ENDLESS™ Legend 2 News

[p]Hey everyone, [/p][p] [/p][p]While large, well-organized empires like the Kin of Sheredyn or the Last Lords are the major powers on Saiadha, they are by far not its only inhabitants. Numerous native minor factions are scattered across the world, living in their small, isolated villages. Many of them will fiercely defend their land when you first encounter them, but you can integrate them into your empire and reap both economic and military benefits. [/p][p] [/p][p]So, how can you go about pacifying the people in and around your borders? You’ve got three basic options: [/p]

• [p]You can spend a bunch of Dust to bribe the village. This will immediately pacify it, and one of their units will join your army. [/p]
• [p]You can accept a quest from the village. While this will take extra effort to satisfy them, the quest may yield valuable rewards, and it will pacify all villages of that territory at once. [/p]
• [p]Or you can just fight them and ruthlessly burn down their village. Quick and very dirty, it will immediately stop them spawning more roaming armies, but you’ll have to help them rebuild before you can add them to your empire and reap the benefits. [/p]

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[/p][p][/p][p]If a pacified village is located within the borders of one of your cities, you can assimilate that faction into your empire as a Protectorate by spending some Influence. This will have several benefits for you: [/p][p]Every pacified village of that faction within your city borders will immediately provide a point of population to your city. Each minor faction has their own economic bonuses (and sometimes drawbacks) for their population, with additional bonuses as their numbers in your empire grow. With enough of a minor faction living in your empire, you will even gain access to a unique city Improvement. [/p][p]Assimilating a minor faction will also grant you an empire-wide bonus that will scale with the number of assimilated villages in your realm. You can also freely recruit the units of any faction integrated into your empire. While they only have a single upgrade path, making them less flexible than major faction units, many of these units offer unique abilities and can be used to shore up weaknesses in your own unit lineup. [/p][p] [/p][p]Between these factors, which minor faction to assimilate in one of your limited Protectorate slots is an important but sometimes tricky choice. Do you need an economic boost or military strength? Do you focus on further amplifying your strengths, or do you compensate for a weakness? [/p][p] [/p][p]Now that we’ve talked about how you interact with minor factions, let’s round this out with a little sneak peek at some of the peoples you might encounter. [/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel]

[p]We know how excited many of you are to finally play the latest entry in the ENDLESS™ universe, but unfortunately we have to ask all of you for a little more patience: After careful consideration, we have made the decision to take a bit more time to ensure the game lives up to its full potential at Early Access launch. [/p][p][/p][h2]New release date for Early Access > September 22 [/h2][p] [/p][p]The feedback from our Insiders has been invaluable in assessing this, and we’re using the extra time to improve onboarding, polish the early-game experience, and make sure localization and balance are where they need to be. [/p][p] [/p][p]Thank you all for your support and patience! We want ENDLESS Legend 2 to be something special, and we believe this extra time will help us get there. [/p][p] [/p][p]But don’t worry, you can still take a plunge into the world of Saiadha soon: A demo will be available on Steam in early August. [/p][p] [/p][p]If you want to know more about the game, head over to the Steam page to find out more. [/p][p] [/p][p]Thank you for being with us on this journey, [/p][p]Amplitude Studios [/p]

