Warlock 2 is a truly fantastic game, despite what some of these reviews may say. If you're a lover of 4X strategy games and fantasy lore, get this game -- you won't be sorry.

One of the reasons this game has so many harsh ratings is because it can be a little buggy. But on the right system (Windows 7, 8 and 10 all work well), it's a ton of fun and you'll encounter few bugs. I can safely say this after 2000+ hours of game play.

However, the Linux and Mac versions do not work. The developers were forced to abandon the game before they were fixed, so avoid this game if you're using one of those systems.



- Tons of flavorful units (15+ for each race, several more 'wild' creatures)
- Varied and unique races
- Interesting lords (hero units)
- Simple but highly strategic combat system
- Wide variety of fantasy resources
- Strategic spells (terraforming, empire boosting, unit enhancement)
- Great game modes (sandbox maps, shard worlds, boss-killing campaigns)
- Rich lore (with a good sense of humor)
- Excellent replay value
- Tons of fun -- one of the best games I've ever played



BUGS

There are a few stubborn bugs and the developers are no longer able to work on the title to fix them. On Windows, none of the bugs are game-breaking.

To give you an idea, you might encounter 1 or 2 crashes during a game. (Games are usually 20+ hours long.) The good news is that you can almost always "correct" a game-crash bug by loading an autosave from just a turn prior.

Note that there are also a few mods that fix a number of minor bugs (like missing icons and incorrect sound files) -- Renaissance Mod fixes most of them.


SUBPAR AI

As a beginner, the AI seems quite strong. But once you know what you're doing, the AI is lackluster and you'll catch it making some bone-headed moves, even on the most difficult setting.

Luckily, a number of mods improved the AI -- Legendary Mode AI is one and Renaissance Mod is another. The AI still makes the occasional poor move, but the games themselves are much more challenging with either of these mods.


NOT FOR LINUX / MAC

Despite what the description says, users agree that the game is not in a playable state for Linux and Mac users.



The first Warlock was widely criticized on two counts:

1) It looked like a Civ 5 clone. True, it does have a very similar feel to the UI in Civ 5, and it has retained this feel for the sequel. But the gameplay is quite different than a Civ title, with only passing similarities.

2) The game lacked strategic depth. To win, all you really needed to do was to "city spam" your way to victory. There was no downside for having multiple cities, making most games feel like a race to see who could expand the fastest.

You could also "perk" (buff) as many units as you wanted just by capturing a single resource tile. Very easy to abuse.

Warlock 2, however, changed both of these things for the better by adding some much-needed limitations.


SMARTER LIMITATIONS

Some people who enjoyed the freedom Warlock 1 granted with regards to city spamming and limitless unit perks are likely to be turned off by the sequel. I know I was at first ... until I played a bit and realized how much these changes improved the game.

In fact, fans of the first title pushed back so hard on the city limit that the developers added the ability to turn it off when you create a new game. But just as the developers noted that disabling the city limit is "not recommended," I strongly concur. The gameplay is so much richer with some scarcity and consequences for overextending -- just as it is in the best 4X games.


MORE STRATEGIC DEPTH

As I learned to play with the newly laid out limitations on number of cities and availability of perks, along with the new unrest system, I discovered that the developers really did know what they were doing. The game has TONS more strategic depth than Warlock 1. So again -- take some of these negative reviews with a grain of salt.

The developers really did a lot to improve the game with these simple changes. When people say Warlock 2 is just a clone of the original with more content, they are sorely mistaken.


MUCH IMPROVED RESEARCH TREE

In Warlock 1, researching spells is entirely random. When it's time to research a new spell, you're given a small selection of random spells and are able to chose one.

The sequel offers an actual research tree, with clearly laid out paths to acquire new spells. This gives you the ability to navigate the tree and strategically chose your preferred research path. Many players consider this the best improvement over the original.



Aside from World of Warcraft, I don't think I've ever spent so much time playing (and enjoying) a game.

Is Warlock 2 perfect?

No.

The cons I described above should be fair warning to those who are concerned about getting this game.

Is Warlock 2 worth your time and money?

YES. Absolutely.

Sure, It does have some imperfections -- many of which I've managed to correct myself in my own popular mod for the game, Renaissance Mod:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=493257789
Note that Renaissance adds loads of fun new content to the game, too.


TL;DR - If you're running Windows and you love fantasy and 4X games, get this game and the DLC -- especially if it's on sale. You'll be doing yourself a disservice not to give it a try.

If it was as bad as some of these other reviews would have you believe, there wouldn't be such a loyal fanbase for the game.

