Torchlight 2 spoiled me for basically the whole genre. It is a classic Roguelike but has so many thoughtful player centric quality of life features. Inventory is full but don’t want to stop kicking butt? You have a pet that can run back to town for you, sell your stuff, and even buy a “shopping list” of potions and scrolls for you. It’ll even run and pick up loot for you. I have trouble playing other games in the genre because I keep running into problems Torchlight 2 solved that I didn’t even think about. It also has mods available to add even more or keep things fresh. It’s getting old but because of that you can run it on anything. It’s a damn good game.
Are there any games like Diablo but not Diablo because Diablo?
Submitted 8 months ago by yokonzo@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world
Comments
Nefara@lemmy.world 8 months ago
falsem@kbin.social 8 months ago
It is a classic Roguelike
Listen I get that Roguelike is basically a vaguely defined genre now, and though Torchlight 2 in a great game it's definitely not a "classic Roguelike".
Nefara@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Ok, is a Diablo-like a thing I can call it then? It’s just such a specific type of game, the isometric top down view RPG with classes, customizable character leveling, randomly generated levels with area themes, randomized loot, a town hub and inventory etc. I’ve always heard those games called Rogue-likes but I never played Rogue.
Vipsu@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Torchlight 1-2 are decent fun for normal playthrough but plagued by bad design decisions and downright silly difficulty spikes on harder difficulties. Mods probably fix many of these issues but in vanilla the build diversity on harder difficulties is quite bad with only handful of viable builds with skill trees full of “trap skills”.
fpslem@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I dunno about it being Rougelike, but I did love me some Torchlight 1 and 2. (Haven’t played 3.)
Tedrow@lemmy.world 8 months ago
What are your thoughts on Torchlight 3?
Nefara@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I haven’t played it. My impression is that it was trying very hard to cater to the mobile market. I heard it suffered from a lot of design changes and ended up being sold and then patched up and released by a new team to cut their losses. Meanwhile, Torchlight 2 may be older but it was made with love and care and a strong vision. It’s dirt cheap now too so it’s not hard to get your money’s worth out of it.
loobkoob@kbin.social 8 months ago
Last Epoch and Grim Dawn are probably most in line with Diablo, I think.
People have mentioned Path Of Exile, and I've played a lot of it, but I don't think it feels particularly like Diablo any more, even though it started out that way. It's quite unforgiving, and even a lot of experienced players feel like they need to follow build guides rather than work things out for themselves. Its learning curve is hundreds or thousands of hours long. Of course, the reason for that is that it has incredible depth, variety and complexity, which may be a selling point or a deterrent depending on what you like! I definitely like the complexity of it myself, but it's very overwhelming when you're new. The reason I don't think it's all that in line with Diablo these days, though, is simply the pacing of the gameplay. You blow up screens of enemies at a time, and your deaths are often so fast that you're not really sure what killed you.
Path Of Exile also heavily revolves around its trading economy. Item drop rates are balanced around players being able to trade for them, which makes trading somewhat mandatory (unless you're a bit of a masochist). The economy is fairly complex, with there being a lot of different currencies, and quite a lot of factors that can affect the value of an item. I'll let you decide whether you find this appealing or not - some people do, some people don't! I do think it causes some issues with the balance and progression of the game, but it's interesting to say the least, even if you wish you didn't have to engage with it.
Grim Dawn feels a little mechanically dated at this point but it's still solid. It's got some good builds, the dual-class system and constellations system make for some interesting variety. It's got an offline mode, as well as online co-op play. Its real selling point, though, at least for me, is it's absolutely soaked with atmosphere. It's very, well, grim, but the world is really immersive and it has a great setting in general with a solid story and some great lore. It also has quite a lot of mods available (including the Reign Of Terror mod I mentioned in another comment in the thread that adds the entire Diablo 2 campaign and all its classes to Grim Dawn).
