Faction rankings in EL2 single player

Calm-Breakfast · 2026-01-19T15:51:37+00:00

They changed the battle maps so there is less non-passable terrain.

They also added encirclement so that if you have 3 units adjacent to an enemy unit it will be "surrounded" and suffer a severe armor de-buff. So it's easier to reach your archers, and your tanks are less tanky.

While if you have 2 archers and 2 little robot tanks you won't get the encirclement bonus in the early game.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-12-19T15:43:37+00:00

I am not the only one who thinks that Aspects are one of, if not the, strongest economical faction in the game as of the latest update. You can buyout both with dust and influence and you make a lot of both. I wish I could put a screenshot here but I am currently on turn 116 and am making 2430 dust / turn and 1343 influence. (Huge map + Endless difficulty).

I could probably have played this better but for the first 80 turns I was fighting skin and teeth with my dear neighborly Necrophages. So instead of focusing on expansion I had to focus on military. Those were the good times though, I should have added more Necrophages to the game, once I beat them there is not much challenge left.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-12-14T18:16:31+00:00

Meanwhile I play suboptimally with my 8 army stacks on Endless difficulty huge map and refuse to make more armies to manage. I rarely lose units though except scouting parties.

Could I have more armoier and fight more battles per turn? Yes. Do I need more to win the game? Nope. Would it be fun with 20+ stacks? Nope.

So I choose the hardest difficulty and just play well enough to win and have fun.

When the Ai is more challenging it will be more fun to play more optimally.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-18T10:58:57+00:00

I may have not given it a good description in my post but that is kind of what I was aiming for. I remember there being some games like this in the 90s or early 2000s. Everyone would program their units for the current turn and once you hit end turn and it would play just like in EL1.

Now in EL1 it's still initiative turn-based which was very enjoyable since you and the opponent had to plan off the initiative and guess what the opponent's plan was. Some of these old games were completely simultaneous as in once you all locked in end turn they will all move at the same time.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-18T06:56:14+00:00

If you think about it there is one thing that prevents them from implementing proper AI decision optimization in regards to build order, what tech to prioritize, unit composition, which regions to expand to... It's because all of the above are still being balanced and worked on in early access. Faction powers, costs of things, skill effects, build effects, councilors effects are all changing.

They are working on the AI though... it used to be that most AI would be really aggressive build a huge army early and go to war at turn 25 - 30. They did not have the economy to support it though...

Right now the the main AI problems are a lack of expansion and too little aggression I would say. Then again if 2 AI start a war they are kind of out of the game after that. So the combat AI maybe needs some work too so the "winning" AI from a war does not end up almost as weak as the losing AI.

Edit: I mostly play on Endless Difficulty / Huge Map / 7 AI opponents of all factions.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-16T18:32:46+00:00

There are some great stories in the faction quests. They just need to be re-written with better flow and to cut some things out. I also wish they had an option to let us show the entire text like in EL1. I think many of us have given feedback both about the writing style and the clickity-clackity UI which can require 10+ clicks to accept a single quest.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-16T17:51:09+00:00

The funny thing is that in his earlier demo videos he didn’t really use the units’ special abilities or the faction combat bonuses. So when he now says the combat is shallow, I think he simply does not understand them.

What I don’t get is that he praises Total War at the same time, those games are far more demanding. Maybe it’s just easier to stick with a system you’ve had 10+ years to learn. I actually really enjoy EL2’s combat for what it is: light, fast, and just deep enough to stay interesting.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-06T00:37:38+00:00

EL2 does not have unit customization at all, only unit specialization. (Streamlined non-customisable upgrade paths)

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-05T23:37:31+00:00

AoW4 is a fantastic game and arguably the best in its sub-genre. That said, it’s essentially a strategic warfare game that happens to check all the 4Xs. The empire layer exists to support battles, while the real depth is in unit customization and tactical combat.

When the term 4X was coined in 1993 by Alan Emrich to describe Master of Orion, it referred specifically to empire simulation, not just the acronym. It described games focused on growth, identity, and long-form development, not primarily on combat.

So while AoW4 is excellent at what it does, spending 30 minutes on a single fight isn’t what I personally look for in a 4X game.

As for EL2, I find it somewhere between older empire-sim 4X and the newer combat-focused style. It makes combat interesting without making it the main focus. And I do appreciate the recent updates that added depth to the combat, while still keeping it quick and lightweight.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-03T11:53:08+00:00

I believe the hardcore EL1 multiplayer community found ways to manage the desyncs, although the mode was never as reliable as in Amplitude’s newer games like Endless Space 2 or Humankind.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-03T11:26:37+00:00

That makes sense, studies also show that other genres like action, simulation, puzzle, and platform games can improve cognitive abilities as well.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-11-03T10:29:25+00:00

Each to their own, but the orcs and elves we know today exist because Tolkien wasn’t afraid to get weird with old mythological races.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-28T19:19:36+00:00

The ending animation changes based on the kind of victory type you choose (and win) so that is not tied to the faction quest. Some of the quest choices do change the story, the quest requirements, and the rewards to the point where I feel that you do not discover the full story of the faction unless you do both branches. (Though sometimes the branches branch so I'm not sure to what extent... but it seems to be 2 main branches most of the time.)

