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About this mod
A full game overhaul aimed at making the game more balanced, challenging and fun, while keeping the pace and feel of the original game. I prefer buffs over nerfs so expect many more viable and varied playstyles, builds, & armies.
- Permissions and credits
Compatibility & Disclaimers
THIS MOD IS FOR 1.54 ONLY! This guide by Wormic will show you how to downgrade back to 1.54:
How to Fix Spellforce Platinum on Steam (Revert 1.61 to 1.54) - YouTube
SAVE FILES - This mod is NOT compatible with save files for the vanilla game or other mods. Due to my extensive item reworks there is a strong possibility that the game will crash when it attempts to load character profiles for a campaign (NOT when you load an actual save, but right after you click on one of the campaign buttons). My recommendation is to keep a separate save folder for Spellforce Reborn simply swap out save folders whenever you want to play my mod. You should do this with any mod anyway since this issue can happen with any mod that alters Gamedata. It is just particularly noticeable in my mod.
This is NOT compatible with any mods that also change the Gamedata File (which is most mods).
This mod IS compatible with most HD retextures. Simply install my mod after the HD mod.
If you are having performance issues, try uninstalling your HD retexture mods, it may help.
This mod now includes the following AngelTrump quality of life improvements:
Ranged Efficiency - Removes the delay on ranged weapons.
Extended UI - Displays additional information in tooltips.
Fire at Will - Improves ranged combat for player units.
Smart Mages - Drastically improves spellcasting and A.I.
DON'T install these separately, since I have fine-tuned their config files, in order to create a specific gameplay experience.
Using values other than what I have specified will break a bunch of NPCs, especially boss fights.
Dear AngelTrump: If you wish for me to take down these mods, please let me know and I will.
Installation
Extract the Zip File. You can use Winrar or 7-Zip for free.
Drag and Drop the contents of the Mod Files Folder into your main Spellforce Directory (where the exe file is)
Use a Save Folder that is dedicated to Spellforce Reborn. Swap it in when you want to play the mod.
Example Directories:
C:\Steam\steamapps\common\Spellforce Platinum Edition
C:\Program Files (x86)\JoWood\SpellForce
IF you installed HD Textures after Spellforce Reborn:
Simply drag and drop my texture folder back into your SpellForce folder.
Click yes when prompted to overwrite the old files.
The Design Files folder has all of my design files including update notes. Any information you need is there.
As I continue to make more design files for upcoming updates, I will add them to this folder.
General Gameplay Changes
Rune Armies
Spells
Armour & Weapons
Rune Heroes & Subclasses
Update 0.3 - Elves & Beasts (Eloni)
Finally, it is here. The long-awaited Eloni Update. With this update come another batch
of reworked spells, weapons, rune units and enemies. The fashion game has also
been overhauled by supplying new armour & robe sets to keep the player
looking stylish throughout their entire campaign.
You can also enjoy the wood elf player faction much earlier than in vanilla since
the Human monument has been replaced with the Elf Monument. The difficulty in
Eloni has been cranked up substantially to match all the new toys the player
can mess around with.
The AI system from previous updates has been expanded, with Nouh’s new multi-spawn functionality.
Friendly AI factions also return in this update.
Should you manage to rescue the elves of Eloni from their dire siege, they will
aid you by sending out squads to attack the enemy.
You can watch some highlights of the update in my video here:
Map Changes - The Elf Settlement
Keeping with the Reborn tradition of overhauled settlements started back in Liannon, the settlement of Eloni has been reborn. The town is now surrounded by elven walls, and is divided into 6 districts thematic to the Wood Elves.
In the heart of town, you will find the Upper District, where the rich folk and town leaders live. 2 new merchants have their home here. Architect Tauriel sells advanced wood elf building plans. Lanlyn Longrunner sells advanced wood elf unit plans, as well as advanced ranged combat skills (not implemented yet).
In the Hunting District you will find Master Huntress Talira. It is no secret the wood elves of Fiara craft the finest bows on the continent. Master Huntress Talira has perfected this craft and acts as the advanced merchant for shortbows and longbows.
A new area sculpted into the landscape to the south of the settlement. This is where the elves grow and gather their signature berries.
The barracks make up the military might of Eloni. The buildings here spawn friendly Eloni troops that will aid the Avatar on his mission. If you find you are having a tough time winning the map, try to time your attacks with these NPC attack squads. Quartermaster Neala sells advanced wooden weapons (melee), such as staffs and clubs from her home in the Barracks.
Just north of the barracks lies the cemetery. Only the most important elves are buried in these grounds. The rest are buried in the wild, where their bodies will feed the forest for many generations to come.
High Priestess Faedale rules Eloni from the Temple District. She is more than happy to sell advanced Life & Nature spells to you, for rescuing her beloved town.
To the north lies an embassy for the Ice Elves of Tirganach. The Winterguard Scribe sells advanced Ice Magic spells from the Embassy. Next to her is the Ambassador, perhaps she will have a quest for you in a later update.
Last but not least, we arrive at the Foresting District. Responsible for supplying the settlement with building materials and maintaining the health of the forest. From here, Ashawe seethes and plots her revenge on the Beastmen that slaughtered so many of her sisters. Perhaps you can bring her some closure on this matter.
Map Changes - The Swamp
A new area has been added to the eastern side of the map. It’s a dense swamp inspired by Urgath from the sequel Breath of Winter. The goal here was two-fold; increase the diversity of environments in the original game, and have a map that allows the player to come extremely close to the ocean.
The swamp also gave me a great opportunity to show off some more enemy variety. The Crawlers & Treewraiths from Breath of Winter patrol the swamp in Eloni, looking to kill and devour unwary explorers. Lastly, at the heart of the swamp is a Portal to the Marshes of Muire. The next map I will work on, a brand-new sidequest map.
Rune Army - The Wood Elves
Swift as the Wind: All wood elves move with 25% extra run speed. This includes their workers, making them superior resource gatherers. The speed also makes them the best skirmishing units in your rune arsenal, allowing them to kite enemies effectively.
