Torchlight III — Big changes to Torchlight Frontiers

A long, long time ago, I mentioned the Torchlight Frontiers announcement and I got very excited.

Frontiers went into alpha in March 2019 and that is where it has been at since. Slowly my interest in the game waned as updates from the developers became more infrequent. We've been waiting patiently for an alpha or beta test invite, but nothing. The bits we got to see was a weapon here, an enemy there and some builds for the classes.

This was going to be my next MMO, but after months of radio silence Arc Games has dropped a bombshell of an announcement: Torchlight Frontiers is no more. Long live Torchlight III!

According to Arc Games:

Along with this name change comes a major shift in our design approach to Torchlight III. Torchlight III will be released as a premium title. For one box-price, you will own the game and be able to play the way that you want, online or off. Over the past year, we have gathered massive amounts of feedback from our Alpha testers. After reviewing this feedback, discussing with our internal teams, and receiving guidance from our publisher, we determined that this was the best course for the game. This shift helps bring Torchlight back to its roots and makes it the true sequel to Torchlight I & II that it was always meant to be.

So we are getting a true Torchtlight sequel. While I was excited for a Torchlight MMO, this news has actually made me very happy.

The main worry for me before was that Frontiers was going to use a free-to-play model with micro transactions. So many free-to-play developers mess up the balance between monetising their game and "pay-to-win". The addition of micro transactions to a Torchlight game was a big question mark that hung over the game.

Some of the features coming to the game:

• The game now follows the classic Act structure from previous titles. Players start at the Imperial Outpost besieged by goblin hordes. They then follow the trail of nether corruption into lands overtaken by Hyvid and finally reach the [redacted] Peaks and their cavernous underplaces ruled by the electrifying [redacted].

• Horizontal progression has been removed, so all Frontier-specific levels, gear stats, and scaling has been removed as well. We are returning our progression systems to better work in tandem with this.

• Most zones are now private by default to give a better play experience. Players can still meet each other in public town levels and form parties to play together in instanced combat zones.

• When creating your character, you can now select Online or Offline Mode. Characters made in Offline Mode do not require an internet connection to play, but will also not be able to participate in multiplayer games.

• We have removed the in-game real-money store.

You can read more about Torchlight III on their FAQ page.

I will keep you all updated as I find out more!