Titan Quest: Ragnarök

Developer: Pieces Interactive / THQ Nordic | Publisher: THQ Nordic | Release Date: 17 November 2017 | Genre: Action RPG / Hack and Slash | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Few games receive a substantial new expansion more than a decade after their original release. Titan Quest: Ragnarök arrived eleven years after Titan Quest and ten years after Immortal Throne, continuing an adventure most players had understandably assumed was finished.

Rather than functioning as a separate campaign, Ragnarök adds a fifth act directly after the conclusion of Immortal Throne. The hero who defeated Hades returns to the mortal world near Corinth, only to discover that disorder is spreading through northern Europe. What begins with bandits and unrest develops into another mythological crisis involving the Celts, Germanic tribes, Northmen, and the gods of Asgard.

The expansion requires Titan Quest Anniversary Edition and is designed as high-level content. Players can continue with a character who has completed Immortal Throne or create an Accomplished Hero beginning at level 40. The latter option provides immediate access to the new material without replaying the first four acts, although assigning a large number of attribute and skill points at once can be intimidating for anyone unfamiliar with Titan Quest’s character system.

Ragnarök initially returns to Greece, beginning around Corinth before gradually moving north. The journey passes through forested wilderness, settlements, coastlines, caves, battlefields, snowy mountains, and increasingly supernatural locations. It eventually reaches the realms associated with Norse mythology, including the world of the Asgardian gods.

This geographical progression remains one of Titan Quest’s strongest qualities. Instead of relying heavily on randomly assembled environments, its areas are largely handcrafted and arranged as a continuous journey. Travelling from familiar Mediterranean scenery into Germanic forests and frozen northern landscapes creates a convincing sense of distance.

The story is presented in the same understated manner as the base game. Main quests guide the player towards the next region, while conversations with villagers, warriors, spirits, and mythological figures provide context. There are relatively few intrusive cutscenes, and anyone primarily interested in combat can move through dialogue quickly.

The narrative itself is serviceable rather than exceptional. Its greatest appeal comes from meeting creatures and characters drawn from Celtic, Germanic, and Norse traditions. Ragnarök digs deeper than the most familiar names, filling its forests and ruins with trolls, draugr, elves, dwarves, giants, wolves, spirits, and other creatures from northern European folklore.

This makes the expansion feel like a natural continuation of Titan Quest’s original concept. Greece, Egypt, Asia, and Hades already treated mythology as something physically present in the world. Ragnarök simply expands the journey into another pantheon rather than radically changing the series’ tone.

Gameplay remains traditional isometric action RPG fare. Players explore large areas, fight groups of monsters, complete quests, collect equipment, distribute attribute and skill points, and refine a build around two chosen Masteries.

Anyone expecting Ragnarök to modernise the core combat will be disappointed. Movement, attacking, potion use, targeting, and inventory management behave much as they do in Anniversary Edition. The pace remains slower and more deliberate than contemporary games such as Diablo IV or Path of Exile.

The expansion instead builds on the established systems. Enemy groups are larger and tougher than those encountered at the start of the base campaign, while ranged attackers, spellcasters, support creatures, and heavily armoured opponents frequently appear together. Characters entering directly from Immortal Throne should be appropriately equipped, but weaknesses in resistances or damage output become increasingly noticeable as the act continues.

Enemy variety is generally strong. New families have recognisable silhouettes and abilities, and the changing mythology prevents the act from feeling like a simple reskin of previous regions. Some rush into melee, while others attack from range, summon allies, apply debilitating effects, or retreat when approached.

Bosses range from oversized versions of regular enemies to significant figures from mythology. Most battles continue Titan Quest’s preference for readable attacks and dangerous area effects rather than elaborate multi-stage encounters. A strong build can dispatch some quickly, while poorly protected characters may be eliminated almost immediately by an unexpected damage type.

The greatest mechanical addition is Rune, the tenth Mastery. Rune is designed around a mixture of weapon combat and elemental magic, making it particularly flexible as either the foundation of a build or a complement to an existing Mastery.

Its abilities include weapon enchantments, runic mines, protective barriers, magical attacks, and skills supporting dual-wielded weapons. Several abilities convert or enhance weapon damage through elemental effects, allowing Rune to bridge the usual divide between Strength-based fighters and Intelligence-focused spellcasters.

Combining Rune with the nine existing Masteries raises the total number of dual-Mastery combinations to 45. A Rune and Warfare character becomes a Berserker, while Rune paired with Storm produces a Thunderer. Other combinations support hybrids involving shields, pets, ranged attacks, traps, or spellcasting.

As with the original Masteries, not every pairing is equally easy to construct. Rune’s hybrid nature offers unusual possibilities but can also tempt players into spreading attribute points too widely. A character trying to support physical weapons, elemental damage, Intelligence equipment, Strength armour, and Dexterity requirements may become less effective than one built around a clearer goal.

The Accomplished Hero option makes experimenting convenient, but it is not an ideal substitute for learning a build gradually. Receiving forty levels’ worth of points at once means selecting abilities before experiencing how they work in ordinary combat. Fortunately, skill points can still be reclaimed from a Mystic for gold, though attribute allocation remains considerably less forgiving.

Ragnarök also introduces throwing weapons as a full equipment category. These knives, axes, and similar weapons offer shorter range than bows but generally attack more quickly. They occupy one hand, allowing them to be combined with a shield or, where supported, another weapon.

Throwing weapons are integrated beyond Act V rather than being restricted to the new campaign. Enemies in earlier regions can use and drop them, giving returning players another reason to revisit the original acts. Their inclusion creates additional possibilities for ranged characters who do not want to use a bow or staff.

