Looking for a unique dungeon crawler with lots of content to hack and slash through? Torchlight III is a perfect choice! It has creative character archetypes, lots of content, and the game's world has a flavor unlike any other. With the game out of closed alpha and available to all, there's no better time to try it out.
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Being a big beefy robot slaughtering enemies has a major appeal so many players will want to choose the Forged to play as. These robots can take a ton of damage while also dishing it out. They don't just have to do melee damage either, the gun in the center of their chest comes in handy often. It can be daunting trying to decide which Relics or Abilities to use, but knowledge is power and we have a lot to share!
The Forged have two skill trees which are Barrage and Brawl. They also have a unique mechanic with their skills. They build up Heat as they move, and must Vent it to use their skills. The higher the heat level, the higher the skill's effect will be. Leveling up the skills makes their effects more potent, and all skills have a level 10 cap.
Rapid Fire: Unleash a torrent of bullets for 50% cannon damage.
- Rapid Fire damage +4.25% per level
- Barrage skills damage +2.10% per level
Vent - Coal Launch: Launch hot coals from your furnace that land and set the ground on fire. Deals 100% weapon damage on impact and additional damage over time. Has a duration of six seconds and spends all Heat to use.
Unlocked By: Spending 1 skill point in Barrage.
- Coal Launch damage +6.80% per level
- Heat-spending skill damage +4.20% per level
Shotgonne Blast: Wide cone-shaped attack that deals 75% weapon damage and has a 20% chance to Knockback enemies.
Unlocked By: Spending 1 skill point in Barrage.
- Shotgonne Blast damage +5.95% per level
- Heat dissipation +4.03% per level
Poison Dart: Fire a poison dart that explodes on impact and leaves a lingering spot that poisons enemies who stand in the area for 100% cannon damage per second for 6 seconds.
Unlocked By: Spending 5 skill points in Barrage.
- Poison Dart duration +5.10%
- Pet Skill and Attack damage +5.88% per level
Slug Shot: Unleash a single, high-powered shot that pierces enemies for 150% weapon damage.
Unlocked By: Spending 10 skill points in Barrage.
- Slugshot critical hit chance +8.50% per level
- Coal Launch area duration +8.40% per level
Sonic Pulse: Unleash a pulse that exposes enemy weaknesses, increases all damage against them by 40%, and has a 15% chance to stun enemies for 43.5 seconds
Unlocked By: Spending 10 skill points in Barrage.
- Additional stun chance for sonic pulse +2.50% per level
- Barrage skill cooldowns -2.50%
Rapid Strike: Strike enemies in front of you with multiple, rapid strikes for 25%% weapon damage.
- Rapid Strike damage +6.80% per level
- Brawl skill damage +2.10% per level
Vent - Vortex Bomb: Pulls foes toward you, then flushes all Heat. Deals 200% weapon damage, up to 600% - depending on the amount of Heat. Doubles armor while being used. Stuns enemies for 1 second.
Unlocked By: Spending 1 skill point in Brawl.
- Vortex Bomb cooldown -4.25% per level
- Relic active skill damage +1.68% per level
Servo-Driven Uppercut: Pound a single target directly in front of you with slow hard-hitting hits of your fists, dealing 200% weapon damage with a 20% to stun for 2 seconds.
Unlocked By: Spending 5 skill points in Brawl.
- Uppercut stun chance +8.50% per level
- Melee skill critical chance +1.68% per level
Cyclone Mode: Spin your way through foes, dealing 5% area weapon damage per second.
Unlocked By: Spending 5 skill points in Brawl.
- Cyclone Mode damage +8.06% per level
- Movement speed +1.68% per level
Ramming Robot: Charge headlong into foes, dealing 150% weapon damage and knocking them back.
Unlocked By: Spending 15 skill points in Brawl.
- Ramming Robot damage +5.95% per level
- Damage reduction in melee combat +1.68% per level
Fracking Strike: Use your fists to send rippling waves of earth into enemies for 75% weapon damage and slow enemies by 50% for 4 seconds.
Unlocked By: Spending 15 skill points in Brawl.
- Damage for Fracking Strike +8.40% per level
- Relic active skill damage +1.68% per level
It is possible to make a workable build with each Relic in the game, but there is a reason certain Relics are used more than others. As the robot already has high defenses, it can work well with Blood Drinker to make it the ultimate unkillable wall. Players can also choose to focus on dealing damage, which is where Electrode particularly shines.
Please note that there is not a single set of abilities that work with all Relics. Players need to pick out their abilities carefully so that they synchronize well with the Relic of their choice. If they don't, they will be hampering their own ability to deal damage and advance in the game.
For players interested in building with a specific Relic, we collected some basic builds for players to start with. These are just the building blocks for players to tinker with, they will need to put in work to find the exact setup that works best for them.
Core Skills: Ramming Robot, Rapid Strike, Servo-Driven Uppercut, and Vent - Vortex Bomb
Relic Skills: Blood Seekers and Dance of Death
Equipment: Full Mountain King armor set. Equipment that boosts Critical Hit chance, Heat generation, and Servo-Driven Uppercut.
Why This Build Works: This build focuses on the power of the punch, especially Servo-Driven Uppercut, to deal damage and keep this tanky robot alive. The massive damage and stun it provides can be enough to get players healed up and able to keep fighting against even the most powerful of enemies.
Core Skills: Cyclone Mode, Poison Dart, Ramming Robot, Sonic Pulse, and Vent - Vortex Bomb
Relic Skills: Arachnid Assault, Miasma, and Poison Nova
Equipment: Full Mountain King armor set. Equipment that boosts damage to Miasma and Arachnid Assault.
Why This Build Works: The more punches possible, the more chances for Poison! This build is also nice and it can provide a few extra summons to help support the player in case they are the only tank on the field.
Core Skills: Cyclone Mode, Ramming Robot, Sonic Pulse, and Vent - Vortex Bomb
Relic Skills: Cold Front, Ice Shield, and Snowstorm
Equipment: Full Mountain King armor set. Equipment that boosts block chance, chance to immobilize, and reduces Relic energy cost.
Why This Build Works: It's even harder to die as a tank if the enemies are all slowed down and frozen. This build focuses on that longevity more than putting out tons of damage, but players with a bit of patience will find it works well for them.
Core Skills: Cyclone Mode, Ramming Robot, Sonic Pulse, and Vent - Vortex Bomb
Relic Skills: Lightning Barrier, Localized Storm, and Thousand-Volt Burst
Equipment: Full Mountain King armor set. Equipment that increases the chance of Shock.
Why This Build Works: With the number of punches the Forged is capable of putting out, tons of electric bolts will end up flying across the battlefield. The damage output on this build can be jaw-dropping, but with the random nature of electricity, it can also be a bit unpredictable.
Core Skills: Ramming Robot, Rapid Fire, Sonic Pulse, and Vent - Coal Launch
Relic Skills: Cloak of Flames, Summoning Smash, and Sword Smash
Equipment: Full Mountain King armor set. Equipment that boosts Sword Smash damage and/or increases the chance to inflict Burn.
Why This Build Works: Unlike other builds, this one focuses on using Coal Launch to bring Burn and Fire damage to a whole new level. If players can bring on the heat and the Heat, the damage output of this build is phenominal.
Torchlight III is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.