Since their beginning with titles like Wizardry, computer role-playing games have expanded and grown, further evolving into various different types of RPGs. For example, titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 (and the other older games in the series) have really centered on deep role-playing and characterization. Others like Diablo IV (and its prequels) are more about the action and creating fast-paced builds that can quickly clear dungeons with fire, lightning and flashing steel. Still other RPGs like those in the Dragon Age series seek to find a balance between role-playing and action-packed combat.
Into this wild mix of RPG genres marched Wartales in the summer of 2023, an RPG that embraced tactical combat while also challenging players to run their company of heroes like a business, making sure that everyone got paid on time with enough extra gold to upgrade and improve their weapons and equipment. It easily earned 4.5 GiN Gems out of 5 in our review for offering a new take on role-playing titles. And developer Shiro Games has been expanding the core game ever since with a mix of both paid and free DLCs.
In terms of paid DLCs, the previous releases for Wartales included Pirates of Belerion which added a new nautical-themed realm, The Pits which doubled down on the various arena combats found in the main adventure and, surprisingly, The Tavern Opens which gave players their very own restaurant and tavern to own and manage as a sort of side quest or mini-game activity that can be tackled while also adventuring in the main world.
The newest DLC, The Skelmar Invasion, adds an entirely new kind of combat to the core title in addition to a new realm. For the first time, Wartales players can experience siege combat, where they need to fight in stages to break through enemy defenses and eventually liberate castles and other key landmarks on battlefields where all of the advantages are stacked in the defender’s favor. It’s extremely challenging to try and siege a castle in this new DLC and will require every bit of skill and special abilities that characters have earned while adventuring elsewhere. The DLC is clearly meant to provide end-game types of activities and challenges.
The new realm is called Ormance and is situated on the far western side of the world map. It’s been almost completely conquered by a Viking-like people called the Skelmar by the time the players arrive, making almost every location hostile. The new realm is further divided up into baronies, with each one acting as a sort of mini-adventure as you fight to liberate them from the invaders.
The first realm you visit, which is right on the border, acts as a sort of tutorial for the new gameplay elements. Players will need to help the last defenders clear the area around the final controlled town and then go searching for a missing countess while rallying more troops to their side. All of that is done on the main map of the barony, but players will need to avoid the central castle at first because getting too close exposes them to arrow fire and damage, the first time such a hazard has appeared on the title’s main map. You can liberate locations in each barony, but you can’t actually control anything until the main castle or fortification has been sieged and conquered, which acts as the final battle for each location.
The siege warfare is no joke. It’s punishing and designed to give every possible advantage to defenders, like having arrow towers that shoot at your company on their turn every round. It’s also fought in stages with no opportunity to rest between them. The enemy will get fresh troops with each new stage, but players don’t have the opportunity to heal up or refresh their resource points, so plan accordingly.
Siege combats are generally first fought at the gates where the objective is to break through the main doors. Your players can pound on them but won’t do much damage. You are given battering rams, however. They are clunky and slow but deal massive damage to structures (like doors or those aforementioned archer towers) once lumbered into place. You need to assign members of your company to the battering rams though, which further reduces your combat power in that stage of the fight, so be warned on that. Once the gate is broken open, at least one more battle takes place inside the courtyard where you generally need to capture the garrison’s flag and hold it for a time. You will be facing fresh troops and new defenses too, so expect a very hard fight.
Winning the main battle in each location liberates the barony and gives players control over it. This enables a sort of mini-game where you can both earn and spend new resources like construction materials and manpower to rebuild key locations ruined by the war. Those locations can in-turn provide you with more resources or can give your company some advantages like extra food items each time they camp. You also earn a very powerful ability for each barony you liberate, which helps to justify the difficulty of each of those final battles. For example, after liberating the first barony, you get a missile attack which can be used to damage everyone within an area of effect circle once per battle. You can use those powers anywhere too, even when adventuring in other realms.
The Skelmar Invasion DLC is the best one released for Wartales so far, especially for players who really enjoy the tactical combat it offers but are looking for additional challenges. It’s being offered for about $20 on Steam, which is a great deal given that it adds an entirely new system of combat to the core title in addition to about 50 or 60 hours of new content, depending on how you play.
If you are looking for an intense tactical combat challenge, lay siege to The Skelmar Invasion DLC for Wartales. Just make sure you have your steel sharpened, and your armor polished because the Skelmar are not playing around in this new realm.