Historically, the Torchlight series has been through some rough patches, where the first mobile Torchlight project never saw the light of day. Then, Torchlight 3 was sadly stuck in development and abandoned shortly after release. However, since we’ve gone hands-on with the first beta for Torchlight: Infinite, we can confidently say that fans should celebrate the fact XD Inc. is committed to bringing some much-needed light back to the series.
Torchlight: Infinite plays like a well-designed action RPG similar to the previous games in the series, and there’s zero auto-play, with heaps of customization that adds a lot of depth to the gameplay. Of course, if you’d like to see how the upcoming mobile entry compares to its predecessors to judge precisely how Torchlight: Infinite stacks up, that window of opportunity has just opened now that the second Beta is just around the corner (starting on April 25th).
Getting started
When beginning a new playthrough, you’re prompted to choose one of the starting characters/classes. You’ll be able to tailor your character/class playstyle to your liking as you start to unlock more customization tools.
Currently, there are five character classes to choose from:
- Berserker (Rehan)
- Commander (Moto)
- Divineshot (Carino)
- Frostfire (Gemma)
- Spacetime Witness (Youga)
Each character class excels at a particular playstyle. Berserker is your melee combat specialist, and Commander is a summoner class where you’ll use mech minions to fight by your side. Divineshot utilizes ranged attacks, forcing enemies to play bullet-hell on the map, and Spacetime Witness is a more technical-based class specializing in spacetime magic that can find openings for deadly attacks. Last but not least is Frostfire, who utilizes dual-wielded magic (fire and ice) to unleash hell on her foes.
It’s highly encouraged you trial each character throughout different playthroughs so you can complete achievements tied to each character class.
Gameplay expectations
Torchlight: Infinite is optimized for touchscreen controls. You can freely move your character model using the on-screen joystick to navigate each map. Simply follow the objective markers on your map to stay on course for the story. On the way, you’ll encounter hoards of enemies which drop randomized loot that you can use to gear up. Expect to often traverse to and from warp point locations as you explore. A handy world map is available in your main menu to quickly navigate from place to place.
Tip: Always make trips back to Ember’s Rest (the Hideout) to visit shops and store extra items.
You’ll follow the main storyline for a good portion of your playthrough when starting.
Skills
There are 24 unique skills trees that offer 180+ skills for your character builds, so Torchlight: Infinite should impress any ARPG fan with its plentiful customization options. To further customize your skills, you can unlock a variety of playstyles in each character class.
Skill slots
You gain skill slots as you acquire energy. Energy is earned by leveling up characters and equipping/improving gear. Make sure to pummel all of the baddies on the map to acquire enough experience and loot to unlock more slots!
Types of skills
Skills can be further classified by type: support skills, active skills, passive skills, and trigger skills. Skills can also be linked to each other; active and passive skills are linked to support skills, while trigger skills can be linked to active and support skills. Identifying support skills can be done by tapping on a skill icon and reviewing the tags — support skills will have ‘support’ as a tag.
As a new player, always pay attention to your linked support skill. You can potentially add utility to an active skill and increase the damage potency. An example is adding ‘Freeze Chance,’ which brings utility and damage; adding ‘Freeze Chance’ to a cold damage skill provides a slight opportunity to add a slow effect upon hitting your enemies while also delivering extra cold damage.
You can obtain skills by either completing quests that let you choose skills as a reward or visiting the Skill’s shop at the Hideout.
Tip: As you defeat more foes, don’t forget to visit the Skill menu for upgrades.
Talents
You can select up to three talent panels for your character. Talent panels are unlocked by leveling. Six basic talent panels are available to choose from when starting:
- God of Might
- Goddess of Hunting
- Goddess of Knowledge
- God of War
- Goddess of Darkness
- God of Machines
Each of the six basic talent panels contains three advanced talent panels to later select from once you’ve unlocked your second talent panel. Advanced talent panels contain more specialized stat buffs and substantial bonuses once you’ve invested enough talent points in that panel.
The third talent panel has no restrictions on selecting your talent panels, but it’s advised to stick to advanced talent panels to focus on your intended build. You should pick your basic talent panel carefully by paying attention to the tags listed on the talent panel overview. For example, if you want your Frostfire character to be a pure spellcaster, you’ll want to check out Goddess of Knowledge to increase your INT stat and spell potency/mana.
Talent nodes
Under your selected talent panel, you can delegate talent points (obtained from leveling up) to unlock talent nodes. Talent nodes hold your micro talents, which buffs your stats. Multiple talent points committed to a talent node can unlock the adjacent nodes. You can also unlock a major talent node if you’ve invested enough talent points.
Activated talent nodes can be reset using forgetting points (obtained by Water of Forgetting). You can also reset for free before level 70.
New players should stick to a few nodes at a time to enhance their intended character build. Feel free to experiment with early builds to your heart’s content.
Gearing up
You can equip gear by opening up your bag. Nine gear slots are available for tinkering. Enemies randomly drop gear on the map, so always pick up every bit of loot. As you progress further into the story and gain more levels, the enemies will also level up, and so does the dropped loot.
Don’t worry about immediately hunting down the best gear as a new player. Just be ready to replace your old gear with low item levels (e.g. whites and blues) with new higher-level items (e.g. purples) that contain better stats.
Tip: Look for affixes (stats) that synergize with your character builds, and prioritize increasing your survival stat and energy shield for more survivability.
How to playtest Torchlight: Infinite
After close inspection, Torchlight: Infinite is shaping up as a very polished product that should please the general populace of newcomers and veteran fans. The touch controls are smooth, and the UI remains clean and uncluttered. XD Inc. appears to be committed to keeping the Torchlight brand alive. The game could easily be one of the hottest action RPG Android titles to come out this year, so if you’d like to throw your hat into the ring to see for yourself how the second beta stacks up, you can sign up for this beta on the developer’s website.
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