Greedfall 2 Early Access Review: Off to a Strong Start

Greedfall 2 has entered into Early Access, and despite the name, it’s set before the first game. The biggest change between games is likely the combat system, but I’ll dive into my impressions on the game so far. Right now, it feels like a solid start, but there’s room for improvement.

The Opening and Story of Greedfall 2

You start the game as a young member of a native clan about to undertake a ritual for your initiation as a sage. Although simple, it’s a nice way to lead into the game and build up the issues that you and your clan are facing. In some ways, this method reminds me of the opening sections of my favorite RPGs, such as Mass Effect and Fallout. If you’re going to be a hero, it doesn’t mean you need to start as one.

I won’t talk about the story too much here. While that’s partially to avoid spoilers, it’s also because story elements tend to not change that drastically throughout Early Access for RPGs. Instead, I prefer to focus on features that need improvement or that work well as they are. As it stands, I’m happy with the state of the story. It feels classic to me, and even though I’m playing the game for the first time, there’s almost an element of nostalgia.

Character Customization and Classes in Greedfall 2

When you start a game, you’re being painted by a man. This leads into the character creation screen, where you pick both your appearance and your class. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many design choices. You can choose from a preset body, a gender, pick a skin color, pick a hair color, decide your voice, and decide on a hairstyle. Fortunately, this is a feature that can definitely be expanded on in future updates. Of course, character appearance doesn’t impact the gameplay, really. But who doesn’t love to design a character and go on a journey with them?

Classes and skills are a bit overwhelming at first glance. Once you finish with your appearance, you move to combat decisions. I appreciate that you can choose whatever role fits you best. I went with Spell Caster, of course, but the game tells you what each preset class does in combat. If you don’t like any of the preset classes, you can go with a custom path and put points into abilities to create a unique combination. It’s tempting, but for a first playthrough, it’s possible to end up making yourself too weak with a bad set-up using the custom choice. That’s a possibility with preset classes, too, but a bit less likely.

The Power of Diplomacy in Greedfall 2 (and Other Options)

When you start leveling up, you also get points for abilities, such as Alchemy and Survival. I put points in Diplomacy to see how useful it would be, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to bypass combat for some quests because I had a high enough Diplomacy rating to convince the NPC I was speaking with to go along with my plan. Or I was able to use Diplomacy to intimidate enemies with a threat that they believed enough to give me what I wanted. This reminded me of the Paragon and Renegade options in Mass Effect, where you unlock extra solutions in dialogue depending on choices you make elsewhere. In this case, the choice was to put points in Diplomacy.

Aside from Diplomacy, you also have options like Mechanics, which helps you disarm traps that you come across. Then, there’s also the classic choices, such as Stealth and Alchemy, which can be crucial to surviving. Or you can use them to avoid combat against enemies that you don’t need to fight for any quests or items. It’s a classic RPG set-up, and it adds a nice amount of customization in the way you approach quests and enemies.

The Combat System of Greedfall 2

The first game went with an action-based system for combat. Now, Greedfall 2 takes a different approach. Here, we have a mix of strategy combat and a bit of action. Plus, you can use different modes to change if you want a more tactical approach. My issue with combat was a bit of stuttering when I switched between characters, and getting my tank character to actually take and hold aggro from mobs. But since this is still an Early Access game, I expect to come across bugs and glitches.

Bugs and Glitches in Early Access

Of course, Early Access games tend to have at least a few issues. The main ones I ran across included textures suddenly disappearing, stuttering graphics, and my game crashed once. Aside from that, I had issues with using my mouse to turn the screen. The camera would either jerk too fast and too far, or move sluggishly. With these problems, I can’t say if it’s an issue with the game or on my end. They persisted even if I switched out for a different mouse and adjusted camera sensitivity. If it is a game issue, it’d be great to see a fix in the future. 

Greedfall 2—The Bottom Line

Pros:

• Classic RPG feeling
• Beautiful scenery
• Customization options to change how you play

Cons:

• Stuttering
• Graphics losing textures
• Camera movement can glitch out

Overall, Greedfall 2 has a solid start for a game just entering Early Access. It’s definitely worth a try if you’re a fan of classic RPGs. Of course, it has room to grow yet and make improvements to smooth out the experience. Despite that, it’s already a game that I can play for hours without getting bored, even if I’m just exploring the world.