![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm | |
---|---|
| |
Developer(s) | Phenomic |
Publisher(s) | |
Platform(s) | Windows XP, 2000 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Real-time strategy, role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm is a 2007 expansion pack developed by Phenomic for the real-time strategy and role-playing game SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars , released in 2006. The expansion features a new story campaign set after the events of the main game, in which players assume the role of an immortal warrior recruited into the Shaikan who finds themselves searching for one of its legendary members, only to discover a new threat that endangers the world of Eo. Along with the new story campaign and an additional skill tree for the main character, players can also build up a base and units based on a new Shaikan faction.
In addition to the campaign, the expansion included a Skirmish mode and a free play mode, the latter allowing players to explore the world without any quests to deal with. Dragon Storm received favourable reviews from critics, and was later bundled into an anniversary edition of Shadow Wars.
SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm is played from a third-person perspective, in which players control a custom-made avatar to explore a variety of maps in the game. The expansion operates on the same real-time strategy and role-playing gameplay mechanics of SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars , but with significant new elements incorporated to the game.
For the role-playing elements, the expansion allows avatars to now earn skills within a new skill tree called Shaikah - these feature new abilities not included in the main game, while each skill has a link to a piece of equipment that a skill in another tree can unlock. The expansion's story campaign also allows players to begin with avatars starting at level ten, allowing them. For the real-time strategy elements, players can now control a new faction, the Shaikah, who feature their own selection units and structures, but have the added ability of Tech buildings that can offer an upgrade to units; though as a rule, each unit can only have one of two upgrades active at any one time – the other replaces the current upgrade should the player require it.
Alongside the story campaign, the expansion features a new Skirmish mode, which allows players to battle against the AI with one of the available factions in Dragon Storm, along with Freeplay and Multiplayer modes from the main game. [1]
SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm takes place on Eo – a high-fantasy world inhabited by severals races, including humans, elves, dwarves and orcs – that was formed by the god Aonir, and originally consisted of large continents and various islands, with large oceans and seas. But after a cataclysmic event known as the Convocation shattered the world, the remaining landmass became islands, each held together around an obelisk called Aonir's Tower. While the islands float on an elemental sea that no ships can traverse, a powerful mage created a portal network to ensure the surviving inhabitants of Eo can remain connected to each other. However, since its creation, the network has begun to fall into decline, with portals slowly losing power, creating a rising fear that the islands will become isolated that has led to conflict between nations for resources.
Prior to the events of the expansion, Eo was once originally inhabited by an elven race known as the Shapers, who developed a connection to magic, including the powerful force known as the Archfire, which led to them creating a vast empire. However, the Shapers soon began to succumb to madness, from their connection to the Archfire, leading to Eo's dragons, who had remained in isolation up until then, to move in and eradicate the race before they could destroy the world. After this event, dragons remained the dominant force on Eo, until the eventual emergence of the other races that now inhabit the world forced them to return into isolation for their own safety.
The expansion's story takes place within the same inter-linked islands that formed the southern half of the continent of Fiara, but several years after the conclusion of the story in Shadow Wars; three of the main game's islands return with changes, while the expansion includes six new islands connected to its story. Players assume the role of the Shaper Conquer – a former Runewarrior turned Shaikah by the Soul Carrier, the hero of Shadow Wars – who initially works to protect the Realm from attacks due to the declining power of the portal network, but engages in a large quest to investigate a new threat slowly emerging from the chaos. Several characters from the main game reappear in the expansion's story, alongside new allies and enemies.
Several years after the events of SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars, the Shaikah, now freed of their lineage's curse, work as mercernaries for those who need it. With the portal network declining, leading to conflicts for resources, Satras, leader of the Shaikah, refuses to waste further efforts in aiding the Realm from being besieged. The Shaper Conqueror refuses to accept this, and continues to aid the Realm. While working to end the siege on the Realm's capital on Sevenskeep, they witness a mage named Riddengard attempting to convince the Realm's leader, King Ulf, into accepting the magical power of the Archfire, while are shocked to discover a friend of the Soul Carrier, Mordecay, is working with them. Before both depart, Mordecay cryptically instructs the Shaper Conqueror to find the Soul Carrier, who has gone missing in his absence.
Satras, angered by the Shaper Conqueror's defiance of his orders, casts them out from the Shaikah; Tor Halicos, sympathetic to their quest, secretly offers aid from Westguard when needed. Pursuing after the Soul Carrier, the Shaper Conqueror finds Riddengard attempting to block their efforts to reach a library in a flooded city called the Citadel, built by the Shapers – the first race of Eo. Needing aid, they gain the assistance of Nightsong, leader of the Pact, who had been pursuing after Riddengard out of concern for his power from the Archfire. Along the way, the Shaper Conqueror frees the demonic-infused judge Caine from Riddengard's control, and secures the aid of Yasha, daughter of the necromancer Hokan, for control of her soulless warriors called the Blades. With these forces, the Citadel is liberated from Riddengard's forces, while Mordecay is found to have been under their control much like Caine had been.
Thankful for his freedom, Mordecay reveals that Riddengard is working with a Shaper, one of two survivors who were in a magical stasis in the Citadel until the mage reawakened them. Concerned by this, the group continue to follow after the Soul Carrier to the Refuge, home to the dragons. To their surprise, the Shaper Conqueror and their friends find the Soul Carrier has become a dragon following a ritual, and works under the dragon Noradim. Both become deeply troubled that a Shaper has returned, whereupon the female Shaper awakens from her slumber, and explains their motive. She reveals the Shapers became mad due to their addiction to the power of the Archfire, and that her husband, whom Riddengard awoke first, is seeking to reconnect to this power, offering it to those vulnerable to it so that he can control them.
