The Torchlight 2 Thread

[Grover]

Anybody buying? Out today on Steam for just $20! Multiplayer is in this version.

I'm installing it now, looking to try multiplayer with a pal later tonight.

I know this will be much better than D3.

[Atocep]

I was on the fence until I watched a 25 minute IGN video on the game a couple of days ago. Diablo 3 was such a huge disappointment for me that I really didn't feel like trying Torchlight 2. The IGN video made it clear that Torchlight 2 is likely a better Diablo 3 than Diablo 3 is.

[Schmidty]

I'm going to be buying soon. When I'm not broke.

Hopefully, that will be soon.

[mckerney]

I will probably be playing this tonight. I will say though that between this, Borderlands 2, FTL and They Bleed Pixels there have been too many good games out recently. Plus Dota 2 is still sitting there and adding Meepo, the most awesome hero in the game, today.

Ah, problems.

[mckerney]

http://www.torchlight2game.com/news/2012/09/18/the-torchlight-ii-soundtrack/

Free download of the Torchlight 2 soundtrack. It's done by the same composer as Diablo & the original Torchlight.

[thesloppy]

Downloading now....

[Grover]

So I ordered the four-pack for $60 because I wanted to surprise a few friends with a copy of the game so we could co-op. A lot of complaints on the forums at Steam that people who ordered this did not get the three spare copies. I am in this group of people, submitted a ticket, hope it gets sorted tonight.

[Grover]

Not to mention to play online you need a Runic Games account and their website has been down since launch. Oops.

[chinaski]

Between Diablo and Borderlands 2, i dont think I can squeeze this one in for quite some time.

[Shkspr]

Wow, they really have tried to replicate the Diablo III experience!

[Eaglesfan27]

Just finished downloading it. I liked Torchlight better than most of the Diablo games, so I have high hopes for this one as well.

[Matthean]

Just finished downloading it. I liked Torchlight better than most of the Diablo games, so I have high hopes for this one as well.

Torchlight was great for a weekend. It lacked depth to go beyond that though.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Torchlight was great for a weekend. It lacked depth to go beyond that though.

Put me in this line. I got a hunter/archer/ranger/whateverthefucktheycalledit to level 20-something, got a new computer and never opened the game up again.

I liked a lot of the mechanics they had, but it was just a Diablo clone. Watching my roommate play the sequel now, and it looks the same, just nicer. I'll probably have a pretty easy time holding off on purchasing.

[Matthean]

There was a reason why the game lacked depth though. The designers wanted to make a game quickly to help fund what would become Torchlight II. I'm not sure a longer game with multiplayer would be enough for me to come back though. It was good, but not "Holy crap I need to play this."

[Vince, Pt. II]

I know, but I had this discussion with some friends of mine regarding Diablo III: I think the old hack'n'slash action RPG might be past its time. There's nothing there to hold people - the staying power just isn't there. I think it's because MMO's have taken the genre and added a ton of depth to it.

Now, the numbers probably prove me wrong, but I wonder percentage wise how DIII compares to DII in terms of people playing the game longer than a few months. I poured hundreds, if not thousands of hours into Diablo II - and I know many friends who did the same (hooray being in college). I played Diablo III for about 50 hours, tops. I haven't fired it up in almost two months, and I don't plan to any time soon.

Edit: And it wasn't just a function of being in college. I've put in somewhere around 3k hours into World of Warcraft (jesus christ that's a scary number when you type it out), and didn't start it until well after college.

[Atocep]

I know, but I had this discussion with some friends of mine regarding Diablo III: I think the old hack'n'slash action RPG might be past its time. There's nothing there to hold people - the staying power just isn't there. I think it's because MMO's have taken the genre and added a ton of depth to it.

Now, the numbers probably prove me wrong, but I wonder percentage wise how DIII compares to DII in terms of people playing the game longer than a few months. I poured hundreds, if not thousands of hours into Diablo II - and I know many friends who did the same (hooray being in college). I played Diablo III for about 50 hours, tops. I haven't fired it up in almost two months, and I don't plan to any time soon.

