A major update to Torchlight 3 has been implemented, reworking the functionality of Reliquaries (essentially subclasses). Previously, they could be equipped as items that granted additional skills and could be stored and exchanged between characters via Reliquary; when Chris Livingston looked at Torchlight 3 a few months ago, he felt that these items were a bit more interchangeable, Torchlight 3 project lead Tyler Thompson agrees with this opinion in the latest patch notes:

"The ability to craft, modify, share, and delete Reliquaries tended to diminish their importance to the character. It tended to diminish the importance of the Relic to the character. It felt like a side system rather than one that truly builds diversity and provides character identity."

As a result, the Relic became a full-fledged subclass, selected at character creation and accompanied by a "full tab" of five active and five passive skills. From the very beginning of the game, the character is built around this third skill tree, and it is no longer possible to change the Relic after the character is created. The four existing relics (centered around fire, cold, poison, and electricity) remain in the game, but new ones were added as part of the update. The Blood Drinker is essentially a subclass of the vampire, which can be used to heal oneself by slurping up enemies, inflicting bleeding damage, and causing bleeding enemies to explode.

Other changes in the update include the addition of "mini-dungeons" (which are like little basements in Diablo 3) and the downgrading of the now useless Reliquary to a decorative item. Owners of the early access version of Torchlight 3 will receive this item as a reminder of a "bygone era."

Since this is a major update requiring a complete character and account wipe, early access game owners will need to start from scratch to determine how the new relic system will work.