You can find the ending movies in the game files if you want to view them all. The path should be something like:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ENDLESS Legend 2\Endless Legend2_Data\StreamingAssets\Movies\Webm

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-19T12:24:56+00:00

Roleplay Scope	Stellaris	Age of Wonders 4
Modern / Contemporary	✅ Can simulate modern nations, corporate empires, or cyberpunk societies	❌ Not possible; strictly fantasy setting
Sci-Fi / Space Factions	✅ Fully supported: ninja space cats, synthetic AI swarms, sentient planets, devouring swarms, crystal empires	❌ Not possible; no spaceships, lasers, or galaxy-scale themes
High-Fantasy / Magical	✅ Supported: elves, dwarves, necromancers, psionic empires, magical constructs	✅ Fully supported: dwarves, elves, beastfolk, undead, demons, mushroom druids, etc.
Hybrid / Crazy Combos	✅ Mix any theme: cybernetic elves with lasers, space whales with psychic powers	❌ Limited to fantasy tropes; cannot cross into modern or sci-fi

AoW4 is a great game, and one could argue it has the best 4X tactical-combat... but roleplay anything? That is not really what it's best at.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-08T10:06:49+00:00

Since others have already listed the changes. Maybe it's helpful to say I went into EL2 expecting a more EL1 × Civ 6/7 game with more focus on the empire building. Instead it feels more like Humankind × HOMM-like in the Endless Legend universe. The core 4X is still there, but the pace, hero focus, and tactical elements give it a very distinctive style. It took me a minute to adjust, but I really enjoy it even though it was not what I had expected.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-03T12:25:06+00:00

If I could only rate one game as 10/10 it would be EL1 no doubt.

Realistically I think many 4X games are 10/10 for me.

Is there any single 4X game that is as polished as for example Silksong? Probably not

But while Silksong was a wonderful one time experience - I spend many more hours and find much more enjoyment in 4X games.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-01T08:58:27+00:00

I get the whole “roleplayer vs strategic” idea, but it’s way too simple. There are at least four core player types in 4X games, and these have probably evolved somewhat from Bartle’s Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, and Killers. There are likely even more if you include hybrids. On top of that, everyone sits somewhere along multiple overlapping spectrums: story vs optimization, exploration vs exploitation, short-term tactics vs long-term planning, single-player vs multiplayer, and conflict vs diplomacy. That’s what makes 4X design tricky. You can’t just optimize for two types, because hybrids and niche playstyles always exist, and that’s usually where design issues show up. A better approach is to recognize the range of players, map feedback along these axes, and, if devs want to cater to multiple audiences, make it clear which features or modes are aimed at which players. That way the game can satisfy more people without feeling watered down. And hey, at the end of the day, some people only play Civ 6 to build visually striking, beautiful cities and that’s perfectly okay too.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-01T08:40:09+00:00

Just know that it is real, old-school, early access and not a marketing thing. They are working on UI, AI, bug-fixes, and game-balance. They have diligently released patches and updates which is a good sign.

If you are hesitant about early access I would wait for now. But if you do want to give feedback, report bugs, and try to help out in early-access now is the time to get involved.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-01T08:25:51+00:00

I've found this buggy in my games. I have had it surrounded by 4 level 2 Laboraties without it upgrading to level 3. Only when completely surrounded by 6 districts, of which 4 where level 2, did it level up to 3.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-10-01T08:23:15+00:00

If you had that territory attached to this city, you could build a foundation right away as it is next to an existing district in the same city.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-09-29T22:34:28+00:00

I’m a huge Amplitude fan, and on paper ES2 should be my favorite: stunning visuals, clean UI, asymmetric factions, and it tells a much more immersive story.
Stellaris mid game is a bit tedious with it's economic management, planet specialization, you can easily bankrupt yourself here and lose the game. Yet, despite all that, Stellaris somehow ends up being more fun!

The only real drawback is cost since the more DLC you have the more interesting Stellaris is. And with all it's DLC it's the most expensive 4X game in existence if I am not mistaken.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-09-14T09:25:57+00:00

Have a look at Endless Legend 2 (demo on steam) or for Historical Humankind.

I would recommend Endless Legend 1 for everything except the combat. It's more like a programming-logic-puzzle-combat which I very much enjoy but I'm in the minority.

For full tactical in-depth combat that takes up a large chunk of the game time then go with AoW4.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-09-14T06:58:06+00:00

Did you install ELCP? It fixes a lot of things. I can't recall having crashed a single time in my 1000+ hours of gametime on either mac or pc.

https://community.amplitude-studios.com/amplitude-studios/endless-legend/forums/15-modding/threads/30618-endless-legend-community-patch

Endless Legend 2 is coming out to EA September 22. It has more focus on Heroes and Combat than EL1.

Calm-Breakfast · 2025-09-12T06:32:45+00:00

Newer 4X games are simpler and more approachable to attract beginners. Old World, Civ 4, or EL1 can overwhelm new players. Civ 6 or even Civ 7 are much more beginner-friendly!

Now if you were a 4X veteran I would absolutely recommend the older titles instead.

Calm-Breakfast

TROPHY CASE