Warlords Battlecry 2 (GOG)

Etheria turns every border dispute into a long-term war of conquest, blending old-school real-time strategy with a hero system that carries real consequences from battle to battle. Warlords Battlecry II places you in command of a custom champion and their growing retinue as you fight across a sprawling campaign map of 67 regions. The mood is classic high fantasy rather than grimdark, full of rival citadels, mercenary companies, monster-filled armies, magical artifacts, and factional grudges that refuse to stay settled. Victory means more than winning one skirmish: conquered lands expand your influence, while defeated enemies can later rise up and demand another response.

Individual battles play like traditional base-building RTS matches, asking you to gather resources, construct military infrastructure, recruit troops, and destroy or seize enemy holdings in real time. Your hero is the centerpiece, leveling up through combat and developing into specialized paths such as an Assassin, Death Knight, or Ice Mage, each with different combat roles and magical abilities. Equipment, followers, and hard-earned experience persist between fights, giving the campaign a satisfying RPG momentum that makes a veteran commander feel genuinely valuable. Strategic choices continue beyond the battlefield through the campaign’s treasury, merchants, hired mercenaries, regional expansion, hero duels, and rebellions in recently captured territory.

What separates Warlords Battlecry II from many RTS games of its era is how strongly it ties empire management to a single evolving character rather than treating every mission as a disposable match. Its numerous fantasy races, unit types, hero builds, and regional objectives give it considerable replay value, even if the interface and presentation unmistakably show their early-2000s age. Battles reward players who enjoy both rapid unit control and longer-term planning, especially when deciding whether to invest in elite troops, powerful gear, or another push across the map. Fans of Warcraft III’s hero-focused combat, Heroes of Might and Magic’s campaign ownership, and classic base-building strategy find plenty to enjoy here, while newcomers should expect a demanding but rewarding retro RTS learning curve.