After an attack by the Shaper, which leads to Riddengard being killed by Caine, Noradim offers aid from the younger dragons in defending Westguard from the Shaper's wrath. Arriving in time, the Shaper Conqueror defends their home, receiving reinforcements from the Realm to push out the Shaper's troops led by the Blessed Ones – mages recruited by Riddengard and infused with the Archfire. Pursuing after the Shaper, the group find they have gone to enact their plan in Sevenskeep, and pursue after them. Fighting alongside Ulf, who seeks to liberate his home, the Shaper Conqueror discovers the Shaper's power makes them virtually invincible. Left with no choice, they absorb the power of the Archfire to combat them, at the cost of their life. Honoring their sacrifice, Noradim and the Soul Carrier revive the Shaper Conqueror, who becomes a dragon, and works alongside them to await the day the people of Eo can reconnect without the use of the portals.
Dragon Storm was generally received positively.
Elminster Aumar is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He is also known as the Sage of Shadowdale, and is depicted as a powerful wizard featured in several novels by Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood. Certain aspects of his appearance and demeanor seem to echo Gandalf, Merlin, or Odin.
Mystra is a fictional goddess in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the sequel to 1998's Baldur's Gate and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Following its predecessor, the game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a fantasy campaign setting, and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. Powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, Baldur's Gate II uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist; the others are certain characters recruited from the game world.
Mage: The Awakening is a tabletop role-playing game originally published by White Wolf Publishing on August 29, 2005, and is the third game in their Chronicles of Darkness series. The characters portrayed in this game are individuals able to bend or break the commonly accepted rules of reality to perform subtle or outlandish acts of magic. These characters are broadly referred to as "mages".
The sorcerer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A sorcerer is weak in melee combat, but a master of arcane magic, generally the most powerful form of D&D magic. Sorcerers' magical ability is innate rather than studied or bargained.
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.
The lich is an undead creature found in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Liches are spellcasters who seek to defy death by magical means.
SpellForce: The Order of Dawn is a 2003 real-time strategy and role-playing video game, developed by Phenomic Game Development and published by Encore, Inc for Microsoft Windows. First released in Europe on November 11, 2003, the game takes place within a high-fantasy world in the years following a devastating cataclysmic event, with the game's main campaign focusing on the plight of an immortal warrior who seeks to investigate growing troubles amongst some of the islands that have formed.
SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars is a 2006 real-time strategy and role-playing video game, developed by Phenomic, published by JoWooD Productions, and released for Microsoft Windows in 2006. The game takes place after the events of 2003's SpellForce: The Order of Dawn, with players taking on the role of an immortal warrior known as "The Soulcarrier", who seeks aid to liberate his homeland from invaders, only to be drawn on a quest to defeat a powerful alchemist responsible for creating the immortality of the warrior and his people.
Tome of Magic is a handbook of rules and guidelines for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. As its name implies, it is a supplement to be used to expand the magical options available in the game. It was first released for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, and the name was reused for a book released for the 3rd Edition of D&D.
Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker is an expansion pack released for BioWare's Neverwinter Nights that includes three premium modules: Kingmaker, Shadowguard, and Witch's Wake. Released in November 2004, Kingmaker won the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' "Computer Role-Playing Game of the Year" award in 2005.
Runebound is a high fantasy adventure board game created by Martin Wallace and Darrel Hardy and published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2004. A second edition was published in 2005. A third edition was released in 2015. In Runebound, one to six players take the roles of adventurers who seek out quests. The quests are then resolved with either victory for the player, or a loss of some item. Each player is seeking quests and trying to gain experience which results in greater power and combat skill.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari Interactive. It is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2. It was released in 2007 for Microsoft Windows in North America, Europe, and Australia. Like the first game, Mask of the Betrayer is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and employs the 3.5 edition rules.
SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny is the second expansion for SpellForce 2, developed by Indian studio Trine Games. It was released on June 19, 2012, after several delays.
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is the expansion for the role-playing video game Dragon Age: Origins. Awakening adds a new campaign that takes place during the aftermath of Dragon Age: Origins. The game features new class specializations and skills for the player to develop. Awakening was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 16, 2010, in North America, March 18 in Europe, and March 19 in the United Kingdom. It was released for the Mac on August 31, 2010.
SpellForce is a real-time strategy and role-playing series created by Phenomic and currently owned by THQ Nordic. The first release was published by JoWooD Productions and Encore Software in 2003 and THQ Nordic in 2017.
Thirty full expansions for the MMORPG EverQuest have been released. Initially, expansions were shipped in boxes to stores, but were later put for sale on digital marketplaces. The retail versions often come packaged with a bonus feature such as a creature that the player can put in their in-game house.
SpellForce 3 is a 2017 video game developed by Grimlore Games and published by THQ Nordic. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 7 December 2017. SpellForce 3 is the third full and the ninth overall release in the SpellForce video game series. It is the first entry in the series since 2014's SpellForce 2: Demons of the Past. The plot serves as a prequel to the first game, depicting events that lead to the creation of The Circle, the group of mages whose actions were the basis for The Order of Dawn.
SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest is a 2019 stand-alone expansion pack for SpellForce 3 developed by Grimlore Games and published by THQ Nordic. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 28 May 2019. While it uses the same game engine and assets as SpellForce 3, Soul Harvest does not require the player to have purchased or installed the main game to play it.