I liked torchlight so much I bought Torchlight 2. Extremely fun and relaxing game. thanx GOG.

I'm playing with a Berserker and having a blast! Mostly investing in the recommended Strength and Dexterity, with a bit of Focus for those sweet Criticals that I've chosen to give my character health back. :D

EDIT: Also, look how cool he looks with his plain-old-regular shirt/sweater (which apparently is really good armour):

I love the Berzerker because she (I use a girl with a white mohawk) is so damn fast, but I have to be honest, by the time I got to chapter two I got a little bored. As fun as her attacks can be, they can get a little monotonous.

Someone in here told me recently about adding a few shadow skills to liven it up so, I'll have to give that a shot next time.

Out of curiosity, how effective (for either game) are magic focused builds? Are pure mage builds (that is, no boosting offensive stats except the one(s) used for magic, and no spending skill points on non-magic active skills) viable?

I have a level 6 magic user (Embermage) with everything put on Focus -- the stat for magic -- and she's definitely viable. I honestly think pure Embermages feel more balanced and reliable than the Alchemist from the first Torchlight. I highly prefer my Embermage over my Engineer, for instance.

In the first game, all classes are, in my opinion, too overpowered, and the Alchemist is no exception. You can spend all your points in magic skills alone and he'll do just fine, powering through the hordes of enemies from a safe distance like it was nothing, especially when you get that Ember ray spell.

N.B.: I did spend a point or two in Vitality, since I don't want my Embermage to be too much of a glass cannon.