4X newcomer Endless Legend 2 has already won my heart, and now Amplitude is tackling its most terrifying problem

Endless Legend 2 developer Amplitude Studios is throwing us a bone as its first major update helps you handle its terrifying Doomwraiths. With Civilization 7 still going through a gradual process of improvements, the long-awaited sequel has already become my go-to, and it has the potential to grow into one of the best 4X games on PC if Amplitude is able to build on its core successfully. Thankfully, it's certainly been listening closely to players, and a new State of the Game check-in for October discusses some of the most pressing problems.

Amplitude kicks off its Endless Legend 2 update with an impressive stat: players have already reached a combined milestone of 1,000,000 hours in the new strategy game since its launch just one month ago. Right at the top of the priority list are a few key issues, including diplomacy, enemy AI, turn order, and the menus, along with a big nerf to Doomwraiths. The unique enemy type is one of Endless Legend 2's best innovations; they're revealed as the tides of Saiadha shift and are essentially boss-level threats that can devastate your economy if not dealt with quickly.

"We want them to be a real threat and provide a midgame emergent goal for the player," game director Derek Paxton explains, "but your economy shouldn't be crushed by them if it takes you time to get the resources together to deal with them." The first EL2 update, expected to launch in the coming week, will reduce their corrupting impact on cities, with the maluses they create increasing over time, reaching a cap of 50% after ten turns.

Additionally, you'll now get both the 'Bait Doomwraith' and 'Close Rift' actions unlocked by default, meaning you won't be completely screwed by unfortunate tech-tree choices. The cost of the former is now based on how far you're trying to lure the creature, and it'll get more expensive with each passing monsoon, although you can halve this using the 'Collective Sacrifice' technology. Paxton says the team is also considering including a separate setting for Doomwraith difficulty to let players choose how challenging they are.

The first update will also bring big AI improvements. You should see computer-controlled factions building better army compositions, and treating their own troops with more respect so they live longer and can earn veterancy upgrades. They won't leave their forces sitting around unused (especially in the case of Necrophage larvae), are smarter about approaching minor villages, and should ultimately sustain better into the mid-to-late game.

Another point of contention is the way Endless Legend 2 handles turns. Your opponents take their actions at the same time as you do, in an attempt to lower the traditionally long waits between rounds in many 4X games. Paxton notes that the AI is already programmed to avoid "stepping on" plans you have already set in motion. However, Amplitude is adding a new setting called 'Always show empire statuses.'

Turn this on and you'll see indicators next to the end turn button representing what the other factions are doing. "Turns are still simultaneous, but if you prefer to wait until the AI is done moving (which is what you would be forced to do if we disabled simultaneous turns), you can wait for all the bubbles to fill and know that the AI is done with their turn."

A first pass on the menus and user interface can be seen above, with a rework to the top-left section, which now holds all the empire-level buttons.The research screen gets an upgrade too, and will now more clearly show which technologies are unlocked and in process. Amplitude is still working on improving the city screen; Paxton says the new look should be "visually similar to what is in the game now," but flips the flow around so you pick a district and then choose where to place it, allowing the game to recommend optimal locations.

Paxton says that both multiplayer and an overhaul to diplomacy are currently scheduled for the second major update. "I know a lot of people are eager to play multiplayer, and that some were surprised to see it come so early [in the roadmap]. The reason for that is simple: we need multiplayer to come out soon just so we can start working on any issues with it to make sure it's rock solid by release." When playing with other humans, you'll see a similar display to the one mentioned above that lets you keep track of who's already finished taking their turns.

In closing, Paxton touches on the endgame, remarking that despite an early update to victory conditions, "we are still seeing too many victories too early," with the majority of finishes in the 100-200 turn range. "The goal isn't to have all players play until turn 300," he reassures, "we don't like the period of the game where players have already won but need to play another 100 turns to get to that victory. So the ideal graph isn't just everyone winning in the last 30 turns, but it does need to ramp towards the endgame, not hump at turn 170."

Endless Legend 2 has really impressed me so far, and I'm not alone, with the game's current Steam rating sitting at an excellent 86% positive. There's a lot to be done, but I'm already eager to see what's ahead. Amplitude has one more piece of news to share: it's running a contest to design a new minor faction "that will be 99.99% based on your ideas (as far as possible)." If you're eager to take part, you can do so here.

Make sure Saiadha's stunning landscapes really shine by grabbing the best gaming monitor in 2025. Or take a look through our pick of the best grand strategy games on PC right now.

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