Due to their low stamina, elves are quite fragile. This means you can’t just throw a big ball of them at the enemy and expect your army to come out of it in good shape, like you would with a human or dwarf army. Formations are more important with wood elves, more so than the other rune armies.
Proper use of the H key is needed to ensure your archers are safe behind their front line and that your frontline doesn’t run off, out of healing range. Failure to do so will lead to a rapid loss of crucial units to your army like healers and archers.
Enemy Forces
To the west, Gubble & Zarn have entrenched themselves behind a forest goblin camp, and a crawler nest. Gubble Crawlerhide breeds and trains his crawlers to be vicious beasts of war, so do not underestimate them. A new narrow pass connects the starting area to the Beastmen camp led by Cinderclaws. The pass is blocked by stones that the Beastmen are frantically trying to clear out. Should they succeed, you will find yourself being attacked on two fronts.
North of the river, Murak’s camp has been substantially beefed up. It is no longer a forgettable stop on your journey north, but a fully fortified position giving you your first taste of combat against the Orcs of the Black Fist. At the northernmost point, there is a new camp of Fire Clan Goblins, who worship Fafna the Fire Drake. They have learned their nasty fire magic by observing her, so watch out for their destructive power.
Finally, to the northeast, you will find your final challenge. Thump raises rock spiders bred for war, including the dreaded Spider Queens. Guarding the portal to Leafshade is a Black Fist camp led by Ruff. The first troll you will meet on your journey. He is freakish strong and freakish tough, and surrounded by loyal Black Fist Orcs.
Bosses
-Gubble can summon a frontline of nasty crawlers to cover his partner.
-Zarn puts out massive amounts of damage with Trueshot and can gain temporary
immunity to your elven archers with Steel Skin.
-Urshuk is an elite totem with Poison, Lifetap & Dispel White Aura.
-Murak is capable of dealing tones of damage with Fireball & Wave of Fire.
-Thump is a tanky frontliner (based on the Goblin Rockhide) with 2 copies of Conservation and the Durability skill.
-Ruff is both tanky and hard hitting. As a Troll he has the typical Troll Regeneration and Troll Rage abilities.
-Klarg is a monstrous damage dealer with Berserk while the tanky Klurg supports their longevity with Benefactions & Endurance.
-Cinderclaws can inflict fireburst and poison with his enchanted claws. But the real dangers are his Berserk, Mend & Steel Skin abilities.
-Fafna is a powerful fire drake. Her Chain Fireburst can rapidly spread through your ranks. She can also become resistant to spells and ranged damage with Patronize & Steel Skin.
-Sharknar is a complicated fight. The necromancer has excellent sustain with Aura of Lifetap and lifetap enchantments, but the real danger are his Screamers. They can replenish his mana, heal him with Benefactions and will even place Death Grasp on him making it very tough to secure the kill. Should you finally manage to defeat him, you will only be half way there.
-The Dream Thief is a devastating spellcaster with Chain Shock, Chain Manatap & Chain Lifetap. Chain Shock can rapidly kill your healers and as a ghost he benefits from the ethereal trait; which grants him 70% physical damage reduction.
Enemy Races
Fire Clan Goblins (Redskins)
Fire Clan Goblins are known to worship dragons, especially fire drakes; from which they learn their fire magic. This makes the fire clan particularly destructive and their sappers are capable of burning fortifications to the ground in a matter of minutes.
Black Fist Orcs
The black fist is comprised of outcasts from the dark races. The orc outcasts hail from a number of clans that deemed them too weak or too unruly to be granted full membership. This makes the orcs of the black fist physically weaker than those from a proper clan. They are however better armed, thanks to the strategic leadership of Brannigan the Black.
Screamers
It is rumoured that screamers came to Eo from the heavens long ago. The truth of that fact is not important as what they have become. Horrid undead monstrosities resurrected by the circle to fight in the convocation war. Each of their three heads are a permanent expression of rage, sadness or fear. Some screamers are made of a rock-like substance granting them great physical resilience, while others are fleshy constructs capable of devastating mental attacks.
Beastmen
The beastmen are half beast humanoids that come in a few varieties. The most common are the half goat satyrs. Although not as terrifying as their hulking Minotaur cousins, they are more numerous. Beastmen are stronger and tougher than even the orcs, however they are held back by their lack of armour. Their bulging muscles grant them 10% blunt resistance and their thick manes are highly sought after by tanners for light armour crafting.
Ogres
Ogres are true freaks of nature. They are hulking masses of muscle and fat; which grant them 33%resistance to blunt impacts. Their fists hit with enough force to shatter armour. They are technically stronger than Trolls, but lack the regeneration and rage abilities that Trolls have. An Ogre’s biggest weakness is its slowness, staying out of range with bows and spells has proven to be an effective tactic.
Mountain Clan Goblins (Brownskins)
The mountain clan (brownskins) have long lived with the giant beetles of Fiara. They learn their earth magic from observing rock beetles in their natural habitat. Over the centuries they have deciphered how to tame these creatures and will often take them into battle. The mountain goblin’s thick skin grants them increased armour compared to their distant relatives.
Treewraiths
Contrary to popular belief, not all Treewraiths are evil. Some have co-existed with elves for aeons. Regardless of a Treewraith’s temperament, they will defend their forest with fervour, and to the death. Their bark skin makes them extremely resilient to cutting attacks, but blunt weapons will splinter them fairly easily. They have large health pools, move slowly and can cast a variety of nature spells. Lastly, the fists of all Treewraiths can root their enemies to the ground.
There are two main variants. Forestwraiths are lighter in colour and can be identified by the abundant green foliage growing over their bodies. Swampwraiths are a dark brown with minimal foliage. Forestwraiths are weak to fire magic and resist ice magic. Swampwraiths are the opposite; their high water content makes them resistant to fire magic and weak to ice magic.
Crawlers
An over grown cousin of common frogs and toads; they are believed to have been around longer than dragons. They roam the inhospitable swamps and marshes of Urgath in search of unsuspecting prey. They are somehow capable of spitting magic at their victims. This primitive form of spellcasting requires them to be very close to their target, but the effects of the magic itself is more potent than usual.
