Info about Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin:

Official game description:
Ultimate Edition
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**Purchase the Ultimate Edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin now to receive:**  
*   'Deluxe’ Profile Customisation Set, a selection of customisation options for your in-game profile, including a unique avatar, avatar frame, banner, and banner image.  
*   4 Alternate Hero Skins  
*   Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin - The Celestial Spear and The Mouth of Mork Hero Pack
About the Game
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A real-time strategy game from Frontier, set in the iconic Warhammer universe. Become a warlord and lead four unique factions to conquer the wild and savage Realm of Ghur in tense and tactical battles:  
• **Cinematic campaign** – Enjoy a rich, character driven story of desperate conflict in a savage realm, co-written by acclaimed Black Library writer Gav Thorpe.  
• **Comprehensive multiplayer** – Dive into 1v1 and 2v2 cross platform multiplayer matches with any mix of human and AI teammates/opponents, and climb a 1v1 competitive ladder.  
• **Eternal conquest** – Battle across procedurally generated wildlands in a single player experience, as you fight towards the final enemy.  
• **Endless creativity** – Build, share and compete on your own maps or other people’s, paint your own armies, create beautiful dioramas to show them off.  
Explore the nature of war from the perspectives of righteous champions and villainous warlords. Battle for survival and dominance across a campaign featuring four major factions, including Stormcast Eternals, Orruk Kruleboyz, Nighthaunt and the Disciples of Tzeentch! Experience a cinematic plot, penned in conjunction with acclaimed Black Library author, Gavin Thorpe.  
Challenge warlords from around the world in online cross-platform multiplayer modes. Build your honour in casual play or put your strategy to the test and crown yourself as the one true ruler of Ghur in ranked, competitive play. Compete 1v1, or 2v2 with up to three AI – or play co-op with a friend.  
A single player challenge mode played over a procedurally generated campaign, that pits players against a series of unpredictable combat scenarios and maps. Featuring rule-breaking twists that transform the conditions of conflict. Strike forth directly to victory or take on more battles to craft a high score the choice is yours. No two Conquest campaigns will ever be the same.   
Become one with the Realms and construct battle maps with a revolutionary **Map Editor**, which utilises the same tools used to create existing maps in the game.  
Leave a personal mark in your path of conquest with the **Army Livery**, a system that allows you to personalise your forces with paint from the Games Workshop's Citadel collection  
Create spellbinding scenes to share with the community with the **Scene Editor**, an additional tool that allows you to place and pose characters and props in creatively curated and sharable scenes.

Release date: 17 Nov, 2023

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Single-player Story, Competitive Multiplayer, Cooperative Multiplayer, Procedural Generation, Map Editor, Character Customization, Territory Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Impressive Graphics & Artistry (weight 0.83): The game features high-quality graphics, detailed character and unit models, and fluid animations both in-game and during cutscenes. Reviewers consistently highlight the strong art direction, impressive special effects, and overall visual spectacle.
- High-Quality Audio Production (weight 0.83): The voice acting is consistently lauded as fantastic, with compelling performances across multiple languages that bring characters to life. The overall sound design, including music and effects, also contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- Compelling Story Campaign (weight 0.76): The single-player campaign is highly praised for its engaging narrative, interesting missions, and challenging gameplay. Reviewers found the story well-written, entertaining, and compelling enough to play through to completion.
- Unique Strategic RTS Mechanics (weight 0.68): The gameplay offers a distinct real-time strategy experience, characterized by its fast pace, strategic depth, and unique unit abilities. Reviewers found it challenging yet accessible, requiring tactical thinking and quick decision-making.
- Excellent Value for Money (weight 0.61): Many reviewers noted that the game offers significant value, especially when purchased on sale. They felt the content and quality provided were well worth the price, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious players.
- Authentic Warhammer AoS Experience (weight 0.3): The game successfully captures the essence of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe, faithfully representing its lore, factions, and tabletop wargame feel. Reviewers appreciate the detailed unit models, distinct faction playstyles, and overall visual and audio fidelity to the setting.
- Detailed Army Painter Feature (weight 0.06): The game includes a comprehensive army painter mode that allows players to extensively customize unit colors and schemes. This feature is particularly valued by Warhammer tabletop collectors and painters for its utility and depth.
