Titan Quest Previews

[GameBanshee News]

A trio of new Titan Quest previews have reached the web, all of which are based on a limited press copy recently sent out by THQ and Iron Lore. The first is at GameSpot where you'll also find three gameplay movies:

You're able to choose your first mastery when you upgrade your character to level 2 in the game, and at each level-up, you gain three skill points to invest in skills. When you reach level 8, you're asked to select a second mastery, and from there, you're able to combine skills from both masteries as you like; if you want to take a balanced approach and invest in both masteries, then you're free to do so. Or, if you want to create a specialized character, you can focus solely on one mastery to the exclusion of the other. The drawback is that you still only get three skill points per level-up, even after you've picked your second mastery, so you'll have to choose where to place them carefully. The system is set up so that it's similar to Guild Wars, with that game's many unique combinations of classes.

The second is at IGN PC:

Then there are the Rebirth Fountains, which are nodes you'll go back to automatically when you die, or when you start a game session. And although the game looks quite polished, it doesn't run like a bear. This is not the final version, so there were a few hitches and glitches, but the whole game world streams fairly smoothly, and Titan Quest itself starts up very quickly.

And the third is at GameZone:

Of course, you can’t just waltz down the road and you will battle monsters, take side quests, pick up loot to upgrade and begin the customized look of your character. You will also enter into the skills system. There are several skill trees you can select from and as you level, you will determine just what kind of character you have in how you pick the trees you will begin to learn to master. For example, if you tend toward the ranger type of character, with strong ranged bow-based attacks, you may choose the hunting tree. There are three entry skills to the tree – ensnare, take down (brutal spear thrust) and wood lore (which adds defensive skills and attack speed). Now as you level, you are given a choice of where to invest points in the skills or save them to unlock better skills up the tree. The tree itself has 32 points and skills unlock at certain levels. If you save your points and unlock to level four, three more skills become available.