Why You Should Play TQ2 If You Didn't Love Diablo 4

Summary

The Dual mastery system allows for unique class combinations and individual passive trees.
Customizable difficulty settings offer granular options for monster level scaling and resurrection.
The Divinity system encourages exploration and completion of quests for character progression.

For players who missed the surprise announcement from THQ Nordic, Titan Quest 2 is out now in early access on PC. The Greek mythology-inspired ARPG offers something a little different from its peers, though fans of loot-driven ARPGs will be instantly at home with its systems. Whether players are looking for copious amounts of loot or an in-depth character progression and customization system, they'll find it in Titan Quest 2, and more.

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The core of character progression builds on what made the first game special, namely the dual mastery system. Now, as well as combining two masteries to make unique classes, players can also develop their favorite skills with their own individual passive trees. While the current early access release only contains the first act of the game's campaign, the amount of potential character builds means there's a lot to experiment with already. For players who might be wondering where this game sits on the totem pole of ARPGs, these are the reasons to try Titan Quest 2 if you're not a fan of Diablo 4, or just can't do another season.

Customizable Difficulty Scaling

A Granular Approach

A lot of ARPGs offer scaling difficulty settings and put that choice in the player's hands. However, Titan Quest 2 lets players get specific, allowing players to adjust the level scaling of monsters up or down on the fly, level up monsters in lower-level areas, and respawn maps with new difficulty settings at any time. The options are all accessed via a shrine in Pyrgos, and the quality of life offered by this very specific system goes a little further than other ARPGs in letting players progress at their own pace.

When applied across a full campaign, this approach to difficulty settings should allow the game to please both hardcore ARPG players who want to maximize XP and loot gains at any given time, and more casual players who want to spend their time exploring the campaign. As for now, it at least lets players continue to up the challenge and max out their skills once the relatively short amount of story so far is over. There is also a standard character select difficulty setting where players can choose Neophyte (gives a damage reduction and regen buff that can later be removed), Normal, or Hardcore (one life mode, character deleted on death).

Dual Mastery System

Dual-Classing

One of the defining factors of the first Titan Quest was the ability to combine two masteries to create a hybrid class. This system returns in a new form in Titan Quest 2, and the way this works is fundamentally different from Diablo 4's class and skill system. Players essentially get two skill trees to work with, each with its own active and passive skills, and mixing and matching to find the synergies between the two masteries is encouraged. On top of that, once players have activated a skill in their tree, they can level it up, which gives the skill "capacity." This allows players to add passive bonuses to the skill, changing the way it behaves or scaling its damage, and so on.

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Alongside this dual-classing system, players also have core skills like basic attacks and inherent defenses that can be upgraded similarly, and major attributes to increase (Might, Agility, Knowledge, Vigor), so there's a robust system to experiment with. In the early access release, there are only four masteries currently available, but even that means there are a lot of potential ways to take a character, since each tree also allows for different build types within it. There are more masteries planned to be added before launch, and this class/skill system will likely be where fans of in-depth character customization and buildcraft will find the fun in Titan Quest 2.

Divinity

Encouraging Participation

In Titan Quest 2, players gain experience for passive and active skill points by completing quests and killing monsters, like any other ARPG. The game also has a separate measure of character progression called Divinity. Players get Divinity from slaying powerful foes, side quests, optional bosses, and more. Divinity is used to increase players' mastery levels, granting access to more of a mastery's skill tree, so players will want as much as they can get. Yet, it's not the system, but the way it's used, that stands out in Titan Quest 2.

The way that Divinity and experience are handed out is used cleverly to encourage players to engage with the various characters and side objectives they'll find throughout the campaign. Titan Quest 2 is a game that wants players to take their time in an area, see all of a map, and find its secrets. That stands in stark contrast to seasonal ARPGs like Diablo 4, which are focused mostly on post-campaign blasting and temporary activities.

Story & Setting

Child Of Prophecy

While Greek mythology influences a lot of monster design in games, it's not often the main focus. Titan Quest 2 sets itself firmly in this world, pitting players against the Goddess Nemesis and sending them on a quest to stop the rebirth of the Titans themselves. From Satyrs, to Gorgons, to Gryphons, players will encounter a menagerie of beasts from Greek legend along the way. The setting also influences the visual design of areas, maps, and architecture. There are a lot more sun-drenched shores than demon-strewn wastes, and this sets the game apart from many other ARPGs.

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It remains to be seen whether the full game will provide more variety in this regard across the campaign, but so far in Act One, the game seems to be providing well-thought-out areas with plenty of little nooks and crannies to discover in fresh playthroughs. That speaks to the main difference between Titan Quest 2 and a live-service ARPG like Diablo 4, as this campaign is designed to be the meat of the game and enjoyable to re-experience with multiple characters.

Update Schedule

12-Month Early Access Cycle

The developers of Titan Quest 2 have been clear about their aims for this early access period. They're set to release four major updates at roughly three-month intervals, meaning the 1.0 version should be complete about one year from this early access release.

This also means that players should be able to expect significant updates, with each one needing to add a chapter to the game's campaign (five acts are planned in total), as well as one or two additional masteries. Of course, early access plans can change, but this update cadence should please the type of ARPG fans who feel Diablo 4's updates don't add enough new content to the game with each new cycle.

Offline Single Player

No To The MMO

For players who don't want trading mechanics, player-filled hub towns, group events, or any other always-online multiplayer elements, Titan Quest 2 might be for you. While co-op multiplayer is a beta feature and a planned addition to the game, Titan Quest 2 is a single-player-focused ARPG first and foremost. In this regard, it couldn't be more of a contrast to Diablo 4, where multiplayer is unavoidable, even if players can ignore it most of the time.

This single-player focus means more than just not having to mute a global chat window, as the developers can make different decisions with regard to balance, drop rates, and in-game economy when player trading isn't a factor.