Runic Games has revealed that their in-house dev tools titled GUTS has been released to the wild, allowing eager modders to change "almost everything about Torchlight 2, from item and skill balance, to level layouts, animations, quests, and much more." Alongside the release of the new mod tools is a new launcher which allows you to choose just which mods you'd like to have active when adventuring across the lands.

When playing modded games, you can view your mod history, any previously played mods, and the impact disabling mods may have on your character.

We've also added a special tool to GUTS designed to convert pre-GUTS mods into the official mod format, with an eye toward making the transition much easier for our ambitious early modders.

We've tried to make the process as seamless as possible, with a focus on allowing modded multiplayer games with a minimum of fuss.

Earlier in the week we saw Runic Games officially add the Steam Workshop, a further testament to the companies quite accepting profile on modding, something few games are struggling with these days. For those looking to pimp out their game, you can check out the official blog which offers a Q&A with tools engineer Greg Brown as well as an in-depth wiki guide which can be found here.

Developer Runic Games has today revealed that the action RPG Torchlight 2 is now fully integrated into the Steam Workshop, offering players the chance to try out various new mods made by the community. Runic has also re-assured users that the in-house GUTS editor for Torchlight 2 will also be fully compatible with the new Steam Workshop, allowing mod developers the ability to "publish directly to Steam Workshop when you compile your mod, making it available immediately for others to play."

A new launcher synchronizes any mods you have subscribed to, and lets you customize their activation state and loading priority. In addition, when playing Internet games in the lobby, you will be able to filter modded games by mod combination, and with a single button click, subscribe to those mods. Torchlight II will then restart, synchronize them, and activate them before returning you to the game.

The Steam Workshop is also fully integrated with GUTS, the in-house editor for Torchlight II. You can publish directly to Steam Workshop when you compile your mod, making it available immediately for others to play. Mods that have already been made with GUTS can also be quickly imported into the Steam Workshop.

The Workshop launch has also introduced new content to the base game, for free, which includes:>

The NetherRealm tileset - new NetherRealm dungeons can be found via portals throughout the world

New Monsters

New armor sets

New weapons

New pets - including the Headcrab!

New endgame map content

Some additional new dungeons in New Game plus modes in large overworld areas

For those who are still on the fence will be happy to know a 50% off sale is currently under way to celebrate the launch of the Steam Workshop integration, which you can check out here.

According to a Twitter post by developer Runic Games, the acclaimed action RPG Torchlight II has passed one million units sold, a milestone achieved in under four months, compared to the 18 months it took the original Torchlight (thanks Polygon).

AusGamers scored Torchlight II a 9.0/10 in a review upon its launch last September. PC players not completely exhausted from weeks of holidays sales can pick up the game at half price for US$9.99 on Steam today as part of day thirteen of the Steam Holiday Sale.

With the release of Torchlight 2 yesterday, Runic Games has released a demo for those who aren't quite ready to part ways with their hard earned $20. The demo features a small slice of the action, however coincidentally the demo is actually the full product, just with a lock on where you can and can't go.

You can grab the demo locally from us to save you some bandwidth and time, and you can check out our review and what we thought of the latest hack-and-slash RPG title.

Runic Games has today announced that the highly anticipated hack-and-slash sequel Torchlight 2 is now finally available for purchase on various digital services. The new title will see players taking up arms to fight back the deadly forces that threaten the world, and offering a huge amount of loot to help accomplish the task.

The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets - and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands!

Torchlight II captures all the flavor and excitement of the original game - while expanding the world and adding the features players wanted most, including online and LAN co-op multiplayer. Torchlight II is fast, fun, and filled to the brim with action and loot. Adventure solo or online with your friends!

With the release of the game, Runic has also let us know that a demo is now available for download, though currently it only seems to be accessible on Steam, however hopefully we can get a local download soon.

If you haven't yet checked out our very fresh Torchlight 2 review, then head over to here to see our impressions of the RPG hack-and-slash.

The folks over at Runic Games are slowly counting down the hours until the release of the hotly anticipated sequel, Torchlight 2, and what better way then to conduct a Ask Me Anything on Reddit. Subjected to community questions, the developers have answered a range of questions, including plans on what will happen after the release of the game in terms of content.

