Warhammer: Chaosbane

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Warhammer: Chaosbane is an Isometric Action-RPG set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle world just after the Great War Against Chaos, meaning over 200 years before the End Times.

The game was released on May 31, 2019 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Setting

As mentioned above, the game is set just after the Great War Against Chaos (a couple centuries before the End Times). This was during a time when the Empire was divided and without an Emperor. Big trouble brewed in the North when a Chaos Champion by the name of Asavar Kul was anointed Everchosen of Chaos (the fourth one, specifically) and led a massive invasion into the south. Their first target? Their favorite punching bag: Kislev.

The Tzar of Kislev sent messages begging the Elector Counts of the Empire to get off their sorry asses and lend them their aid, but the Elector Counts were like "Nah" and began squabbling among themselves as they privately began doomsday prepping. One minor nobleman from Nuln showed that he had balls of steel and rallied the Counts (along with their long-time allies, the Dwarfs) to the aid of the Kislevites. His name? Magnus. With the aid of the combined armies of the Empire, Kislev and the Dwarfs, Magnus defeated the chaos horde and slayed Asavar Kul during The Battle at the Gates of Kislev. Magnus was so loved and respected for all he did that he was immediately crowned the new Emperor and united the Empire once more. Now named Magnus the Pious, he ruled for over 60 years and was considered the best Emperor since Sigmar.

It was also during this time that the Colleges of Magic were born, founded by the High Elf High Loremaster Teclis and approved by Emperor Magnus himself. Probably because they realized that Faith, Steel and Gunpowder weren't enough to combat Chaos Sorcery and Daemons (and so that the Empire would serve as a bulwark against the Forces of Chaos so that the High Elves wouldn't get sandwiched by both Chaos and their Dark Elf cousins)

Fun fact: This is actually the second game to be set after the Great War Against Chaos. The first game was Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (which a lot of people (unfairly) considered to be a Total War clone).

Plot

Magnus' Curse

The central plot picks up after Magnus stuck down Kul. While you (whoever the player may be) are trying to relax in Nuln, you are alerted to the fact that the Imperial Palace has come under attack by some chaos cult - one led by a mysterious sorceress known only as the Harbinger and has trapped the Emperor in some sort of stasis before knocking you out. While not dead, he is incapacitated and effectively helpless, and if he does die the fragile unity of the Empire would soon follow.

The moment you wake up, you're immediately accused by Inquisitor Heinrich Voss as the perpetrator. And wouldn't you know it, nobody else is alive to defend you. The only person who could clear your name is Teclis (and yes, even the Dwarves can be protected despite all the grudges), but you're going to be on a pretty short leash if you hope to uncover the truth to this mess and stop another Everchosen from rising again.

Forges of Nuln

A free DLC campaign that came with Keela. The Nuln Gunnery school, which was largely emptied as they left to fight in Kislev, was suddenly locked and barred to everyone. Fearing the worst, Master Falke contacts you in order to rescue whoever you can and get to the bottom of who's taking over the place during his absence.

Tomb Kings

The DLC campaign involves an expedition into Nehekhara. Being that this is set during the founding days of the colleges of magic, the Amethyst order decided that they would need to journey to this dead land in hopes of understanding how the Tomb Kings came to be and perfect their knowledge of magic, and you're just the person to help them raid tombs for this knowledge.

Gameplay

The game is essentially Warhammer Fantasy Diablo. The game allows us to play six classes, all of whom are represented by named characters who all fought alongside Magnus at Kislev.

• Konrad Vollen (Empire Captain): A worn-down Reiklander who sided with Magnus for the sake of a united Empire. He's pretty much the archetypal soldier, a man who fought the forces of Asavar Kul with only his sword and shield. His special ability lets him build up charges for his shield bash, which he can then use as a sort-of projectile that stuns foes.
• Elontir (High Elf Archmage): The resident wizard, a disgraced mage who was consumed by his ego and was exiled after losing control of himself in a magical duel. He joined the Empire because of his belief that Teclis' authority could end his exile. His special ability lets him direct the trajectory of certain spells, letting him maximize their damage.
• Elessa (Wood Elf Waywatcher): A free-roaming ranger who left Athel Loren in search of adventure. Her special ability lets her roll to dodge enemies, but she also has the assistance of a sprite for free energy and the ability to summon dryads.
• Bragi Axebiter (Dwarf Slayer): A bitter dwarf who undertook the Slayer Vows after losing his entire family in Kislev and now seeking his doom in combat against Kul's remaining champions. His special ability is the ability to throw his axes like grappling hooks, letting him compensate for his stature by throwing himself headlong into the fight. He also develops a berserker rage (and energy for his powers) as he fights on, but it drains quickly if he doesn't keep fighting.
• Keela Gunnarsdottir (Dwarf Engineer): A runaway dwarf who joined the Nuln gunnery school and naturally joined Magnus in achieving glory. Her special ability is a boiler that builds in pressure as she fights - you can choose to either vent that steam in everyone's face or let it build up until it explodes. She also has the ability to build turrets to fight alongside her.
• Jurgen Haider (Human Witch Hunter): The DLC character, an inquisitor who fought to protect the citizens from the things that lurk in the night. Quite unique in that his central mechanic involves swapping between two fighting styles: fencing with a rapier and dagger and shooting with a pair of pistols. There are even a few perks that incentivize swapping between them.

Reception

The game's initial reception was mixed to say the least. The game sits at a metascore of 69 and 51% positive reviews on Steam. While the game isn't really a clunky mess, it was panned for its repetitiveness and for not really standing out from its competitors. So the result is not a bad game, but worse, a mediocre one. And as is the case for most mediocre games, Chaosbane was quickly forgotten about and it felt into obscurity.
The game was still worked on however. The devs didn't abandon ship on the outset, and kept on patching the game and adding DLC (which are also pretty mixed (well, at least they're consistent)). The game is now considered to be in a slightly better state than it was on release, but a "Path of Warhammer" it still ain't.

External Links

• First look (by the developers)
• Game's Steam Page