Their fleshy, bulbous bodies allow them shrug off 35% of incoming blunt damage, but leaves them more vulnerable to cutting attacks. There are 4 known variants of the crawler, each boasting different resistances. The standard cave crawlers, and the rarer lava crawlers are resistant to fire magic. Mud Crawlers are resistant to fire and earth magic while Poison Crawlers are resistant to black magic.
Spells
Equipment
Player equipment has received a bit of an overhaul in this latest update. New item recolours have been added to create a variety of “visual sets”. These are pieces of equipment that belong together and will allow the player to look stylish throughout their entire campaign. They are not just for looks however, as the stats that these sets provide compliment the particular skill they are for. Going forward this is how all equipment reworks will function and I will be looking to use each vanilla item (mesh & texture) at least once in Spellforce Reborn.
How to Fix Spellforce Platinum on Steam (Revert 1.61 to 1.54) - YouTube
SAVE FILES - This mod is NOT compatible with save files for the vanilla game or other mods. Due to my extensive item reworks there is a strong possibility that the game will crash when it attempts to load character profiles for a campaign (NOT when you load an actual save, but right after you click on one of the campaign buttons). My recommendation is to keep a separate save folder for Spellforce Reborn simply swap out save folders whenever you want to play my mod. You should do this with any mod anyway since this issue can happen with any mod that alters Gamedata. It is just particularly noticeable in my mod.
This is NOT compatible with any mods that also change the Gamedata File (which is most mods).
This mod IS compatible with most HD retextures. Simply install my mod after the HD mod.
If you are having performance issues, try uninstalling your HD retexture mods, it may help.
This mod now includes the following AngelTrump quality of life improvements:
Ranged Efficiency - Removes the delay on ranged weapons.
Extended UI - Displays additional information in tooltips.
Fire at Will - Improves ranged combat for player units.
Smart Mages - Drastically improves spellcasting and A.I.
DON'T install these separately, since I have fine-tuned their config files, in order to create a specific gameplay experience.
Using values other than what I have specified will break a bunch of NPCs, especially boss fights.
Dear AngelTrump: If you wish for me to take down these mods, please let me know and I will.
Installation
Extract the Zip File. You can use Winrar or 7-Zip for free.
Drag and Drop the contents of the Mod Files Folder into your main Spellforce Directory (where the exe file is)
Use a Save Folder that is dedicated to Spellforce Reborn. Swap it in when you want to play the mod.
Example Directories:
C:\Steam\steamapps\common\Spellforce Platinum Edition
C:\Program Files (x86)\JoWood\SpellForce
IF you installed HD Textures after Spellforce Reborn:
Simply drag and drop my texture folder back into your SpellForce folder.
Click yes when prompted to overwrite the old files.
The Design Files folder has all of my design files including update notes. Any information you need is there.
As I continue to make more design files for upcoming updates, I will add them to this folder.
General Gameplay Changes
Rune Armies
Spoiler:
Speed: There are now 5 speed categories for units (also applies to enemies)
-Slow: 90% Run Speed
-Average: 100% Run Speed
-Fast: 125% Run Speed
-Cavalry: 150% Run Speed
-Flying: 175% Run Speed
Armour: There are now 5 armour categories for units (also applies to enemies)
-Magical Robes: 0-25 Armour
-Light Armour: 30-55 Armour
-Medium Armour: 60-85 Armour
-Heavy Armour: 70-95 Armour
-Full Plate Armour: 100-150 Armour
Racial Traits: Rune armies now have additional racial traits, and more defining stat specializations:
Humans: The most versatile and charismatic of the races who excel against the undead.
Their mages do not use offensive magic, instead favouring disruption and magic negation.
Wood Elves: Wood elves gain 25% move speed (allowing them to kite enemy troops effectively).
They are split into Forestguard units (high black resist) and Winterguard units (high ice resist).
Orcs: All orcs (player & enemy) us poison weapons, they like to fight dirty after all. This means
they can continue to deal damage even while retreating from a fight.
Trolls: Are armour piercing (inflict 66%-90% decay) and move at 90% speed. Their stats are colossal
making them true monsters on the battlefield. All trolls a regeneration and rage ability giving
them short term boosts in combat. You often won't require a full army of trolls to be effective.
This is all balanced out by large resource costs and slow summoning speeds.
Dwarves: To be developed
Dark Elves: To be developed
Note: If a description says inflicts, it means that a weapon effect causes it, not a spell/ability.
Show
Speed: There are now 5 speed categories for units (also applies to enemies)
-Slow: 90% Run Speed
-Average: 100% Run Speed
-Fast: 125% Run Speed
-Cavalry: 150% Run Speed
-Flying: 175% Run Speed
Armour: There are now 5 armour categories for units (also applies to enemies)
-Magical Robes: 0-25 Armour
-Light Armour: 30-55 Armour
-Medium Armour: 60-85 Armour
-Heavy Armour: 70-95 Armour
-Full Plate Armour: 100-150 Armour
Racial Traits: Rune armies now have additional racial traits, and more defining stat specializations:
Humans: The most versatile and charismatic of the races who excel against the undead.
Their mages do not use offensive magic, instead favouring disruption and magic negation.
Wood Elves: Wood elves gain 25% move speed (allowing them to kite enemy troops effectively).
They are split into Forestguard units (high black resist) and Winterguard units (high ice resist).
Orcs: All orcs (player & enemy) us poison weapons, they like to fight dirty after all. This means
they can continue to deal damage even while retreating from a fight.
Trolls: Are armour piercing (inflict 66%-90% decay) and move at 90% speed. Their stats are colossal
making them true monsters on the battlefield. All trolls a regeneration and rage ability giving
them short term boosts in combat. You often won't require a full army of trolls to be effective.
This is all balanced out by large resource costs and slow summoning speeds.
Dwarves: To be developed
Dark Elves: To be developed
Note: If a description says inflicts, it means that a weapon effect causes it, not a spell/ability.
