Endless Legend was one of the most interesting 4X games of the last decade, with a unique setting and an array of imaginative, asymmetric playable factions. Now Endless Legend 2 is due to launch in Early Access later in 2025.
Here are my very early impressions, based on a preview build supplied by the game’s publisher — Hooded Horse. I already find it colourful and imaginative, with an engaging military layer. My questions, at this stage, generally relate to experience with the developer’s previous games rather than any specific concerns with this game.
What is Endless Legend 2 and what do you do in the game?
Endless Legend 2 is an upcoming “science-fantasy” or “planetary romance” 4X from Amplitude, the recently independent developers of the Endless Space series, the first Endless Legend, and Humankind.
EL2 builds on the classic 4X formula with mechanics such as heroes (with skill trees and gear), minor factions (who provide unique bonuses), and an evolving map — every so often, after a “Tidefall” event, coastal waters will recede to reveal new provinces and new resources.
The preview build goes up to turn 125, which still felt quite early (approximately the start of the third era on the tech tree). So far I have played two games:
- My first game felt almost “RPG” or “fantasy 4x”-like. As I built my empire, I explored the map with a hero-led stack, followed quests, and cleared out neutral monsters from special locations.
- My second game felt much more like a classic 4X, and I spent much of it at war against a powerful computer player.
What do I like?
I’ve already noticed plenty of interesting ideas and things I like in EL2, including:
- Nomadic opening phase — The player spends the first few turns exploring, picking up goody huts, and searching for a suitable spot to build the first city, which feels like a shorter version of the Neolithic era in Humankind.
- Distinct factions, as is typical for Amplitude’s science fiction & fantasy games:
- The Kin of Sheredyn — a name that Endless Space players might recall — are “techno-superstitious” humans who receive production bonuses and can periodically call on “divine” active abilities.
- The rather more interesting Aspect are economically-focused and receive bonuses to influence (the resource used for diplomacy and city expansion) and from spreading coral to tiles.
- The Sheredyn and the Aspect also receive slightly different bonuses from allied minor factions. The Aspect bonuses seem more generous from what I’ve seen, but they also need to spend influence as upkeep.
- The two factions play noticeably differently — as the Sheredyn I built units and structures, whereas playing the Aspect, it was more efficient to rush-buy them instead.
- The Necrophages (AI-only in the current build) can move armies between burrows, giving them a dangerous amount of strategic mobility. In my second game, the Necrophages used burrows to move armies behind me, meaning I always had to watch my capital against unexpected attacks.
- Combat — Humankind did this very, very well, and Endless Legend 2 builds on that foundation. Armies move around as stacks on the strategic map, and then “unfold” to fight tactical battles, still on the same terrain as the main map. A few things I’ve noticed:
- Hero abilities can be potent — it came as a nasty surprise when an enemy ranged hero fired an AoE volley that hit several of my units!
- Fighting on home ground can be a huge advantage — if there is a nearby city, units can run back to the city walls for shelter. This has allowed me to turn one-sided defeats into one-sided victories (it seems that in the current build, only certain units attack over the walls, which seems a bit too powerful compared to how Humankind handled this).
- Aesthetics — As usual for Amplitude, the art is excellent. The world is vibrant, colourful, and atmospheric. Zooming in reveals plenty of little details, such as sentries standing outside neutral villages.
What are my questions so far?
So far, EL2 has potential. My questions include:
- Quality of execution / design cohesiveness — This is where Amplitude games tend to fall down. How well will the disparate game mechanics tie together? How good will the AI be?
- Late game? As one specific example, how well will the late game, another Amplitude bugbear, hold up?
- See my reflections on Humankind in 2024, years after release.
Conclusions
I’m already intrigued by Endless Legend 2 — so much so that I’ve started my third game. Though it’s still early, I feel reasonably confident that it will play to Amplitude’s traditional strengths in aesthetics and sheer imagination, while building on the ideas and systems in Humankind. Adding more playable factions will see the variety grow. My biggest questions are about how well it can avoid Amplitude’s traditional flaws.