A substantial selection of new equipment accompanies the expansion. Celtic shields, Germanic weapons, northern armour sets, Monster Infrequents, unique items, relics, charms, and crafting formulas expand an already enormous loot pool.

The new gear often reflects the region effectively. Weapons and armour appear heavier and more rugged than much of the Greek or Egyptian equipment, while dyes and regional clothing styles provide more cosmetic variety. Ragnarök also finally gives characters the option of wearing trousers, a minor addition that became one of the expansion’s more amusingly advertised features.

Another notable system allows certain unique equipment to be improved. This gives selected Epic and Legendary items the possibility of receiving additional bonuses, although the result is not always guaranteed to complement the intended build. It provides another use for accumulated resources and makes older equipment potentially relevant for longer.

The increased level cap of 85 accommodates the larger campaign and additional progression. For a character travelling through Normal, Epic, and Legendary difficulties, Ragnarök adds a substantial amount of experience and loot to each full playthrough.

Unfortunately, extending an already long campaign also damages its pacing. Act V is advertised as the largest act, and its scale is immediately noticeable. Many regions are broad, with lengthy routes, branching corners, caves, and side areas.

The environments are attractive enough to encourage exploration, but not every landscape contains enough activity to justify its size. There are stretches where the hero spends more time running than fighting, particularly when clearing every edge of the map or returning to a missed objective.

Several quests also require considerable backtracking. Portals reduce the worst of it, but objectives are not always located near convenient travel points. Titan Quest’s movement speed and limited quest guidance make these journeys feel longer than they might in a more modern action RPG.

Side quests are more elaborate than many from the earlier campaign and frequently draw on local legends. They provide useful experience, equipment, and occasional permanent rewards, making them worthwhile rather than mere distractions. However, some quest triggers and objectives can be unclear, and the expansion has historically suffered from scripting and pathfinding problems.

The technical quality is less consistent than the content. The Anniversary Edition engine was already old when Ragnarök launched, and the expansion occasionally pushes against its limitations. Enemies may become stuck, items can land in awkward locations, and characters sometimes struggle around narrow scenery.

Some regions also experience uneven performance despite the modest visual complexity. Later updates corrected many release issues, but Ragnarök still does not possess the polish expected from a modern action RPG expansion.

Visually, the expansion benefits from Titan Quest’s enduring art direction. Its forests are dense and atmospheric, settlements contain plenty of regional detail, and snowy landscapes provide a strong contrast to the warm environments of earlier acts.

New shaders, effects, and improved ragdoll behaviour were introduced alongside the expansion. These additions help the northern environments feel slightly richer, although they cannot conceal the stiff animations, angular character models, and ageing textures.

The strongest visual moments come from the mythological locations. Ordinary forests and villages gradually give way to stranger architecture and supernatural scenery, maintaining the series’ habit of making each act feel more fantastical as it approaches its climax.

The camera and interface remain functional, with the Anniversary Edition’s resolution and interface scaling options making the game comfortable on modern monitors. Loot comparison and inventory organisation are still cumbersome, especially after Ragnarök adds even more equipment and crafting materials to collect.

Mouse and keyboard controls remain the best fit. Clicking handles movement, attacks, interaction, and item collection, while skills can be assigned to the hotbar. The controls are responsive enough, though companions and summoned creatures may occasionally struggle to follow through tight areas.

Controller support offers direct movement and is perfectly usable for general combat. Precise ground targeting, inventory management, and selecting specific enemies remain easier with a mouse, particularly for Rune builds relying on mines or other targeted abilities.

Ragnarök’s soundtrack is one of its more impressive additions. The included score contains tons of new tracks and uses strings, percussion, chanting, folk instrumentation, and ambient pieces to establish a northern atmosphere.

Music is often restrained during exploration, allowing wind, wildlife, footsteps, and environmental effects to fill the quieter stretches. Battles and major locations introduce more dramatic arrangements without abandoning Titan Quest’s generally atmospheric approach.

Voice acting is extensive, though quality varies. Some performances fit the setting well, while others use exaggerated accents or awkward delivery. This inconsistency existed in the original game and remains part of Ragnarök’s occasionally charming, occasionally distracting presentation.

Replay value depends heavily on how much the player already enjoys Titan Quest’s character building. The Act V maps and quests remain fixed, so repeated runs eventually become predictable. However, Rune, throwing weapons, additional equipment, new secrets in earlier acts, and 45 total Mastery combinations create considerable incentive to start or continue different characters.

Ragnarök does not introduce a radically different endgame comparable to Diablo III’s Rifts or Path of Exile’s Atlas. Its longevity still comes from replaying the campaign on higher difficulties, farming bosses and desirable equipment, experimenting with builds, playing cooperatively, and using community modifications.

As an expansion, Ragnarök is surprisingly substantial. It offers far more than a brief side area, adding an entire act that can take many hours when its quests and optional areas are thoroughly explored. Rune and throwing weapons also affect the broader game rather than becoming features seen only during the new campaign.

Its weaknesses are largely extensions of Titan Quest’s existing limitations. Combat remains somewhat stiff, inventory management is cumbersome, quest guidance is inconsistent, and the enormous maps can create more walking than meaningful action. Technical roughness and dated presentation further prevent it from feeling completely seamless beside the original Iron Lore content.

Nevertheless, Ragnarök succeeds at the most important task: it feels like a genuine continuation of Titan Quest. The new mythology fits naturally, the loot remains rewarding, and the Rune Mastery expands an already excellent class system without invalidating the older options.