Torchlight 2 Class Builds and Character Progression Guide

Recommended character builds and progression for all the classes in Torchlight 2.

The town of Torchlight needs the aid of fearless heroes once again, as Torchlight 2 sets you up for yet another journey, this time taking the battle against evil far beyond the mining town.

The character development system in the new gameplay is much more refined than its predecessor, with all-new classes that range from elemental damage dealers to steampunk gadgetry.

Torchlight 2 Classes Explained

The following are the trees of each character:

ClassStrengthsTacticsTrees
BerserkerDespite possessing skill, this still remains the weakest Class Ranged DPS attackers that use shoot-and-scoot and battlefield control tacticsHunter, Tundra, Shadow
EmbermageHeavy hitters with powerful spellsRPG artillery wizards that use elemental attacks Inferno, Frost, Storm
EngineerBeing heavy hitters with thick armor, this is a powerful class Melee DPS characters that run fastBlitz, Construction, Aegis
OutlanderSkilled manipulators with crowd control abilitiesMelee tanks that use 2-handed melee weapons and 2-handed cannons Warfare, Lore, Sigil

Trees

Each class comes with 3 trees that are completely unique to them. These trees inhibit 10 different skills.

7 of these skills are Active Skill, while 3 are Passive Skills.

This makes a total of 21 (7×3) Active Skills, and 9 (3×3) Passive Skills for each character.

All skills can have 3 Tiers. Each Tier requires 5 points. Thus, the maximum amount of points required for a Tier 3 version of a skill is 15.

The following are the trees of each character:

Berserker

Hunter, Tundra, Shadow

Embermage

Inferno, Frost, Storm

Engineer

Blitz, Construction, Aegis

Outlander

Warfare, Lore, Sigil

Stats

Apart from Trees, which give you direct skills, there are also stats for developing your character. Stats are basically attributes for your character to increase variables such as Weapon Damage, Critical Strike Chance, Mana and Elemental Damage, and Health etc.

There are 4 stats in the game:

Strength

  • Increases all Weapon Damage
  • Increases Critical Strike Damage

Dexterity

  • Increases Critical Strike Chance
  • Increases Dodge Chance
  • Increases Fumble Recovery

Focus

  • Increases maximum Mana
  • Increases all Elemental Damage
  • Increases Execute Chance

Vitality

  • Increases maximum Health
  • Increases Armor
  • Increases Block Chance

Point Distribution

Points in Torchlight 2 are earned whenever a player levels up, which is done after a certain amount of experience has been gained.

Whenever a player levels up, he/she gains 1 Skill Point, which can be invested into any skill in any one of the three trees.

Whenever a player levels up, he/she also gains 5 Stat Points, which can be invested into the stats.

The maximum level of the player is 100, which means 495 conventional stat points and 100 conventional skill points.

Fame

In addition to the skill points, the player also gains Fame by defeating tougher Champion Enemies or Bosses. When a player gains enough Fame, he she can obtain a Fame Level. Each Fame Level gives the player 1 additional skill point.

Thus, it is possible to have more than 100 skill points at Level 100.

Builds

Because of the large flexibility offered by the stat points and the three trees for each character, there are numerous ways to play one class. It is extremely essential to understand the role of each tree for a class, along with the skills that they offer and after how many skill points the skill becomes effective.

Thus, for a single class, you can have a huge set of combinations.

Each of our Class Build guides contain 4 builds at level 100 – the idea of how to progress from level 1 all the way to max is generally quite evident.  Do note that these are subject to change, and can vary according to player play-style.

Best Builds and Skills for Each Character

ClassBuildBuild PlaystyleImportant SkillsGear Stat Priorities
EngineerSummon-FocusedUses a construction tree to summon bots while enhancing powerHealing bot, gun bot, sledge bot, spider mine, fire and sparkFocus on increasing damage or armor of pets and minions along with Mana Recovery
Defensive-FocusedTakes little damage than other DPS-oriented buildsSupercharge, seismic slam, onslaught, sword and board, aegis of fateFocus on improving resistance or increasing the health and defences
BerserkerDual WieldA high-speed melee fighter who leverages critical hits to boost their otherwise modest damage outputHowl, Blood Hunger, Executioner, Shred Armor, Cold Steel MasteryFocus on stats that boost critical hit chance, critical hit damage, attack speed, and life steal.
Frost DamageTransforms the Berserker into a mid-range caster using Permafrost and other frost-based abilitiesPermafrost, Glacial Shatter, Shatter Storm, Wolf Shade, Rage RetaliationFocus on stats that boost damage, critical hit chance, and casting speed to maximize frost damage potential
OutlanderDual Wield PistolsLow AoE output but great at single-target midrange pistol damageVenomous Hail, Long Range Mastery, Akimbo, Master of the ElementsMaximize single-target damage with dual pistols using critical hits, life steal, and poison
Ranged Bow/CrossbowLow attack speed but long-ranged damage dealer with both ranged bows and crossbowRapid-Fire, Long-Range Mastery, Shadowling Brute, Venomous HailFocus on critical hit and damage, life steal, and poison-type damage
EmbermageFire-FocusedUses burn damage and other Fire-type spellsBlazing pillar, firestorm, elemental boon, magma spear, charge masteryFocus on elemental damage and casting speed and bonus
Electricity-FocusedUses shock damage to increase AoEThunder locus, shocking orb, lightning brand, elemental boon, charge masteryFocuses on electricity damage, all damage, and casting speed

Haider is a freelance contributor, who loves video games, playing guitar, and aviation. He is a competitive FPS player and also enjoys exotic RPG games like Diablo and Xenogears (his favorite game of all time) ...