Warlock 2: The Exiled
- April 9, 2014
- 1C:Ino-Co Plus
- 330h median play time
An entertaining and efficient strategy game that improves on its predecessorjust not all that much.
Get on Steam"Warlock 2: The Exiled" is a turn-based strategy game of fantasy warfare, where you lead mighty armies, wield magic and faith, and seek revenge on those who cast you out. Experience the challenge in single or multiplayer mode, playing as a Great Mage in the shattered worlds of Ardania. The game features a sandbox mode and a new "Exiled" mode, with the ultimate goal of conquering all who oppose you and reclaiming your home.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing and enjoyable experience, reminiscent of the original Warlock.
- The addition of new races, spells, and gameplay mechanics adds variety and depth to the game.
- The game has a charming aesthetic and a humorous tone that enhances the overall experience.
- The AI is poorly designed, often leading to unchallenging gameplay and predictable outcomes.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, particularly on Mac and Linux, making it frustrating to play.
- The city limit and unrest mechanics can feel restrictive and detract from the enjoyment of building a sprawling empire.
- gameplay87 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Warlock 2 is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its intricate mechanics and strategic depth, while others criticize its pacing issues, flawed AI, and frustrating new mechanics like unrest and spell research. The game offers a unique fantasy setting with multiple worlds and diverse units, but many find the mid to late-game experience tedious and marred by technical glitches. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements and improvements over the original, significant balance and design issues detract from the overall experience.
“So many diverse units, and the mechanic where you gain access to the buildings/units of other races means that you won't miss out on your favorite faction just because you started with somebody else.”
“The gameplay is good, but after a few hours the game just crashes to desktop and even on reloads there is no way around it.”
“Beautiful graphics, great gameplay and always something unique to keep your interest.”
“In conclusion, while Warlock 2 has an enduring allure that keeps bringing me back, its flawed AI, pacing issues, and lackluster spell mechanics prevent it from being the satisfying experience it promises.”
“- the new unrest game mechanic is dreadful and incredibly frustrating and makes the game much less fun than the original game.”
“Gameplay is terrible and there are now city statistics which are impossible to correct.”
- story67 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as somewhat interesting, featuring a campaign centered around shards and quests that involve defeating enemies to progress. However, many players find the narrative lacking depth and coherence, with numerous bugs and crashes related to the quest system detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the fantasy setting and mission-based elements, the execution often feels superficial and unfulfilling, leading to a mixed reception regarding the story aspect.
“I absolutely love this game; the fantasy setting is challenging and the story is pretty good.”
“Tho the story is good here, I do like how they continued from the first!”
“It gives you multiple worlds to discover and an interesting story.”
“As a 4X game, it is quite limited and superficial; it tries to have magic take the place of historical depth, but it fails, also because any form of world's lore behind the quest is completely absent. The presence of missions could have given some RPG flavor, but they mostly fall flat.”
“The story is so poor, with too many things to do in one turn and nothing being easy to manage.”
“I was most hit by the fact that the quest system, which is integral to progress in some places, is completely broken on both platforms in both release and beta versions. Browsing the support forums reveals a huge number of other issues, from broken saves to constant crashes.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of Warlock 2 have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the colorful and detailed visuals, while others criticize them for being dated and plagued by glitches. Although there are improvements over the first game, many feel that the overall aesthetic lacks the charm of its predecessor, and the limited graphical options and performance issues detract from the experience. Overall, while the graphics are generally pleasant, they do not stand out as a highlight of the game.
“All with professional artwork and models.”
“Graphics are very pleasant and easy on the eye.”
“Beautiful graphics, great gameplay and always something unique to keep your interest.”
“Warlock 2 maintains that low standard with little to recommend it and some of the same problems with lack of standard keybinds, missing graphical options, memory hogging, and more.”
“I waited too long to buy it, graphics look dated now.”
“Graphics are unappealing and units are quite dull.”
- stability33 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of persistent bugs, glitches, and crashes across various platforms, particularly on Linux and macOS. Players have experienced issues such as corrupted save files, unresponsive UI elements, and frequent freezes, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Despite some users reporting fewer problems on Windows, the overall consensus is that the game remains a "buggy mess" that has not improved significantly since its initial release.
“A buggy mess that seems fine until you're fully invested and then says your save files are invalid.”
“Six years later and still buggy as hell.”
“The game is also buggy even as of the latest patch with, in my experience at least, constant crashes, freezes and stalled AI turns.”
- replayability26 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising the diverse races and play styles that offer significant replay value, while others criticize the lack of character customization and poor AI, which detracts from the experience. Overall, those who enjoy varied gameplay and different modes find it highly replayable, while some feel it lacks depth compared to other titles in the genre.
“7+ races that play very differently: elves, with lots of mobility; undead, mana-based, heavily resistant to archery but weak in melee; infernals, gold-based, wizard-heavy; humans, all-around balanced; etc. Tons of replay value.”
