Titan Quest 2 Gives Me The Class Freedom I Have Always Wanted - Closed Playtest Preview

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I love games I can find myself coming back to, grind to get more powerful in, and has a deep system that allows me to play the way I want to. I have played many that I really enjoy, but it feels like I have to do a bit too much before I can start customizing my protagonist the way I want to. However, Titan Quest 2 seems like it may be exactly what I have been looking for. I got to try out the game in a closed playtest ahead of its release, and I just want to play more.

If you have played games like Diablo or Path of Exile, the general gameplay loop will be very familiar. Titan Quest 2 is an Action RPG hack and slash where you will go around and kill enemies, level up, find new loot, and get progressively stronger. But, unlike other games in this genre, Titan Quest stood out with its unique features that allow you to essentially create your own class that grows your character the way you want to in a unique setting. Titan Quest 2 continues that trend, and I couldn't be happier.

This iteration of the game introduces a more dynamic class system. Instead of choosing a class immediately, you will choose two different masteries that encompass different types of skills and spells. From there, every time you level up, you can put skill points into the abilities of each mastery, upgrading them and equipping whichever you want. You will also get ways to modify the abilities in different ways to fine-tune the way they act based on how you want to build out your character.

I am so glad this happened early on in the game. In the demo, it was within the first 10 minutes that I found both alters to give me my two masteries, so I could start really diving deep into the system from the beginning. It's also really easy to mix and match the abilities, which I did to make my own build of a fire and ice ranger that can bring down lightning, throw fireballs, and shoot arrows from afar.

It was also really easy to modify the abilities to my liking. It was as simple as upgrading them and filling in their slots to change the way they worked. I wanted my lightning to do more damage and spread to others, so I equipped a couple of modifiers to make it happen. I like that the number of modifiers you can equip depends on your ability level, and all modifiers are unlocked at the start, so mixing and matching is almost immediate. The way ability points are given is pretty generous, too, so I feel like I was able to really get into building out my character almost immediately.

The combination of these abilities, along with combat, was a great motivator to keep playing. It helps that the gorgeous Greek mythology setting feels unique and a joy to walk around in, but the tight combat and easy dodging made each fight more exciting to play around with. It felt great to run around and explore the world, which felt like it was brimming with new things to discover. I also like the loot system, which made me feel like each piece of armor and weapon I found could be meaningful in different ways.

The demo did a great job of getting me interested in the world of Titan Quest 2 and the story. I didn't want to spend too much time on it and focus on the gameplay mechanics, but I was definitely curious about where the story would be going next and what places I would discover.

I did try the playtest on the Steam Deck, and while it does have some issues, I see a lot of potential. In closed-off areas, the game can run up to 60 FPS, but out in the open, it sticks at around 24 FPS at the lowest settings. It does have FSR 3 and XeSS upscaling, but I decided to use XeSS since there's less ghosting. Still, for an early playtest when the game is still being worked on, this is still quite solid performance so far.

Titan Quest 2 left me wanting more by the time I was done. I love the dual mastery system and the flexibility I have to dictate how I want to play the game and the beauty of the world. The combat feels tight and enjoyable, and I love the Greek aesthetic for this type of game. If this is what the full game has to offer, I can happily say this is going to be a must-buy. I have a lot of faith that it will get better on the Steam Deck as well, especially with how well it performs in this slice of the game. Time will tell how well it performs on the go, but I will be watching this game like a hawk!

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