Light the Torch third time round.

The semi cell shaded RPG from Runic Games released it’s very first chapter of the now trilogy back in 2009 on PC (and later consoles) immediately gaining a fan base.

The story all starts in a booming mining town called Torchlight which is built upon a supply of a mysterious ore known as Ember.

Ember is sought after by all, especially alchemists, as it has magical properties.

But there is a darker side to Ember that reveals itself throughout the very first game.

Fast forward to now and Torchlight III where centuries have passed since the events of Torchlight I and Torchlight II.

The Ember Empire which had risen from the acquiring of and demand of the highly coveted ore is now in sharp decline.

Now a former shell of itself the Empire, the lands are under threat of invasion as Imps, Trolls and other suppressed beings see their opportunity to finally rise up.

You, the unknown hero, are tasked with defending the human civilization, vanquishing the beasts and being the saviour of the world that is Torchlight.

First up you’ll need to select one of four classes for your character; Dusk Mage, Forged, Railmaster or Sharpshooter.

Each, naturally, have their own specific skills with their class, magic or melee, assassin or stealth.

The game plays out within the open fantasy world in true RPG, dungeon-crawling par top down view.

You choose a Pet. This is like a Familiar and has it’s own set of skills (which can be upgraded). Your Pet will fight alongside you.

There are an abundance of items to be pillaged, found and searched for. Changing your abilities or assigning to hot-keys on your control-pad, swapping out gear, clothing and weapons is all done via a Inventory menu without any complexity.

If your Inventory gets full you can move items that you no longer want to your Pet and send them back to town (this is also your base where most of your Missions and objectives are picked up from) to sell them to a merchant.

The downside of sending your Pet to town to sell your stuff is that you’ll be alone. So time it well to send your Pet away as generally they will be gone for a few minutes and you really don’t want to get stuck facing hordes without your trusty and loyal ally.

If you tire of your Pet and want to try a different one, sure, find a Pet Rescuer and swap it out for another.

Torchlight III has many a cavern, dungeon and more to explore about in – and if you’re like me you’ll probably spend way too much time just in one area making sure you didn’t miss anything.

Graphically Torchlight III has stayed true to it’s series. Brightly and beautifully animated .

You can opt to go online or offline (visibility) almost on the fly. The game will match-make you with those of a similar difficulty, or at best your difficulty level that you chose to play in is visible to all other players.

While the sprawling maps you will traverse are superbly detailed, it is some of that detail that can get in the way. Torchlight III is open world but also linear pathed.

I first picked up Torchlight in 2009 and instantly became a fan of the game.

Torchlight II was just as enjoyable, however, asides from the narrative, seemed to be a little bit more of the same as the first one.

Torchlight III however takes that known RPG dungeon-crawler scope and improves ten fold over the past two titles.

Fluidity in play, alot more to do and way more options than seen before in this series.

I strongly recommend playing the first two games at some point – but in order to fully enjoy and grasp the story of Torchlight III you needn’t have, as it is both the end and the start of the franchise.

Torchlight III could be a complete standalone and one hell of an epic play.

The post Torchlight III (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Perfect World Entertainment and Echtra Games are excited to announce the Relic Subclass update, the highly-anticipated update that brings a revamp of the Relics system, is available now for Torchlight III in Steam Early Access.

The Relic Subclass update is the final major Early Access update prior to the light-hearted dungeon crawler’s official launch later this year on PC and consoles. With this update, it adds another dimension to character building by introducing a completely new and improved Relics system that includes a vast Relic skill tree, along with five powerful Relics, each with reworked Relic Activation skills. In addition, one of the Torchlight III Early Access community’s major requests, having additional skill slots, is included in this latest update as players now have nine total skill slots, all with controller support.

“When we first launched Torchlight III into Steam Early Access, we received great constructive feedback pertaining to skills, more specifically Relic system skills” said Max Schaefer, CEO of Echtra Games and co-founder of the Torchlight series “To make the most accessible and exciting Torchlight adventure yet for all ARPG fans, we’ve been working closely with the community to learn exactly how they’d like their adventure to be expanded on. The Relic Subclass update is a prime example of just that – as it delivers incredible base gameplay improvements that make hacking and slashing goblins even more fun than ever before.”

With the revamped Relics system, it provides a wide range of options for character-building, giving players the option to create an epic character that best fits their playstyle. After players select a class, they are able to choose their own unique Relic, a special item which has a powerful subset of both active and passive skills. With five powerful Relics to choose from that have their own unique elemental association and strengths — like “Bane,” which summons a cluster of spiders that cast forth volleys of deadly poison – players must choose a Relic wisely as once one is chosen, it permanently becomes a part of the player’s character build.

Torchlight III is the latest successor to the ARPG cult classics, Torchlight I & II, originally developed by Runic Games. This fast-paced dungeon crawler brings fans back to the beloved Torchlight universe to hack and slash their way through a brand new world filled with hordes of goblins, undead and other dangerous Netherim creatures. Adventurers can party up with friends or venture into the vast wilderness alone, where they will find loot, explore dungeons, collect epic gear and build their very own fort to show off to the world.

Torchlight III features four unique hero classes (Dusk Mage, Forged, Railmaster and Sharpshooter), plus a myriad of new and familiar combat pets to help players fight their way to fame and glory.