Spells
Spoiler:
Spells are receiving some much-needed love (I prefer buffs over nerfs as I think the game is more fun that way). The vanilla game makes very little use of spell stats like Casting Time, Cooldown, Range and Tickrates. My mod seeks to create varied and powerful spells that are well balanced, by making more expansive use of the aforementioned stats. Any player that has played a modern class-based game will immediately understand and hopefully enjoy these changes. The following terms will be used throughout upcoming updates, so if you are unsure check beck here here to see what they mean.
The following are the new categories for Spell Speed:
Quickfire Spells: 250-500 milliseconds.
They are lightning quick to cast and so are generally hard to interrupt. These spells don't benefit much from charms and rings that boost Casting Speed.
Normal Spells: 1-3 seconds.
Can be tricky to cast in combat if you don't have enough space space and are being actively attacked. Some spells in this category can be turned into quickfire spells if you stack enough casting speed.
Ritual Spells: 5+ seconds.
These spells are very slow, as though your character were performing a complex ritual or incantation. They cannot be cast reactively as they will certainly be interrupted. You should plan ahead or have protection if you're going to attempt these spells during a heated fight.
The following are the new categories for Spell Cooldown:
Instant Cooldown: Less than 1 second.
These spells can be spammed rapidly with the only consideration being mana.
Short Cooldown: 2-10 seconds.
These spells will often require a bit of kiting before being used again. Consider keeping multiple levels of this spell on your hotbar to reduce its downtime.
Medium Cooldown: 11-30 seconds.
These spells tend to be moderately powerful, or have the potential for unfair combos. Consider keeping multiple levels of this spell on your hotbar to reduce its downtime.
Long Cooldown: 40+ seconds.
These spells are undeniably powerful and would break the game if not balanced somehow. Consider keeping multiple levels of this spell on your hotbar to reduce its downtime, however many spells in this class are also one of a kind.
The following are the new categories for Spell Range:
Melee Range: Range of 1.
These spells require the caster to be right next to their target.
Close Range: Range of 5-12.
These spells can require protection, since enemies will aggro onto you as you start casting.
Medium Range: Range of 13-16.
These spells strike from normal enemy aggro range. You should be able to get a cast or two off before they reach you.
Long Range: Range of 17-25.
These spells are perfect for sniping high value targets from a great distance. Whether it be to disable a dangerous enemy or support an ally that has overextended.
Show
Spells are receiving some much-needed love (I prefer buffs over nerfs as I think the game is more fun that way). The vanilla game makes very little use of spell stats like Casting Time, Cooldown, Range and Tickrates. My mod seeks to create varied and powerful spells that are well balanced, by making more expansive use of the aforementioned stats. Any player that has played a modern class-based game will immediately understand and hopefully enjoy these changes. The following terms will be used throughout upcoming updates, so if you are unsure check beck here here to see what they mean.
The following are the new categories for Spell Speed:
Quickfire Spells: 250-500 milliseconds.
They are lightning quick to cast and so are generally hard to interrupt. These spells don't benefit much from charms and rings that boost Casting Speed.
Normal Spells: 1-3 seconds.
Can be tricky to cast in combat if you don't have enough space space and are being actively attacked. Some spells in this category can be turned into quickfire spells if you stack enough casting speed.
Ritual Spells: 5+ seconds.
These spells are very slow, as though your character were performing a complex ritual or incantation. They cannot be cast reactively as they will certainly be interrupted. You should plan ahead or have protection if you're going to attempt these spells during a heated fight.
The following are the new categories for Spell Cooldown:
Instant Cooldown: Less than 1 second.
These spells can be spammed rapidly with the only consideration being mana.
Short Cooldown: 2-10 seconds.
These spells will often require a bit of kiting before being used again. Consider keeping multiple levels of this spell on your hotbar to reduce its downtime.
Medium Cooldown: 11-30 seconds.
These spells tend to be moderately powerful, or have the potential for unfair combos. Consider keeping multiple levels of this spell on your hotbar to reduce its downtime.
Long Cooldown: 40+ seconds.
These spells are undeniably powerful and would break the game if not balanced somehow. Consider keeping multiple levels of this spell on your hotbar to reduce its downtime, however many spells in this class are also one of a kind.
The following are the new categories for Spell Range:
Melee Range: Range of 1.
These spells require the caster to be right next to their target.
Close Range: Range of 5-12.
These spells can require protection, since enemies will aggro onto you as you start casting.
Medium Range: Range of 13-16.
These spells strike from normal enemy aggro range. You should be able to get a cast or two off before they reach you.
Long Range: Range of 17-25.
These spells are perfect for sniping high value targets from a great distance. Whether it be to disable a dangerous enemy or support an ally that has overextended.
Armour & Weapons
Spoiler:
Armour Types
Weapons Types
Note: The stat modifiers shown here are applied to the base stat the player/hero should have for the required skills at that skill level. For example, a warrior with heavy combat arts lv10 should have a minimum strength of 52, therefore a Warhammer of skill level 10 will give a boost of 10 strength.
Show
Armour Types
Weapons Types
Note: The stat modifiers shown here are applied to the base stat the player/hero should have for the required skills at that skill level. For example, a warrior with heavy combat arts lv10 should have a minimum strength of 52, therefore a Warhammer of skill level 10 will give a boost of 10 strength.
Rune Heroes & Subclasses
Spoiler:
Heroes now come with specific subclasses (specializations) that lead to more variety in playstyles and party composition. Each hero in the game now fits a proper niche that can support any Avatar build or Hero setup.
Note: Although heroes have received their new subclass names, most heroes remain functionally unchanged. Only the starting group of heroes (Lv4 Batch) has been implemented so far. I will continue to rework heroes as I develop the mod further.
Warriors
Shieldbearers: Are exactly as their name implies. They are you tanks; throw them into a group of enemies to take the aggro while your team sets up for damage. They love receiving manashields from Mentalists, and healing form Healers. This subclass invests more points into stamina & agility, and less points into offensive stats. They extend their lives with Heavy Armour & Shields as defensive abilities like Endurance, Benefactions & Patronize. Don't underestimate their potential however, as they are still capable of putting out short term damage with War Cry.
