Titan Quest II’s promising Early Access launch has me eager for more

by

I’ve spent a substantial amount of time, roughly 200 hours, playing Iron Lore Entertainment’s original Titan Quest, well before it was available on Steam. To this day, I still hold onto my original installation disks and manuals, complete with the CD-Keys included. When THQ Nordic announced in 2023 that a sequel was finally in development for the ARPG series, my excitement knew no bounds. Now that Titan Quest II’s early access period has commenced, I’ve delved back into the game and here are my initial thoughts on this latest Greek-themed loot extravaganza.

In Titan Quest II, you play as a character pursued by the vengeful goddess Nemesis who, having destroyed Sparta twenty years prior, now seeks your demise, seeing you as her only potential downfall. Although it’s still in early access with around five hours of story content available, the game successfully entices and leaves me eager for more, as I journeyed through various plotlines. During my brief time, I fled the ruin of my homeland, engaged in battles against deities, delved into the enigmatic domains of celestial realms, and battled countless crustaceans – yes, many crabs!

One aspect I’ve consistently admired about the original Titan Quest game is its innovative approach to classes and skills, allowing players to choose two skill sets (or “schools”) and blend abilities from both. Unlike traditional character creation where you’d pick a fixed class like Barbarian, Wizard, or Thief, this more flexible system has always been more appealing to me. It’s great to see this versatility carried over into the sequel, with four schools – Warfare, Rogue, Storm, and Earth – currently available. The developers have hinted at adding more skills with six promised for the initial 1.0 release.

For my gameplay session, I chose a combination of Warfare and Storm abilities, resulting in the creation of the Tempest class. Essentially, it’s a large, tough melee fighter who rushes into battle and repeatedly strikes enemies until they are defeated. During level-ups, you are given three types of skill points to allocate: Divinity points that boost a specific skill area to unlock more advanced abilities, Active skills which are special attacks or spells, and Passive skills that provide ongoing benefits. You can change the distribution of your points in the chosen skill areas at any time for a fee, but you cannot alter the specific skill areas themselves at this point.

After nearly two decades since the initial game’s launch in 2006, Titan Quest II has undergone significant upgrades and enhancements to match contemporary games, not just visually but in terms of features as well. Moving on to the skills, Titan Quest II builds upon the open-ended aspect I mentioned earlier, incorporating skill modifiers and additional skills similar to those found in games like Diablo and Path of Exile. As you pour more points into a particular active or passive skill, they not only become stronger and more versatile but also unlock slots for adding additional properties to the skill.

One key ability I frequently utilize in my Tempest character is the Heavy Strike. A possible enhancement could be that this skill triggers a secondary strike each time it’s used. Another intriguing feature is my Storm Armor, which can freeze enemies and summon lightning strikes at regular intervals. These additional traits can also be upgraded for greater advantages. I’m eager to delve into the Earth and Rogue trees to discover their offerings, and I eagerly anticipate future schools as well. While these features are common in ARPGs, what truly caught my attention is that this system of investing points and adding modifiers isn’t limited to special abilities alone; even fundamental skills like basic attacks for both weapon sets can be amplified. This added depth has left me impressed!






In simpler terms, while the visually stunning skills may initially grab one’s attention in Titan Quest, the lesser-known features like enhancing basic attacks with modifiers, such as the dash and barrier, are surprisingly intriguing. For instance, amplifying the “Hamstring” modifier on my regular attacks can slow enemies for a second by 30%, or I can transform my dodge movement action from a standard dash into a teleport, enabling me to evade danger even when rooted or confined to a specific location.

As a gaming enthusiast diving into Titan Quest II, I must say it’s got the vibe of a cutting-edge Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG) down pat. The dash and shield mechanics I mentioned earlier have a familiar ring to them; they let you swiftly dodge formidable enemy assaults, often signaled by distinct markings. The shield, on the other hand, can be activated to absorb a certain amount of damage. Drawing inspiration from the gameplay style of Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4, Titan Quest II offers two primary control methods: mouse-click for those who prefer the traditional approach, or WASD movement, which I opted for and found just as comfortable and user-friendly.

That said, it’s important to remember that Titan Quest II is only in early access at this point, so there’s plenty of room for improvement. One area I hope to see addressed is the enemy variety – or lack thereof. Currently, most of my encounters have been with crabs (yes, you read that right), but during my five-hour adventure, I can only recall battling a handful of other types: spiders, fish people, birds, and angry cultists. No special mob versions of these enemies made an appearance during my playtime. Here’s to hoping for a more diverse enemy roster as the game progresses!

In ARPG games, there’s a particular thrill I feel when I encounter a unique adversary, curious if they will drop an exciting new magical artifact or possess an intriguing combination of abilities. Unfortunately, that excitement is missing (thus far) in Titan Quest II, with such intense encounters being restricted to mini-bosses within side quests, such as the four fishman commanders I had to defeat. I’m optimistic that one of the upcoming updates during early access will introduce these challenging and unexpected surprises while exploring.

I’m still just as excited for Titan Quest II’s complete release as before, and even the early access has made me more eager! Despite only getting a small taste so far, I’ve battled bosses, marveled at new territories, and brainstormed character builds. Now, I can hardly wait to see what adventures await next!

Titan Quest Ii is now available in Early Access on Steam.

Read More

2025-08-27 05:26