Since the open beta, the developers have been hard at work creating exciting new content and features for newcomers and veterans alike. Speaking of veterans, XD Games has published a behind-the-scenes interview with Diablo creator and Torchlight: Infinite Consulting Producer David Brevik. He looks back on a career spanning more than 30 years and talks about how the game manages to innovate and overcome challenges in the ever-changing landscape of the gaming industry.

New Season: Cube of Rapacity

The latest season, titled Cube of Rapacity, introduces an explosive new playable hero, the escape artist Bing, and also adds the new hero trait Incarnation of the Gods for Thea. As for the Cube of Rape itself, this seasonal game mechanic adds an exciting risk-reward element to the hack n' slash action. Incarnation mobs invade stages throughout the game and can drop wish crystals, which you can spend when the Cube of Daring appears after you defeat the stage boss. Trade your crystals for high-value rewards, but be warned: if you get too greedy, the Cube will punish you by destroying any unclaimed rewards.

Defeated incarnations also have the chance to drop desire cores that can be traded for access to the new seasonal boss, the Law Bearer. This is one of the toughest fights in the game, from which hunters will emerge with special rewards.

A new talent board has also been introduced, which allows for even more customization. This board, dedicated to the enigmatic 7th God, works differently than the previous six. Instead of a linear progression path, there is a puzzle-like tangram that can be filled in by placing new loot items called Divinity Slates. These offer a number of bonuses from the other six talent boards, but you'll need to arrange them carefully on the grid.

Hunters can support their favorite streamers in the Cube Dash competition, with event rewards for backers and a $10,000 prize pool for the top 100 players who collect the most puzzle pieces in the community event, which also goes live on May 9.

Updated gameplay: what's new?

The team has listened carefully to player feedback and refined and expanded core gameplay systems in time for the worldwide launch of Torchlight: Infinite. One of the biggest improvements is the way crafting works in the game, with 2 new methods: prototyping and targeted crafting.

Prototyping allows hunters to re-roll the stats of their gear, specifying 2 desired attachments. This allows you to keep advanced attachments on your gear, but you can only do this so many times before the plasticity of your gear reaches 0.

Meanwhile, the old crafting method will be replaced by targeted crafting - hunters can now use Ember to craft any equipment appendages, but the cost of undoing crafting results will be much higher. Overall, these are important changes to the crafting system that will provide more flexibility and a more exciting gameplay experience in the quest for the perfect gear.

Here's a preview of more gameplay changes coming with the global launch and final season of Torchlight: Infinite:

• New Guild Feature - Hunters will be able to create and join guilds, communicate with friends, and earn rewards from guild events.
• Hero builds made easier - A new rookie build recommendation feature will help new hunters learn the game mechanics faster and make it easier to create powerful hero builds.
• Higher Damage Limits - By changing the number of digits in the underlying calculations, damage limits for a single hit can now exceed 2.1 billion!
• Pact Spirit Enhancements - Save your favorite Pact Spirit configurations and conveniently switch them during gameplay.Bragging Rights - View your performance stats after completing a stage and share battle reports with other players.
• Void Gulfs - These are now displayed on maps - enter a Void Gulch to face intense battles and earn great rewards.
• New Trading House functionality - It is now possible to search for repeated affixes in the advanced search. The advanced search conditions will remain even after you leave the Trading House.
• Steam Early Access - As part of the global launch and upcoming season, Torchlight: Infinite is moving from Steam Early Access to official launch and has also been optimized for the Steam Deck.