Warriors: Warriors are all about giving you options. They balance offense and defence into one build. They will never be able to wear the armour that shieldbearers can as they lack the shield skill, but their combat skills are at a higher level than their peers. They always have Heavy Blades and Heavy Blunts so you can equip them to be as effective as possible for the specific enemies you will be fighting. Offensive Heavy Armour is recommended to maximise the Warrior's potential.
Barbarians: Are a hybrid of Heavy Weapons & Light Armour. They specialize in putting out huge bursts of damage with their investments in strength. Placing strength buffs on barbarians skyrocket their damage even further. They always use Berserk and their Light Armour allows them to quickly disengage when they are out of options.
Fighters
Fighters: Like warriors, they are well balanced. Fighters are versed in all Light Combat Skills, allowing them to use a versatile set of weapons. Dual Wielding is especially effective as it allows you to mix damage types. They have some investment into stamina to keep them safe on the frontline. Fighters use a combination of Berserk, Blessing and Evasion.
Lancers: Lancers specialize in one specific weapon type, Spears. Spears are a powerful defensive weapon which strike from a range of 2 allowing your lancer to stay safe behind a tank. Spears also grant some armour-class further increasing survivability. Defensive Light Armour is recommended for lancers to maximise their staying power, while Berserk enables them to quickly melt through a handful of dangerous enemies.
Assassins: These sneaky heroes are a hybrid of Light Combat or Ranged Combat, and Black Magic. Their entire build is designed around single target damage, enabling them to quickly assassinate high value targets. All melee assassins have access to Assassin's Counter; a unique ability that reflects 99% of incoming melee damage onto attackers. Combine it with Berserk and high damage Black Magic (like Death and Shared Torment) to quickly dispatch high health targets. Ranged assassins sometimes opt for the slower guaranteed death of high-level Poisons.
Rangers
Archers: Specialize in bows. They can use Shortbows and Salvo to quickly kill large numbers of trash enemies, or Longbows and Trueshot to deal high single target damage. Archers also invest into Light Armour to give them longevity on the battlefield. They tend to rely on combat skills such as Blessing, Steel Skin and Evasion more so than friendly Animal Companions.
Arbalist: Are a unique hybrid of Crossbows & Heavy Armour. Crossbows are slower than bows so arbalists tend to rely on Animal Companions to keep enemies at crossbow range. Should they get into melee combat however, they are more than capable of outlasting their opponent with their signature Heavy Armour & Endurance ability.
Healers
Priests: Specialize in Healing Magic. Most healers carry Cure Disease but priests also carry Cure Poison. This is especially useful since Poison & Pestilence are more common in Spellforce Reborn. Their final slot is always a reliable healing spell, ensuring that your hero party has good sustain. Priests sometimes invest in Light Blunt or Light Armour to utilize the specialist gear for Life Magic
Druids: Are masters of Nature Magic. All druids have at least one summon spell from the nature school and one healing spell. Some druids carry Charm or Dominate Animal which have the potential to enslave Spider Queens or Dragons. Animals are more common and more powerful in Spellforce Reborn, so don't underestimate some of the nasty snowballs you can setup with druids.
Clerics: Excel in two things; buffing their allies and smiting the undead. They are usually trained in Life Magic & Boons Magic and always carry one healing spell and one hallow spell. Their last slot is occupied by a buff of some sort. They pair well with summoners since buffs will have a compounding effect the more units you have on your side.
Paladins: Are a hybrid of Heavy Armour, Boons and Healing or Shields. All paladins use Hallow to aid them in their sacred mission of eradicating the undead. Their Heavy Armour and Healing make them nigh unkillable on the frontlines. As you can imagine these heroes are extremely powerful and as such there is currently only one available. If you want to have a more challenging run, I would recommend not using him.
Warlocks
Warlocks: Warlocks are versatile practitioners of the dark arts. They come with a powerful combination of spells from each school of Black Magic. Some focus on debuffing and disabling the enemy, whereas others focus on DPS combos.
Necromancers: All necromancers have at least one summoning spell. They can summon a large number of weak minions, or focus on a smaller number of elite summons. These heroes excel at swarming the enemy, bogging them down and preventing them from using their damage efficiently. Due to the balance of Spellforce Reborn, necromancers can be just as effective or more at holding the frontline, than a couple of well equipped warriors.
Deathknights: Are a hybrid of Heavy Armour, Black Magic & Shields. The opposing counterpart to the Paladin, and just as effective. Like paladins they have excellent sustain and the ability to modify stats in their favour. All deathknights have some form of Lifetap spell to restore their health, in addition to powerful combat abilities like War Cry, Benefactions and/or Riposte. These heroes are extremely powerful and as such there is only one available. If you want to have a more challenging run, I would recommend not using him.
Mages
Elementalists: Use a combination of all 3 schools of Elemental Magic. They have at least on damage spell and one defensive spell. They can also carry a utility spell.
Fire Mages: Are all about damage, especially to multiple targets. They rely on Fire Elementals to keep the fire raining on their enemies from multiple angles.
Ice Mages: Specialize in crowd control. Higher level ice mages are capable of freezing multiple opponents at once, which in turn reduces the damage your troops will take. If you prefer control over damage then take these heroes with you.
Earth Mages: Focus on damaging and controlling single targets from long range. Their bread-and-butter combo is Decay into Rock Bullet, which will annihilate any non-elite unit from sniping range. Some earth mages even use the dreaded Petrify spell.
Mentalists
Mentalists: All mentalists carry a Sacrifice Mana spell to act as a mana battery for friendly spellcasters. Many also use Manashield to support frontline fighters/warriors, or give emergency protection to units that are in trouble. Mentalists are an example of what mind Magic should be. Never using damage spells and instead favouring manipulation, disruption and support.