- Powerful In-Game Map Editor (weight 0.06): The inclusion of a robust map editor is a significant positive, enabling players to create their own custom maps. This feature, along with workshop support, enhances replayability and community content creation.

Common complaints:
- Slow, Clunky, Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.97): Players frequently describe the overall gameplay experience as slow, clunky, and repetitive. This includes sluggish unit movement, unresponsive controls, and battles that feel drawn out and unengaging, leading to a tedious experience.
- Poor Value & Technical Issues (weight 0.96): Many players feel the game is severely overpriced for the content and quality it offers, often comparing it to a cheap mobile game. It is plagued by game-breaking bugs, crashes, and a general lack of polish, leading to a perception that it was released in an unfinished or 'half-baked' state.
- Unbalanced Difficulty & Cheating AI (weight 0.95): The game suffers from wildly unbalanced difficulty, with sudden spikes that make missions unplayable even on easy settings. This is often attributed to the AI cheating by having infinite resources and spawning endless waves of units, overwhelming players regardless of their strategy.
- Disappointing Campaign & Story (weight 0.92): The campaign and its storyline are widely described as mediocre, bland, and forgettable, with an abrupt ending. Reviewers also noted issues with campaign balance, bugs, and repetitive mission design, making the overall experience a slog.
- Lacking Core RTS Features (weight 0.61): The game is criticized for lacking fundamental RTS features such as base building, unit progression, and sufficient unit/faction variety. Many reviewers feel it is too simplistic and shallow, resembling a mobile game rather than a full-fledged real-time strategy title, which severely limits its strategic depth and replayability.
- Poor Unit Control & AI (weight 0.47): A major point of frustration is the poor unit control, particularly the 'melee lock-in' mechanic where units cannot disengage from combat without retreating to base. Units are often unresponsive, ignore commands, or exhibit poor pathing, making tactical maneuvers difficult and leading to units dying unnecessarily.
- Failed RTS & IP Adaptation (weight 0.43): The game is widely seen as a failed attempt at an RTS, particularly when compared to established titles like Dawn of War or Warcraft. Reviewers feel it poorly utilizes the Warhammer IP and is a 'dumbed-down' version of a real-time strategy game, failing to meet genre expectations.
- Unskippable Cutscenes (weight 0.12): A significant quality-of-life issue is the inability to skip cutscenes, especially in-game cinematics. This forces players to repeatedly watch long sequences, even when replaying missions, and can be particularly frustrating when the game continues in the background, leading to unit deaths.

Gameplay feedback:
- Poor Unit Control & AI (weight 0.4): Units frequently get stuck in melee combat, becoming uncontrollable and unresponsive to commands. They often exhibit poor pathfinding and fail to engage enemies automatically, leading to significant player frustration. This lack of unit autonomy and control is a major gameplay issue.
- Simplified RTS/MOBA Gameplay (weight 0.37): The game is perceived as a basic Real-Time Tactics (RTT) or MOBA-like lane battler, rather than a traditional RTS. It lacks extensive base building and deep strategic complexity, making it simpler to learn but potentially less engaging for hardcore RTS fans.
- Core Territory Control (weight 0.19): Gameplay primarily revolves around capturing and holding strategic points on the map to generate resources and deploy units. This territory control system is central to objectives across various game modes, including the Conquest mode.
- Similar to DoW/CoH (weight 0.14): The game's mechanics, particularly its squad-based combat and point-capture system, are frequently compared to titles like Company of Heroes and Dawn of War 2/3. Reviewers often note that it attempts to emulate these games but sometimes lacks their depth.
- Varied Game Modes & AI (weight 0.13): The game offers various modes including Skirmish, PvP, and Co-op, alongside a Conquest mode. The AI is noted for being challenging, even on easier difficulties, providing a competitive experience in skirmishes.
- Crucial Unit Abilities (weight 0.11): Effective use of unit and hero special abilities is crucial for success, requiring constant micromanagement during combat. These powerful abilities consume global resources, adding a significant tactical layer to gameplay decisions.
