Launching the same day as Last Epoch Season 2, just a few days on from the mammoth Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt update, and with Diablo 4 Season 8 imminent, you might have feared for the latest Torchlight Infinite season. The free Steam game is still proving itself a worthwhile contender, however; while it might not have climbed to quite the mammoth heights of its rivals, the new city-building Sandlord mechanic and a dark twist on hero Thea has brought players flocking back to the Diablo-style ARPG.
The latest iteration in the long-running series is well worth a look for anyone who enjoys games like Diablo. It’s fast and frantic, outpacing most of its rivals, and developer XD brings fresh ideas to the table with each major update. Torchlight Infinite Season 8 is titled ‘Sandlord’ and at its heart is a new management sim minigame, which sees you developing a thriving Cloud Oasis and recruiting workers to handle various tasks from mining and goods production to raids. In return you’ll earn blending recipes that can further enhance your builds, bringing another splash of depth to the free Steam game.
Alongside that comes a new twist for one of the game’s playable characters. Season 8 puts Thea the Blasphemer in the spotlight, and she’s losing her religion, demanding that you cast aside her Blessings rather than build them up. Doing so accumulates Desecrations in their place, allowing her to deal widespread or focused, single-target damage depending on your build. There are also a wealth of extra items and additional endgame mechanics to dig into, including stacking negative affixes designed to push your late-game loadouts and skills to their limits.
The result has been strong so far – Torchlight Infinite’s player count for the new season has boomed up to highs of more than 12,000 active concurrent users in the first few days. While that’s pretty comparable to the last couple of major updates, the fact it’s managed to hold onto that despite landing during perhaps the busiest period we’ve seen for ARPGs in a long time is impressive.
Torchlight Infinite Season 8 is out now, and you can play for free on Steam. Just download it to get started and discover why it keeps bringing people back.
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