Edit: And it wasn't just a function of being in college. I've put in somewhere around 3k hours into World of Warcraft (jesus christ that's a scary number when you type it out), and didn't start it until well after college.

I don't think Diablo 2 to Diablo 3 is a fair comparison. The change in development team from 2 to 3 really showed. Diablo 3 is more like a WoW take on a Diablo-style game where Torchlight so far feels much more like a true spiritual successor to D2.

In Diablo 2 you could play the game every day for 2 years, get a new item, and it would completely change the way you play your character. That's a big part of the staying power of D2. D3 lacks anything close to that level of depth in the items. It seems like the D3 developers took the MMO approach to items and made them fairly simple, straightforward, and therefore easier to balance. The RMAH took a lot of gameplay out of players hands and so did the ease of clearing Hell and Inferno along with being able to change your build on the fly.

I'm only a couple of hours into Torchlight 2 but thus far its shaping up to be a better game, to me, than Diablo 3 is. I'm a fan of players making meaningful choices and they've brought that to T2 by limiting people to respecing their last 3 points at a fairly significant cost. The loot is also much better than in Diablo 3. I was level 10 in T2 with 2 set items and an Orange weapon. I was halfway through Inferno in D3 when I quit and hadn't seen a single set or orange item.

Now I don't think T2 will have the staying power that D2 had, but there's a lot more competition in the video game market now than we were seeing in 2000. Instead of seeing 2-3 AAA titles per year we're getting around a dozen.

[gstelmack]

Torchlight's advantage was that it was easy to use. They took much of the tedium away from the hack-and-slash and made it very easy to do the common things. It's hard to get into specifics, I haven't played in a while, but I played the heck out of it when it first released, and remember how much easier it was to do the "simple" things than Diablo, Titan Quest, etc. Just much more streamlined so I could focus on the hacking and slashing.

[MizzouRah]

I'll probably get this tonight. I never played the first one.

[saldana]

one of my D3 partners is trying to convince me to get this...but with MoP coming out on Tuesday, i am not really down with starting another game, especially one that might just be a clone

[Vince, Pt. II]

Now I don't think T2 will have the staying power that D2 had, but there's a lot more competition in the video game market now than we were seeing in 2000. Instead of seeing 2-3 AAA titles per year we're getting around a dozen.

That might be a more fair assessment than the genre has passed its time. There really is just a ton of competition in the video game world nowadays.

[chinaski]

Ive become too accustomed to making money off of D3 to play Torchlight long term.

[Matthean]

That might be a more fair assessment than the genre has passed its time. There really is just a ton of competition in the video game world nowadays.

There's more competition even in the hack 'n' slash world. Diablo and D2 had virtually free reign. Another factor for me is I'm an older gamer than I was back in the days of D2. Playing daily was the norm. I did a number of 10-16 hour play sessions. Playing for about 2-3 hours is about all I can tolerate these days and even then I hardly play.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Available for $16.00

Torchlight II (PC Digital Download) $16 - GameFly.com Deals, Coupons and Promos (http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/80318/gamefly.com-torchlight-ii-pc-digital-download)

[thesloppy]

I'm sorry, I appear to have stumbled into the "Why I won't be buying Torchlight II" thread. :p

I'm loving it so far, but I played the beta, so I knew exactly what I'd be getting. I've got a level 20 Outlander with a pistol that can mow down mobs with his rapid-fire ability. I love the balance and the way everything's been streamlined, resulting in a breezy pace that doesn't feel like grinding. Anybody done any multi-playering yet? I haven't given it a shot yet, as the servers seem to be up & down, but I'd love to give it a try sometime with an FOFC group, if anybody's interested.

Regarding the death/decline of the ARPG, it seems to be going stronger than ever to me, and I think the disappointment of Diablo III is tainting how some of you are viewing the genre. As for TLII being a clone, it is a sequel to a clone of a sequel to Diablo, so of course it's a clone at heart...I dunno how expectations for anything else could blossom out of those roots. That said, it has enough of its own unique flair that I never feel like I'm just playing someone else's Diablo remake with a different skin....the pets, and classes (at least the couple I've played) & level/aesthetic design are unique enough to make it feel like it's own game

[Matthean]

TL2, DIII, PoE, and the one from the makers of TQ would back up the idea that hack 'n' slash is doing fine. The genre only felt big if you considered the popularity of the Diablo series. It's not like FPS games where there's tons of them.

