Greedfall 2 dev update highlights combat and accessibility ahead of early access launch
With the original Greedfall and its next-gen Gold Edition, studio Spiders showed that after many, many years of releasing RPGS that fell short of the mark, they genuinely have what it takes to deliver a hit. Greedfall is a great action-RPG filled with adventure, fighting, choices, and companionship. But with Greedfall 2: The Dying World, Spiders are making some risky changes to a few core elements, particularly the combat system.
In an attempt to assuage some fan concern and reassure people that they haven’t taken their eyes off the ball, Spiders have taken to Steam to release a detailed letter to fans present and future explaining the reasons behind some of the changes.
For example, the combat is getting a massive overhaul, moving away from Greedfall’s dynamic action and instead evolving into something more strategic. Specifically “…the tactical pause feature will be pushed further to enable full control of your companions, and the orders you give them, allowing you to experience a more authentic sense of togetherness as a group of adventurers.”
Immediately this brings to mind Dragon Age’s old system, which ironically has been almost totally abandoned for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The original games featured a tactical pause system that let you switch between your party members to queue up and synergise attacks, which seems to be what Spiders are aiming for, although as the following paragraph suggests, they’ll be monitoring player feedback.
Currently, we still see the combat as a ‘work in progress’. We understand that the changes for combat might feel disappointing for some people or overwhelming for others. While we do not intend to switch back to the same combat style as the first GreedFall, we do intend to make combat gameplay one of the main pillars of the early access, and a subject on which we will be particularly alert and attentive.
Elsewhere, the team is focussing on accessibility and quality of life additions as they attempt to deliver a bigger, bolder, and more involving sequel. During their first community livestream, the Spiders team said that they intend to be “more generous with content”, hinting at a larger variety of zones and more companions to recruit and romance.
Additions such as difficulty sliders, choice of character outline colours, visual cues, and numerous other QoL (Quality of Life) options are planned, though not all these features will be available at the launch of the early access. We want to take the time to gather your feedback beforehand and make sure that they are well adapted, as well as possibly adding other options in the future.
Whatever they deliver, the early access period will help Spiders to shape the final product and meet the expectations of their fans. This is a studio that consistently improves and is still willing to take risks, and that alone makes us excited for what they’ll do with the sequel to their best game to date.
You can watch the community livestream here or check out the blog post here. You can also wishlist Greedfall 2: The Dying World ready for its release on Steam Early Access later in 2024, with the full release and console versions due in 2025.