[p]​This week we want to talk to you about a staple of fantasy strategy and returning feature from Endless Legend 1: Powerful heroes that can join your armies.[/p][p][/p][p]These heroes become a vital part of your military as they gain experience, unlock powerful skills, and discover powerful items. Whether you are training them to be a powerful fighter or a capable leader, your heroes will have a big impact on your battles. Luckily, you begin every game with a hero already leading your army and more will join you as you progress through the eras. If that isn’t enough for you, there’s a mercenary market to boot, but unlike those who join you of their own volition, mercenaries expect to be paid in cold, hard Dust.[/p][p][/p][h2]Skill Issue[/h2][p]Every hero belongs to a faction and one of the four classes – Defender, Warrior, Archer, and Caster. Each major faction offers a variety of heroes from up to three different classes that reflect their military forces, while minor factions each provide one unique hero. For example, the Necrophage can recruit Warriors, Defenders, and Archers that resemble the Necrodrone, Behemoth, and Spitter units.[/p][p][/p][p]As they level up, your heroes earn skill points they can spend to unlock various skills. This can generally be done freely, but more powerful skills sit in higher tiers that need to be unlocked by spending skill points on lower tier skills first, and a handful of skills build on each other through prerequisites. While every hero has access to a few generic skills, most of their skills will reflect their faction, class, and the combination of both in the form of hybrid skills. For example, an Aspect archer will gain a higher critical hit chance when a friendly unit near them defends, while a Kin Archer will gain bonus damage against targets already in melee.[/p][p]
[/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]Most skills are passive effects that grant the hero or the units in their army a bonus to their combat stats like health or damage or additional rewards after battle like Dust, experience, or items. However, most classes and factions have access to a few Active Abilities that the hero can use once during each battle, including powerful effects like teleportation, healing, or area of effect attacks.[/p][p][/p][p]Skill points can also be used to increase a hero’s attributes, which will improve the effect of associated skills. This allows you to either specialize your hero by picking a few skills and investing in the associated stat or create a more well-rounded fighter by picking up many different skills.[/p][p][/p][h2]Gearing Up[/h2][p]No matter how skilled your heroes are, they will do better if they can bring the right tools for the job. As you explore Saiadha, complete quests, and clear fortresses, you may find a variety of items that your heroes can equip. Each hero can equip four different items at the same time:[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Weapons are your main source of damage, grant an active skill, and often also give passive skills or attribute bonuses. Defender weapons also increase defense.[/p]
• [p]Armor boosts health and defense and often features passive skills or attribute bonuses.[/p]
• [p]Accessories boost stats and grant passive skills.[/p]
• [p]Consumables provide a powerful single-use active skill.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Inner Circle[/h2][p]Your heroes may be a force to be reckoned with during battles, but that does not mean they cannot benefit your empire at large. Even while they are exploring Saiadha or winning battles for you, your heroes may serve on your council to provide a variety of economic bonuses to you. At the start of the game, you can only appoint two councilors, but this number will grow across the game.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h2]The Friends We Made[/h2][p]Once they have gained some experience, your heroes can settle down in your territory and build a little Haven for themselves, which will count as a district in your cities and yield resources based on the hero’s level. Once they have a haven, your heroes can also choose a companion who will grant them additional bonuses and be involved in various narrative events surrounding the hero.[/p][p]
[/p][p]If your empire counts more than one hero among their ranks, they can form friendships and support each other in battle. But they might also make enemies or earn a personal nemesis.[/p][p]
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[p]Hey everyone, [/p][p] [/p][p]With the Early Access launch of Endless Legend 2 just over a month away, we wanted to take a moment today to thank our Insiders. These dedicated players have been providing us with invaluable feedback through surveys and discussions and have helped us improve the game in countless ways. [/p][p]While we will not be inviting any further Insiders so shortly before the Early Access period begins, we will continue testing the game with our existing Insiders to ensure that you have a great experience when you get your hands on the game. [/p][p] [/p][p]So thank you, dear Insiders! We could not have done this without you. [/p][p] [/p][p]Now, let’s round this out with some fun stats about the Insiders program so far: [/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hey everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]It’s time to look at the other faction returning from Endless Legend 1: The Broken Last Lords. They may have escaped the death of Auriga, but they have not yet overcome their curse.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Once nobles and honorable knights, an ancient curse turned the Last Lords into spirits trapped in their armor who must drain others to feed themselves.

Their ancestral home on the planet Auriga has been lost to cataclysm, but the Last Lords escaped their icy fate by taking to the stars. For all they knew, Saiadha would be a desert world so rich they could harvest the Dust they need from the land itself, yet when they arrived, they found a hostile ocean planet. Nonetheless, they tried to wake their people from the deep stasis they had entered for the trip.

Only a handful of these resurrections were successful, and most Last Lords remain trapped in their disembodied state. Now Consul Tyabana and her council must find a way to restore the rest of their people and either find a way to cure their curse or embrace their vampiric nature.


