Wartales

Honestly love the game, but the fact there are still bugs from vanilla that have not been fixed and there are now about 8 DLC (mind you half of them add mechanics that should have been in the base game to begin with) that are 13 to 20 USD each, screw them. I stopped buying DLC and refuse to buy anymore DLC till you fix your damn issues. So tired of this garbage from developers.

This is less of a review and more of a gob smacked outrage at the entitlement of the new wave of gamers. Ive been gaming for 40+ years (Yah, im old back when two bars bounced a ball video gaming). This is a company with many games and they have employees to pay. The whole "OMG DLC COSTS MONEY, HOW DARE YOU" infuriates me. You arent entitled to their game and content because you exist. I have 3 DLC that I havent even made it to in game yet lol. The pirate stuff, skelmar, and the fog stuff. Ive re-played this game 4 times in the years ive owned it. Its core is unique. Camp management is first time ive encountered a system like that, its extremely cool and fun. You position things and it all matters. Like I had a heavy sleeper watching a prisoner and they got away, lol, lesson learned. Dragging a pig around to fatten it up to get its meat, chefs kiss. Exploring pays off, so so much is scattered around the world. Crafting is simple and it makes it fun, progression is steady and makes sense. Combat can range from easy to extremely challenging. But thats were the game really bogs down, like 60% of time is spent in fights. So typically I try to avoid them because I do get tired of fighting and just want to relax. Now that said, combat itself was exciting the first couple times I played. Characters are different and play strong roles, some are just stand out better than others. However I find each role imperative in any group build I make, at least 1 of each. I do wish they had a healer role though. If a character dies its gone. YOu can name them and put tons of work into them, so I enjoy that kind of risk vs reward. You really have to think out your fights. You get two choices, level match or the auto zone levels. I found both fun in their own ways. The second kind of leads you into each zone, while the first lets you explore however you want but each and every fight is more challenging. You can have 100 people in your group, but each one makes the enemies bigger. Including animals. You can capture animals and prisoners and turn them into group members if you want. Fief and Tavern add good elements to the game, but you can easily have one or the other if not interested in buying all the DLC. Both add another system of building and upgrading which give money\items\bonuses to your standard gameplay. I am just baffled at how much content there is and how people say its not worth $35. I got it on sale but still ive bought every DLC except The Pits which I didnt like (bunch of challenging combats) and the new one. Which ill probably buy on sale or next time I decide to do another run, likely soon. Overall this is an amazing game, deep enough to have tons of fresh snow (content/mechanics). I cannot even fathom the recent wave of hate, besides competitors using bots and AI to tarnish the games good name. The DEVs update, add DLC, and work on their games constantly. These arent scumbag DEVs who sell garbage. You wont regret buying this game, I promise you that. Ignore the whiny kids who are mad because life isnt free.

A once great game turned into a DLC farming racket. AVOID.

Not recommended, at least not at full price. Wait for a complete edition on a deep sale, or skip it entirely. The DLC model is the real problem. We're at 8 DLCs with another expansion planned for the end of 2026, and the game keeps getting sold in pieces. On top of that, Shiro Games has announced two new games. Once those ramp up, I doubt Wartales will keep getting the same attention, and you'll be left with a pile of paid add-ons for a game that has stopped growing. This isn't just player complaining either. In December 2025, Shiro Games staff went on strike over burnout and the 2026 production schedule, and the union specifically called out rushed DLC releases with incomplete testing and cut content. When the people making the DLC are protesting how it gets made, that says enough.

Shiro Games has ruined this title, presumably at the command of their Private Equity owners. I won't repeat what other reviewers are saying about the quality, quantity, pricing, and structure of the myriad DLCs foisted upon this game. I'll only comment that they're right. This was a good game once. Great, even. it isn't any more. The DLC entries have neither the quality nor the substance to justify their price tags even on discount, but the base game has changed to balance itself around having access to the DLCs. If you don't want to pay through the nose for slop, you don't get to enjoy the base game you bought. It's a real shame, I never thought I'd have to say this, but take a pass on Wartales and on Shiro Games until they get their priorities sorted out.

used to really like this game, but instead of working on fixing and delivering promised features, the devs have turned this into a DLC money grab. I used to be a Shiro games fanboy, I have over 1000 hours in Wartales on PS5. What a disappointment

I would have recommended this game 2 years ago, but all the negative reviews about the DLCs are true. The game is now designed around DLCs and balancing also follows them. Without DLCs, you will struggle to play the base game. A lot of thoses DLCs should have been extra content or at least less pricey. Also, add a tons of bugs and problems with each of them and you get a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of an experience. It also came out that Shiro is an awful company forcing heavy crunch on their employees to release theses cashgrab DLCs. So ♥♥♥♥ 'em.

Fixing the Game? Nope! Releasing more and more Dlc? Yup!