Wartales News

Wartales has a charming look to it: the isometric perspective has a tilt-shifted appearance, making its grassy hills and stone inns look like parts of a model train diorama. But this open-world game is also about role-playing as a person without any magical superpowers - your band of grubby mercenaries is made up of largely normal people, who may or may not have to resort to cannibalism before all this is over.

Developer Shiro Games is also responsible for the charming but challenging Northgard, an RTS game that de-emphasises combat micromanagement and has an almost storybook look to it. So it's surprising to see the early hints of much darker themes in the opening hour or so of Wartales, which you can experience yourself in the free demo on Steam.

After the first tutorial fight, you can root through the valuables left behind by the bandits you've just killed. Their bodies can be carried with you, if you like - Shiro Games explains that with the right skill, your characters can use them for nourishment.

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Wartales promises an immersive, medieval turn-based strategy romp

Originally posted by author

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to this weeks Q&A with the wartales devs!

Today, we're talking about the huge variety of gear options at your disposal within the world of Wartales, ranging from your camp, your characters, their specialities, cosmetics and covering a little gameplay ground with how your actions and decisions impact your world, story and more...

Read on to find out more!

"In Wartales, you play as a group of filthy mercenaries recruited from dirty inns who will do anything to get rich. The first element you can customise is of course the companions and there are many options available to you.

First of all, from a gameplay point of view. Your troop is composed of a number of companions that you can pay, feed and satisfy. In this sense, you can compose the team of your choice. As I said in the combat Q+A, you will be able to choose your companions according to specific gameplay criteria: do you enjoy training animals? Put together a team of beastmasters and wolves! Do you like fire? Then a few bombers will come in handy!



Indeed, the specialisation tree of each class will allow you to define, for each character in the game, a set of skills that will determine its gameplay identity. It is even said that it is possible to expand the specialisation tree of each class with new skills, but you will have to prove yourself first!



The freedom of choice seemed to us to be important and we therefore propose to you to choose alternatively between active and passive skills that really renew the combat experience. Also think about the professions: who will be your blacksmith? Who will be your alchemist? The statistics and game elements related to the professions will also be a source of customisation !"

"As with choosing the skills of your companions, you can also choose what they wear. Given the number of characters possible in a troop, we have chosen to limit the equipment to a few pieces so as not to overload the equipment micromanagement. Thus it is possible to equip an armour, a weapon in the right hand, one in the left hand as well as accessories. Note that there are different types of armour, weapons and accessories, that many equipable items bring active or passive skills to the fight to allow more and more customization and allow you to compose the team of your dreams.



Finally, we are making a point of ensuring not an accuracy but rather a historical verisimilitude of the medieval era for two reasons. Firstly, because we want to develop a coherent universe in which nothing is false, but also because we know the player base of medieval aficionados have high expectations in this regard. Numerous historical researches were thus carried out by the different members of the team in order to guarantee the veracity and the verisimilitude of the names of the weapons and armours as well as the composition of the materials and their representation.



Finally, no lousy mercenary is worthy of the name without a fashionable hairstyle. You can also customise your companions cosmetically. Whether it's a haircut, a beard size or the addition of tattoos or war paint, or the possibility of giving your comrades a nickname, you can visually compose the troop of your like."

"While the character is an important aspect of customisation, the camp is also very important. Think of the camp as a portable hub that you take with you everywhere. In a way, your camp is your main character: while your companions may die, your camp lives on. You are a group of nomadic mercenaries, the forest and the wild mountains are your territory. So when you're tired of robbing the local black pudding sellers all day, you set up camp to rest. You'll be able to choose which items you put in your camp, from a wide range, as you see fit. We wanted to create a small housing experience in which you arrange your camp according to your preferences. We believe that the camp, the place where you will spend time, should be like you and meet your expectations. In this sense, you can place your camp equipment wherever you want and choose which camp equipment you put down.



The combinations are endless. Then comes the gameplay aspect. First of all, each camp material has its use, whether it is passive (production of a resource during rest), active (crafting table) or requires companions (Albert, your brute, has the soul of an artist and will compose his most beautiful songs with the lute and change the musical theme of the camp!) You will discover camp equipment all over the world according to different themes: from training dummies in arenas to beehives in farms, you will have a wide choice.