[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Just as with the Necrophage, it was important to respect the visual legacy from Endless Legend 1 to maintain a strong connection despite the new planet. This meant the return of knightly armor, the fiery blue spirit visible inside it, and the gloomy, gothic architecture.[/p][p]But the Last Lords have spent a long time in stasis on their way to Saiadha, and they’re a bit worse for wear. Their units and heroes feature much more worn and weathered materials, and often a much more ghostly appearance revealing their skull-like faces. [/p][p][/p][h2]Notable Elements[/h2][p]Buildings: Gothic inspired architecture, arches, red roofs, dark stones and domes[/p][p]Units: Majestic knightly armors, worn and crude materials, blue and misty soul bodies

[/p][carousel][/carousel][p] [/p][p][/p][p]The Last Lords offer a unique economic gameplay experience. Foregoing Food and growth and instead spending Dust to create population changes how you value regions and city placement. Your armies can also sustain long campaigns if you make good use of their healing abilities.[/p][p][/p][p]A brief word about our intentions for the Last Lords for our game director:[/p][p]The Last Lords are our Economic faction and they are powerhouses when they are rich, and limited when they are poor. They are designed for players that enjoy building their perfect empire and go lightly on war and diplomacy, until its absolutely needed.[/p][p]But when it is required, the Last Lords can buyout armies and keep them healed as long as their war coffer is full. New cities can fill with population instantly, and minor faction can be sacrificed to make new ghostly armies. As long as they can afford it.[/p][p]Nothing comes for free for the Last Lords, and careful selections on how and when to use their Dust are critical to being able to play them effectively.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Faction Affinity: Knightly Husks[/h2][p]Spirits of Dust trapped in their armor, the Last Lords have no use for food and instead sustain themselves with Dust. When playing as the Lords, you will not see Food on any tiles, you won’t be able to construct Farms or Food-related Improvements, and your Citizens will produce Dust instead of Food. However, your population will not grow by themselves, and you have to create new population by paying Dust instead.[/p][p]Minor Factions are especially important in this respect, as the Last Lords have some unique interactions with minor factions in their territories by creating one of two special buildings on their villages.[/p][p]The Lord’s Estate allows Minor Faction population to continue to live and grow in the city while paying a small Dust tax to you. However, should their workforce be needed in the city, you can round them up to add them to the city population you manage, though this may cause a rebellion.[/p][p]The Soul Repository on the other hand will drain the minor faction village to spawn a Primordial Last Lord in your city, a unique population type that will increase the yields of ordinary Last Lords working in the same category.[/p][p][/p][h2]Traits:[/h2]

• [p]Every Last Drop: Tiles that naturally produce Dust produce extra Dust for you.[/p]
• [p]Sacrifice for the Realm: You can sacrifice population of other factions to create new Last Lords population.[/p]
• [p]Dust Healing: Your units do not heal by themselves, but you can spend dust to heal them instantly.[/p]

[p] [/p][p][/p][p]For the most part, the Last Lords offer a well-rounded army composition, with a solid infantry core, ranged support, and powerful cavalry. However, Lords armies can prove exceptionally tough thanks to their various abilities that allow them to heal in battle by leeching life from their enemies.[/p][p][/p][h2]Battle Affinity: Gifts of the Fallen[/h2][p]Whenever a unit falls on the battlefield, adjacent Last Lords units will recover some health.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thralls are the scouts of the Last Lords, able to see through many map obstructions, but they can serve as a support unit in battle in a pinch, as they are especially effective against wounded targets.[/p]

• [p]Shadow Lords focus on improving the mobility of any army they are part of.[/p]
• [p]Executioners on the other hand are great flankers, as they receive a massive damage bonus when attacking already engaged enemies.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Stalwarts form the core of your front line, recovering some of their health with each attack.[/p]

• [p]Merciless Knights are even harder to kill, as they gain extra protection when defending.[/p]
• [p]The Consul’s Guards are more aggressive fighters, dealing extra damage against enemies already in combat much like the Executioners.[/p]

[p][/p][p]The Palanquin of the Profane is a ranged support unit that will sap life from their enemies with every attack to heal the units around them.[/p]

• [p]If it can hold position and prepare, the Ancient Palanquin can deliver devastating blows against a single target.[/p]
• [p]The Soulsapping Palanquin wreaks more indiscriminate destruction with its area of effect attacks.[/p]

[p]
Dust Lords serve as the cavalry of the Last Lords, and their flying mounts not only lend them excellent mobility but also strike terrify their foes.[/p]

• [p]Blood Tyrants are especially skilled at delivering powerful charges against the enemy.[/p]
• [p]Dread Dukes are more resilient in combat thanks to tougher armor and a life leech ability like the Stalwarts.[/p]

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[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][hr][/hr][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Will you defend your honor, or embrace the curse?[/p]