What exactly IS Atlantis?

[Pax]

Since I don't yet have Atlantis, and just got Ragnarok a few weeks ago, I'm having trouble understanding from the discussions what Atlantis actually is. Is it a new extension to the game past the defeat of the final boss, like defeating Typhon opened up the Immortal Throne extension that ends in defeating Hades, or is it more like DLC? For that matter, since I haven't played through to Hades since I bought Ragnarok, is Ragnarok more like DLC?

By that I mean do Ragnarok and Atlantis just expand the options and equipment we have for playing through the Titan Quest: Immortal Throne scenario, or do we go on to new areas once we walk through the portal after defeating Hades? (Or some other final boss in the instance of Atlantis?)

Apparently, Ragnarok can only be accessed when you walk through the portal after defeating Hades, but is that true for Atlantis? Is there a final boss portal that unlocks Atlantis? The reason I ask is because, from comments in discussion on this forum, I've gotten the impression Atlantis can be accessed by a newbie character from Helos (the beginning town) at the very start of the game. Is that true?

[Somebody]

Ragnarök expands the game the same way Immortal Throne did. It adds act 5, which has to be completed to unlock the next difficulty.

Atlantis can be accessed via boat at the start of act 4, or via portal at the start act 5. It's an optional act.

[Pax]

Thanks! Man! Do I ever need to pay attention to the "Acts" thing! I've played TQ:IT 3,176 hours (according to Steam) spanning a lot of years (many additional hours with just TQ without IT and then with IT, both from disc, before I ever transited to Steam) without ever noticing what Act I'm in. I just kill stuff, gather loot and go on to the next thing.

**EDIT** So, do you mean my characters that are in Hades right now can access Atlantis content? Think there are 3 at that point now, I like to play different builds.

[NavFamG]

It's easiest to think of Atlantis as an added 'side quest area' for alt leveling. It's not part of the progressions as presented by the ACT'S, it's just an added area off to the side so to speak.

To access Atlantis all you have to do is get to Rhodes and go to the beach to find the guy that will send you to Atlantis. While a level 1 character might be able to get to Rhodes and go to Atlantis, he'd find all the NPC's are way over his level. Best to play the game normally and once you get to Rhodes you can decided to do Atlantis (in you own it) or just play on the normal game.

Ragnarok now is a addition to the base game just like Immortal Throne was. And just like where in the base game you kill the final boss to get the portal to the Immortal Throne area, you have to kill the final boss (Hades) in Immortal Throne to get a portal to the Ragnarok area.

[NavFamG]

Originally posted by _Pax_:

**EDIT** So, do you mean my characters that are in Hades right now can access Atlantis content? Think there are 3 at that point now, I like to play different builds.

If you own Atlantis, sure you can port back to Rhodes and go to the beach and 'see the man'.

[Pax]

Thank you! That was the clearest answer I've gotten on all of this! You decided me, I just bought Atlantis. Now to find that beach!

Embarrassed to say, but in all my years of playing, never built past Epic, got bored (or frustrated with performance of current build) and started new characters instead, to explore different builds and how they played through. Think I'm looking for the perfect build (at least for my playstyle).

Learned a lot of tricks for taking down bosses to utilize with future characters. Shadowmaw caught me by surprise, never encountered him before in all my years of playing. (Runes decked in Health Regen armor at Lvl 12 is not good for Shadowmaw.) Died 5 times and found no way through for that build at that level. There probably is one with that build, I just didn't discover it.

I've yet to make a Legendary, never felt the need, plus some areas are more interesting than others. The grind for grind's sake makes me lose interest and I wind up parking that character.

If I have an overall goal for the game, it's to die as few times as possible, to make it to Rhodes without dying is my current goal. Haven't reached it yet. So far, only managed to make it with 2 deaths, but at least Typhon didn't kill her, mob of dragon mages and too much character speed did.

The spider boss in Hades was my nemesis since IT, finally discovered Elemental Shielding scrolls are my friend there. LOL The automaton major boss can be killed by standing on the balcony above him and taking him down with a bow, he can't reach you with his fire. There's a very narrow window, but scatter shot and volley get through.

[Elfgang]

Originally posted by _Pax_:

Thank you! That was the clearest answer I've gotten on all of this! You decided me, I just bought Atlantis. Now to find that beach!

Embarrassed to say, but in all my years of playing, never built past Epic, got bored (or frustrated with performance of current build) and started new characters instead, to explore different builds and how they played through. Think I'm looking for the perfect build (at least for my playstyle).