[MizzouRah]

Available for $16.00

Torchlight II (PC Digital Download) $16 - GameFly.com Deals, Coupons and Promos (http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/80318/gamefly.com-torchlight-ii-pc-digital-download)

Thank you.

[Peregrine]

I'm definitely enjoying the game so far.

[Grover]

It's pretty great.

I'm about to start an Engineer in a multiplayer game with a pal. Anybody playing one?

[Peregrine]

I am doing an engineer but haven't gone very far - I like the options - basically warriors but have options to go heavy weapons, cannons, or weapon/shield, as well as various tech gadgets.

[MizzouRah]

This game is fantastic.

[Grover]

I've gotten two orange Outlander-only gear pieces, guess I need to make one.

I absolutely love the music. Same guy who did D2, which was one of my favorite game soundtracks.

[Peregrine]

Something weird - I had equipped a weapon for a while, and after I while I was checking my stuff I found and saw it had unequipped - somehow the requrements had changed? Anyone know why that happened?

[Matthean]

Does it level?

[mckerney]

Something weird - I had equipped a weapon for a while, and after I while I was checking my stuff I found and saw it had unequipped - somehow the requrements had changed? Anyone know why that happened?

Did you change any other equipment? You might have had armor that boosted a stat and once you removed it the stat wasn't at a high enough level to equip the weapon.

[Peregrine]

Yeah that is possible - I'm sure I had changed some other stuff.

[Schmidty]

I don't think Diablo 2 to Diablo 3 is a fair comparison. The change in development team from 2 to 3 really showed. Diablo 3 is more like a WoW take on a Diablo-style game where Torchlight so far feels much more like a true spiritual successor to D2.

In Diablo 2 you could play the game every day for 2 years, get a new item, and it would completely change the way you play your character. That's a big part of the staying power of D2. D3 lacks anything close to that level of depth in the items. It seems like the D3 developers took the MMO approach to items and made them fairly simple, straightforward, and therefore easier to balance. The RMAH took a lot of gameplay out of players hands and so did the ease of clearing Hell and Inferno along with being able to change your build on the fly.

I'm only a couple of hours into Torchlight 2 but thus far its shaping up to be a better game, to me, than Diablo 3 is. I'm a fan of players making meaningful choices and they've brought that to T2 by limiting people to respecing their last 3 points at a fairly significant cost. The loot is also much better than in Diablo 3. I was level 10 in T2 with 2 set items and an Orange weapon. I was halfway through Inferno in D3 when I quit and hadn't seen a single set or orange item.

Now I don't think T2 will have the staying power that D2 had, but there's a lot more competition in the video game market now than we were seeing in 2000. Instead of seeing 2-3 AAA titles per year we're getting around a dozen.

People shit all over D3, but I think the game's great, especially after the 1.04 patch. I've more than gotten my moneys worth, having put in well over a hundred hours.

[Peregrine]

Really loving T2 so far - the game really has a flow to it and I love how they changed the class abilities so every class doesn't have to have all the same passives in the mix. There's also some really cool synergies in the skill options, and many ways to build even the same class.

[Groundhog]

I've put a couple of hours in, I don't really see it holding my interest. Not sure what I was expecting but the whole "keep clicking on baddies" thing just doesn't seem to be my bag anymore.

[JPhillips]

I'm loving this. This has a bit of whimsy that D3 doesn't.

[thesloppy]

Finished up with my level 55 Outlander. I had a bitch of a time with the last couple levels, after breezing all the way up there. Dwarven defense turrets make mincemeat out of me. I played a couple of maps at the mapworks, and now I'm gonna start over with New Game+. Would anybody be interested if we had a rolling FOFC group...like just use the same game name (FOFC) and password (dola) anytime you're on, and people can hop on as they like?

[Peregrine]

Sounds good to me.

[Grover]

Sounds good to me, sloppy.

