Long-time readers will know of the high regard in which I hold Halls of Torment, and so won’t be surprised to hear that I’m pleased to see that the game’s first major expansion is out now on PC (Lin, Win), and the game is also finally available on PlayStation and Xbox.
Both the main game and the expansion are available on PC and console, and there’s also a free content update for all players (although I can’t see any trace of the new stuff on mobile).
The new content can be viewed in two distinct camps. There’s the Bard, a new playable character who has been in testing for a couple of weeks now, and then there’s everything else.
Before we move onto the paid-for content, a quick word on the Bard, who unlocks once you’ve completed the base game and is a belated treat for all players.
This new class comes with six new abilities, six endgame artifacts, some new music (which has also been added to the soundtrack), and more than 20 new quests. Not bad for a freeby.
As cool as this Bardcore update is – and that’s from someone who goes full-bard whenever we play D&D – the headline is, of course, the new environment and associated gubbins.
Welcome to The Boglands
The name of the new DLC directly relates to the new environment, which you can unlock once you’ve grabbed up a total of 11 herbs.
A new boggy sandbox means new mechanics – in this instance you’ll be inflicting decay on your enemies, and using earth as an element.
The new characters are called the The Crone and The Alchemist respectively, and I look forward to unravelling their nuances in the coming weeks. The Crone’s skillset is linked to the new decay mechanic, while The Alchemist is more of a multi-elementalist.
Both of the new DLC characters are unlocked through the new Boglands quest board.
On top of the new playable characters, there are also three new abilities, as well as 12 new items, and six artifacts. Plus you’ll be able to engage in more than 50 (!) new quests – now that’s a lot of new torment to keep me busy!
Head to The Boglands’ Steam page if you’d like to find out more about the new content on PC. What’s more, the new content is also out on console, with Halls of Torment making the long-awaited move to PlayStation and Xbox Series (and while the base is on Game Pass, the expansion is not).
