When comparing Torchlight II vs Borderlands, the Slant community recommends Torchlight II for most people. In the question“What are the best 4-player local multiplayer games on Steam?” Torchlight II is ranked 9th while Borderlands is ranked 29th. The most important reason people chose Torchlight II is:
Much of leveling up is permanent, which not only gives a sense of connection to ones built characters but also means there is a large incentive to replay to make different builds.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Incentive to replay due to limited respec system
Much of leveling up is permanent, which not only gives a sense of connection to ones built characters but also means there is a large incentive to replay to make different builds.
Pro Elaborate loot system
Loot in Torchlight II is varied and dependent on a wide array of circumstances. There are so many variables that come into play as to what a player will find that makes searching out better and better items a game in and of itself.
Pro Varied level design
Unlike the first title there are many areas to see in the game that all have different looks. Plus there are large open ares as well as close quarter caverns.
Pro Works on different OS's: Linux/Mac/Win
Torchlight II is a multi-platform game that works on OSX, Linux and Windows. Which is great for users who dual-boot as the game can be played no matter what OS is booted at the time.
Pro Well implemented and fun action-RPG combat
Torchlight 2 has all the typical RPG mechanics such as classes, loot, skill trees etc. However all the little touches and details come together to make playing the game really fun and a great balance between depth/complexity and being able to get started killing hordes of monsters. Killing monsters is very satisfying and the loot system keeps things very interesting without feeling like you're just grinding for better items.
Pro Well implemented co-op
You can team up with up to 5 other plays to take on the hordes together. There is also a PvP mode if you'd rather kill your friends instead of team up with them.
Pro Addictive loot based gameplay
The loot in Borderlands is color coded to signal which loot is the most rare. This system of loot based collecting allows the user to always be on the hunt for more rare items, which can be addicting in the way it has been designed.
Pro Fun dungeon boss fights
Players can team up against dungeon bosses that are often large in scale and power making for fun tasks to complete that are separate from the main story tree.
Pro The character customization is great
In Borderlands, once you reach a certain level, you begin to acquire talent points. Each point can be spent in several different ways that will enhance your characters power, and there are quite a few paths to take. For example, one character can power up his melee attacks, his ability to take hits, or his explosive capabilities (specifically with rocket launchers). Of course, as you gain more levels, even if you completely fill out one of those trees, you can start to gain points in another, and your talents begin to interact in interesting ways.
Pro A great mix of first person shooter and RPG
Borderlands provides the feel of a first person shooter in the rich, story-driven world of an RPG.
Pro A great sense of humor
The entire Borderlands series takes comedy pretty seriously. More accurately, it doesn't. There's a lot of cheap, light-hearted jokes in the game that really keep you smiling while you're blowing your enemies to tiny bits.
Cons
Con Lacking in story
The characters are flat and the overall story is pretty boring/standard. While not unexpected for such a game it would have been nice to have something other than loot driving advancement in the game.
Con Limited respec system
Much like an old school dungeon crawler, there is little to no useful respec system here. You can respec the last three skill points used on a character, but that is it. This tends to lead towards plenty of skills in the skilltree that ended up going nowhere, which are just wasted points. Unless you know specifically where you will be putting each and every skill point for your build beforehand, no respec may have an impact on making a perfect build.
Con No mini-map on screen
User will have to open the menu often in order to get their bearings as to where things are as there is no on-screen map, it is only in the menu. Having to pull up the menu so often for the map can be frustrating an immersion breaking.