Warlander is a brand new Free2Play online game on Steam and packs MMORPG-style battles into a stripped-down format. MeinMMO was able to see gameplay at gamescom and will briefly introduce the title to you. If you want to take a look for yourself, an open beta will start on September 12th.
What is Warlander game? The action game is being developed by the Japanese studio Toylogic and throws up to 100 players onto a map who are fighting for victory in a third-person view.
In a medieval setting you fight as a warrior, cleric or magician. The roles themselves can be changed with unlockable skills and adapted to your playing style. A warrior is considered a tank, but can also deal a lot of damage. A cleric should heal, but a focus on buffs would also be possible.
At gamescom we were already able to examine gameplay from one of the two planned modes. We saw a mode with a maximum of 40 players in two teams trying to capture the opposing stronghold.
The structure and pace of the battles are reminiscent of PvP battles from MMORPGs such as Elder Scrolls Online or Guild Wars 2. We include a short gameplay video for you to get a first impression. The clip is from the developers, player gameplay is in third person:
Warlander – Gameplay Teaser
Warlander is penetrating a niche that wants to squeeze the PvP feel of the big MMORPGs into a format with fast lobbies. Instead of spending a long time preparing your character for a PvP match, in Warlander you start a match and are treated to a similar experience.
Such a concept is quite bold, since PvP in MMORPGs themselves is more of a niche topic and the big online role-playing games rely less and less on PvP.
How do matches work? The 40-player mode is a 2-team battle around fortresses, while the 100-player mode is more like a battle royale.
We already know more about the 40 player mode, here we could already see some gameplay. The goal is to capture the opponent’s fortress and destroy a “core”.
Teams are made up of units of 5 fighters each, and each unit is assigned a specific role before the match. There are, for example, attack teams or fortress defense teams.
MOBA elements come into play when building up the battles. There are several “lanes” that require different ways of playing.
There are also towers and gates that block progress to the enemy core. Once the barriers are destroyed, they cannot be rebuilt. You also increase a “Valor” value with your team. The higher the value, the stronger characters are 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 rarely spawn and allow devastating attacks on enemy lines.
On the way to the enemy core, you need to capture certain areas to get a siege progression. These areas can also bring enemies back.
Teleport points and different spawns should also create a combat dynamic that makes it necessary to constantly reassess team tactics and rotate from one area to the next.
We already know from the 100-player mode that the team standing at the end wins. As a defeated team, you can then join the team that defeated you. However, we don’t know any more details yet.
What motivation does the game offer? The characters form the core of Warlander. There’s a character editor for custom characters and tons of new skills to unlock.
Each fighter starts with 4 skills, 2 come from the chosen class, 2 from the weapon. If you unlock new skills via the progression system, you can completely exchange the 4 skills and customize your character.
Warlander is designed as a live service game and would like to bring a good deal of new content every 3 to 4 months after the full release. Cosmetics are also part of the earnable items.
It is worth creating and maintaining several game characters. In each match you can pack up to 5 characters in your deck, whose strength is also determined by their “Valor” level.
However, you can only use a character with Valor level 3 if your team has reached this Valor level in the match. Since there are 6 valor levels (0 to 5), you always have to consider beforehand which valor levels you want to take characters with and which class could be worthwhile.
When is Warlander released? There is no specific release date yet. We were told that they would like to celebrate the full release on Steam at the end of 2022. If everything goes according to plan, the release on the PlayStation and Xbox consoles will come 2 months later.
If you want to take a look into the game beforehand, an open beta will start on Steam on Monday, September 12, 2022. But even after that you don’t have to pay anything for Warlander: It will be completely Free2Play.
What do you think of the first pictures? Do you like the prospect of experiencing MMORPG PvP without a big grind? Write a comment on the topic.
If you would rather read more about new games that also rely on MMORPG PvP, then have a look here: New MMO on Steam makes Arena PvP from WoW its own game
Disclaimer: Webedia Gaming (GameStar, GamePro, MeinMMO) accompanied the gamescom 2022 games fair as the official media partner.