Mindbreakers: Mindbreakers have one purpose in this life; the utter destruction of enemy spellcasters. They can deal heavy damage to enemy mages with Shock spells and disable their magic with Confuse. They also use Manadrain, Manatap or Aura of Manatap to quickly decimate their enemy's mana reserves.
Illusionists: Use exclusively Enchantment Magic. They can all cast Self illusion to pad the frontline and will carry either a Charm or Dominate spell to disrupt the enemy. Illusionists benefit greatly from enchanted weapons, as it allows the normally harmless illusions to put out some great damage. Some illusionists also use Invisibility for disengaging.
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Heroes now come with specific subclasses (specializations) that lead to more variety in playstyles and party composition. Each hero in the game now fits a proper niche that can support any Avatar build or Hero setup.
Note: Although heroes have received their new subclass names, most heroes remain functionally unchanged. Only the starting group of heroes (Lv4 Batch) has been implemented so far. I will continue to rework heroes as I develop the mod further.
Warriors
Shieldbearers: Are exactly as their name implies. They are you tanks; throw them into a group of enemies to take the aggro while your team sets up for damage. They love receiving manashields from Mentalists, and healing form Healers. This subclass invests more points into stamina & agility, and less points into offensive stats. They extend their lives with Heavy Armour & Shields as defensive abilities like Endurance, Benefactions & Patronize. Don't underestimate their potential however, as they are still capable of putting out short term damage with War Cry.
Warriors: Warriors are all about giving you options. They balance offense and defence into one build. They will never be able to wear the armour that shieldbearers can as they lack the shield skill, but their combat skills are at a higher level than their peers. They always have Heavy Blades and Heavy Blunts so you can equip them to be as effective as possible for the specific enemies you will be fighting. Offensive Heavy Armour is recommended to maximise the Warrior's potential.
Barbarians: Are a hybrid of Heavy Weapons & Light Armour. They specialize in putting out huge bursts of damage with their investments in strength. Placing strength buffs on barbarians skyrocket their damage even further. They always use Berserk and their Light Armour allows them to quickly disengage when they are out of options.
Fighters
Fighters: Like warriors, they are well balanced. Fighters are versed in all Light Combat Skills, allowing them to use a versatile set of weapons. Dual Wielding is especially effective as it allows you to mix damage types. They have some investment into stamina to keep them safe on the frontline. Fighters use a combination of Berserk, Blessing and Evasion.
Lancers: Lancers specialize in one specific weapon type, Spears. Spears are a powerful defensive weapon which strike from a range of 2 allowing your lancer to stay safe behind a tank. Spears also grant some armour-class further increasing survivability. Defensive Light Armour is recommended for lancers to maximise their staying power, while Berserk enables them to quickly melt through a handful of dangerous enemies.
Assassins: These sneaky heroes are a hybrid of Light Combat or Ranged Combat, and Black Magic. Their entire build is designed around single target damage, enabling them to quickly assassinate high value targets. All melee assassins have access to Assassin's Counter; a unique ability that reflects 99% of incoming melee damage onto attackers. Combine it with Berserk and high damage Black Magic (like Death and Shared Torment) to quickly dispatch high health targets. Ranged assassins sometimes opt for the slower guaranteed death of high-level Poisons.
Rangers
Archers: Specialize in bows. They can use Shortbows and Salvo to quickly kill large numbers of trash enemies, or Longbows and Trueshot to deal high single target damage. Archers also invest into Light Armour to give them longevity on the battlefield. They tend to rely on combat skills such as Blessing, Steel Skin and Evasion more so than friendly Animal Companions.
Arbalist: Are a unique hybrid of Crossbows & Heavy Armour. Crossbows are slower than bows so arbalists tend to rely on Animal Companions to keep enemies at crossbow range. Should they get into melee combat however, they are more than capable of outlasting their opponent with their signature Heavy Armour & Endurance ability.
Healers
Priests: Specialize in Healing Magic. Most healers carry Cure Disease but priests also carry Cure Poison. This is especially useful since Poison & Pestilence are more common in Spellforce Reborn. Their final slot is always a reliable healing spell, ensuring that your hero party has good sustain. Priests sometimes invest in Light Blunt or Light Armour to utilize the specialist gear for Life Magic
Druids: Are masters of Nature Magic. All druids have at least one summon spell from the nature school and one healing spell. Some druids carry Charm or Dominate Animal which have the potential to enslave Spider Queens or Dragons. Animals are more common and more powerful in Spellforce Reborn, so don't underestimate some of the nasty snowballs you can setup with druids.
Clerics: Excel in two things; buffing their allies and smiting the undead. They are usually trained in Life Magic & Boons Magic and always carry one healing spell and one hallow spell. Their last slot is occupied by a buff of some sort. They pair well with summoners since buffs will have a compounding effect the more units you have on your side.
Paladins: Are a hybrid of Heavy Armour, Boons and Healing or Shields. All paladins use Hallow to aid them in their sacred mission of eradicating the undead. Their Heavy Armour and Healing make them nigh unkillable on the frontlines. As you can imagine these heroes are extremely powerful and as such there is currently only one available. If you want to have a more challenging run, I would recommend not using him.
Warlocks
Warlocks: Warlocks are versatile practitioners of the dark arts. They come with a powerful combination of spells from each school of Black Magic. Some focus on debuffing and disabling the enemy, whereas others focus on DPS combos.
Necromancers: All necromancers have at least one summoning spell. They can summon a large number of weak minions, or focus on a smaller number of elite summons. These heroes excel at swarming the enemy, bogging them down and preventing them from using their damage efficiently. Due to the balance of Spellforce Reborn, necromancers can be just as effective or more at holding the frontline, than a couple of well equipped warriors.
Deathknights: Are a hybrid of Heavy Armour, Black Magic & Shields. The opposing counterpart to the Paladin, and just as effective. Like paladins they have excellent sustain and the ability to modify stats in their favour. All deathknights have some form of Lifetap spell to restore their health, in addition to powerful combat abilities like War Cry, Benefactions and/or Riposte. These heroes are extremely powerful and as such there is only one available. If you want to have a more challenging run, I would recommend not using him.