Last Epoch is more mechanically interesting than Grim Dawn, I think, but it's lacking in the story and world-building. It's still in early access, although its full release is next week. It has quite a lot of depth and complexity, but it's all done in an intuitive way that means you can jump into the game blindly and work things out for yourself fairly easily. It has a good variety of skills, and the fact that each skill has its own fairly comprehensive skill tree means you can play the same skills in very different ways. It has a wonderful itemisation system that does a great job of making you actually engage with the loot you find on the floor (which is an issue in other loot games), and some of the best crafting I've ever seen in a game. The dev team also manages to come up with some really creative and somewhat intuitive solutions to things they perceive as issues in other ARPGs.
Last Epoch's biggest drawback is that its endgame is currently a little lacking in comparison to POE (which has a very rich and deep endgame, but is also a ten-year-old game that's been updated constantly). It's still far, far better than Diablo 4's, though, and will obviously only improve as more is added. Last Epoch has some truly brilliant systems in place for the devs to build off - and frankly, I still think it's great now - but it'll only get better as more content gets added over time.
I love all three games I've talked about for different reasons, and honestly, they're all well worth playing!
falsem@kbin.social 8 months ago
The reason I don't think it's all that in line with Diablo these days, though, is simply the pacing of the gameplay. You blow up screens of enemies at a time, and your deaths are often so fast that you're not really sure what killed you.
Yeah, that's why I don't care for POE anymore these days.
Vipsu@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Grim Dawn feels a little mechanically dated at this point but it’s still solid
Honestly Grim dawn is probably the most polished action rpg I’ve ever played. The developers have spend a ton of time adjusting the game mechanics, balance and build variety to be as good as possible. This is quite a contrast to games like path of exile where the developers are costantly adding new mechanics and bunch of new items each season. Sure doing so keeps the game feeling fresh which is important for live service but results in a lot more rough edges.
Treefox@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
Path of Exile.
doctorcrimson@lemmy.world 8 months ago
PoE 2 announced a couple years ago and should be launching soon, pretty much the same stuff on a new engine.
kaosof@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It seems like it’ll actually be radically different, and there’s no way it’s coming out until like at least 2026.
zachary3752@lemm.ee 8 months ago
It’s actually an upgraded version of the same engine, and Path of Exile 1 is getting a lot of the new tech backported.
It was originally supposed to replace Path of Exile 1, but now they are going to exist together.
2 will be more refined and slower, with a brand new story and 6 new acts. Should be a fun time.
Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
I spent way way way too many hours playing D2. Path of Exile is a great choice to fill that gap. Just do homework for a little bit before diving in if you give it a shot. Leveling builds and def use a guide.
FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Grim Dawn
actionjbone@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Grim Dawn is “What if a sequel to Diablo 2, but not Diablo 3?”
yokonzo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Oh? I’ve only actually played 3 so I have no reference to 2 and what the differences are
yokonzo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Grim dawn looks cool aesthetically and I’m liking the UI and how big the skill tree looks. Are any of the expansions any good?
Drusas@kbin.social 8 months ago
Absolutely. All of the expansions are good, but especially the ones that add extra masteries (classes).
Rinn@literature.cafe 8 months ago
All of them, honestly.
The Crucible is the weakest - it’s just an arena mode, but it’s got a lot of utility for speed leveling new characters + some QoL for existing ones.
Ashes of Malmouth is the direct continuation of the base game’s story, adds Necromancer and Inquisitor which are both very well-loved masteries, and you need it for Forgotten Gods anyway. The zones are a bit meh - great overall mood but you spend a lot of time in cramped corridors.
Forgotten Gods adds Oathkeeper (very fun) and tons of huge new zones with a refreshingly different vibe to the rest of the game. And you can go to this expansion’s zones from the start! (Except that you probably shouldn’t on your first playthrough, you’d get destroyed and you probably want to focus on the main story anyway.)
I’d wait for a sale and get them all if you like this genre, or just base game + AoM if you just want to give it a shot (and technically you could hold off on AoM until you’re close to the end of the campaign).
ampersandrew@kbin.social 8 months ago
How would you say Titan Quest compares?
toxicbubble@lemmy.world 8 months ago
i only played a little of both. i like titan quest for the story and mythology, but grim dawn seems more refined and modern, it’s actually by the SAME team (today i learned)!
