Torchlight Closed Beta testing is over and develop XD has released new details on adjustments to microtransactions.
Closed Beta testing is over, and a new blog post has just surface on the Torchlight Infinite TapTap feed. The latest update from developer XD details the latest plans for tweaking microtransactions in Torchlight Infinite. Players who have been following the upcoming adventure might have noticed some wary voices during closed the beta. We had our own positive and negative comments on potential microtransactions during the beta. Now, we get to find out more about future development.
After dredging through feedback XD has hit on three main areas that need addressing. As a loot based ARPG, Torchlight Infinite places a lot of emphasis on power through gameplay. This means that loot carries plenty of eight in this regard. This being said, the in-game trading systems are a crucial way to trade up and trade out gear. Selling valuable drops to your contemporaries makes gameplay rewarding and fosters an active player base. In response to this, XD is looking to increase the number of base Booth Tabs, increasing the default number of items players can sell at one time. This is accompanied by proposals to add a free Tab with the season pass and a plan to reduce the cost of these trading slots.
Hero Traits
While our experience of the latest testing phase allowed us to simply pick and choose these new twists on each hero, XD has concluded that the gameplay changes and development required in swapping Emma over from fire to ice means things won’t be as simple as just clicking a menu. Instead of just picking a new version of each hero on the start screen, each of the additional hero traits is likely to be treated as an entirely new character and locked behind a paywall. While this is not initially ideal, the concept means that XD can build an entirely new storyline for each new variation on the base heroes of Torchlight. XD Explained it with this example
——The fire energy in Gemma’s mechanical arm is gradually drying up, so she finally responds to the calls of Zoya within her and starts her slow journey to the Arctic Land. Endless frost assaults Gemma. Zoya merges all her powers of frost into Gemma’s soul to save her life, while Zoya’s own soul perishes. Crystals of ice form around Gemma as she abandons the energy of fire in the Frostbitten Heart state. She gains greater proficiency in Cold Skills, and her battle style is completely different from her previous Ice-Fire Fusion state.
No Gacha
While we did worry about the potential for gacha creep, the change top add new heroes shouldn’t end up behind a random number generator. Instead, XD are aiming to gate these behind a mix of the Season pass and direct purchase, meaning players will be able to choose how they play rather than hope for the best.
Due to the plans above, Season pass rewards should get a tweak going forward too. XD has added the auto loot onto the free tier of Season pass, while slotting the 1st hero trait for the new hero in the current season and 12 Booth Tab slots into the paid Season Pass.
Of all of these proposed changes, the auto loot modification is probably the biggest quality of life change. While fans might be concerned about paying for the new Hero traits, I’m generally of the opinion that it should save XD from feeling the need to gouge other systems for money. Sure, nothing is confirmed quite yet but anybody who adds the option to directly buy gameplay feature has my attention. If you want to find out more about Torchlight Infinite and our thoughts on the game itself, check out our coverage of the early tests or head over to the official website before it arrives on desktop and mobile.