Finally, the arrangement of your companions and camp equipment, while aesthetically important, is also gameplay relevant. Friends placed close together can generate happiness, the doctor can heal nearby companions and the bees in your hive can sting nearby companions. Compose and customise your camp by playing with the constraints and advantages of each mechanic so that it can produce exactly what you need. And, of course, every piece of camp equipment can be upgraded."

Originally posted by author

Thanks for joining us, we'll see you next week for the next entry in our weekly series of dev Q&A's!

Don't hesitate to leave us a question on, Discord, Twitter, Facebook or on our Steam forums, we'll do what we can to get it answered in a future article!

And don't forget, you can now sign up to take part in the upcoming Wartales playtests over on the Steam page where you can also Wishlist the game, if you haven't already!

- Shiro Games

Originally posted by author

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to this weeks Q&A with the wartales devs!

Today, Quentin is digging into the many types of quests and contract work within the world of Wartales, including (but most definitely not limited to) taking out huge groups of bandits, escorting (or attacking) caravans, smuggling contraband, involving yourself in geopolitical issues, narrative quests and how they affect the world and more...

Read on to find out more!

There are different types of contracts that provide a renewal of the gameplay and a variety of objectives. You can expect to track down a rival gang that is causing chaos in the area, loot all the riches of a bandit's hidedout, attack a caravan carrying contraband liquor (you can always keep the liquor and say it has been misplaced), escort a caravan of foreign peddlers, eliminate a powerful and feared individual, trade with the village of another region, and many more... including contracts specific to each region!



And, if you have a hard tooth, you can negotiate the price of your contracts yourself!"

Finally, once the scenario has been completed, the contracts finished, all the location objectives validated, you'll have to wander around the area to find the secrets we've taken great pleasure in disseminating. This is the final layer of completing a region.



Other elements take the form of quests in the regions but they are connected to bigger systems that we can't wait to introduce you to: tracking down the Ghost Pack, becoming the local arena champion, clearing out rat nests, exploring a Tomb of the Ancients… and many others !"

Originally posted by author

Thanks for reading, we'll see you next week for the next entry in our weekly series of dev Q&A's!

Don't hesitate to leave us a question on, Discord, Twitter, Facebook or on our Steam forums, we'll do what we can to get it answered in a future article!

And don't forget, you can now sign up to take part in the upcoming Wartales playtests over on the Steam page - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1527950/Wartales/

- Shiro Games

Originally posted by author

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to the latest of our weekly Q&A's with the wartales devs!

This week, we have once again stolen Quentin away from precious development time to pester him about Professions and Work within the world of Wartales. Read on as he fills us in on the numerous ways you and your troop will be able to line their pockets, from mining precious ore, to thieving, to smithing the most devastating of weapons, to fishing a variety of regional fish and more...

"In Wartales, you will be asked to perform tasks that require particular expertise or skills. To this end, we've created a system of professions that each of your companions can learn and master.
Some professions are linked to what we call "activities", unique mini-games with their own rules and challenges. One such activity is mining, which allows you to collect minerals from the deposits found throughout the world's mines. Strike at the right moment and collect some quality ore! There are different types of ore and their harvesting will depend on your level of mastery in mining (the same goes for finding gems while mining). This profession is closely related to that of the blacksmith. The ores collected can be used to forge weapons and armour, but also armour reinforcements capable of providing small bonuses in the statistics of your choice.



The cook will be able to prepare tasty dishes with various bonuses, ranging from reduced fatigue during the day to temporary damage gains. Always remember to have a good meal to boost your troop before fighting a powerful enemy! If patience is one of your virtues, and in order to add to your list of ingredients, there's nothing better than perfecting your fishing skills!



Travel the world in search of carp, eels and other regional fishes! It is said that fish oils are also used in alchemy to concoct preparations. Do you think that one of your companions has the soul of a potion master? Or a tinkerer? Or a thief? Or a... I could go on and on, but I won't give you the complete list of the professions in Wartales, we don’t want to spoil the surprise!"

