I’m immensly enjoying my full elven party, even more than my first complete playthrough.
More difficult, death at every corner, some super tense moments.
Absolutely loving it.
The patch fixed my broken save. Just finished the first campaign. At first I wasn’t sure about the game - thought the mechanics might be a bit too simple - but about halfway through things really clicked and I started to really enjoy it. My characters picked up a few abilities that felt really interesting tactically, and the overall theme really grabbed me.
At its best it almost feels like a tabletop game - it’s very immersive. The odd room can be a bit dull if the arrangement of enemies isn’t interesting but there’s a lot of very exciting and satisfying moments. I originally held back from buying the extra characters, but now I’d really recommend it. It really opens up the variability of the game. I think I’ll be playing this one for a while.
2 Likes
Something about this game just isn’t doing it for me like I had hoped. I think it looks great and I haven’t had any bugs or gameplay issues of note, but I have a couple thoughts:
First, the lack of gold is very apparent. It only took me a mission or two before I did not have enough gold to level up, let alone buy new weapons. Now, I’m not expecting to be flush with gold and have enough to buy what I want when I want, but the game quickly prevented me from feeling much of a sense of progression. I know that gold is available randomly for completing a dungeon, but at best, if I’m really lucky, I might get 500 - not enough to level up or buy something worth buying. More typically, I receive 100-200 for grinding out a mission. Of course, I could spend real money for more gold…it is cynical to see the slow in-game income as tied to the ability to make in-app purchases?
Second, I don’t see much in the realm of tactics. There are no penalties at all for waiting, or for slowly moving around for optimal positions, so every single mission I’ve played pretty much boils down to setting up and letting the enemies come to me, preferably through a bottleneck. Positioning means almost nothing in this game. On top of that, I can take as much time as I want between rooms to regroup. In the original, there was a threat of overwhelming odds every time I chose to end my turn, giving me a sense of urgency. In the Tyrranid Invasion, the overwatch ability made movement and positioning far more important. The game plays the exact same for me every time I open a door.
Third, the UI issues. Nowhere that I’ve found is it explained exactly what stats do what and how they effect combat. I also can’t stand that when I’m shopping, I can’t see what I have equipped. How am I supposed to know if the weapon I am looking at is better than one I already have?
There are some positives here. The game runs really smoothly and I like the selection of heroes. Sometimes then don’t seem differentiated enough, but I can chalk some of that up to the way I’ve customized. Still, the system is almost too flexible as I can, for example, give a melee hero a gun that essentially has the same effect as a sorceress spell. When my melee hero can suddenly do ranged 3x3 damage with fire, he kind of loses his identity as as a sword and shield melee hero.
Personally, my biggest enjoyment in a strategy RPG is building my characters. Final Fantasy Tactics is the pinnacle of the genre for me and I can spend dozens of hours leveling through each job in any given character, enjoying their growth and enjoying the effect they have on the battlefield. I feel very little progress in this game; each dungeon run feels the same and character growth is glacially slow, not because of XP, but because of an incredibly high gold requirement.
I’ve probably rambled a bit, but the bottom line is that I probably personally give the game a C. I like it, and I’ll pick it up from time to time, but I don’t really know what the game is trying to be. Is it a board game? It’s moved beyond that a little. Is it an RPG? Yes, but it is fairly light compared to others. Is it a tactical game? Maybe, but I don’t see much depth in that regard. Maybe this isn’t fair, but I’d rather play a game like Final Fantasy Tactics ad nauseum over a game lie this for some great tactical RPG grinding. There are plenty of others that I enjoy more, as well, including possibly the first Warhammer Quest.
4 Likes
This kind of sums things up for me too… I was so excited for it, and it kind of feels like a bit of a let down gameplay wise.
I really miss the ambushes from WHQ1, which I know some people hated; however, without them, there’s no reason to progress through the dungeon. I can literally stand at a door and spam the end turn button until all of my stuff has cooled down, then go into the next room with fresh items (not that I do, but… )
The graphics are very cool and the lighting is top notch, but the gameplay is pretty repetitive. I hate saying it, considering my level of anticipation for this one… I’d rate it a little higher, at a B or B-, and it will live on my iPad forever, mostly by virtue of having 256gb, but it’s definitely not GOTY material.
