Will you have to complete the game to choose Hardcore?

[Wuzzlifer]

Will I be able to play the game in hardcore mode before completing the game on "normal" mode?
I'd really like to team up with a pal and "earn" story progress

[Machiavelli]

I would think it's going to be like Torchlight where you select the mode for the character up front.

I wouldn't see why they'd change that.

[adoomgod]

Now now, don't confuse yourselves my pretties.

1. Hardcore mode is not the same as new game +, and both are not the same as the easy, normal, hard, and very hard settings.

2. Hardcore mode is something you check off "yes or no" when creating your character. It is permanent on that character and if you check it off it means that if your character dies it is permanently dead.
It has no impact on the difficulty (easy-very hard) of the game. You can play hardcore mode on easy or medium or hard or very hard.

3. Difficulties can be switched at any time in game, (easy, med, hard, very hard) but I think online you have to set it when hosting a room and it can only be changed by exiting and hosting another room. That or maybe the host will have full power over it.

4. New game + is unlocked after beating the game once, letting you run your just victorious character through the game again with harder monsters who's levels are scaled up appropriately and new and better loot. We don't know if there will be new game ++.

[Seer]

4. New game + is unlocked after beating the game once, letting you run your just victorious character through the game again with harder monsters who's levels are scaled up appropriately and new and better loot. We don't know if there will be new game ++.

I assume that you keep all the loot and items you acquired when you re-start?



I remember the Ratchet and Clank series had a similar system, challenge mode. You got to keep all your weapons and their xp, and new stuff would be unlocked with the second enhanced playthrough. It was so much fun, I really like the new game+ systems.

[PatrickB]

You can select Hardcore for any character you create in any difficulty. It's there from the start. And yes if you play New Game +, you start with everything you had. Whats the point otherwise?

[adoomgod]

Lol Seer, yes duh.

Its the same system as Diablo 2's nightmare and hell mode.

In TL 2 the devs estimated one full play through will get your character to level 50/100.

I'm guessing playthrough 2 (newgame+) will make you reach about 75-80.

Let me be clear, new game + is the same game, you keep the hero that beat the game with all gear stats and skills, and all the monsters and bosses are scaled to level 50+ with more difficulty. Easy Normal Hard and Very Hard are still going to be options in New game + but New Game plus's easy is going to be harder than the first playthrough's easy.

*edit* Aw Pat, I would have beaten you if I wasn't typing from my black berry but my computer instead.

[Wuzzlifer]

You can select Hardcore for any character you create in any difficulty. It's there from the start. And yes if you play New Game +, you start with everything you had. Whats the point otherwise?

Thank you - I'm glad to hear that

[Soulmancer]

I actually hope there isn't a new game++ ... It just starts to become redundant as normal and nightmare end up becoming a rush-fest or staging ground for the following difficulty... Nightmare in Diablo always felt like a filler difficulty and a way to bleed more time out of existing content. I'm a huge fan of a new game+ mode, but having to play through the game 3 times per character where everyone is just trying to get to the final gameplay mode is excessive; it's better to expand the existing content over two playthroughs... Diablo 3 is opting for the opposite with four playthroughs per character

[amb2010]

I actually hope there isn't a new game++ ... It just starts to become redundant as normal and nightmare end up becoming a rush-fest or staging ground for the following difficulty... Nightmare in Diablo always felt like a filler difficulty and a way to bleed more time out of existing content. I'm a huge fan of a new game+ mode, but having to play through the game 3 times per character where everyone is just trying to get to the final gameplay mode is excessive; it's better to expand the existing content over two playthroughs... Diablo 3 is opting for the opposite with four playthroughs per character

Welp...its already in there so In general though...I don't really see a problem with it. Diablo 2 made it necessary to play through all of them in order to get to the good parts of the game. Torchlight 2 isn't that "competitive" nor is it that serious so I highly doubt we'll have that problem.

EDIT: /doh Didn't see the second +, oh well what I said still applies somewhat.

[adoomgod]

Hmm? I'm not so sure.

New game+ is confirmed but since when is new game++ confirmed?

[Graeystone]

Lol Seer, yes duh.

Its the same system as Diablo 2's nightmare and hell mode.

In TL 2 the devs estimated one full play through will get your character to level 50/100.

I'm guessing playthrough 2 (newgame+) will make you reach about 75-80.

Let me be clear, new game + is the same game, you keep the hero that beat the game with all gear stats and skills, and all the monsters and bosses are scaled to level 50+ with more difficulty. Easy Normal Hard and Very Hard are still going to be options in New game + but New Game plus's easy is going to be harder than the first playthrough's easy.

*edit* Aw Pat, I would have beaten you if I wasn't typing from my black berry but my computer instead.

Well, this is good. Played enough New Game + games only to discover how boring it gets after the second run.

[Arkham]

Hmm? I'm not so sure.

New game+ is confirmed but since when is new game++ confirmed?

I don't think they used that exact term ("new game++") but I do remember something about three playthroughs, or three "tiers" of gear relating to each playthrough, or something like that. I think.

[adoomgod]

Hmm? I'm not so sure.

New game+ is confirmed but since when is new game++ confirmed?

I don't think they used that exact term ("new game++") but I do remember something about three playthroughs, or three "tiers" of gear relating to each playthrough, or something like that. I think.

Yes that's what I'm saying, that they mentioned they weren't sure whether to just have "new game +" (2 playthroughs total) or also "new game ++" as well.(3 playthroughs total)

It seems like they've settled on just 1 newgame+ but this isn't confirmed in any way.

[detama]

You can select Hardcore for any character you create in any difficulty. It's there from the start. And yes if you play New Game +, you start with everything you had. Whats the point otherwise?

is the combination of "very hard" plus "New Game+" comparable to "inferno" in diablo 3 ?
i just hope there will still be enough challenge for the people wearing the best possible loots in game, that will make the hardcore even more challenging and unique, also the people who cheated to get the best possible loots in game can be more acceptable to others due to they still have to fight really hard to survive (ignore the cheat that create super power loots)

by the way, the user ID "replicabelt" is spawning ADs all over the form, please check

[Mason1729]

I'm glad theres gonna be a new game+. One of my beefs with the originals retiring system was that....losing access to one character, and heirlooming an item from such for a new character didn't really sound exciting at all. I just had no incentive in doing that. New Game+ however adds a greater deal of replay value IMO, as while its essentially reliving the story again, the better loot and increased difficulty makes its a lot more than simply replaying the game.

Question: Will new game+ be called as is in the final product, or is there plans for a fancy name akin to nightmare/hell/inferno?

[gold163]

I'd get a kick out of a fancy name for a new game+ mode like "ascension" or something like that. "Nightmare" etc. doesn't seem to fit in as well with Torchlight's theme as much as it does for Diablo. They'll probably just call it new game+.

[adoomgod]

Hmmm. A name for new game+ ?

Corrupted.
Emberfied
Eclipse
New Moon
Twilight
Ordrak-unchained

Bleh, how about; "New Game Plus."

[FalconHeart]

Hmmm. A name for new game+ ?

Eclipse
New Moon
Twilight

Hilarious!

But how about "Torchhard"?

[gold163]

Eclipse
New Moon
Twilight

wouldn't these three modes combined still imply a difficulty far less than the easiest mode?

[adoomgod]

Don't make light of sparkly non-hostile undead abominations. They are so super scary and hardcore and scary... For serial.