"Professions are an important part of the game for three reasons.
Firstly, by learning professions, you open up a whole range of possibilities, not only in terms of content but also in terms of gameplay. For example, teaching a companion to be a thief allows you to steal from merchants, but also to pick locks on precious chests or strong doors. Furthermore, your stolen items can be sold on the black market and you can build up more friendly relationships with the usually unsavoury factions. You will then progress in this direction until you become an outlaw yourself. It is important to note that the different levels of skill in the professions not only offer advantages within the profession itself, but also open up new opportunities to cross-fertilise with other areas of the game. For example, getting better at fishing allows you to fish in the open sea...



The second reason will appeal to players who are eager to customise and optimise. Professions also give a bonus to your companions' stats depending on their level of mastery of the profession. This means that depending on the role you have decided to assign to your companion within your gang, one profession may suit him better than another. In short, while it is possible to teach any profession to anyone, there is probably a combination of professions that will suit your battle strategy.

Finally, I would say that the job system is important for immersion reasons and this is really reinforced by the permadeath. Indeed, since every character that dies is permanently lost, a character that has become a skilled tinkerer after many creations becomes extremely valuable and losing him would be really damaging. In combat, he becomes a unit to be protected and funny situations can multiply: the timid apothecary and the bellicose blacksmith can become friends, the head hunter can replace for a while the cook who died in combat from an unfortunate arrow he shot himself...



The game situations, generated by the management rules, the harshness of the battles and the freedom of troop composition, are truly powerful sources of emergent narrative. And don't worry about your replacement tinkerer: his master before him may have written a guide before he died to speed up his training. "

Originally posted by author

Thanks for joining us and we'll see you next week for the another entry in our weekly series of dev Q&A's!

Don't hesitate to leave us a question on, Discord, Twitter, Facebook or on our Steam forums, we'll do what we can to get it answered in a future article!

And don't forget, you can now sign up to take part in the upcoming Wartales playtests over on the Steam page - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1527950/Wartales/

- Shiro Games

Originally posted by author

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to the third of our weekly Q&A's with the wartales development team!

This week, Quentin, our Lead Game Designer/Producer returns to talk about the variety of enemies you will encounter, rumours of ghostly wolf packs, champions to be overcome and exactly what to expect of the different foes that will taste the steel of your sword in Wartales.

Read on to find out more...

"Wartales is set in a world directly inspired by medieval Europe. In this sense, the enemies you meet during your first steps will often be human beings with sometimes questionable morals. In Wartales, anything can be your closest ally or your worst enemy. If bandits attack caravans full of goods, you can defend these honest merchants for a little gold and recognition. Unless you want to join forces with the thieves to share the loot. You can also try to keep order by hunting down deserters alongside the Guard, but be careful not to carry stolen goods with you: they could turn against you and send your comrades to prison! Alternatively, if you're dreaming of glory and a cheering crowd screaming your name, you can always fight the highly-trained gladiators in arenas in an effort to take out the local Champion!



If you prefer adventure and exploration of ancient ruins with buried secrets, you can expect to fight cultists amidst mole-rats and crawlers, unkind troglodytes that have taken up residence in these tombs. But if you step into the forest, don't be surprised if you're attacked by a pack of hungry wolves or a herd of boars trying to protect their offspring.



While Wartales is quite realistic, some of the animals we know have grown up a bit. If you're walking through the marshes and you hear a deafening buzz, it's probably because the giant mosquitoes are on your tail. Luckily, there are rumours that there exists a fly swatter that is just the right size for these monsters. If you hear scratching under your feet, it's because the swarming plague rats are trying to make their way to the surface to spread the plague around the world and bring food back to their mother."

Originally posted by author

Thanks for joining us and we'll see you next week for the another entry in our weekly series of dev Q&A's!

Don't hesitate to leave us a question on, Discord, Twitter, Facebook or on our Steam forums, we'll do what we can to get it answered in a future article!

And also, join us on Twitch at 18.45 tonight where we'll be answering some of you guys' questions about Wartales!

- Shiro Games