Torchlight II Preview

IGN is offering a new hands-on preview for Runic’s sequel Torchlight, based on their experience with the Engineer class. Here’s an excerpt from it:

Before entering a fight it’s probably also a good idea to spawn a few helpers. The Engineer can construct a healing bot that tags along and periodically blasts out waves of healing. If you’re looking for more firepower, Gun Bots can be deployed to fire machine guns at monsters, and Spider Mines tossed onto the field of play will follow the Engineer for a limited time before detonating or until they run into an enemy.

When actually engaged in close-range combat, the Engineer’s charge bar comes into play. As you fight with normal attacks the bar builds, and consuming its charge enhances a variety of skills. The Flame Hammer skill normally slams into the ground and sends out fingers of fire to seek additional targets not singed by the initial blast. With built-up charge, more fire fingers are emitted by the blast zone, greatly boosting its effectiveness in big groups. The Ember Hammer ability normally slashes an electric arc in front of the Engineer and shatters enemy shields. If you’ve got charges stored up, damage is boosted, and unlike with the Flame Hammer skill, using Ember Hammer doesn’t actually consume charge, so you’re free to swat at enemies with the damage buff so long as you have enough mana to support it.

Other skills actually build charge alongside standard weapon attacks. Dynamo Field, for example, blasts out electric waves around the Engineer doing damage and interrupting enemies, and builds more charge the more enemies it hits. So if you’re in the middle of a big group of enemies and low on charge, you could blast out a Dynamo Field and take a few swings with your two-handed weapon to ideally build some up in a hurry and unleash its effects on the creatures trying to kill you.