- Campaign Length & Difficulty (weight 0.11): The single-player campaign is estimated to be between 8 and 30 hours long, with difficulty scaling often criticized. Higher difficulties primarily rely on increasing enemy health, numbers, and resources, rather than improved AI strategy, which can lead to frustratingly hard missions.
- Story Campaign & Heroes (weight 0.08): The game features a story-driven campaign with unique missions, dialogues, and cutscenes that introduce players to different factions. Heroes play a significant tactical role within missions due to their unique skills and abilities.
- Ranged Unit Behavior (weight 0.08): Ranged units often have fixed firing arcs, are slow to engage targets, and can unexpectedly rush into melee combat. While powerful against certain unit types, their behavior requires careful positioning and protection to be effective.
- Four Asymmetrical Factions (weight 0.08): The game includes four distinct, asymmetrical factions, each possessing unique unit rosters, playstyles, and abilities. The campaign allows players to experience and switch between multiple factions, offering different perspectives on the conflict.
- Unit & Building Upgrades (weight 0.07): The game features a system for upgrading individual units and main buildings, which can improve stats, grant new abilities, and increase the unit cap. Each unit typically has one upgrade path, providing a straightforward progression system.
- Costly Retreat Mechanic (weight 0.07): Units engaged in combat can only retreat back to the main base, and this action costs resources. This mechanic discourages disengagement and forces players to commit to fights, as pulling units back is not a free tactical option.
- Included Map Editor (weight 0.05): The game includes a well-designed and easy-to-use world/map editor with Steam Workshop integration. This feature allows players to create and customize their own maps, adding to the game's replayability and community content.

Performance notes:
- Mixed Optimization & Performance (weight 0.1): Reviews are split on general game performance and optimization. Some report excellent, fluid performance with no bugs, while others experience uneven performance, stuttering, and high system requirements, describing the game as poorly optimized or barely playable.
- Solid Graphics Quality (weight 0.08): The game's visuals are generally praised, with many reviewers describing the graphics as excellent or top-notch. While not revolutionary, they contribute positively to the overall experience.
- Frequent Crashes & Freezes (weight 0.03): A significant number of players report critical issues such as the game crashing to desktop or freezing the entire PC, particularly after cutscenes. This severely impacts playability for affected users.
- Playable on Steam Deck (weight 0.03): The game is generally considered playable on the Steam Deck, though some users report needing to lower settings (e.g., 30 FPS on medium) for a smooth experience. It's noted to perform better on a dedicated PC.
- Combat Frame Drops (weight 0.02): Players experience noticeable frame rate drops specifically during combat encounters and in more complex scenes. This indicates performance bottlenecks in graphically intensive moments.
- Anti-Aliasing Not Recommended (weight 0.01): One specific technical tip suggests that anti-aliasing settings are not recommended. This could imply performance issues or visual artifacts associated with this setting.

Recommendations:
- Buy only on deep sale (weight 0.44): The game is widely considered not worth its full price, with many reviewers recommending purchase only during significant discounts (e.g., 90% off, under $10-$20). This indicates a perceived low value at launch price.
- Mixed overall reception (weight 0.18): The game receives highly mixed recommendations, with some players strongly advising against it due to perceived lack of mechanical merit, bugs, or tediousness. Conversely, others recommend it, often with caveats for specific player types. Some reviews contain emotional language.
- Niche appeal for fans (weight 0.17): The game primarily appeals to die-hard fans of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe or players who enjoy specific tactical RTS subgenres, particularly those similar to Dawn of War II. It is often noted as not being a replacement for more traditional RTS titles.
- Needs future improvements (weight 0.07): Reviewers express a desire for significant future improvements, including more content, quality-of-life fixes, and enhanced replayability. Specific suggestions include roguelike elements for Conquest mode, deeper campaign progression, and additional factions or units.
- Different RTS mechanics (weight 0.03): The game deviates from classic RTS mechanics, particularly regarding troop behavior and victory conditions, which may surprise players expecting traditional real-time strategy. Some reviewers describe it as a "Squad RTS" game.
- Campaign difficulty/DLC (weight 0.02): Reviewers suggest playing the campaign on lower difficulty settings for a better experience. Additionally, DLCs are noted as not being essential for players primarily interested in the campaign.