Deceptichum@kbin.social 8 months ago
I enjoyed Titan Quest more, but that may be down to the less grimdark aesthetics. Gameplay wise they’re both fine hack ‘n’ slashes.
FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Haven’t played it. My progression was Diablo 2 -> Torchlight 1 and 2 -> Grim Dawn
Ketram@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 months ago
Definitely I would check out Grim Dawn and Last Epoch.
Grim Dawn is an insanely sprawling game with tons of class combinations and builds, made by the people who made titan quest. The graphics are dated as hell but it never stopped me from loving it. I also find the lore very fun.
Then there is Last Epoch, which is coming out on the 21st. I’ve been playing it for 3 years, even done some testing for them. Personally some of the more casual friendly things that you can’t find (like the crafting actually being amazing, seasons giving content to non-season characters, etc) just are unmatched and give the game a very good flow. It will be out in 1.0 in ~ a week and I definitely think it’s worth a glance because I find it is a great middle ground between diablo’s dumbed-downness and Path of Exile’s sweatiness.
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
+1 for Last Epoch
Each skill has its own talent tree you can use to customize it, and if there’s a certain build you like in Diablo you’ll probably be able to find something with a similar playstyle.
sneezymrmilo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Grim Dawn is goated. Not a big ARPG fan but this one just hits different for me. Simple enough for anyone to get into but can get complex enough that min-max theory crafters will have a blast messing with the games systems.
doctorcrimson@lemmy.world 8 months ago
For me it was a very short experience, but it’s got online coop.
CodingCarpenter@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Work all the dlc? I’ve played though a couple of times and it’s always like 30-40 hours
reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Torchlight is Torchlight. You might like it because not Diablo, but Torchlight.
normalexit@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I loved Diablo 2 the most, and Torchlight scratches the same itch.
Vipsu@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Here’s a few:
- Grim Dawn
- Titan Quest
- Sacred Series
- The incredible adventures of Van Helsing
- Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor - martyr
- Divine Divinity
- Torchlight series
Then there’s Last Epoch and Path of Exile
Etterra@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Grim Dawn is probably your best match. PoE is also online only so screw em.
PraiseTheSoup@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Torchlight 1 was an amazing game. Torchlight 2 was an okay game. Torchlight 3 is nothing like the previous two and is really awful.
Aielman15@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Spent a good chunk of my childhood playing Sacred 1. It’s aged very poorly, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone nowadays, but I still think that the world design and environmental storytelling were some of the best I’ve found in a videogame.
For example, at the beginning of the game, orcs are migrating from the desert and attacking human settlements. When you progress, you discover that they aren’t doing it because they want to, but because the undead army is forcing them out of their land. And when you progress in the northern part of the world, there’s a completely optional region inside the forest, where you can find a few hastily made orcish settlements - but you only find women and shamans, because the men are fighting at the front. There are no dialogues, quests, books or anything telling you that, it’s just something that you infer from the environment.
It made exploring the world and finding its secret fun, even when there wasn’t always a reward.
(There were also a metric ton of easter eggs, from tombstones mentioning LotR characters to receiving sunglasses as a reward for chasing rude orc visitors from a tourist island… it was a wild game)
Vipsu@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Yeah both Sacred games have their fair share of jank on you’ll need to apply community patches and possibly mods to even make them work on todays systems. However what they do not lack is soul as both games are clearly made with love and feel very unique compared to many modern games.
If you can forgive the jank and don’t mind to play older games with somewhat dated graphics I feel these games can still provide a lot of enjoyment. Would love to see remasters for these games or eveb a spiritual sequel.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
It’s pretty good, releasing next week.
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
Early Access is available now and is good. 1.0 launches next week.
simple@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Last Epoch seems to be the most popular recent one. It’s currently in early access but it’s releasing in a week or so.
yokonzo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Okay I’m liking the current class selection, still a little sparse but I mean it’s early access so whatever. But the reason this game is going in my wishlist is this one image Image
That looks so fucking cool
PlantJam@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Those fifteen classes are all we’re getting for last epoch. Two of them won’t be live until launch on February 21 (falconer and warlock), but there’s a ton of diversity between those classes.