[QuikSand]

I have started play, may be interested in multiplayer. Depth seems about right for my interest - I like character building, but not grinding. Have a gunslinger just getting feet wet now.

[thesloppy]

So, I don't think I can start an internet game with my main character, because he's newgame+, and everybody else would have to be as well, in order to play with eachother.

Instead, for my internet games, I've started playing on veteran difficulty, with a hardcore character, just to see how far I can make it without dying and starting a new dude(not very far!). Come look for me if you wanna play an internet game, and if an FOFC game isn't up, start one up!

Game name: FOFC
Password: dola

[Peregrine]

What is newgame+?

[CrimsonFox]

can i play multiplayer with people if I only have the demo?

[Eaglesfan27]

What is newgame+?

Haven't gotten there in Torchlight 2 yet, but it usually refers to a second (or more) playthrough of the game after having beat it. Usually stronger monsters, better loot, etc.

[Marmel]

Is the multiplayer in this game cooperative or more like PvP?

If it is co-op, can 2 people start a game from level 1 and play the whole way through as a team, without ever playing solo?

[Grover]

Is the multiplayer in this game cooperative or more like PvP?

If it is co-op, can 2 people start a game from level 1 and play the whole way through as a team, without ever playing solo?

Yep. My buddy and I are doing that right now.

[Marmel]

Yep. My buddy and I are doing that right now.

Sounds great. My wife and I have been looking for something to replace City of Heroes, where we usually just teamed together. Is there any similarity at all?

[Grover]

Sounds great. My wife and I have been looking for something to replace City of Heroes, where we usually just teamed together. Is there any similarity at all?

Well, it's nothing like an MMO really. The only concepts that are similar are questing to reach an end, leveling and skill points that you have to put into talents.

It's much more closely related to the Diablo series of games. Hack'n'slash.

It's a ton of fun, though and the $20 price can't be beat.

[Grover]

Just opened an FOFC game with a hardcore character. Trying out my first Embermage

[Marmel]

Well, it's nothing like an MMO really. The only concepts that are similar are questing to reach an end, leveling and skill points that you have to put into talents.

It's much more closely related to the Diablo series of games. Hack'n'slash.

It's a ton of fun, though and the $20 price can't be beat.

We just like teaming up to do missions so this seems like it would be worth a try, and like you said, for $20 a copy, you really can't go wrong, right? I'm sure I'll get enough solo play out of it as well.

[Warhammer]

Just picked this up...

[thesloppy]

Just opened an FOFC game with a hardcore character. Trying out my first Embermage

I had one up for a while too....got my Hardcore Outlander up to level 15. Pathetic, but farthest yet! And for the curious, I don't think you have to be using a hardcore character to join a game with hardcore players, though I do believe you all have to be on the same difficulty level.

[Grover]

I think, and I could be wrong, but it seems as if Hardcore characters have a separate stash to regular characters.

[thesloppy]

I think, and I could be wrong, but it seems as if Hardcore characters have a separate stash to regular characters.

Yup, that's my understanding as well.

[Grover]

Torchlight 2 / Runic Games usernames anyone?

Grover: hatfulofsorrow

[Marmel]

So, is there a manual or starter's guide? I can't seem to find one. I got the demo and I'm really not sure how to best assign skills points and just feel a bit lost on how best to use my skills, weapons, etc.

[chinaski]

So, is there a manual or starter's guide? I can't seem to find one. I got the demo and I'm really not sure how to best assign skills points and just feel a bit lost on how best to use my skills, weapons, etc.

This is always a great place to start..
Torchlight Forums (http://torchlight.incgamers.com/forums/forum.php)

[Grover]

Torchlight 2 Outlander Builds Guide – Warfare, Lore and Sigil | SegmentNext (http://segmentnext.com/2012/09/24/torchlight-2-outlander-builds-guide-stats-warfare-lore-sigil/)

I came across this recently, which has multiple builds for all four classes.

[thesloppy]

Torchlight 2 / Runic Games usernames anyone?

Grover: hatfulofsorrow

thesloppy: thesloppy

I think I'll get a game going during this awesome NFC West matchup.

