Wartales

Wartales is a single-player and multiplayer tactical role-playing game. The game is set in a war-torn medieval world that has collapsed after the fall of the Edoran Empire. Plague, poverty, and lawlessness have left towns isolated and roads filled with bandits, mercenaries, and desperate survivors. The player commands a band of mercenaries traveling across open regions in search of contracts, treasure, and survival. There is no central storyline to follow; instead, the objective is to build reputation, wealth, and renown while carving out a life in an unforgiving land.

Gameplay is divided between freeform exploration and tactical combat. On the world map, the player guides the mercenary band in real time, managing supplies, navigating terrain, and engaging with settlements or hostile groups. Combat shifts to turn-based, gridless encounters where mercenaries are positioned individually and act in an order determined by initiative. The focus is on flanking, controlling space, and chaining abilities, with friendly fire and positioning making battles highly tactical.

Mercenaries can be recruited from taverns, villages, or random encounters, each with their own class archetype such as swordsman, archer, pikeman, or brute. As they gain experience, characters level up, unlocking new skills and stat increases. Weapons and armor can be upgraded or replaced, directly influencing combat abilities. Death is permanent, and wounded characters may suffer injuries that hinder their performance unless treated.

Outside of combat, management is just as important as battlefield tactics. The company requires food and wages, which must be paid regularly to avoid desertion. Camps serve as a base where mercenaries rest, cook meals, repair equipment, and craft new gear. Crafting professions, such as blacksmithing, alchemy, and cooking, can be assigned to companions.

Choices include whether to follow the law or turn to banditry, shaping reputation and how different factions respond. Bounties, criminal activity, and region-specific storylines provide varied encounters, while taverns and villagers offer contracts to hunt bandits, protect caravans, or clear animal dens.

The world is divided into multiple regions that can be explored in any order once the company is strong enough to survive. Each region has unique environments, factions, and challenges, from lush farmlands to desolate mountain passes. Random encounters ensure variety between playthroughs, while optional bosses and hidden treasures also lay waiting.

Multiplayer is supported through cooperative play, allowing two players to command their own bands in the same world.