- Manage expectations (weight 0.02): Reviewers advise potential players to approach the game with an open mind and manage their expectations, especially if they are not familiar with its specific gameplay style or the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe.
- Avoid co-op/pre-order (weight 0.02): Players are advised against purchasing the game specifically for its co-op mode, suggesting it may not meet expectations. There's also a general warning against pre-ordering the game.
- Lore familiarity not required (weight 0.01): Players unfamiliar with the Age of Sigmar lore should not be discouraged from purchasing the game. Some reviewers even suggest buying it on sale just for the "cool Age of Sigmar cutscenes."

Other player notes:
- More AoS Factions/Content (weight 0.22): The game is praised for its Age of Sigmar setting, with many players expressing a strong desire for more factions, units, and general content to be added. This would enrich the game and extend its lifespan, as the current four factions are seen as insufficient.
- DoW-like RTS, Good Graphics (weight 0.11): The game is frequently compared to the Dawn of War series, often unfavorably in terms of depth or staying power, but acknowledged for its appealing graphics and cinematics. It's seen as a simpler fantasy RTS, potentially appealing to players looking for a less complex experience.
- Pleasant Atmosphere & Style (weight 0.04): Reviewers consistently praise the game's overall atmosphere and graphic style, finding it visually appealing and immersive. This contributes positively to the player experience.
- Unfulfilled Potential, Abandoned (weight 0.04): Many players felt the game had significant potential but was released unpolished and quickly abandoned by developers, leading to disappointment. This lack of post-launch support is a major criticism.
- Save File Bug (weight 0.03): A specific technical issue prevents players from creating multiple save data files, limiting save management options. This is a clear functional bug that needs addressing.
- Third-Party Account Required (weight 0.02): Players are required to create an additional Frontier account for multiplayer, which is seen as an unnecessary inconvenience beyond Steam.
- Casual Strategy Focus (weight 0.02): The game is designed for a more casual strategy player, with simpler mechanics and strategic depth described as "village brawl" level. This makes it accessible, especially for older players.
- Good Cutscenes (weight 0.02): Reviewers generally praise the quality and cinematic nature of the game's cutscenes, contributing positively to the presentation.
- Mixed Voice Acting (weight 0.02): Opinions on the voice acting are mixed, with some finding it acceptable and others criticizing it as unmotivated or having mispronunciations.
- Stormcast Campaign Focus (weight 0.02): The single-player campaign primarily centers around the Stormcast Eternals faction, which is familiar to Age of Sigmar fans.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.31): The primary cause of disappointment stems from the game's overall poor quality, particularly its shallow and simplistic RTS mechanics, such as limited base building, unit caps, and lack of strategic depth. Players also expressed significant disappointment with the game's unfulfilled potential, especially given the Warhammer license, and its poor value for money due to a lack of content, repetitive gameplay, and technical issues like bugs and poor performance. The game's perceived abandonment by developers and its failure to meet expectations as a "true RTS" or successor to previous Warhammer titles further contributed to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Frustration primarily arises from the game's clunky and unresponsive unit controls, including poor pathfinding, units getting stuck, and issues with auto-engagement and disengagement in combat. Players are also frustrated by the game's technical issues such as frequent crashes, frame drops, and poor optimization, alongside baffling design decisions like unskippable cutscenes and an unbalanced, often absurdly difficult campaign with AI spamming units. These issues combine to create a slow, tedious, and often unplayable gameplay experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.2): Players express satisfaction primarily with the game's strong presentation, including its high-quality graphics, cinematics, voice acting, and sound design, which effectively bring the Warhammer Age of Sigmar setting to life. The engaging single-player campaign, with its unique missions, compelling story, and well-designed units, is frequently highlighted as a source of enjoyment. Many also find the game to offer good value for money, especially when purchased at a discounted price, appreciating its accessibility and overall fun gameplay experience despite its noted flaws.