3 Likes
It’s funny; I kind of hated the random encounters last game because they would sometimes just pound me. Now that they aren’t around, I see their purpose. Maybe there is a middle ground with random encounters that aren’t 100 freaking necromancers?
1 Like
Haha… I see what you’re saying. I always felt a huge sense of accomplishment after killing off 8 quadrillion black orcs! I think maybe my biggest gripe with WHQ2 is that it doesn’t feel like a challenge at all. Really, the only times I’ve wiped is because I’ve forgotten to bring a health potion, or the guy with the potion is blocked in in the back and can’t get to the knocked down person to heal them. And wait - someone gets an injury? I’ll just transfer all of their gear to my other character or six of the same class that I’ve accumulated…
I see over on TA people gaming the characters to make it harder - ie, let’s play with 4 glade guards, or restrict myself to only melee combat. I shouldn’t have to game the difficulty - the game itself should do that.
3 Likes
I think there needs to be a balance between too many random encounters and none. I was annoyed by them in WQ1, just because it didn’t seem like I could move sometimes without having one, which really sucked when I was trying to heal and stuff.
But none just gets boring.
I do think the fact that you can buy gold is a real black mark against the game, because it makes it obvious that the levelling up problems are intentional to get you to buy gold.
1 Like
I remember not being able to afford to level up in WHQ1 also, and hating that mechanic. Why can’t I just level up automatically when I hit the required xp?
2 Likes
Yeah, i would get stuck with a level in WHQ1 as well, but it seemed a lot less egregious. I don’t remember, but I think the level cap was low, like around 6. On top of that, there were more classes to play, so I’d just switch to a new class. Also, I don’t remember getting stuck too often where I couldn’t level a single party member up or buy a weapon; in WHQ1, if I couldn’t level up, it is usually because I chose to buy some gear instead. In this game, I have to play 3-4 missions for a single piece of gear, and more for a single character level up.
I don’t know.
To me gold in the game is the most balanced thing in the game.
I rember the very same complaints about gold (and the gold iap) in WHQ1.
Same in Hunters.
I think nobody has even bought the gold iap, yet everyone was able to play.
After a while the gold iap discussion vanished.
My last WHQ hardcore run clocked 43 hours, and I had like 100K gold.
In WHQ2 you end both campaign around level 6 (more if you play many white quests, I had one run at 13) in way less hours…there was nothing I couldn’t afford.
You get 200-400 gold per dungeon (not counting events, there is one worth 500 gold alone).
Which can buy you 1-3 level ups at level 1.
With 3-4 quest run, you can level up a single level 10 character (which is WAY ahead the game difficulty) or buy a top tier item (or, of course, several minor items are almost all the skills).
Seems fair to me.
I find appropriate you are broken after you buy a top tier item, or level up some characters. (Btw the need for gold in leveling up come from the boardgame).
On the contrary, imho XP are WAY too generous.
Cap in WHQ1 was 8 with Averland, 6 without it, and it required way more hours to reach. (Not really fair to compare a game with 1 years of expansions to a game out since not even a week, but you get the point).
I think being able to afford something super cool in 2-3 dungeons is perfectly fair…how would change that?
Game is already easy as it is…if you are given more gold too to buy everything in the shops…
I think that now that the base is set, a lot of things can be added…many were mentioned as possibile for future plans, or I personally suggested them (things like outdoor tilesets, ambushes, traps, escort missions, etc…)
Potential is imho huge.
Just my 2 cents…again I’m curious…how much gold would you think ‘fair’ for each dungeon?
Actually, @Pitta, one thing you said intrigues me.
I actually would be ok with XP beings lower, requiring longer to level up, if they are keeping the gold cost for leveling up the way it is.
The frustrating thing is to have everybody ready to level up, sometimes even two levels, but not have enough money to do it.