Mautobu@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Yes.
yokonzo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Truly a man of the people
wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one 8 months ago
Path of Exile.
Its 100% free, so you can play it like a demo until you are either fully in or bored.
It gets a season refresh every 3ish months with an entirely new mechanic, so most experienced players restart it 4 times a year, play a new build, and then stop playing when bored and return at the new season so its always got reasons to peek back in and see if you want to rejoin.
The leveling system is a little daunting at first, but the base game is completely playable newbie blind even if you pick “suboptimally” from the skill tree. If youre too worried about FoMo, there are tons of guides online for builds, both top level and newbie friendly.
The attack/skill system is very interesting and completely moddable, tons of replayablility.
If you like diablo, try PoE.
wildcardology@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Looking forward to PoE2
squirrelwithnut@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Last Epoch. It has the best crafting and best skill system of any ARPG IMO.
spedswir@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Absolutely this, the crafting system is a great balance of getting what you want but also giving you something to try again and again for.
Basically that and the talent trees inside skills sold me on this game.
squirrelwithnut@lemmy.world 8 months ago
And it has an actual endgame, leaderboards, and it’s half the price of Diablo 4. It’s a no-brainer IMO.
Defaced@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Last epoch, path of exile, grim dawn, Torchlight 1,2 and if you want to suffer 3, if you can suffer through Korean p2w nonsense then lost ark, and also titan quest. All of these games are on multiple platforms.
Haagel@lemmings.world 8 months ago
Path of Exile is like Diablo for adults. It’s much more dark and intense in my opinion. It’s worth checking out because the New Zealanders who make it are genuinely good guys.
yokonzo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It looks cool, the first one seems to be free as well
Donjuanme@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The second one will be free as well, it isn’t even in beta yet. All micro transactions (I’m sure all the visual ones, not sure about stash tabs but I think they would be as well) will be usable in both games as long as you’re using the same account.
Path of exile is a wonderful experience, I’d suggest watching nyxvellum on YouTube, he started playing path of exile as a Diablo 3/4 player, and has good takes both on starting blindly and using a build guide.
Don’t be intimidated, don’t listen to the trolls and detectors, you can play the entirety of the campaign without 2 clues to the game mechanics. End game you might find more difficult, but by then you’ve experienced a bit of everything and might be interested in pursuing something different from when you started playing.
If you’re going to start path of exile I’ll give you 2 tips, 1) get a generic basic super open loot filter (use one from the path of exile website and it’ll tie to your account and be updated automatically), 2) elemental resistances (to their cap) and HP are the most important stats, chaos resistance and damage being second most important.
It’s a wonderful game with a very active community and development studio.
jeff@programming.dev 8 months ago
Haha, yeah, free. I totally haven’t spent hundreds of dollars on the game. It’s over a decade with thousands of hours though. I haven’t really played the last couple years though, but that’s mostly because I have small children and a career
HoustonHenry@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Here’s an RPG that I haven’t seen listed yet- Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. I spent a LOT of hours on this one back in the day (circa 2001, by Sierra-Online and Troika Games)
ooli@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It has great character building and quest, but horrible boring fight
Gaspar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Ehhhh… I’d classify that one as more Steampunk Fallout (1 or 2) or Baldur’s Gate. Not that that makes it bad - it’s great fun! Just maybe not what OP is looking for.
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 8 months ago
The real time combat is very Diablo-ish, but it also makes the game nigh on impossible. I always played it turn-based because otherwise you did 3 seconds into the first damn encounter.
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 8 months ago
Torchlight 1 and 2
Path of Exile
Titanquest (my personal favorite non-diablo diablo game)
The Ascent (diablo with guns!)
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
clericc@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Minecraft Dungeons
yeah, i’ll see myself out
5PACEBAR@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Nah I agree. Minecraft Dungeons has a really approchable aesthetic that hits different. It’s an easier sell to my partner. Its cute, and the build complexity and variaty is surprisingly good. Don’t sleep on Minecraft Dungeons y’all!
