New Region, New Factions, Level 50, and a Big Performance Pass

THQ Nordic has just rolled out the third major Early Access content update for Titan Quest II, and it’s a chunky one. Chapter 3, titled “Arkadian Plains”, pushes the campaign forward in the ongoing struggle against Nemesis and shifts the tone hard: we’re leaving the coastal vibes behind and stepping from the heights of Olympos straight into the middle of a brutal war between humans and centaurs.

What we like about this update is the intent behind it. The team isn’t just adding more enemies and loot for the checklist; they’re clearly trying to make the world react to your growing power. The message is basically: you’re not “just” a capable hero anymore — you’re becoming a demigod, and the chapter is built to match that escalation.

Below is a full breakdown of what’s new in Chapter 3 (Update 0.4.0), what’s been fixed, and why this patch matters for the long haul.

A brand-new chapter region: Arkadian Plains

The headline addition is the new chapter region itself: Arkadian Plains. This isn’t a small side zone — it’s positioned as a major step forward in the story and a fresh biome with a distinct feel compared to what came before.

Expect a drought-stricken landscape with multiple sub-areas (including a dry lake and an overrun quarry) and a lot of hand-crafted environmental storytelling. The team emphasizes secrets and hidden events, and if you’re the type who combs every corner for lore, shrines, and “wait, what is that?” moments, this is the chapter designed for you.

New factions and enemy variety (centaurs finally done right)

Chapter 3 is built around bringing centaurs to life as a real enemy faction — not just “horse guy with a spear,” but a full spectrum of threats.

Main new enemy faction: Centaurs

• 10 new centaur enemies, ranging from basic fodder to high-tier champions
• Not every centaur encounter is guaranteed hostile — some may be friendly, which is a neat twist for a faction that could’ve been played completely one-note

New enemy faction: Boarmen

• 4 boarmen types added now
• The devs already hint that more are coming in future updates

Wildlife and creature variations

Beyond factions, the update adds new wild creatures and also introduces more active variations of existing creatures. That matters more than it sounds: it’s one of the simplest ways to keep familiar routes and encounters from feeling solved.

Four boss fights (including a remix)

Bossing gets a solid upgrade here:

• 4 bosses total in the chapter
• 3 entirely new bosses
• 1 new version of an old favorite

If you’re chasing build benchmarks, this is the kind of patch that gives you new “real” tests — especially now that the level cap has moved.

Quests: more narrative weight, more open-world purpose

This chapter leans into the idea that your actions now shape more than your own survival.

6 new Fated Quests

The update adds six Fated Quests tied directly to the Nemesis struggle, and the themes are big:

• Become a champion of humanity against the centaurs
• Fight in a gladiatorial arena
• Befriend an Olympian
• Free an oppressed city
• Confront forgotten villains from Greek myth and prove a new hero is rising

10 new World Quests

On top of that, you’re getting 10 World Quests that position you as a meaningful actor in the broader war. The pitch is clear: you’re not just clearing camps — you’re influencing the fate of both the mundane and magical sides of Arkadian Plains.

Exploration content: 7 new dungeons and major locations

For players who live for dungeon loops and “one more run,” Chapter 3 adds:

• 7 new dungeons
• A culminating descent into the forsaken palace of a mythical tyrant

Key places include:

• The human polis of Tegea, surrounded by oppressive centaur camps
• The new Arkadian Plains biome and its sub-areas
• The chance to step foot on Olympos itself

Loot chase: new bases, charms, and 10+ epic items

A new chapter needs new gear, and this update delivers a lot of it.

New item additions

• New armor and weapon base items
• New charms
• 10+ new Epic items
• A unique quest reward necklace: “Mother Crab’s Claw” (from the quest “The Crab’s Nest”)

Drop-rate and loot-table fixes

The patch also addresses several loot frustrations:

• Fixed bosses having slightly reduced Epic and Infrequent item rates
• Fixed weapons not dropping from Nemesis troops
• Fixed jewelry not dropping from bandits, undead, and Nemesis troops
• Fixed some Epic/Infrequent items being affected by item weighting

In other words: if your last sessions felt stingy or oddly skewed, this update is a direct attempt to normalize the loot economy.

