said several times they're still looking at how to make it work. I just don't see how Runic and MS would not pursue it. Remember, TL1 had a XBL DL record for a while and Max S. has stated the experience working w/MS, and XBL was a very good one. Matter of time imo.

@pweidman: I really hope that's the case! Nothing would make me more happy, since buying a new computer is completely off my radar right now.

After playing beta for a while I'm sure I will buy game. now I'm just looking for people to share the 4 pack with.

I had planned to buy this after trying out the Beta but i'm afraid after playing few hours of D3 it will feel very underwhelming. Also not as good value for money, I estimate it would 15 pounds, D3 was 30 pounds, and i'm guessing I will spend over 300 hours in D3 and if TL 1 is any indication I will get bored of Tl2 before I hit the 20 hour mark... though i could be generous and double its lifespan since its a sequel but then again the D3 effect probably cancels that out. If you like TL2 or games like it, I HIGHLY recommend buying D3. It is the pinnacle of the genre, actually the customization kind of leaves you in awe... I haven't run into a single dude who has the same build as me, i've rolled with about 30 other wizards... actually not even close, we never have more than 2 skills in common(I only started coop after level 30).

I like the beta enough. The level of polish in every part of Diablo 3 has spoiled me a bit but I still feel happy with my preorder. I made a ranged character, I think I'm going to go back and make a beserker. I prefer to run in and click as many times as I can instead of running back and shooting.

@dudeglove: Don't worry about system requirements; if I can play the game on a low-end Compaq laptop, you shouldn't have a problem with your setup.

It really, really, really sucks for Runic that they couldn't get this out before Diablo III.

@bwheeeler said:

It really, really, really sucks for Runic that they couldn't get this out before Diablo III.

Would you like to have dissapointed fans, when your main objective is to build a mmo?

@Tolshakk said:

I think Diablo 3 might have ruined Torchlight 2 for me. I don't know, I guess the promise of experimenting with new runes every level is a better carrot-on-stick than upgrading a skill from rank 1 to rank 2.

Levels are also meaningful in Diablo 3. In Torchlight 2, it feels just like T1; I need 5-6 levels to notice a real change in my skills. Also, jesus, the game plays like a toy compared to Diablo 3.

@Bankrotas said:

@bwheeeler said:

It really, really, really sucks for Runic that they couldn't get this out before Diablo III.

Would you like to have dissapointed fans, when your main objective is to build a mmo?

No? I'm not saying they should have released an unfinished product, it's just too bad that they have to be compared with Diablo now.

I'm enjoying the game, but from the looks of the server list, I'm not the only one who cannot connect and join games. I've tried repeatedly, and had only one success. Of course, I have the "beta forum bug", and cannot report this to Runic. I'm sure they'll sort it out, but online multiplayer is what we're testing right now- and its not working at all for me.

@Bankrotas said:

@bwheeeler said:

It really, really, really sucks for Runic that they couldn't get this out before Diablo III.

Would you like to have dissapointed fans, when your main objective is to build a mmo?

No? I'm not saying they should have released an unfinished product, it's just too bad that they have to be compared with Diablo now.

I feel like Torchlight 2 is faster paced than D3 and I like that I can choose my difficulty. D3's skill system and production values are superior but I'm enjoying the core gameplay more in Torchlight 2.

Lucky guys, TL2 Beta crashes to the black screen of death each time I run it.

This feels super fast-paced even when nothing is happening. I like arranging attribute points and selecting skills rather than pretending to do so. This has the real Diablo people behind it, Blizzard North, and it shows, but I can't help but wonder what it would be like if it had the gritty dirty visuals of Diablo 2 that I acknowledge were ugly even when it launched, but I still like the idea of.
 
 Diablo 3 is on-rails like a mutha compared to what little I have done in TL2, an unbelievable turn-off compared to the exploration of Diablo 2, so I guess it's natural, TL1 was like D1, one camp and one helluva dungeon (and then you unlocked #2), TL2 takes on Diablo 2, and I'm one of the guys who plays solo D2 in /players 8 so I'm happy to be able to choose a difficulty straight away. It's mm mm good but I'd take a staight up Diablo 2 style copy if I had the chance : Camp - zone1 w/dungeon - zone2 hub - zone3 hub - zone4- etc - actboss / new act with camp.

