For the past year-plus, Breanni, the creator of WarcraftPets, has been working on another "pet" project (pardon the pun). This project, called Renaissance Mod, is a huge conversion mod for a fantasy game called Warlock 2: The Exiled.
What is Warlock II?
Warlock 2 is a turn-based 4X strategy/fantasy game released in 2014. It's a sequel to the acclaimed Warlock: Master of the Arcane.
As a 4X game (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate), it's similar to Sid Meyer's Civilization, but set in a fantasy realm with many races and game elements that will be very familiar to WoW players.
If you enjoy fantasy and strategy series like Endless Legend and Heroes of Might and Magic alongside your MMORPGs, you'd be doing yourself a great disservice NOT to try this beautiful, highly addictive game!
What does Renaissance Mod do?
Essentially, Renaissance Mod transforms Warlock 2 into Warlock 3 by fixing a number of issues and adding a ton of new content:
- A vastly improved AI on ‘challenging’ and on ‘impossible’ modes
- 3 new races: Sylvan Order, Infernals, Dremers
- 21 new Great Mages (characters)
- 40+ new starting perks to customize your character
- 27 new hero units
- 24 new spells
- Custom artwork that perfectly fits with the core game
Check out Renaissance Mod »
I enjoyed Warlock 2 right from the start. Unfortunately, it suffered from a number of distracting flaws, including a very limited AI. But I saw the potential for this game to be one of the best in the genre. It would just take some polishing by careful hands.
If you're a modder yourself or have some interest in the process, check out Explorminate's article on Renaissance Mod, posted earlier this year.
See it in Action!
Longtime YouTuber Pinstar, who does excellent 'Let's Play' videos for a number of strategy and sim titles, recently decided to take Renaissance Mod out for a test spin. Check out his first video to get a taste of the modded game.
Be sure to subscribe to Pinstar's channel to see more of his insightful playthroughs.
Why Post this Now?
Normally Warlock 2 and the DLC required to run Renaissance Mod cost about $45. But during the Steam Winter Sale (now through January 2nd), you can get everything you need for just $20!
This is an exceptional price for the value, especially when you factor in everything Renaissance Mod adds to the core game for free.
Buy Warlock 2 on Steam »
Note: I'm not making any money here. I'm just trying to spread the word of a great game and allow my extensive work on it to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
Why the mixed reviews on Steam?
The mixed reviews reflect the vanilla game WITHOUT Renaissance Mod. However, with the mod, here are just a few things that players have said:
"With the Renaissance Mod, Warlock 2 is one of the best 4X games ever made. Absolute blast." —Carlos77
In addition, many of the negative reviews the game received reflect anger from Mac and Linux users.
Warlock 2 is a Windows-Only title, despite claims that it works on Mac and Linux. The developers were forced to abandon the title before it was in a playable state on those systems, yet the publisher released it for Mac and Linux anyway (such a shame).
Rest assured, on Windows the game works great and it's an absolute joy to play (read my full review here). So if you're into turn-based strategy games and run Windows, definitely check this one out. You won't be sorry.
Now imagine a minigame, where we explore the land with our pets as commanders/units and engage in combat with other teams!
Though a Disciples/HoMM battling solution is required to fully grasp the idea. :)
It's 75% off today! I GOT IT!! :D
i was wondering what to buy in the winter sale and i guess now i found what i will try at least. as a huge civ v fan, will be fun to explore what you have in store ( literally hehe )
if its as much fun as master of magic then i am gonna check it out, loved that game.
@Killerkarl - Pretty close. Some people say it's the most faithful modern rendition of that game. Personally, I can't say since I never played MoM back in the day.
How close to the old Master of Magic game is this? If anyone remembers playing Master of Magic back in the day.
While I'm not familiar at all about the game, I'll check it out strictly out of appreciation you do on this site (which I'm sure many of us thank you for immensly)!