That being said, you finished the campaign at Level 6? Then maybe we’re spending too much time trying to level and not enough at actually doing the campaign.
I’m at level 4 (with one character at 5, I think), and I’ve only done 3 or 4 story quests. I was thinking I needed to get stronger before continuing.
1 Like
That’s EXACTELY the ‘problem’ imho.
You feel you need gold because usually you have enough XP to level 1-2-3 levels but you miss the gold.
Ideally you should have enough money and XP to level up someone, plus or minus a dungeon run (imho of course).
Now XP are tied to damage done, some items are bugged I think and output too much damage, ruining the progression.
I think another patch correcting this is imminent.
Regarding levels…imho the game is on the easier side (unfortunately ‘we’, like people in this forum, are a niche…most people find the game too difficult apparently…same WHQ were the normal difficulty was utterly boring imho).
I feel you can mitigate this trying to level up not that often, ending the game around level 6 (I mean second campaign).
After that white quests become more difficult too.
If you level up too much, the game becomes a bit too easy imho.
Items are more important anyway.
If it was for me, the game would be way more difficult (I’ve suggested a number of ways for possibile future new difficulties or expansions).
1 Like
I just saw on BGG somebody mention one really bad annoyance with this game.
Why do you have to micromanage your people to not walk through fire?
I understand if you tell them to go somewhere and the only way they have the AP to do it is to go through fire.
But when it’s a matter of “choose this square or that square to move into next on your way to get where you’re going,” why doesn’t it make them take the safe path?
Ugh. How many times have my characters caught fire because I went too fast and forgot to micro-manage?
Too many.
Edit: I haven’t played in a week or so, and I know a patch dropped with bug fixes. If this is one of them, then nevermind…
1 Like
Man, I can’t express what a disappointment this game is–and those of you who know me from the old PT forums know how heartbreaking this is to say.
@Mirefox hit most of the high points (or low points, really). What it comes down to is the game is just dull. No tension, no balance, few tactics, glacial progression, and much, much, MUCH grinding. And I use the word grinding specifically, because there’s no fun playing when there’s no danger. 20 hours in and–other than a stone troll ambush I had no hope in hell of winning–my characters were never once in danger. I just don’t know how the design could go so wrong.
4 Likes
That sums it up for me too. The lack of danger which has been my fundamental problem. But … 20 hours played. The game is appealing and I want it to be better … I am still playing sort of hoping to be surprised/threatened by later quests/situations. I expect that I will complete both main quest lines. And keep hoping that a better future will emerge for the game.
2 Likes
This. So much this.
I’ve just played the tutorial dungeon of WHQ1 out of interest, to see what’s different. Immediately noticeable are the pinning mechanic where you could end up not being able to move a character, the giant spiders being able to fire webs, and each killed enemy drops something, however minor. The market is more readable somehow, with a highlightable list rather than album-flow cards. Characters took damage, rather than standing off and letting hot dark-elf sorceress babe toast the bad guys with her purple wand.
In WHQ2, incidentally, I’ve just picked up a second hot dark-elf sorceress babe who’s 2 levels higher than the first hd-esb. The balance just feels off, really. If I continue, I’ll see if I can recruit another pair so I can go dungeon crawling with a party purely made up of vindictive strippers.
4 Likes
That kinda sounds like the first game in the series as far as little challenge and overall dullness. I am surprised to see such hype for this game. The last one looked good bimut was so shallow and designed to prompt you toward in-app purchases that I just never felt the urge to see the series continue. Surely there are plenty of meatier SRPG options on iOS and Android, with actual customization, depth, and variety.
There are, but you will find a fondness for board games on this site; Warhammer Quest was originally adapted from a tabletop game.
With WHQ1 I used to hold my breath when hitting the turn button. Getting wiped from a bad ambush was annoying, but it did a great job ratcheting up the tension. It was a great risk/reward mechanic for how you used AP within the squad, and is what made that game a “classic” in my mind. I’m sad to learn it’s not there in the sequel.
1 Like