With Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred in the rearview mirror and Path of Exile 2 looming, my mind is still on the next big ARPG, and Titan Quest 2 is at the top of my most anticipated list. The 2006 original remains a classic of the genre, and one of the reasons it still stands out today is its distinctive class system, in which you merge two “masteries” to create a huge number of potential combinations. Grimlore Games is building on this system for the sequel, and in a new blog post, it explains exactly what to expect from Titan Quest 2’s masteries when Early Access launches.

Like its predecessor, Titan Quest 2 you combine two masteries to determine your class. You’ll use them at the start of your adventure, Grimlore explains, “because we want you to experience the possible synergies between them without too much of a gap between the two unlocks.” Each mastery unlocks a range of spells and modifiers to choose from, with the ability to slot up to ten skills in total into your hotbar. This should ensure that you have an impressive selection of builds, giving you the freedom and space to experiment with your gear that makes the best games like Diablo shine.

As mentioned during my Titan Quest 2 OverviewYou’ll also have the ability to adapt and modify your two overall skills – the basic attack and your dodge – allowing you to adjust them depending on your chosen approach. With ten slots to play with, you will have the freedom to choose what you like. Want to jump into a unique damage skill and supplement it with support? Or mix a variety of different attacks to adapt to each situation as it arises? Titan Quest 2 lets you do whatever suits you.

You’ll gain separate active and passive points in skill trees, and active abilities can be further adjusted by modifiers. When Titan Quest 2 Early Access arrives, you’ll have the Earth, Storm, and War masteries at your disposal, but expect this to expand over time – The original had eight choices in the base game, with three more in extensions. Grimlore gives us some examples of the theme of each mastery.

The first is Earth, which, much like the first game’s equivalent, is actually a mixture of fire and physical Earth magic. You can opt for a more controlled use of flames, accept earthquakes and fissures, “or abandon all concerns for safety altogether and sacrifice your own health in favor of maximum destruction.” Take the Fissure skill, opening a line of earth in front of you to deal damage, then top it off with a Lava modifier to deal additional fire damage, or an additional Fissures modifier for a slightly weaker three-hit spread.

You dominate the battlefield with ice and lightning thanks to the mastery of The Storm. It favors AoE abilities with repeated bursts of damage and elemental infusions into your skills. Freeze and Shock allow you to completely lock down enemies. Equip Cyclone to place a large circular storm dealing cold damage, then add the Blizzard modifier to deal more damage and apply cold and freeze effects, or the Personal Storm modifier to also create a smaller secondary storm that follows your character.

Finally (for now) we have Warfare, which focuses on combat expertise. The mastery tree includes attacks designed to suit all weapon types, including ranged weapons, providing plenty of freedom of choice. It also grants support abilities ideal for getting up close or crushing opponents with stuns and staggers.

Among the wellness skills, Leap is an ARPG classic that lets you quickly jump across the battlefield – Cooldown Charge lets you use two charges at the cost of a longer cooldown, while that Seismic Leap inflicts a large impact around your landing point. Combine the two modifiers and you can quickly wipe out a group of enemies with a double dose of damage.

Of course, the real magic of Titan Quest 2 will be in how you combine these masteries. To help find the secret sauce, Grimlore has “overarching mechanics that all masteries will feature in some form – sometimes through base abilities, other times through modifiers.” As a simple example, you may be able to use war skills to accumulate status effects that can then be consumed with a Storm spell. “Different masteries will offer different overall mechanics,” he says. explain“allowing unique interactions between specific mastery pairs that all others cannot cover. »

Titan Quest 2 is expected to launch via Steam Early Access this winter, either in late 2024 or early 2025. Grimlore promises more gameplay footage “soon,” so keep your eyes peeled for more details in the near future.

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