Learned a lot of tricks for taking down bosses to utilize with future characters. Shadowmaw caught me by surprise, never encountered him before in all my years of playing. (Runes decked in Health Regen armor at Lvl 12 is not good for Shadowmaw.) Died 5 times and found no way through for that build at that level. There probably is one with that build, I just didn't discover it.

I've yet to make a Legendary, never felt the need, plus some areas are more interesting than others. The grind for grind's sake makes me lose interest and I wind up parking that character.

If I have an overall goal for the game, it's to die as few times as possible, to make it to Rhodes without dying is my current goal. Haven't reached it yet. So far, only managed to make it with 2 deaths, but at least Typhon didn't kill her, mob of dragon mages and too much character speed did.

The spider boss in Hades was my nemesis since IT, finally discovered Elemental Shielding scrolls are my friend there. LOL The automaton major boss can be killed by standing on the balcony above him and taking him down with a bow, he can't reach you with his fire. There's a very narrow window, but scatter shot and volley get through.

If you are at ragnarok there is a portal right outside the first part of the act you can go in that to do the endless mode, and when you exit that portal you are in Atlantic ^^

[Pax]

Haven't gotten to Ragnarok portal after killing Hades yet, 3 characters are playing through Hades right now.

**EDIT** Since I got Ragnarok, the gamma has been too dark for me to play much, nighttime and caves were a literal nightmare until yesterday's update, so I'd almost stopped playing.

[Kool Shade]

I lover Ragnarok, but found that Atlantis was just something to do, never got anything worth the effort playing it... But that may just be my bad luck.. I did not really enjoy it much.

[Pax]

In Atlantis part now, it doesn't seem as "alive" as TQ:ET so far, but it's okay. Had a melee character that was playing well into Epic when I got ET and it borked him for Epic (since there was no Hades for him to play through when he made Epic), so he was stuck back at the beginning vendors in Hades on Normal. Just ran down the stairs and there was the Atlantis quest-giver. He's gotten the Tome and is off to the next part now. So far it's been really easy play, don't expect that will continue though.

[NavFamG]

Originally posted by _Pax_:

Embarrassed to say, but in all my years of playing, never built past Epic, got bored (or frustrated with performance of current build) and started new characters instead, to explore different builds and how they played through. Think I'm looking for the perfect build (at least for my playstyle).

I've yet to make a Legendary, never felt the need,

I'd have to say it's been about a year and a half since I finished the Normal setting. Just getting back into playing on Epic now that I've pretty much forgotten map details. Of course it's also long enough that I had to look up how to do relics and putting them on armor too!

[Pax]

NavFamG, I did the same thing. When all I had was the discs, before I discovered TQ on Steam, I got burned out and stopped playing at least a year, maybe longer. When I learned about IT I bought it and started up again, then got tired and stopped again. LOL THEN I saw it on Steam and remembered it fondly, so got it all again from Steam. Been playing it on and off for a few years now from Steam-boot, but still don't know a lot about the mechanics.

For instance, after all my years of playing, I just learned how to combine relic shards in my inventory using the auto-sort function. Until last week, I'd been adding them to my armor until the relic was completed. SHEESH! REALLY stupid of me! Ignorance can cost.

It's a credit to the creators, designers, graphic artists and techs that TQ is such a timeless success. It's right up there with Oblivion and Skyrim, even if it's amusement park gameplay instead of sandbox. The problem with amusement park design is the boredom factor, though. Playing through multiple times can become a grind. TQ is the only game of that design that's held my attention for long. Think it's the graphics, they're truly beautiful.

[NavFamG]

Sounds like me. Bought the Disc's, sold the disc's. Bought the Disc's again, sold the disc's again. Bought it on Steam and told myself I WOULD finish it. Had just finished TQ and was starting on TQ:IT when the AE version came out. Was able to shift my character over no problem and dived back in finally finishing the set about 6 months afterwards. Then walked away again because there was NO WAY I was going to dive right back into the grind. Hahaha

[Pax]

LOL Exactly! I'll start to play, then think, "What area is that character in now?" When I remember, if I think, "Oh, no, that area's not much fun," I usually play another character or make a new one. Hades from the dock to the Plains of Judgment is like that, never a restful moment, and really depressing atmosphere. Not that much fun.

Of course, except for Elysium, all the way to defeating Hades is rather depressing. On top of that all my characters but one are turtle-less, I've only ever gotten the gate-opening turtle once from defeating Hades. That should be a sure thing after all your heroic efforts, you would think. It should ALWAYS be the turtle for sure PLUS random stuff.