Shortly after declaring Wartales one of my favourite games of last year the DLC dropped. Pirates of Belrion introduces new quest lines, new gameplay mechanics, a whole new area to explore, and much more. If you’re fan of Wartales already and want more of the same or similar, you’ll likely enjoy what’s on offer here. That being said, if you’ve found yourself tiring of the standard games loop, you might be left wanting. Personally, Pirates of Belerion added enough to make me love the game even more.
New Adventure Awaits
The seas beckon as a new adventure awaits. Gather your band of troops alight on your newly constructed ship and set off for new lands with riches to be found. New islands promise the prospect of new quests, new challenges, and new loot to dig up. Additionally, a new type of combat taking place across ships is on offer.
There’s plenty more Wartaling to get stuck into here. If you’re playing on region-locked difficulty which I have been this area will be at the higher end of challenging, with some beefy opponents to face off against.
Ahoy There!
To discover your new adventure on the sea you’ll have to make your way back to the starting region of Tiltern and on the southern coast, you will find a new dock. Approaching it you will find a ship in need of repairs. After stumping up the required materials and costs you’re free to set sail. The new archipelago is rich with new places to explore. You can dock in various new locations and roam the islands to find new towns with quest lines to follow. Additionally, there are new resources both on land and in the waters that can be used for new craftable items for your troops and for upgrading your ship.
There has always been something about traveling on the sea that I’ve found cool in video games. The sound of the waves breaking, the seas rolling and the ship creaking as it bobs up and down adds another layer of immersion. It’s the same feeling I get from a snow level. Whenever I see snow in a game, I’m immediately having about 25% more fun.
Expand You Story
I’m yet to ‘complete’ the DLC as I haven’t finished the main game. As with most games I get distracted from what my main goal should probably be and wander off to do something else. Although, that’s one of the things I like about Wartales. You can freely travel around from place to place, picking and choosing what to do. After my first foray into the sea where I had scouted some of the new lands, had a couple of fights – and ran from some very tough-looking opponents. I ventured back inland to pick up where I left off. It was here that, after about 80 hours, I lost my first party member. They fell in glorious combat and I have laid them to rest on top of a cliff overlooking the river.
It’s these personal stories that make me love Wartales. Everyone will have a slightly different tale to tell. Whilst the encounters may largely be the same. The order in which you tackle them and how they play out changes. It’s here that people craft their tales. Weave a narrative that is unique to them. The composition of your party and their relationships will be personal. Furthermore, it’s the sense of adventure that makes Wartales so great. With the addition of exploring the sea, that feeling of discovery has been expanded upon. You don’t know what you’re going to stumble upon on the next island.
Plenty to get stuck into
The size of the new map is pretty large. That being said, a lot of it is sea. However, there are a dozen or so islands dotted around. Additionally, there’s also a new class of mercenaries to recruit, the Pugilist. They can make use of some pretty nasty-looking spiked glove thing. You can upgrade your ship from items scavenged from the seas. Furthermore, there’s some new combat mechanics that revolve around the ships. Fighting on ships opens up some new avenues for attacks where you can swing on the ropes to drop right in the middle of the fight. And a lot of other secret stuff you wouldn’t want spoilt. All in all, there’s loads to check out in the Pirates of Belerion which makes an already great game even better.
As if things couldn’t get better, we’re on the cusp of yet another expansion that will add a tavern management aspect called The Tavern Opens! It comes out on 18th April and I can’t wait to check it out.
-Will