@Tordah said:

@bwheeeler said:

@Bankrotas said:

@bwheeeler said:

It really, really, really sucks for Runic that they couldn't get this out before Diablo III.

Would you like to have dissapointed fans, when your main objective is to build a mmo?

No? I'm not saying they should have released an unfinished product, it's just too bad that they have to be compared with Diablo now.

Torchlight has, and WILL always be compared to Diablo, and rightfully so. It wouldn't have mattered if Torchlight 2 had been released before Diablo 3. People that have been waiting for D3 for a decade would just have skipped over TL2 and saved their money for D3, since that game came with tons of hype. Now that D3 is out of the way and people will have had their chance to play D3 to death, I think the amount of people willing to check out TL2 when that comes around will be much greater. Unless they got completely sick of that style of gameplay for awhile, which could be understandable.

But now it'll be compared directly to Diablo III with its myriad improvements instead of Diablo II. It's also possible (and this is totally conjecture) that more people will be willing to wait for Steam sales - I would have bought it day one if Diablo III weren't out already. Now I'm probably going to wait since I've already got Diablo III.

@dudeglove: Yes.

I beat the beta and maxed the level. I found it fun. Few reasones its better than D3

Mods

No DRM

6 player co-op

I played a little of the beta and actually had a hard time getting into it, after playing Diablo 3. Going back to the skill tree system almost feels antiquated, although that's a matter of preference that I know some will disagree with.

Once I got going, I had a lot of fun though. There are definitely areas where it shines above Diablo, I especially like how random the areas are, the landcape can sometimes be almost totally different with random little encampments about, where as in Diablo the areas are sometimes flipped or slightly juggled about, but largely still the same, aside from the occasional random event. The multiplayer is also pretty amazing, and it's nice that each player progresses at their own pace, you don't have to worry about missing dialogue.

The UI is terrible though, it's far worse than it was in the first game. Hopefully we can get some mods to fix that. All and all, it's a great game, but the timing is unfortunate. I probably would have been far more impressed with it, if it had released before D3.

IS THE LOOT BETTER?!?!

@gamefreak9: Torchlight 2 is way more advanced and full featured than torchlight 1. It basically has as much nuance and content in it as diablo3. I recommend you try out the demo, you will probably be surprised. Honestly, I think the game is better in a lot of ways than diablo 3 or at least just as good. Also, diablo 3 is nowhere near the pinacle of its genre and I think the devs made some very questionable decisions with that game, but thats a matter of opinion.

But if you don't at least try torchlight 2 you are missing a great game.

@RedRavN: i'm in the Beta, thanks. Diablo devs made some AMAZINg decisions, if you don't think so then you don't own the game. Its easy to judge it from outside but when your playing you just see why everything was done much more clearly.

@gamefreak9 said:

@RedRavN: i'm in the Beta, thanks. Diablo devs made some AMAZINg decisions, if you don't think so then you don't own the game. Its easy to judge it from outside but when your playing you just see why everything was done much more clearly.

Things I hated about Diablo 3 after playing the beta:

• No Attribute Points
• No Skill Points leading to identical characters
• Linear path design.

Things I realized after putting more time into the main game:

• Characters are far more customization and diversity in building your character than any other loot game except for Sacred 2 and that game is kinda bad.
• Just as open for exploration as Diablo 2.
• I am an idiot and Blizzard is really smart.

I was surprised at how fast the leveling seems to be. I think I put in 4 hours and my ember mage was at level 12 already. Also lightning seems to destroy everything!

Cool, thanks for sharing, i have been thinking about getting this game.

Been playing the beta of TL2 and its awesome. I have not gotten a chance to play D3 since right now I'm tight on money, but from what I've played, I love how the environments are and how fast paced it can get. Didn't have one boring moment during the beta.

@The_Hiro_Abides said:

I was surprised at how fast the leveling seems to be. I think I put in 4 hours and my ember mage was at level 12 already. Also lightning seems to destroy everything!

Yeah, I was in the same boat. I hit the max Beta level of 21 and like 27 fame, I think in the stat run-down it said my average time on each level was roughly 11 minutes. So, at least in the beginning every six levels was taking about an hour, especially after your first character and you get a handle on where to go and what to do.