Warlander is a brand new Free2Play online game on Steam, packing battles reminiscent of MMORPGs into a streamlined format. MeinMMO was able to see gameplay at gamescom and provides a short introduction to the title. If you want to have a look yourself, an open beta starts on September 12.
What kind of game is Warlander? The action game is being developed by the Japanese studio Toylogic and pits up to 100 players against each other on a map in third-person perspective vying for victory.
In a medieval setting, you fight as a warrior, cleric, or mage. The roles can be modified through unlockable abilities and adjusted to your play style. A warrior is considered a tank but can also deal a lot of damage. A cleric is supposed to heal, but a focus on buffs is also possible.
- Warlander will start its open beta on September 12, 2022, on Steam. Currently, the Steam page is not accessible yet, but it will go online no later than Monday.
At gamescom, we were able to view gameplay from one of the two planned modes. We saw a mode with a maximum of 40 players trying to capture the enemy fortress in two teams.
The structure and pace of the battles resemble PvP battles from MMORPGs like Elder Scrolls Online or Guild Wars 2. We will embed a short gameplay video for an initial impression. The clip is from the developers; player gameplay is in third-person:
With this, Warlander is entering a niche that wants to compress the PvP feeling of large MMORPGs into a format with fast lobbies. Instead of having to play for a long time to prepare your character for a PvP match, you start a match in Warlander and receive a similar experience.
This kind of concept is quite bold, as PvP in MMORPGs is generally considered a niche topic and the large online role-playing games are increasingly relying less on PvP.
How do matches proceed? The 40-player mode is a battle with 2 teams over fortresses, while the 100-player mode leans more towards battle royale.
We already know more about the 40-player mode, as we have seen quite a bit of gameplay. The goal is to capture the enemy fortress and destroy a “core”.
The teams consist of units with 5 fighters each, and each unit is assigned a specific role before the match. There are, for example, attack teams or fortress defense teams.
In the setup of the battles, MOBA elements come into play. There are several “lanes” that require different play styles.
Additionally, there are towers and gates that block progress to the enemy core. Once the barriers are destroyed, they cannot be rebuilt. Furthermore, you increase a “Valor” value with your team. The higher the value, the stronger the playable characters allowed.
Many elements on the maps can be impressively destroyed, and the fortress is hardly recognizable at the end. This is also due to powerful spells that spawn rarely and allow devastating attacks on enemy lines.
On the way to the enemy core, you must capture certain areas to achieve siege progress. However, enemies can also reclaim these areas.
Through teleport points and different spawns, a battle dynamic should arise that constantly necessitates reassessing team tactics and rotating from one area to the next.
Regarding the 100-player mode, we already know that the team that stands last wins. As a defeated team, you can then join the team that defeated you. However, we do not yet know more details.
What motivation does the game offer? The playable characters form the core of Warlander. There is a character editor for individual figures and a lot of new skills that can be unlocked.
Each fighter starts with 4 skills, 2 come from the chosen class, and 2 from the weapon. When you unlock new skills through the progression system, you can completely replace the 4 skills and customize your character.
Warlander is designed as a live service game and aims to bring a significant amount of new content every 3 to 4 months after the full release. Cosmetics are also part of the attainable items.
It is worthwhile to create and maintain multiple playable characters. In each match, you can include up to 5 figures in your deck, whose strength is also determined by their “Valor” level.
You can only use a character at Valor level 3 once your team has reached that Valor level in the match. Since there are 6 Valor levels (0 to 5), you always need to think in advance about which Valor levels you will bring characters with and which classes might be worthwhile.
When is the release of Warlander? There is still no concrete release date. We were told that the full release on Steam is planned for the end of 2022. If everything goes according to plan, the release on PlayStation and Xbox consoles will follow 2 months later.
If you want to take a look at the game before then, the open beta starts on Monday, September 12, 2022, on Steam. But even after that, you won’t have to pay anything for Warlander: it will be completely Free2Play.
What do you think of the first images? Do you like the prospect of experiencing MMORPG PvP without a huge grind? Write a comment on the topic.
If you prefer to read more about new games that also focus on MMORPG PvP, check here: New MMO on Steam makes the arena PvP from WoW into a standalone game
