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I'm back with another Torchlight: Infinite update as we gear up for Season 8, titled Sandlord. Today, I want to go over some solid starter builds you can consider at the beginning of the league. Before we dive in, let me clear something up — when I say “starter,” I don't mean builds that are clearing Tier 8 profound maps on day two, or putting out trillions of DPS instantly.

To me, a good starter build is one that you can pick up when the league starts, level comfortably, farm early content like Timemark 7 or 8, and get into the groove before pivoting into something stronger or more specialized. These builds aren't about pushing limits right away — they're more about getting your feet under you and setting up your farm.

With that said, let's talk about some characters that are worth considering for the start of Season 8.

1. Selena (Howling Gale)

Selena is a safe and consistent option. She didn't get touched by the new patch, and her Howling Gale setup is just smooth to play early on. It's got decent AoE, clear, and feels cozy for early farming.

Key Support to Watch For:

Howling Gale - Furious Sweep (special support gem for the 5th slot). It dramatically boosts her damage, and this season, supports seem to drop more commonly in lower Timemarks, so you may get this earlier than before.

Helpful Items:

• Oversights (you can even dual wield these)

• Vortex Heart

• Opening Heart

These items are quite popular, so they might be contested, especially early on. Still, if you're running Selena, keep your eye out for them.

2. Yuga 2 or Thea 3 (Mind Control)

Even with the 30% movement speed nerf, Mind Control is still going to be a popular league starter — especially with Thea being the new hero. A lot of people are likely going to level using the Yuga 2 build and then transition that over to Thea 3 once the meta settles.

Keep in mind, Thea is new, so items related to her might be more expensive early on. So need Torchlight: Infinite Flame Elementium is important!

Important Items:

• Traceless Pain rings (ideally with 1-second cooldown)

• King's Moon

• Twilight Vestment (corroded or not, both are great for this build)

Mind Control remains strong and is one of the safer choices if you want something reliable out of the gate.

3. Erica 1 or Erica 2 (Thunder Spike or Berserking Blade)

There's been some community chatter around Erica 1, and I plan to do some testing on her numbers at launch. That said, Thunder Spike is still a great leveling option. If you're going the Thunder Spike route:

Recommended Gear:

• Frantic Shadow (weapon)

• Farewell Desire (a bit pricey early on)

• Electric Amp

• Thunder Jawbone (helmet - great early game, but usually replaced later)

If you want to try a two-handed style, either for Erica or Rehond, you could experiment with Berserking Blade. Combo items for this build include:

• Farewell Desire

• Ominous Gifts

• Sea Splitters Gloves

Two-handed builds may take a bit longer to come online, depending on how fast people can craft or find the right axes, so you might need to be patient or hold off on this path until later in the league.

4. Rehond 1 (Train - aka Anger Build)

This build is always a solid go-to. It's smooth, easy to use, and clears maps well. While single-target damage isn't the best, the mapping experience is very clean, which is what a lot of players want when just getting started.

Item Suggestions:

• Heavyear

• Praise for Injury

• Vortex Heart (again, a hot item in this league)

This is one of those builds that may not feel flashy, but it's dependable and gets the job done early.

5. Moto 1 (Spider Tank Minions)

Moto isn't the most popular league starter, but Moto 1 is viable, especially if you enjoy minions. I wouldn't suggest Moto 2 based on how it's been performing. And while Iris 2 might shine late game, that early 50% damage nerf hurts. It'll be rough at the start, especially in higher Timemarks.

Moto 1, however, works well with spider tanks.

Look for these:

• Horn Rings

• Cry of Divinity (belt from Treasure Trove)

• Mind Infusion Boots

Minion builds tend to feel slower at the start, but they can snowball quickly once your gear starts rolling in.

6. Carino 1 or Carino 3 (Thundershot or Ice Shot)

Carino 2? Nah, not recommending him. But Carino 1 and 3 have been pretty decent in testing. I tried both ThunderShot and Ice Shot — they work well enough for starting. Once you get your supports, you can transition into something like Split Shot for higher-end gameplay.

If you're choosing between the two:

• Thundershot = more damage

• Ice Shot = safer and more controlled

Split Shot doesn't feel great without supports, so I don't recommend leveling with it, but it's great to work toward. Use ThunderShot or Ice Shot to get going.

Wrap-Up

To summarize, here are the key starter characters and their strengths:

• Selena (Howling Gale): Reliable, smooth leveling with solid early gear options.

• Yuga 2 / Thea 3 (Mind Control): Still meta even after nerfs. Items might be expensive early, especially for Thea.

• Erica 1 / 2: Thunder Spike and Berserking Blade are both strong early, with gear being fairly accessible.

• Rehond 1 (Train/Anger): Classic league starter. Great mapper, weak single target.

• Moto 1: Minion build with solid early game through spider tanks.

• Carino 1 / 3: Ranged builds that feel good with Thunder Shot/Ice Shot before transitioning to Split Shot.

Again, remember — starter builds don't have to do insane damage. They just need to feel good enough to get you to midgame comfortably. From there, you can farm, refine, and then pivot to your long-term endgame plan.