SpellForce 3 Reforced Hero and general in one

The Mage Wars are over, and the Crown won. That victory left regions in anarchy, refugees on the roads, and a deadly plague called the Bloodburn spreading fast. Into the fear steps the Purity of Light, a movement blaming mages for everything and promising a god's return will fix the world.

You play through this as a story-driven campaign of more than 30 hours, fully voiced, set before the first SpellForce. Companions join your party and shape the narrative, not just your combat lineup. The tone is dark and the world of Eo is grim: heavy themes, bleak regions, a somber atmosphere. It is a world worth listening to, and the voice acting carries it well.

You create your own hero from scratch and pick from distinct skill trees, mixing abilities into a build that fits how you like to play. Reforced updated those trees with spell mechanics from the expansions, so there is more to experiment with.

Around your hero you assemble a party of companions with skills that complement yours in interesting ways. You manage their abilities and equipment, and their choices matter to the story as well as the battlefield. One fight you clear with spells and positioning, the next you are deciding whether your assassin or your dwarf gets the new weapon. The RPG side is where the game takes its time, and it rewards the patience.

Then the map opens up and you become the general. You build a base, raise an army from one of three factions (Elves, Orcs or Humans) and march into battles with dozens of units on screen. Terrain, troop formations, visibility and scouting all matter, so a fight is decided by where and how you engage, not just by numbers.

Reforced reworked the RTS mechanics, rebalanced the AI and improved the faction designs, and the Reforced edition adds a new skirmish map, Bitter Canyon, set among mountains. Fair warning: the strategy half runs slower and more deliberately than a pure RTS, and that pace is not for everyone.

The whole campaign can be played in co-op with friends, each of you controlling part of the fight, and Reforced improved that mode specifically. Beyond the campaign there is a strong multiplayer component: face other players in PvP and Domination mode, or team up either on one shared faction or in the classic setup where everyone commands their own.

If you would rather compete with characters you built yourself, Journey Skirmish lets you take your Journey heroes into PvP skirmish matches. Join a lobby, coordinate, and the evening sorts itself out, whether you are on the same side or not.