Warlock 2 is a truly fantastic game, despite what some of these reviews may say. If you're a lover of 4X strategy games and fantasy lore, get this game -- you won't be sorry. One of the reasons this game has so many harsh ratings is because it can be a little buggy. But on the right system (Windows 7, 8 and 10 all work well), it's a ton of fun and you'll encounter few bugs. I can safely say this after 2000+ hours of game play. [b]However, the Linux and Mac versions do not work.[/b] The developers were forced to abandon the game before they were fixed, so avoid this game if you're using one of those systems. [h1]PROS[/h1] - Tons of flavorful units (15+ for each race, several more 'wild' creatures) - Varied and unique races - Interesting lords (hero units) - Simple but highly strategic combat system - Wide variety of fantasy resources - Strategic spells (terraforming, empire boosting, unit enhancement) - Great game modes (sandbox maps, shard worlds, boss-killing campaigns) - Rich lore (with a good sense of humor) - Excellent replay value - Tons of fun -- one of the best games I've ever played [h1]CONS[/h1] [b]BUGS[/b] There are a few stubborn bugs and the developers are no longer able to work on the title to fix them. On Windows, none of the bugs are game-breaking. To give you an idea, you might encounter 1 or 2 crashes during a game. (Games are usually 20+ hours long.) The good news is that you can almost always "correct" a game-crash bug by loading an autosave from just a turn prior. Note that there are also a few mods that fix a number of minor bugs (like missing icons and incorrect sound files) -- Renaissance Mod fixes most of them. [b]SUBPAR AI[/b] As a beginner, the AI seems quite strong. But once you know what you're doing, the AI is lackluster and you'll catch it making some bone-headed moves, even on the most difficult setting. Luckily, a number of mods improved the AI -- Legendary Mode AI is one and Renaissance Mod is another. The AI still makes the occasional poor move, but the games themselves are much more challenging with either of these mods. [b]NOT FOR LINUX / MAC[/b] Despite what the description says, users agree that the game is not in a playable state for Linux and Mac users. [h1]DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WARLOCK 1[/h1] The first Warlock was widely criticized on two counts: 1) It looked like a Civ 5 clone. True, it does have a very similar feel to the UI in Civ 5, and it has retained this feel for the sequel. But the gameplay is quite different than a Civ title, with only passing similarities. 2) The game lacked strategic depth. To win, all you really needed to do was to "city spam" your way to victory. There was no downside for having multiple cities, making most games feel like a race to see who could expand the fastest. You could also "perk" (buff) as many units as you wanted just by capturing a single resource tile. Very easy to abuse. Warlock 2, however, changed both of these things for the better by adding some much-needed limitations. [b]SMARTER LIMITATIONS[/b] Some people who enjoyed the freedom Warlock 1 granted with regards to city spamming and limitless unit perks are likely to be turned off by the sequel. I know I was at first ... until I played a bit and realized how much these changes improved the game. In fact, fans of the first title pushed back so hard on the city limit that the developers added the ability to turn it off when you create a new game. But just as the developers noted that disabling the city limit is "not recommended," I strongly concur. The gameplay is so much richer with some scarcity and consequences for overextending -- just as it is in the best 4X games. [b]MORE STRATEGIC DEPTH[/b] As I learned to play with the newly laid out limitations on number of cities and availability of perks, along with the new unrest system, I discovered that the developers really did know what they were doing. The game has TONS more strategic depth than Warlock 1. So again -- take some of these negative reviews with a grain of salt. The developers really did a lot to improve the game with these simple changes. When people say Warlock 2 is just a clone of the original with more content, they are sorely mistaken. [b]MUCH IMPROVED RESEARCH TREE[/b] In Warlock 1, researching spells is entirely random. When it's time to research a new spell, you're given a small selection of random spells and are able to chose one. The sequel offers an actual research tree, with clearly laid out paths to acquire new spells. This gives you the ability to navigate the tree and strategically chose your preferred research path. Many players consider this the best improvement over the original. [h1]SUMMARY[/h1] Aside from World of Warcraft, I don't think I've ever spent so much time playing (and enjoying) a game. [b]Is Warlock 2 perfect?[/b] No. The cons I described above should be fair warning to those who are concerned about getting this game. [b]Is Warlock 2 worth your time and money?[/b] YES. Absolutely. Sure, It does have some imperfections -- many of which I've managed to correct myself in my own popular mod for the game, Renaissance Mod: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=493257789 Note that Renaissance adds loads of fun new content to the game, too. [b]TL;DR[/b] - If you're running Windows and you love fantasy and 4X games, get this game and the DLC -- especially if it's on sale. You'll be doing yourself a disservice not to give it a try. If it was as bad as some of these other reviews would have you believe, there wouldn't be such a loyal fanbase for the game.