Basically the title, I suggest the torch should me moved to the tool use in some fashion, have it scare away beasts, or bugs, or increase fish spawn, or something, but move it to the tool slot.
Reasoning is thematic, its more of a tool, it can be more utilized creatively
NO!
Just have the Rain increase Leech and Fish Spawns!
sorry 
Torch as a Tool = hold it up in the Air to Spawn Rain xD
(ofc just joking, still like the idea of finding a purpose for the Torch as a Tool)
I like the idea of the torch as a tool. It might kind of override the necessity of having the Light spell, but I donāt consider that a bad thing. Light as a spell and a torch in a weapon slot are about the most uninteresting things possible in this context. Having the torch come out automatically while in dark areas, so long as itās equipped in a Tool slot, is good. It also gives a reason, finally, to spend at least one Plague Ichor on a Tool slot.
Alternatively, just make the Light spell automatically spawn for you when you enter dark areas. Weāre magical characters in a fantasy world. Why would such a mundane spell be more than an automatic task for a hero such as ourselves? There are other games that stand as examples of this principle, where a mote of light follows you everywhere in the dark without needing a single button press. Thereās less friction for the player this way.
Yeah, sure we can just hold it with our third hand, right?
But seriously, I think the system is great as is because it forces a trade-off:
ā¢ In the dark, you either keep your weapon loadout (2H or dual wield) and use up a slot for a Light Rune to see.
ā¢ Or you switch to an alt setup to save the Rune slot, but you sacrifice a hand for the torch, forcing you into 1H play without a shield.
Making it a ātoolā doesnāt fix anything. Having automatic lighting completely negates the concept of darkness requiring adaptation. If itās automatic, dark zones just become identical to normal zones.
The system is fine, donāt touch it.
Itās a fantasy world. There could be a small holster for it somewhere on our gear. Or a slot for it in our shield. Or some other solution. Also, per the post you just quoted, thereās the idea of a magical light mote automatically spawning and following us around. Since weāre magical ourselves.
The system doesnāt āforceā a trade off, though, because the light spell exists. At most, it requires a small sacrifice of Focus for the most uninteresting result.
Lighting being automatic doesnāt entirely make dark zones identical to normal zones, because even with light the process of exploration is different. You canāt see the entire environment, unlike in daylight conditions.
Dark zones arenāt doing so much differently that the idea of adaptation is interesting. Also, the enemies inside those dark zones arenāt any more interesting than the ones outside them, so thereās no reason that someone playing 2H would find enough reason to suddenly engage in 1H play just for that zone. Also, the dark zones are infrequent enough itās simply not worth carrying a 1H load out just for a torch.
If dark zones did more, torches did more in response, the enemies were different, AND dark zones were more frequent, then the system would be fine. But none of that is true, and so the system is not fine.
Touch it.
Your point is interesting and I get where youāre coming from, but I see things very differently. Thatās totally fine though, we can agree to disagree.
But for me, dark zones should feel even more distinct than lit areas. They should impact how we traverse them and encourage us to use an āalternativeā loadout (one that isnāt our usual build) to push us out of our comfort zone, force us to explore differently, and change the gameās pacing every now and then. That is what I want from this game, rather than it feeling flat and monotonous all the time. And honestly, having to manage at least one one-handed loadout really isnāt too much to ask.
You say there arenāt enough dark zones, but the game isnāt finished yet. Not enough enemies or variety? Maybe that would actually be great if the devs are saving some surprises for the dark to catch us off guard and shake things up a bit, instead of us having seen everything already. Imagine if your torch got blown out by the wind and you had to relight it, or if you had to cross bodies of water in the dark, etc. There are tons of ways to add tension and fear elements.
It forces a change of pace and adaptation, and I would like to see them push even further in that direction, rather than reverting to a basic system that ultimately serves no purpose because it requires no compromise and is just automatic.
Plenty of games do this. They disable certain features at specific moments to force you to adapt and play differently. Sure, it takes effort and can sometimes be frustrating, but it adds variety and enriches both the game and us as players.
Here, we actually agree.
My requests, and the requests of the OP, stand in relation to the game as it is now.
The possibilities you just spoke of match my conditions for finally finding this system interesting. If this truly is the direction they go, Iāll be happy too! Your ideas are good, and more dark zones could be interesting. Although, I would add that the earliest dark zones would need to be amended at the same time so that the learning curve and motivation for the players were appropriate. If only the later, newly added dark zones have altered enemies/combat and the latest features, then thereād still be no reason to engage with the concept until those later zones.
I do like these ideas a lot, but I also know itās quite a lot of work for the devs and Iām not entirely confident this is the direction it will go.
I suppose that, until such time as thereās indication of it going that direction, Iām still making my request for less friction within the current game state. I see it as a relatively small change that should be much easier to implement, which will have a relatively outsized return for the players who are finding the pace of the game marred by this rather incomplete concept.
Perhaps, after the next update, we could get back together in a new topic to flesh out these ideas regarding dark zones? I think that the dark zones are thematically very appropriate to the game, so it would definitely be great to see the system made full and unique.
Have you tried climbing while holding a torch?
It will get put on your back while climbing vines 
(Unless they removed it)