Torchlight Frontiers horizontal progression aims to make the entire game fun

Torchlight Frontiers developer Echtra Games doesn't want to solely focus on the endgame, as other MMOs do; for the third chapter in this action RPG series, they are looking at different ways to make the entire game feel enticing, even when new content is released further down the road. This is where the Torchlight Frontiers horizontal progression steps in.

The Torchlight Frontiers horizontal progression system is the key to this. Instead of leveling up your character and maxing out some important stats, in this game you'll still have the opportunity to play previous content and find it challenging. No more wiping out everything and everyone with your overpowered character; with the Torchlight Frontiers horizontal progression mechanics you get this dynamic gear scaling that Echtra admits it first saw in Guild Wars 2 and manages to keep the early levels interesting and rewarding. What this means is that you powerful equipment is scaled down to somewhere around the level of the zone, maintaining the challenge and making it worthwhile to play through and earn rewards – just don't expect to one-shot the enemies as you do in 99% of the other MMORPGs.

But there is more to it, as well as other intricacies that Echtra Games is yet to reveal. The Torchlight Frontiers horizontal progression also bases your power around the equipment set and zones where you are fighting. For example, if you have gear from the Goblin Frontier and you are fighting in that area, the system scales favorably to you in that frontier. However, use it in other zone such as the Hyvid Frontier and it will scale unfavorably.

Loot drops are also balanced accordingly, but don't expect to get some high level gear or rare crafting materials this way. However, you will get gold, skill points and other things that will make it worth your time and make the content important in the long run.

This Torchlight Frontiers horizontal progression feature was discussed today in the stream below, and a few days ago in this post, in case you want to learn more about it. But we also found out some more info about this highly anticipated game.

For example, in Torchlight Frontiers your character only moves through point and click. It seems that WASD control “introduces a surprising amount of problems”, so either the team will try to figure things out or leave it out of the equation. As for group size, the ideal number is four right now, so that the screen doesn't become too cluttered. In open world areas, the idea is to have eight players moving around.

When asked about the business model, Project Lead Tyler and Community Manager Jared said that they're not ready to discuss it yet and want to save it for another time, to make a proper announcement. It almost feels like they already know how it's going to be, but they want to keep it a secret for now.