Vipsu@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It’s ok but many of levels later in the game (especially dlc levels) are just way way way too long. People keep replaying the Soggy Cave and few other levels just because they’re short.
I do like however the variety the game has with weapons, items and skills.
Buttons@programming.dev 8 months ago
Because you want to avoid Diablo because Diablo, maybe you could get Diablo used on console, you don’t need a Blizzard account or an internet connection and since it’s used the money wouldn’t go to Blizzard. It might be an option, depending on why you want to avoid Diablo.
surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Torchlight 2 if you like the gear gathering and optimization.
tiredofsametab@kbin.social 8 months ago
Torchlight 2 should scratch that itch. To me, Path of Exile is something the Diablo series could have been but wasn't exactly? Though I haven't played it in a number of years, so I may be mis-remembering exactly what it was like. I seem to think it was more like a point-and-click RPG with kinda Diablo-like combat.
Curdie@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Last Epoch scratches that itch real good for me and it’s hitting release in a few days.
Rinn@literature.cafe 8 months ago
Not mentioned yet: Chronicon. A small indie game that doesn’t take itself very seriously. It has much less build variety than something like Grim Dawn (obviously) but it’s got some, and it’s aiming to be a much more streamlined/casual experience. Won’t demand as much of your time and attention, will deliver hugely satisfying colorful explosions across the screen. When I’m in the mood for an ARPG it’s a toss up whether I’ll install this or Grim Dawn.
GreenAlex@kbin.social 8 months ago
I'll add Chronicon to the list! Its approach to endgame is quite similar to D3, but more entertaining imo. It was also made by a solo dev, which is very impressive.
registeredusername@lemmy.world 8 months ago
DevilutionX github.com/diasurgical/devilutionX
Clasm@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’ve had a lot of fun with Book of Demons, which is a bit more simplified, but really respects whatever amount of time I have to put into it!
Mini_Moonpie@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
I love the title of this post. The only arpgs that I don’t see mentioned already are Victor Vran, which I think is a lot of fun, and the Warhammer arpgs, I haven’t played yet, Chaosbane and Inquisitor Martyr. Inquisitor Martyr is supposed to get a fully offline mode soon and they’ve patched it to have all the seasons available to play through.
minibyte@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Titan Quest is on sale for Playstation. $6 which matches its all time low. Thanks for the recommendations.
Slayan@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
The incredible adventure of van helsing.
anamethatisnt@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Path of Exile, Titan Quest, Grim Dawn, Torchlight 2
toxicbubble@lemmy.world 8 months ago
this is the definitive list.
path of exile is most popular but has large file size and optional mtx(?)
titan quest and Torchlight are on multiple consoles. titan quest has a sequel in production
grim dawn is by the titan quest team, has a small file size, and runs well on older pcs.
glitches_brew@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Does Last Epoch belong on this list too?
darth_helmet@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Path of exile charges for inventory QoL and with the ludicrous amount of different stuff that drops, it’s arguably kind of mandatory if you’re trying to complete seasonal objectives
sadbehr@lemmy.nz 8 months ago
For PoE you consider 30gb installed (on PS5 mind you) a large file size? Yes it has mtx, but it is not once pushed or advertised to you, and none of it is required for anything. They does improve the QoL of the game however.
CoD + WZ is around 240gb I think. Most modern AAA games are usually 90gb minimum.
TheLugal@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The MTX for PoE are within the “nice” ones. There’s extra stash tabs, but you don’t need to consider that until after the campaign. And then there’s cosmetics. No pay to win. And the MTX are on your account, so they will be on PoE2 as well.
GraniteM@lemmy.world 8 months ago
How is the couch co-op for Titan Quest? My SO and I spent a ton of time on Diablo 3 together and I might consider trying that again.
anamethatisnt@lemmy.world 8 months ago
No couch coop on PC, so I don’t know.
There is 2 player local coop for Playstation, XBox andNintendo though
www.co-optimus.com/game/334/pc/titan-quest.html