Mages
Elementalists: Use a combination of all 3 schools of Elemental Magic. They have at least on damage spell and one defensive spell. They can also carry a utility spell.
Fire Mages: Are all about damage, especially to multiple targets. They rely on Fire Elementals to keep the fire raining on their enemies from multiple angles.
Ice Mages: Specialize in crowd control. Higher level ice mages are capable of freezing multiple opponents at once, which in turn reduces the damage your troops will take. If you prefer control over damage then take these heroes with you.
Earth Mages: Focus on damaging and controlling single targets from long range. Their bread-and-butter combo is Decay into Rock Bullet, which will annihilate any non-elite unit from sniping range. Some earth mages even use the dreaded Petrify spell.
Mentalists
Mentalists: All mentalists carry a Sacrifice Mana spell to act as a mana battery for friendly spellcasters. Many also use Manashield to support frontline fighters/warriors, or give emergency protection to units that are in trouble. Mentalists are an example of what mind Magic should be. Never using damage spells and instead favouring manipulation, disruption and support.
Mindbreakers: Mindbreakers have one purpose in this life; the utter destruction of enemy spellcasters. They can deal heavy damage to enemy mages with Shock spells and disable their magic with Confuse. They also use Manadrain, Manatap or Aura of Manatap to quickly decimate their enemy's mana reserves.
Illusionists: Use exclusively Enchantment Magic. They can all cast Self illusion to pad the frontline and will carry either a Charm or Dominate spell to disrupt the enemy. Illusionists benefit greatly from enchanted weapons, as it allows the normally harmless illusions to put out some great damage. Some illusionists also use Invisibility for disengaging.
Update 0.3 - Elves & Beasts (Eloni)
Finally, it is here. The long-awaited Eloni Update. With this update come another batch
of reworked spells, weapons, rune units and enemies. The fashion game has also
been overhauled by supplying new armour & robe sets to keep the player
looking stylish throughout their entire campaign.
You can also enjoy the wood elf player faction much earlier than in vanilla since
the Human monument has been replaced with the Elf Monument. The difficulty in
Eloni has been cranked up substantially to match all the new toys the player
can mess around with.
The AI system from previous updates has been expanded, with Nouh’s new multi-spawn functionality.
Friendly AI factions also return in this update.
Should you manage to rescue the elves of Eloni from their dire siege, they will
aid you by sending out squads to attack the enemy.
You can watch some highlights of the update in my video here:
Map Changes - The Elf Settlement
Keeping with the Reborn tradition of overhauled settlements started back in Liannon, the settlement of Eloni has been reborn. The town is now surrounded by elven walls, and is divided into 6 districts thematic to the Wood Elves.
In the heart of town, you will find the Upper District, where the rich folk and town leaders live. 2 new merchants have their home here. Architect Tauriel sells advanced wood elf building plans. Lanlyn Longrunner sells advanced wood elf unit plans, as well as advanced ranged combat skills (not implemented yet).
In the Hunting District you will find Master Huntress Talira. It is no secret the wood elves of Fiara craft the finest bows on the continent. Master Huntress Talira has perfected this craft and acts as the advanced merchant for shortbows and longbows.
A new area sculpted into the landscape to the south of the settlement. This is where the elves grow and gather their signature berries.
The barracks make up the military might of Eloni. The buildings here spawn friendly Eloni troops that will aid the Avatar on his mission. If you find you are having a tough time winning the map, try to time your attacks with these NPC attack squads. Quartermaster Neala sells advanced wooden weapons (melee), such as staffs and clubs from her home in the Barracks.
Just north of the barracks lies the cemetery. Only the most important elves are buried in these grounds. The rest are buried in the wild, where their bodies will feed the forest for many generations to come.
High Priestess Faedale rules Eloni from the Temple District. She is more than happy to sell advanced Life & Nature spells to you, for rescuing her beloved town.
To the north lies an embassy for the Ice Elves of Tirganach. The Winterguard Scribe sells advanced Ice Magic spells from the Embassy. Next to her is the Ambassador, perhaps she will have a quest for you in a later update.
Last but not least, we arrive at the Foresting District. Responsible for supplying the settlement with building materials and maintaining the health of the forest. From here, Ashawe seethes and plots her revenge on the Beastmen that slaughtered so many of her sisters. Perhaps you can bring her some closure on this matter.
Map Changes - The Swamp
A new area has been added to the eastern side of the map. It’s a dense swamp inspired by Urgath from the sequel Breath of Winter. The goal here was two-fold; increase the diversity of environments in the original game, and have a map that allows the player to come extremely close to the ocean.
The swamp also gave me a great opportunity to show off some more enemy variety. The Crawlers & Treewraiths from Breath of Winter patrol the swamp in Eloni, looking to kill and devour unwary explorers. Lastly, at the heart of the swamp is a Portal to the Marshes of Muire. The next map I will work on, a brand-new sidequest map.
Rune Army - The Wood Elves
Swift as the Wind: All wood elves move with 25% extra run speed. This includes their workers, making them superior resource gatherers. The speed also makes them the best skirmishing units in your rune arsenal, allowing them to kite enemies effectively.
Due to their low stamina, elves are quite fragile. This means you can’t just throw a big ball of them at the enemy and expect your army to come out of it in good shape, like you would with a human or dwarf army. Formations are more important with wood elves, more so than the other rune armies.
Proper use of the H key is needed to ensure your archers are safe behind their front line and that your frontline doesn’t run off, out of healing range. Failure to do so will lead to a rapid loss of crucial units to your army like healers and archers.
Enemy Forces
To the west, Gubble & Zarn have entrenched themselves behind a forest goblin camp, and a crawler nest. Gubble Crawlerhide breeds and trains his crawlers to be vicious beasts of war, so do not underestimate them. A new narrow pass connects the starting area to the Beastmen camp led by Cinderclaws. The pass is blocked by stones that the Beastmen are frantically trying to clear out. Should they succeed, you will find yourself being attacked on two fronts.