[Grover]

Got my hardcore Outlander through General Grell and up to level 14.

Got a nice orange pistol off of him as well.

Anybody far enough along to have seen any purple items yet?

[thesloppy]

I think purple are quest items, and orange are actually the highest tier items, yes?

[Grover]

I think purple are quest items, and orange are actually the highest tier items, yes?

Ah, it appears as if there is a darker Orange color that are higher than the Orange we've seen thus far.

At least according to the Torchlight 2 Armory.

[Grover]

An example:

http://i.imgur.com/4mhQF.png

[thesloppy]

I found a legendary something once, but I don't remember what it was, because it didn't fit my build at the time. I'll have to check my stash to see if I kept it around, or if I sold it.

I was pretty stoked when I found it, as it was flashing on the ground, labeled as "A Truly Mysterious Find!" but I didn't have a use for it, whatever it was. I think I found it after I was in the newgame+, and I accidentally deleted that character because I'm awesome (though I swear I was getting bored of that guy), but it might still be in my stash.

[thesloppy]

...nope, no legendary stuff in my stash. Musta deleted it. Man, I'm cool.

Got to play a little bit last night with hoopsguy, woohoo! I think I'm gonna delete my current guy and go back to normal difficulty instead of veteran. I was assuming that veteran had better loot drops, but I read that's not the case....it's just harder. And while I enjoy playing on Veteran, I probably die a little bit more than I'd like. I'd like every boss to give me the threat of dying, whereas veteran difficulty was carrying through on that threat a little more often than I'd prefer.

[Grover]

...nope, no legendary stuff in my stash. Musta deleted it. Man, I'm cool.

Got to play a little bit last night with hoopsguy, woohoo! I think I'm gonna delete my current guy and go back to normal difficulty instead of veteran. I was assuming that veteran had better loot drops, but I read that's not the case....it's just harder. And while I enjoy playing on Veteran, I probably die a little bit more than I'd like. I'd like every boss to give me the threat of dying, whereas veteran difficulty was carrying through on that threat a little more often than I'd prefer.

I've only played on veteran so far. I originally wanted to play on Elite with a friend, but he talked me out of that. Probably a good thing.

[thesloppy]

I've only played on veteran so far. I originally wanted to play on Elite with a friend, but he talked me out of that. Probably a good thing.

Yeah, I certainly don't mean to imply that there's anything 'wrong' with veteran, I just personally hate dying and re-doing shit in video games....and I died too much in Veteran. Like a group of 3-4 of just about anything could take me down, if I wasn't paying attention, and there were several non-boss monsters that could still drop 90% of my health in one shot. If the loot drops were better I totally woulda stuck with it.

That said, normal might be just a touch too easy. You can mow through just about anything, without paying all too much attention, up until the emberworks, where things finally start to require a little bit of coordinated thought and movement (at least with my Outlander experience).

I will say that playing Veteran resulted in a much more strategic play-style...I'd have to run to choke points, and rain down gunfire on mobs until they got close enough that I'd have to find a different choke point, and you have to constantly stay on top of your potions/skills/spells. Veteran made me feel like a not-so-special dude, of moderate power, alone in a tough world, constantly struggling to keep up with the evolving baddies, whereas I can cruise through the Normal world like an over-powered hero most of the time, which better suits my fragile ego. Overall, I think they've done a pretty good job balancing the difficulties towards folks different preferred play-styles.

[Grover]

I'm guessing I can get my Outlander (Hardcore) through Act I on Veteran, but I see myself dying early on in Act 2.

[thesloppy]

Good luck! My vet hardcore limit seems stuck at level 15. I've had the last three guys die at that level. I just run into the fray way too often, and I should probably manage my long-distance play better.

[frnk55]

I started at normal and was lv 15 before I switched to Veteran. It was just way to easy. So now I'm sure I'll get my ass kicked. :)

[Matthean]

Torchlight was easy as well. The first real boss in the game was hell on the higher diff. settings, but the rest of the game mostly fell into you dying due to stupidity.

[Warhammer]

I found Veteran to be pretty difficult. I've also been playing hardcore which was tough. I really like the hardcore switch, I haven't played a game with that before and it removes the temptation of going back to a previous save when you have great equipment and die.