- Anger (weight 0.04): Anger is predominantly driven by the game's perceived overall poor quality, including its buggy state, unpolished launch, and lack of developer support, leading to unfixed issues and a sense of abandonment. Players feel ripped off due to the high price for a game with poor gameplay mechanics, bad design choices, and a lack of unit control, which they believe wastes the Warhammer license's potential. The game's monetization practices and the feeling of being scammed further fuel this anger.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom is a direct result of the game's repetitive and uninspiring gameplay mechanics, coupled with a shallow design that lacks meaningful progression, upgrades, or equipment. The slow pace of units and overall gameplay, along with a bland presentation and story, contribute to players quickly losing interest and finding the experience unengaging.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is primarily driven by the game's perceived potential for future improvements, including the addition of more content, new factions, and quality-of-life features. Players express a desire for ongoing development and updates to address existing issues and expand the game's longevity, particularly in PvP, hoping it can evolve into a better representation of the Age of Sigmar universe.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is experienced through the game's engaging single-player story, enjoyable animations, and high-quality cutscenes that bring the Warhammer lore to life, particularly with specific unit designs and the Orcs' dialect. Players also find joy in the overall fun and interesting gameplay, including army customization and the satisfaction of seeing miniatures animated with impressive effects.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Excitement is generated by the game's initial presentation, its high-quality graphics, amazing visuals, and sound, which effectively capture the Warhammer lore and pathos. Players are excited by the game's potential, its ambition, and the appeal to specific player types, particularly the ability to summon powerful units and witness their glory, along with the inclusion of features like a map editor.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.01): Enjoyment stems from the game's strong single-player experience, featuring an engaging story with well-developed character relationships, and high-quality voice acting and sound design. Players also appreciate the game's visual appeal, particularly the Stormcast Eternal army, and specific features like the roguelite mode and army painter, contributing to an overall positive gameplay experience.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is primarily caused by the decision to purchase the game, especially at full price, due to its perceived lack of substance and poor value for money. Players express regret over wasted time and money, often lamenting their inability to obtain a refund for a game they found disappointing.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from the game's unclear and unexplained mechanics, including network issues and objectives, making it difficult for players to understand how to play effectively. This is compounded by the game's identity crisis, as it straddles two genres without fully committing to either, and its perceived origin as a mobile game renewal, leading to a general bewilderment about its design and quality.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise is often positive, stemming from the game exceeding initial expectations, particularly regarding its quality for the price. Players are surprised by the rich setting and story, and specific inclusions like Chinese voice acting and playable factions, finding the game to be surprisingly good for a Warhammer title despite its flaws.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is primarily directed towards the game's strong visual presentation, including its good graphics, artistry, and cinematic execution, which effectively leverage the Warhammer IP. Players also appreciate the developer's effort in crafting the game's art and writing, often feeling the game is underrated despite its flaws.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Players express a strong desire for more content, including additional factions and customization options, to enhance the game's replayability and depth. There is also a clear desire for the game to incorporate more traditional RTS building mechanics and larger unit counts, similar to titles like Total War Warhammer 3, to enrich the strategic gameplay.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from technical issues like game crashes after cutscenes and persistent bugs, which disrupt the gameplay experience. Players also express irritation with repetitive elements in the campaign design and, in some cases, the quality of voice acting or external criticism directed at the Age of Sigmar setting itself.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is primarily felt when players successfully obtain a refund for the game, or when significant, long-standing issues, such as AI improvements or troop reactivity, are finally addressed. For some, relief also comes from simply finishing the campaign and being able to uninstall the game.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust is provoked by the game's overall poor quality, particularly its flawed combat design, illogical combat mechanics, and poor AI. Players express strong negative feelings towards the game's plot and UI design, finding these aspects to be fundamentally unappealing and poorly executed.
- Neutrality (weight 0): Neutrality arises from a balanced perspective, where players acknowledge both pros and cons, often concluding that the game's value aligns with its low purchase price. Some find the game to be merely "okay" for passing time, or a "déjà vu" experience, indicating a lack of strong positive or negative feelings.
- Acceptance (weight 0): Acceptance is characterized by players understanding the game's limitations and flaws, often within a specific context, and choosing to enjoy it for what it is rather than what it could have been. This perspective acknowledges the game's quality while accepting its shortcomings.
- Challenge (weight 0): The sense of challenge in the game primarily stems from its overall difficulty, particularly in managing troops effectively and navigating difficult campaign levels. Players find the game demanding in terms of strategic and tactical execution.}