North of the river, Murak’s camp has been substantially beefed up. It is no longer a forgettable stop on your journey north, but a fully fortified position giving you your first taste of combat against the Orcs of the Black Fist. At the northernmost point, there is a new camp of Fire Clan Goblins, who worship Fafna the Fire Drake. They have learned their nasty fire magic by observing her, so watch out for their destructive power.
Finally, to the northeast, you will find your final challenge. Thump raises rock spiders bred for war, including the dreaded Spider Queens. Guarding the portal to Leafshade is a Black Fist camp led by Ruff. The first troll you will meet on your journey. He is freakish strong and freakish tough, and surrounded by loyal Black Fist Orcs.
Bosses
-Gubble can summon a frontline of nasty crawlers to cover his partner.
-Zarn puts out massive amounts of damage with Trueshot and can gain temporary
immunity to your elven archers with Steel Skin.
-Urshuk is an elite totem with Poison, Lifetap & Dispel White Aura.
-Murak is capable of dealing tones of damage with Fireball & Wave of Fire.
-Thump is a tanky frontliner (based on the Goblin Rockhide) with 2 copies of Conservation and the Durability skill.
-Ruff is both tanky and hard hitting. As a Troll he has the typical Troll Regeneration and Troll Rage abilities.
-Klarg is a monstrous damage dealer with Berserk while the tanky Klurg supports their longevity with Benefactions & Endurance.
-Cinderclaws can inflict fireburst and poison with his enchanted claws. But the real dangers are his Berserk, Mend & Steel Skin abilities.
-Fafna is a powerful fire drake. Her Chain Fireburst can rapidly spread through your ranks. She can also become resistant to spells and ranged damage with Patronize & Steel Skin.
-Sharknar is a complicated fight. The necromancer has excellent sustain with Aura of Lifetap and lifetap enchantments, but the real danger are his Screamers. They can replenish his mana, heal him with Benefactions and will even place Death Grasp on him making it very tough to secure the kill. Should you finally manage to defeat him, you will only be half way there.
-The Dream Thief is a devastating spellcaster with Chain Shock, Chain Manatap & Chain Lifetap. Chain Shock can rapidly kill your healers and as a ghost he benefits from the ethereal trait; which grants him 70% physical damage reduction.
Enemy Races
Fire Clan Goblins (Redskins)
Fire Clan Goblins are known to worship dragons, especially fire drakes; from which they learn their fire magic. This makes the fire clan particularly destructive and their sappers are capable of burning fortifications to the ground in a matter of minutes.
Black Fist Orcs
The black fist is comprised of outcasts from the dark races. The orc outcasts hail from a number of clans that deemed them too weak or too unruly to be granted full membership. This makes the orcs of the black fist physically weaker than those from a proper clan. They are however better armed, thanks to the strategic leadership of Brannigan the Black.
Screamers
It is rumoured that screamers came to Eo from the heavens long ago. The truth of that fact is not important as what they have become. Horrid undead monstrosities resurrected by the circle to fight in the convocation war. Each of their three heads are a permanent expression of rage, sadness or fear. Some screamers are made of a rock-like substance granting them great physical resilience, while others are fleshy constructs capable of devastating mental attacks.
Beastmen
The beastmen are half beast humanoids that come in a few varieties. The most common are the half goat satyrs. Although not as terrifying as their hulking Minotaur cousins, they are more numerous. Beastmen are stronger and tougher than even the orcs, however they are held back by their lack of armour. Their bulging muscles grant them 10% blunt resistance and their thick manes are highly sought after by tanners for light armour crafting.
Ogres
Ogres are true freaks of nature. They are hulking masses of muscle and fat; which grant them 33%resistance to blunt impacts. Their fists hit with enough force to shatter armour. They are technically stronger than Trolls, but lack the regeneration and rage abilities that Trolls have. An Ogre’s biggest weakness is its slowness, staying out of range with bows and spells has proven to be an effective tactic.
Mountain Clan Goblins (Brownskins)
The mountain clan (brownskins) have long lived with the giant beetles of Fiara. They learn their earth magic from observing rock beetles in their natural habitat. Over the centuries they have deciphered how to tame these creatures and will often take them into battle. The mountain goblin’s thick skin grants them increased armour compared to their distant relatives.
Treewraiths
Contrary to popular belief, not all Treewraiths are evil. Some have co-existed with elves for aeons. Regardless of a Treewraith’s temperament, they will defend their forest with fervour, and to the death. Their bark skin makes them extremely resilient to cutting attacks, but blunt weapons will splinter them fairly easily. They have large health pools, move slowly and can cast a variety of nature spells. Lastly, the fists of all Treewraiths can root their enemies to the ground.
There are two main variants. Forestwraiths are lighter in colour and can be identified by the abundant green foliage growing over their bodies. Swampwraiths are a dark brown with minimal foliage. Forestwraiths are weak to fire magic and resist ice magic. Swampwraiths are the opposite; their high water content makes them resistant to fire magic and weak to ice magic.
Crawlers
An over grown cousin of common frogs and toads; they are believed to have been around longer than dragons. They roam the inhospitable swamps and marshes of Urgath in search of unsuspecting prey. They are somehow capable of spitting magic at their victims. This primitive form of spellcasting requires them to be very close to their target, but the effects of the magic itself is more potent than usual.
Their fleshy, bulbous bodies allow them shrug off 35% of incoming blunt damage, but leaves them more vulnerable to cutting attacks. There are 4 known variants of the crawler, each boasting different resistances. The standard cave crawlers, and the rarer lava crawlers are resistant to fire magic. Mud Crawlers are resistant to fire and earth magic while Poison Crawlers are resistant to black magic.
Spells
Equipment
Player equipment has received a bit of an overhaul in this latest update. New item recolours have been added to create a variety of “visual sets”. These are pieces of equipment that belong together and will allow the player to look stylish throughout their entire campaign. They are not just for looks however, as the stats that these sets provide compliment the particular skill they are for. Going forward this is how all equipment reworks will function and I will be looking to use each vanilla item (mesh & texture) at least once in Spellforce Reborn.