Also, some classes are more difficult than others. I found Embermage to be much easier than Outlanders. However, after I am done with this Embermage, I am going back to Outlanders.

[Grover]

Hardcore Outlander dead at level 16 in the Frozen Hills. Got killed by a Champion Nether Thrall, after I had successfully survived the Slavers' Stockade.

Had found a phenomenal gem that I'll miss. 3% chance on kill to fully heal self.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Great Game, completely destroys D3 in every way. Playing on Elite and it's great..

[hoopsguy]

...nope, no legendary stuff in my stash. Musta deleted it. Man, I'm cool.

Got to play a little bit last night with hoopsguy, woohoo! I think I'm gonna delete my current guy and go back to normal difficulty instead of veteran. I was assuming that veteran had better loot drops, but I read that's not the case....it's just harder. And while I enjoy playing on Veteran, I probably die a little bit more than I'd like. I'd like every boss to give me the threat of dying, whereas veteran difficulty was carrying through on that threat a little more often than I'd prefer.

I actually started a new guy on Veteran the following day, and it is definitely more challenging. I'm making progress, but don't feel like I'm going to plow through an 8-10 level adventure at level 8 like I did on Normal.

Was fun playing together, but if I'm going to do multiplayer I need to come a little more prepared ... was playing on the built-in mouse on my laptop :)

Edit - biggest challenge I'm finding is that I have to keep spending cash on health potions, so I'm not advancing in wealth the same way that I was in Normal. I don't do a whole lot with the cash, but it is kind of frustrating to remain at the same cash level for several levels in a row.

Edit, part 2 - the other thing I tend to do in these games is horde my points until I have to spend them ... basically, when the game starts beating me up a little too much. I had something like 30 points tucked away at Level 9, but I've slowly had to start allocating those (think I'm Level 12 now) in order to finish off some of the champions and their mobs.

[Warhammer]

I find that I tend to horde skill points, and spend my stat points. I would love to get in some MP action at some point during the week.

[JPhillips]

The enchanter at the end of the elemental quest in Act 3 provides some crazy good bonuses.

[hoopsguy]

I find that I tend to horde skill points, and spend my stat points. I would love to get in some MP action at some point during the week.

Horde skill points - currently sitting around 10 of those and 40 or so stat points. Game has been pretty easy from Level 11-16, compared to where it was for me from 8-10. Weird - maybe just something with the equipment at the time.

Online - I've had FOFC/dola game going for the last 90 minutes, will probably stick around for 30 or more minutes tonight.

[Warhammer]

I think my user name is Warhammer_II

[QuikSand]

So, while I still fiddle with the game a bit, I'm really bored with it. And I have a big problem with the system that says adding strength points is the main way to make my shotgun have better effect. Seems really dumb to me, I much prefer the D&D-anchored system that rewards dexterity (by whatever name) as the key thing there. I don't like feeling that while I train to shoot a gun, I'm also doing most of what I need to swing an axe. Dumb.

[gstelmack]

I'll play this over Diablo simply because I can send my pet back to town to sell stuff (yes, I know this was in the original Torchlight, I just can't believe no one else stole that concept yet...)

[Warhammer]

So, while I still fiddle with the game a bit, I'm really bored with it. And I have a big problem with the system that says adding strength points is the main way to make my shotgun have better effect. Seems really dumb to me, I much prefer the D&D-anchored system that rewards dexterity (by whatever name) as the key thing there. I don't like feeling that while I train to shoot a gun, I'm also doing most of what I need to swing an axe. Dumb.

Same thing with many games of this ilk, heck why should you get better hearing when you're ancient a la D&D because hearing is based upon WIS?

Its pretty transparent about what stats you need to do what, to increase crit damage, increase str, to increase crit chance, increase dex, to increase elemental damage, increase foc, etc. The reason for this is to attempt to eliminate dumping all your stats into one area.

My biggest issue with the game (I'm playing hardcore) is the variability of damage. Most of the time I have no problem with damage, except for when a mob does max damage and then gets a crit and one shots you. I wish it was a little less variable.