“Excellent balance of units, great variety, exceptional replay value.”
“Lots of different play modes to choose from, high replayability, steam mods, create your own leader, a very fun, pleasant game experience.”
“Finally, the lack of customization really hurts replayability.”
“I don't think it has much replayability; since there's not much character customization to experiment with like in the old Master of Magic.”
“I found it lacked the replayability that many other 4X games have, and the AI is foolish at best.”
- grinding20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious, particularly in the late game where managing cities and dealing with respawning enemies becomes a chore. Many reviewers note that the gameplay shifts from engaging to repetitive, with a lack of strategic depth exacerbating the grind. Overall, while there are some enjoyable elements, the overwhelming tedium detracts significantly from the overall experience.
“Ultimately, this game just becomes tedious, and when it becomes tedious, it stops being fun.”
“I was really looking forward to Warlock 2, but the game quickly became repetitive and tedious.”
“The game doesn't have much strategy to it at all and it's very tedious when the game gets larger.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is described as quirky and enjoyable, with well-thought-out hero perks and amusing dialogues, though some elements may appeal more to a younger audience. However, there are mixed feelings about the humor's balance, with some players feeling it can be excessive. Overall, while the humor adds to the fun, technical issues detract from the overall experience.
“A genuinely enjoyable game, with lots of quirky humor.”
“I have seldomly seen a game with very well thought out hero perks (some of them hilarious) and the heroes = a paladin with no pants - priceless!”
“Units will pop up in funny places as they exit at the nearest unoccupied hex on your side of the portal.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, particularly in sandbox mode, where enabling all AI leads to severe performance issues, including long wait times and frequent crashes after a certain number of turns. While some players report acceptable performance on high-end PCs, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from significant optimization problems and bugs.
“Civ meets magic... although maybe not quite as good as mom or the original Warlock, the planar dimension is an interesting wrinkle and probably improves performance.”
“On a strong PC, the performance should be fine and the crashing not too often.”
“Sandbox mode is unplayable with all of the AI (all 8 enabled); it is terribly optimized and turns on the impossible difficulty, taking a few minutes to finish (up to 5 minutes of just waiting per turn!). After 100 turns in sandbox mode, the game decides to quit, and it keeps crashing when finishing the turn.”
“Performance issues and bugs are a major concern.”
“The game engine is not optimized.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as exploitative, with users labeling the Linux version as a cash grab and expressing dissatisfaction with the poorly integrated naga expansion. While there are no visible microtransactions at present, the presence of a vague mention of in-game purchases has raised concerns about potential future monetization tactics. Overall, players feel that the monetization approach detracts from the game's value and experience.
“There are no microtransactions that I can see.”
“There is now one line saying 'this game contains in-game purchases' hidden after the features list, implying you can purchase these items later.”
“So, on top of being only a minor upgrade from Warlock 1, there are now cheesy hidden microtransactions.”
“The Linux version is not a port, but a cash grab.”
“It’s hard to differentiate between the game and advertisements; whatever it is, it sucks.”
“It seems to me the naga expansion wasn't really well thought out; it feels like it was just thrown in for a cash grab.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as pleasant and well-executed, contributing positively to the overall experience. While some users note that the soundtrack remains largely unchanged with only a few new additions, it still enhances the game's atmosphere. Overall, the music is appreciated alongside the game's graphics and gameplay.
“The graphics have a very nice style, the music is pleasant, and the gameplay is actually fun, something lost to a lot of modern 4X games.”
“The graphics and music are very nicely done.”
“The units are the same, the spells are the same, the voice clips are the same, the soundtrack is the same, and even the ridiculous AI is the same.”
“Just a few new music additions.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game deeply impactful, particularly due to the heartbreak of losing units they have grown attached to, as the automated save system limits their ability to rectify mistakes. The strong personalities of the units enhance this emotional investment, making losses feel more significant.
“When you lose them, it is heartbreaking. I can save at any point, but I let the automated system save, so I punish myself for bad choices as I can't go back two turns before and try again.”
“Perhaps it is because the units in Warlock have more personality, thus I feel more emotionally invested in them.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for an epic atmosphere in 4X wargames, contrasting it with comedic or absurd elements that detract from the intended grandeur and seriousness of the genre.
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, making you feel like you're truly part of the world.”
“Every detail contributes to an epic atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
“The game's atmosphere is rich and engaging, drawing you into its unique setting.”
Critic Reviews
Warlock 2 review
An entertaining and efficient strategy game that improves on its predecessorjust not all that much.
78%Warlock 2: The Exiled Review
Warlock 2 is an interesting game. Fulfilling quests and establishing a foothold in new worlds is satisfying but the city-building side of the title is disappointingly limited and holds you back more often than it makes things interesting. However, if you want a strategy with a greater sense of progress and purpose, or just an interesting alternative to Sid Meier’s output, it’s well worth a look.
75%Warlock II
80%
