The brand-new Torchlight Infinite season, ‘Overrealm,’ has officially launched! This is your friendly reminder that XD’s fast-paced ARPG is a fantastic alternative if you need a break from other major titles in the genre. While games like Diablo 4 offer grand spectacles, Path of Exile provides intricate build crafting, and Last Epoch boasts highly flexible skill systems, Torchlight Infinite shines with its incredible speed and visual flair, offering a refreshing change of pace for any loot enthusiast. With a completely revamped endgame designed to challenge your character builds and combat skills, alongside a fresh twist for its most chaotic hero, there are countless reasons to jump back in.
The ‘Overrealm’ season, sometimes referred to as Season 12 or SS10, introduces a perilous alternate dimension that players will explore as they progress through the re-envisioned endgame. Within this unstable realm, the goal is to delve as deep as possible and collect maximum rewards before the dimension inevitably collapses. This core mechanic truly highlights what makes action RPGs exciting: constantly optimizing your character builds and pushing your skills to their limits.
Players can customize their potential rewards from the Overrealm using new items: the ‘Bottled Shadow’ and the ‘Containment Dossier.’ This robust, permanent progression system provides various upgrades, from extended run times and temporary combat companions to convenient auto-looting, a personal teleporter, and even the power to summon elite monster packs that drop exceptionally valuable loot.
Beyond the Overrealm, the game’s talent system has received a significant overhaul with the introduction of ‘Ethereal Prisms.’ These powerful items can be socketed directly into talent nodes, replacing them with unique and potent bonuses. While you can only equip one Ethereal Prism at a time, their impact is substantial. Furthermore, you can also deploy an ‘Inverse Image’ – a special prism that mirrors and amplifies all talents within its area, effectively bypassing any prerequisite requirements.
Bing, one of Torchlight Infinite’s fan-favorite heroes, now boasts an additional hero trait, fundamentally transforming his playstyle. The ‘Creative Genius’ trait shifts Bing away from his signature chaotic approach, introducing a more strategic spellcasting loadout that utilizes two distinct resources: Whimsy and Ingenuity. This new system also features a unique trait progression that grants him a talent from both skill pools at levels 45, 60, and 75, paving the way for exciting new hybrid builds.
As expected from any Torchlight Infinite season, Overrealm introduces a trove of new legendary gear, alongside several exciting universal mechanics. Players can benefit from new buff effects like hasten, fortitude, and aggression. For those who prefer to debilitate their foes, new debuffs include frail (increasing spell damage taken), torment (amplifying damage-over-time), and infiltration (applying various elemental effects to reduce enemy potency).
A notable addition in this update is a new category of ‘combo skills,’ complete with corresponding gear bonuses and support effects. These skills execute a series of moves in sequence, offering significant rewards for players who successfully land the full combination. Take ‘Crescent Slash,’ for instance: it begins with a single energy wave, progresses into a rapid flurry, and culminates in a powerful finisher. Crucially, players can weave in blinks and mobility skills mid-combo without interrupting the flow, though using other abilities will reset the sequence.
Good news for fans of last season’s content: the popular ‘Outlaw’ mechanic, which involved hijacking armored convoys to gain access to a central vault, has been integrated into the core game. So, if you enjoyed that criminal thrill, you can now experience it anytime. Developer XD has also implemented numerous other progression and quality-of-life enhancements. Ember costs for various crafting recipes have been significantly reduced, mutated legendary items are no longer character-bound and can be freely crafted and traded, and the Trade House now updates more frequently for a smoother trading experience.
The Torchlight Infinite ‘Overrealm’ update is available now, and it’s completely free to play on Steam. Players can dive in immediately to explore all the new content and changes.
While Torchlight Infinite might not always demand as much long-term engagement as some of its competitors, tackling a new season offers an incredibly refreshing and invigorating experience. It’s a perfect palate cleanser after spending time with more intense or traditional ARPGs, and with no entry cost, it’s definitely worth checking out.
If you’re looking for more great experiences without breaking the bank, consider exploring some of the best free Steam games available. For those who love deep character progression, many excellent RPGs offer ample opportunities for building your ultimate hero.
The ARPG landscape is thriving, with exciting titles like Titan Quest 2’s second act now available, the Grim Dawn expansion ‘Fangs of Asterkarn’ on the horizon, and a mysterious new project from Blizzard veterans at Moon Beast Productions. Players are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to action RPGs.