Watch a new Torment: Tides of Numenera trailer explain the magic of Nanos

The great Arthur C. Clarke once said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. It's a principle that lies at the heart of the Nano class in Torment: Tides of Numenera. "Nanos are the sorcerers of the Ninth World," as the new class trailer explains, but instead of wielding magic, they are masters of the technology of the ancients. 

Of course, it's effectively magic—you might say the two are indistinguishable—and Nanos sound very much like their more conventional, arcane counterparts. They receive a bonus to their intelligence, which gives them greater knowledge of lore and more options during conversations, but they're not so great in a stand-up fight.   

Their power derives from the machines known as Numenera, which are relics of past ages—Torment is set one billion years in the future, remember, in a world built atop many other fallen civilizations—that have tremendous potential power but are mostly used, as inXile explained in this Ninth World trailer, "to endure." It may be magical, but it's still a pretty harsh place. 

Torment: Tides of Numenera is set to come out in early 2017.   

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.