What started off as an online spinoff to the relatively successful Torchlight series ended up as one of the biggest surprises for its fans this year. Earlier this January, Torchlight Frontiers was rebranded into Torchlight 3, a true successor to the top-down ARPGs Torchlight and Torchlight 2, both of which were sleeper hits in their genres.
While Torchlight 3 is now considered an official sequel, it will still plan to innovate and capitalize on the success of its predecessors by introducing brand new mechanics. The biggest of these is the Fort system, which adds base building to Torchlight 3 and allows players to customize their base of operations to their hearts’ content. Developer Echtra, Inc. and publisher Perfect World Entertainment released a brand-new trailer that showcases Forts and their role in Torchlight 3, which you can check out below.
In addition to the trailer, Torchlight 3 also released a blog about the role of forts and estates in the game. Forts are completely customizable, allowing players to create and decorate their dream bases as they see fit. Interiors can also be beautified with a wide variety of cosmetic items, all of which are catered to different styles and types of players.
Forts will be made available relatively early in players’ journeys, unlocking in Act I of Torchlight 3. The blog states that you’ll have to wrestle back control of your fort from a local Goblin tribe, with the cleanup afterwards also part of your responsibility. Assets and other decorative items are provided for players at the start, and more of them can be unlocked by venturing out into the world, completing quests or by progressing through Contract tiers, a system first introduced with Torchlight Frontiers.
Forts aren’t only for cosmetic purposes, though, as they can be visited by other adventurers on their own quests while on the Frontier. You can enhance your characters in many ways through many of the structures in the forts, and bestow these same enhancements to party members on your journey.
Torchlight 3 is set to be released sometime this year on PC via Steam. Console versions are also planned in the future.
