Endless Legend 2 Early Access Review – Into the Deep

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The 4X strategy genre really came into its own with Amplitude Studios’ *Endless Legend*. The game featured a rich backstory about the Endless, a compelling setting-the dying world of Auriga-and lots of replayability thanks to its diverse factions.

As the studio focused on supporting *Endless Space 2* and developing *Endless Dungeon*, I began to doubt I’d ever see a true sequel to *Endless Legend* – one that combined its unique fantasy world-building with sci-fi elements. Even when *Endless Legend 2* was officially announced, I wasn’t sure it would capture the same charm. Thankfully, it does! And even in its early access state, it shows promise of being even better than Amplitude’s previous games.

Wherever you are, Auriga, may you find peace. This time in Saiadha, players will explore the land – though not the seas – and uncover a strange mystery. Something is happening, and even more unsettling forces are at work beneath the surface, all moving towards a larger, unknown goal. Your story doesn’t immediately connect with these forces. At the start, you can choose between five different factions: the Kin of Sheredyn, the Last Lords (inspired by the Broken Lords from the first game), the Aspects, the Tahuks, and the Necrophage – which is a personal favorite. Each faction offers a unique playstyle – for example, the Kin focus on building up their city, while the Necrophage prefer to conquer new lands.

However, the differences are significant. The Necrophage, for instance, are now openly active, no longer preferring to operate in secret. While their leader, She-Who-Sustains-Us, remains behind the scenes, Prime, One-Who-Stalks-Afar, is aggressively leading the effort to conquer Saiadha. Although this might suggest a purely destructive mindset, I discovered that Prime was surprisingly willing to negotiate with outsiders. When an ancient being named Pyrite appeared, offering to share forgotten combat techniques, it unlocked a valuable upgrade: a +2 bonus to Resource Production on Mines. Alternatively, we could have questioned Pyrite to learn more about other advantages for the Swarm.

The Necrophage can also learn to negotiate effectively. The Tahuks were either cunning, had a way to get away, or weren’t afraid of us, but we quickly moved from sharing research to a peace treaty and exchanging maps – which gave us valuable information about other groups. Best of all, it didn’t require much Dust.

It doesn’t take long to realize what the Necrophage are really about-and it often becomes disturbingly clear. They focus on destroying enemies, creating new units called Larva to grow their army, and using corpses to create specialized troops. Their ability to quickly move around using Burrows means they can easily attack and retreat, or rapidly deploy large forces to overwhelm and destroy enemy cities.

One of the things that makes *Endless Legend 2* so charming is its solid core gameplay. It follows the familiar 4X formula: you found cities and build specialized districts to gather resources like Dust (money), Science (for research), Industry (for building and upgrades), and Food (to grow your population). You’ll also manage Influence, used for expanding your city, and Luxury Resources for unique benefits. As the game goes on, you’ll unlock ways to convert resources, improve your cities, and much more. Districts become more powerful when built near each other, and your central Nest expands, often to the dismay of your opponents.

The game isn’t just about building up your city and managing its population – though you will be doing that, assigning people to gather resources and eventually forming a governing City Council (and it’s amusing to imagine these aggressive, insect-like creatures in positions of power!). A crucial part of the experience is exploration and revealing more of the game world. You’ll find smaller groups you can interact with, completing their tasks for rewards, or, if you prefer, simply conquer them. Each discovery gives you a small advantage, helping you advance through the technology tree and unlock new possibilities each year – whether that’s better farming techniques or even more powerful military units is your choice.

Saiadha is a dynamic land with shifting conditions that players need to adapt to. The monsoon season reduces visibility, making it harder to spot enemies – but also creating opportunities for clever tactics. It also temporarily boosts resource availability. Then comes the Tidefall, which lowers sea levels and reveals new areas to explore, often with both valuable rewards and dangerous enemies. Finally, the receding water connects the territories of major factions, making it easier to travel and engage in warfare.

The Tidefall is a fascinating addition that really enhances the middle part of the game. You’ll need to plan ahead and keep an eye on the weather, but it adds a welcome challenge and keeps gameplay exciting.

A common complaint about the first *Endless Legend* game was its clunky combat. *Endless Legend 2* simplifies this, making battles faster and more straightforward. The game now feels much more responsive, and strategic positioning – using terrain like hills and forests – and choosing the right squad for your hero’s skills are key to success.

The game lets you gradually build and customize a team, turning units into specialized types like flying Necrodrones or long-range Spitters. This adds a lot of strategic depth, though it requires resources. You can also team up heroes, boosting their damage when they fight side-by-side. Like many games, you’re constantly searching for new gear, hoping for a power boost – or occasionally finding something that doesn’t quite fit your team, which can be frustrating.

This is just a glimpse of everything *Endless Legend 2* offers, but there’s still room for improvement. Managing cities and building districts could be more streamlined and less cluttered, although zooming out helps. I occasionally ran into an issue where units would attack while moving, which isn’t ideal when trying to use terrain advantages. While the game looks good, the environments and dialogue could be more detailed and polished.

While there are a few small issues, *Endless Legend 2* is currently very satisfying. It doesn’t just make you want to play ‘one more turn,’ it also encourages careful planning and preparation for what’s to come. The game steadily improves and builds in intensity thanks to its unique mechanic, Tidefall. Hopefully, Amplitude Studios will continue to build on this foundation and create a 4X strategy game that’s even better than the first *Endless Legend*.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-09-22 19:42