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The post RELIC SUBCLASS ADDED TO TORCHLIGHT III appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Perfect World Entertainment and Echtra Games are excited to announce Fazeer Shah’s Dun-Djinn, the new end game experience with limitless replayability, is available now for Torchlight III in Steam Early Access – the light-hearted dungeon crawler for casual and core ARPG fans.

Fazeer Shah, the all-powerful djinni from Torchlight II who helped players save the Guardian of Mana in exchange for retrieving the Lamp of Marvels, has made a return to the Torchlight universe in Torchlight III. After a century of touring the world, Fazeer has decided to settle down at players’ forts to conjure the Fazeer Shah’s Dun-Djinn, a massive and deadly dungeon filled with a series of challenge levels that escalate in difficulty.

Players brave enough to enter Fazeer Shah’s Dun-Djinn will first be dealt with a hand of challenges in the form of cards. From these cards, players must select the monsters, elements, and chaotic affixes that’ll need to be taken on. At regular intervals, completing a challenging boss battle is needed to save a player’s progress. Those that complete the quests and defeat the champions and bosses within the challenging dungeon are rewarded with Fame, which can be used to earn epic rewards, including rare and legendary items, fort decorations, exclusive pets, and so much more. Fazeer Shah’s Dun-Djinn also supports party play, giving players the option to party up with three fellow adventures via online cooperative multiplayer or venture alone to take on all of Fazeer’s challenges.

Torchlight III is the latest successor to the ARPG cult classics, Torchlight I & II, originally developed by Runic Games. This fast-paced dungeon crawler brings fans back to the beloved Torchlight universe to hack and slash their way through a brand new world filled with hordes of goblins, undead and other dangerous Netherim creatures. Adventurers can party up with friends or venture into the vast wilderness alone, where they will find loot, explore dungeons, collect epic gear and build their very own fort to show off to the world. Torchlight III features four unique hero classes (Dusk Mage, Forged, Railmaster and Sharpshooter), plus a myriad of new and familiar combat pets to help players fight their way to fame and glory.

Learn more about Torchlight III at the official website.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post TORCHLIGHT III IN STEAM EARLY ACCESS GETS EPIC END GAME EXPERIENCE appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Perfect World Entertainment, publisher of live service games, and developer Echtra Games, Inc. announced Torchlight Frontiers will launch as Torchlight III on Steam this summer (U.S.) and begins closed alpha testing January 29th, 2020.

This fast-paced dungeon crawler brings ARPG fans back to the Torchlight universe to hack and slash their way through a vibrant world filled with hordes of creatures waiting at every turn. Previously announced as a free-to-play experience, the game will return to the premium model adapted by Torchlight I and II, with a new focus on linear progression.

“When we started developing Torchlight Frontiers, we were focused on creating a shared-world experience,” said Max Schaefer, CEO of Echtra Games and co-founder of the Torchlight franchise. “During development, you often discover what type of product a game was meant to be and we found Torchlight Frontiers was meant to be a true successor to Torchlight I & II. Based on this and extensive feedback from our Alpha testers, we decided it was time to take the game back to its roots and model it after the classic Torchlight games that ARPG fans have come to love. We’d like to thank our dedicated player base for supporting us and providing such insightful feedback during early development.”

When Torchlight III releases on Steam this summer, players will be able to purchase the full game and play however they like (online or off) with access to all playable content. Rather than focusing on horizontal progression, the game shifts back to the familiar linear world structure that was introduced with Torchlight I & II. Longtime Torchlight fans will be happy to hear that the game features the same mechanics that set the original series apart from other ARPGs on the market. After selecting from Torchlight III’s unique character classes, players will choose a pet to accompany them on their new adventure: a fluffy alpaca, a swift owl or a loyal canine retriever. From there, they will explore forests filled with dangerous creatures and participate in thematic quests to earn powerful rewards.

In Torchlight III Players can explore the wilderness, party with friends, gather materials to craft loot, use magical maps to enter unknown dungeons, or show off their spoils in town! There’s always something to do in the new frontier.

Build and upgrade your Fort. Players will enjoy their very own account-based fort,where they can upgrade gear, and make renovations to show it off to their friends and the world. The game allows them to build monuments of power, pet stables, and more!

Relics are objects of great power that grant players a suite of active skills and passive skills. Players can craft them, level them up and store them in their fort. The relic is an important part of a character’s strategy – choose wisely!

Whether it’s armor, weapons, dyes, recipes, ember cores, or even new pets … there’s always more to find as adventurers battle through dungeons and take on dangerous foes. Every randomly-generated area can be replayed over and over again since each instance brings different items. Those who want even more epic gear can run maps from the Mapworks, or take on a contract to earn Fame and unlock elite items.

Pets are Back. Players can fight their way to fame and glory with loyal companions. Each of the many species comes in a myriad of colors and styles so adventurers shouldn’t settle for the first one they find. They can also make these pets stronger by adding skills, equip them with gear to make them hardier, and together battle enemies as a team.

With four classes to choose from, players can utilize class-specific mechanics to maximize damage and their odds of survival. Torchlight III lets them gather epic gear, select your Relic powers, and customize loadouts to create a unique combat style for their heroes.

Torchlight III features diverse hero classes with unique abilities and powers including the Dusk Mage which is an enchanter who harnesses the power of light and dark energy to conjure devastating attacks, the Forged is a powerful robot who relies on an arsenal of weaponry to build up heat and unleash explosive assaults and the Railmaster is a locomotive savvy powerhouse who steams into combat with a massive hammer and heavily armed battle train.

The full Torchlight III release date is still to be announced.

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