Should I finish Torchlight before playing Torchlight II?

Question

Seeing as Torchlight II's release date is soon approaching. I realised that I have barely completed Torchlight I. Seeing as I am quite desperate to get playing Torchlight II with my friends, I would quite like to start playing it upon launch.

My question is, Should I complete Torchlight I before starting to play Torchlight II?

Are there any parts of the plot in Torchlight II I wouldn't understand without completing the first game? Also, would there be any spoilers in the second game that would ruin my Torchlight I experience?

Answer 1

Having played Torchlight 1 and now some of 2, I'd say there's little benefit to having finished T1 for T2. The stories are only vaguely connected at the very beginning and there's no T1 spoilers in T2 so far. The T1 story was very small and narrow, T2 has a relatively broader scope, but it's still not very story driven.

Neither will finishing T1 help you play T2. While the controls are the same, T2 has a reworked class and skill system. The builds and techniques are different.

Answer 2

Judging from the Torchlight II FAQ, it would probably be worth getting past the main story (Defeating Ordrak) before playing this game.

Years ago, the Heroes of Torchlight saved the world from the ancient evil, Ordrak. Now someone has stolen the essence of his power...

It looks like there is a tie between the storylines of these two games and that yes, I should complete Torchlight I first before starting the next game.

I'm not entirely sure how loose this tie is as the second game hasn't been release yet, however I'm just going to play it safe and complete the first game first (The way I assume the series is meant to be played).