Greedfall 2 aims to turn around a disastrous early access launch with a combat overhaul and a big new boat

Fraser Brown from PC Gamer predicted in his September 2024 preview of Greedfall 2 that the decision to overhaul the combat system and release it in an unfinished state was a “daring bet” by developer Spiders. Indeed, this forecast proved accurate. Although Greedfall is widely appreciated, especially among fans of European-style games, Greedfall 2 is currently facing significant difficulties.

The big issue is the combat system: Numerous negative user reviews on Steam, many posted by fans of the first game, call it out as slow, shallow, clunky, and just not much fun. Today’s update aims to make combat “more dynamic,” Spiders said, “with snappier reactions and animations, clearer visual feedback, new ways of handling different situations, and more.”

“The reactivity and close-quarters combat in real-time have been significantly improved,” Spiders wrote earlier this week in a pre-patch teaser on Steam. “Attacks now trigger sooner and chain together more quickly, with snappier animations and smoother transitions—there’s no more returning to idle poses between strikes.

In your character, the continuity of movement is improved, making it easier to control subtle adjustments, particularly during ability usage or while altering direction. This leads to a more responsive and agile approach, as the initiation of an attack’s motion seamlessly transitions into direction changes.

The character’s movements have been made quicker and smoother, and the targeting system has received an upgrade as well. Spiders have posted some comparison gameplay clips, and it certainly appears faster in motion.

Today’s update brings about refreshing changes across the board, introducing not just a much-anticipated combat overhaul, but also a brand new location called Olima, a fresh companion to join you on your journey, and an essential addition – The Hub, which is essentially a vessel (not a small boat, to clarify, a ship) serving as a resting spot, a place to manage your party, access your workshop, and handle various RPG tasks between missions.

It’s uncertain if Greedfall 2 will manage to initiate a turnaround given its current performance compared to the original game. While the initial Greedfall, launched in 2019, boasted an impressive peak concurrent player count on SteamDB exceeding 16,000, Greedfall 2 has peaked at just 375 so far. This is a stark contrast and while it’s important to note that this is merely one metric, the situation doesn’t look promising for Spiders 2 – they find themselves in a deep predicament and will need substantial effort to climb out.

Here’s another point to keep in mind: Due to the numerous modifications and updates this patch brings, your current save files won’t work with the updated version. You’ll have to begin a fresh game after installation. That’s just how early access development goes, unfortunately.

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2025-03-27 19:47