Developer: Triumph Studios
Publisher: Triumph Studios
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
Age of Wonders 3: Eternal Lords DLC – Review
Age of Wonders 3 and its first expansion Golden Realms have already been reviewed by us in the past. The developers however, keep supporting and improving their game and the new expansion Eternal Lords brings even more content to the table for what was already a very lengthy game. Thumbs up for Triumph Studios to keep the fans happy by providing new content and for newcomers too, there’s no better time to make the jump and start exploring the wide realms of Age of Wonders.
First of all, like in Golden Realms, a new class joins the ranks: the Necromancers. Indeed, it’s time to really wreak some havoc and summon the undead to fight for you. Some of the creatures (more like monsters really) you can expect to play with when choosing this class are the Cadavers, Banshees and Lost Souls. All of them are pretty refreshing in combat and make the game worth another visit, even after hours upon hours of gametime. Some units can even freeze the opponents by throwing snowballs after which you can easily shatter the statue and kill the unfortunate souls. Not only is it very cool (pun intended) to see your enemies explode in pieces, the game mechanic is not a cheap gimmick but actually makes you think about strategic opportunities.
The Necromancers look really badass and mixed with another new race, the Tigran (cat-like creatures), you can create one of the most epic dead resurrecting leaders in the history of Necromancy. The Necromancy class shows itself in all kinds of ways, going from exclusive units to powerful spells. As the units they posses are mostly dead, moral doesn’t really affect them so if you’re tired of keeping your troops happy, this is definitely the class to choose.
The Tigran I previously mentioned are one of the two new races you can play as. They have the advantage of being pretty resistant to mind controlling spells but are weak to the cold. They are agile creatures which make them more moveable and their pounce ability makes it possible to overcome all kinds of obstacles in their way.
Besides the Tigran, there’s yet another race added to the wide variety you can choose from: the Frostlings. If you want to get to know this particular race, I’d suggest you try out the new campaign the expansion provides. Frostlings are (as you might suspect) pretty resistant to every cold situation while being more sensitive for anything… hot. Both races are a fine addition to the rest and give you a good reason to come back to the game and play as a fearsome tiger/cat or a Jack Frost-like character.
Eternal Lords offers some new scenarios as well. The Crucible: A Clash of Fire and Ice provides a small map for up to 2 players to take it up against each other while Paradise Bay makes things really interesting by giving you the opportunity to fight against 5 other players simultaneously. Both scenarios are fun to play but in comparison to the previous expansion Golden Realms, the price of Eternal Lords is a bit steeper and still, the latter offers the same amount of new scenarios. Ok, you do get 2 new races instead of one like in Golden Realms and a new class to play with, but more scenarios would’ve made the deal a lot more justified.
Conclusion
The Eternal Lords expansion for Age of Wonders 3 has a lot to offer for veterans and newcomers alike. The Necromancer class is a pretty badass one and makes you feel master of the dead. The two new races are a very welcome addition (I mean come on, cats!) and each has its own merits and disadvantages. Two new scenarios will keep you busy for a decent amount of time but as the price for this expansion is quite a bit higher than the previous one, some more scenarios would’ve made the purchase more worth it.
Age of Wonders 3: Eternal Lords DLC – Review,
No Comments