Yes, we want to do more content post launch. For level design specifically, new map scrolls for endgame, phase beast portal rooms, and more variations of already existing levels so there is even more randomization where we feel it is beneficial. We will just have to wait and see how fans react, and what they ask for and try to accommodate if we can.

One of the many other interesting questions asked was why exactly the team sells their games for only $20, something that Max Schaefer answers quite well:

We sell for $20 because we want a bigger community, and for people all over the world to enjoy our game. Not everyone has $60 lying around. Plus, digital distribution, like on Steam, makes this more economically viable for a company like us. We couldn't make money selling $20 boxes only, but we'll do fine with this price because of the trend towards digital distribution.

With respect to piracy, a small company like ours isn't going to solve it. And the last thing we think is appropriate is to punish our honest customers for something other people are doing. We believe that if we put out a quality game at a fair price, there will be less incentive to pirate the game, and that those who do pirate it may decide to buy it down the road. That's our approach and we're sticking to it!

With plenty more discussions including why anti-piracy measures aren't effective, then head over to the official page for a great read on what to expect from Torchlight 2. You can also check out our fresh review of the game and what we thought of the rapidly clicking hack-and-slash title.

The hotly anticipated multiplayer sequel to Runic Games' well received debut action RPG Torchlight launches tomorrow on Steam, promising some mythical features such as offline single-player, LAN multiplayer and moddability, from the Seattle-based team that includes several of Diablo's original architects.

AusGamers had the good fortune of pre-launch access to Torchlight, and if you were a little underwhelmed by the recent genre blockbuster Diablo III, as our reviewer Dylan "Gameboffin" Burns was, then you'll probably be interested to hear his thoughts on this new US$19.99 contender.

If you enjoy clicking the left button of your mouse thousands of times in order to get pretty rewards on the screen, this is a no brainer – order a 4-pack and demand that your friends put their lives on pause!

Read our review to find out why.

As the days countdown to the long-awaited launch of the hotly anticipated Torchlight II, developer Runic Games has released the game's official soundtrack, as a free download.

Fans of the original Diablo games are particularly in for a treat, as among the many ex Blizzard North veterans at Seattle-based Runic, is composer Matt Ulemen, whom many will know as the bard behind the iconic tunes in the original Tristram.

The 120mb download can be found over on the official site, or mirrored here locally on AusGamers files.

Torchlight II launches in under 2 days, on September 21st 2012 and can presently be pre-ordered on Steam for US$19.99.

Runic Games has today finally announced the release date for the hotly anticipated hack and slash title, Torchlight 2, with the game being announced for release this September. The game will be expanding on the previous title, adding in LAN co-op, singleplayer and online multiplayer plus a range of new content including new classes.

Runic Games' CEO, Max Schaefer comments, "We worked incredibly hard to make sure we could release Torchlight II before Summer's official end. Development will continue right up until we ship, and we couldn't be happier to be putting the finishing touches on a great game. We want to get it to the fans as quickly as possible. Honestly, we can't wait."

As with the announcement of the date comes a new launch trailer which you can watch below (HD here).

Torchlight 2 will be available on the 20th of September on Steam, Perfect World, GamersGate, GameFly.

There's still no release date for the hotly anticipated Torchlight II, but we must be getting close, as the developers have created this tasty little infographic detailing the sequel's across-the-board content increases.

A blog post by Runic Games' President explains that "Torchlight II is close to 4x the scale of Torchlight 1 as far as assets go, and probably close to that as far as playtime", and that the launch price, at US$20, is the same.

Ideally, the multiplayer that everyone has asked for will further increase the longevity of the game (we certainly hope so!) These are all new assets as well ( some monsters and weapons return from Torchlight, but they have all been recreated, or in the case of some individual weapons and shields, updated and repainted )

The release window for Torchlight II is still US Summer, so the clock is ticking until the end of August. The game can be pre-ordered on Steam for US$19.99, and at the time of writing, the original Torchlight can be had for 40% off at US$8.99, with 11 hours left on the sale price. However, note that pre-ordered Torchlight II, currently rewards you with a copy of Torchlight for free anyway.