Level cap increased to 50

The maximum player level is now 50 (up from 45). That’s not just a number — it changes how you plan your mastery progression, how long you can stay in “build growth mode,” and how much runway you have before hitting the current ceiling.

Affixes and build crafting get a serious tune-up

This is one of the most important parts of the patch for long-term replayability.

New and reworked affixes

• Multiple Health Potion affixes added
• Retaliation affixes added to Torso, Shoulder, and Shields
• New flat and increased armor affixes for all armors
• Armor affixes are now grouped, with new tier names
• New set of Energy affixes, with better distribution per item type and higher weight/values overall

If you enjoy the “perfect roll” chase, this is the kind of systemic change that makes farming feel fresh again.

Combat and performance fixes (the unglamorous but vital stuff)

The team also shipped a hotfix and is working on a larger one for next week, but even in this update we’re seeing a strong focus on stability.

Multiplayer and bug reporting

• Fixed multiplayer clients crashing/disconnecting shortly after connecting
• Fixed the in-game bug reporter not sending tickets

Combat and proc behavior

• Fixed self-inflicted damage canceling interactions
• Fixed random rolls in repeated triggers/periodic effects always rolling the same values
• Fixed performance degradation over time caused by mechanics like Lightning Strikes, Doom, and Rupture

Animation improvements

• Player character now faces cursor direction, highlighted objects, and attacking enemies
• Fixed mismatch between projectile trajectory and aim animation when the cursor is very close

UI and quality-of-life upgrades

This patch adds several changes that make the game easier to read and manage mid-fight:

• Secondary hover health bar when hovering creatures during boss fights or when another bar is pinned
• Option to pin a quest in the quest tracker so it stays visible on the HUD
• Teleportation targets grouped by type to locate Rebirth Waypoints faster
• Fixed jittery movement/animation on smaller icons (map/minimap)
• Character creator: removed hair color saturation limits (more range)
• Character creator: panels now accept current settings instead of canceling when clicking out
• Spell telegraph indicators hide when the UI is hidden
• Fixed caravan tabs being reordered after purchasing a new tab

Controller support and engine upgrade

Two more notable technical wins:

Native PlayStation controller support

• Added native support for DualShock 4 and DualSense (no Steam Input emulation required)

Unreal Engine update + performance pass

• Updated to Unreal Engine 5.7.2
• Fixed multiple hardware-specific render crashes
• Improved render CPU times
• Reduced frame hitches (including faster UI updates)
• Decreased overall texture memory usage
• Added new frame rate limit options: 45 FPS and 90 FPS
• Loading screens now wait for PSO precaching to reduce shader compilation stutters after teleporting
• Removed unnecessary engine modules (including Chromium Embedded Framework) to slim builds

Balance tweaks and mastery fixes

A few targeted changes worth noting:

Relics & charms progression

Players now start with 2 Charm slots, with more unlocking as you level:

1. Level 10: +2 slots (total 4), max relics 1
2. Level 25: +4 slots (total 8), max relics 2
3. Level 40: +4 slots (total 12), max relics 3

Selected enemy and mastery adjustments

• Brute Leader: Radial Shockwave cooldown fixed; damage increased
• Human Scoundrel: added fleeing behavior
• Skeleton Revenants: damage scaling fixed; telegraph added; delay increased; disproportionate one-shot damage addressed
• Snapping Turtle: attack replaced with a bite
• Forge: Magma Shell retaliation scaling fixed; Heat of the Forge retaliation feat fixed
• Rogue: lifesteal flat additions now correctly applied; Trick Shot weapon combinations adjusted
• Storm: multiple Cyclone/Amplify fixes; Ice Nova crash fix

Our take

Chapter 3 “Arkadian Plains” feels like the first update that really sells the fantasy of escalation — not only through bigger zones and new factions, but through systemic improvements: loot tables, affixes, performance stability, and UI clarity.

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to jump back into Titan Quest II Early Access, this is the patch that adds both fresh content and the quality-of-life groundwork that keeps an ARPG healthy.

Now it’s your turn: what’s your first goal in Arkadian Plains — pushing the new dungeons, testing the new affix pool, or hunting those new epic drops?