Summary
There are plenty of strategy games out there that allow players to clash using various factions — some in the void of space and others in fantasy worlds. While humans and elves continue to appear as common fantasy races, a lot of games will offer more interesting choices — such as treefolk and the undead.
Strategy games have been around for a very long time, and even though some are pretty dated, they can still provide endless hours of enjoyment for players. Some of these games are small scale, but others hit vast numbers of trudging units that comb the battlefield.
Few games capture the sheer scale of an epic field of battle, with vast numbers of platoons clashing and unleashing havoc upon one another. This is the thirdWarhammerfantasy-focused entry in the franchise and offers a variety of different races to play — three of which are of the undead variety. When it comes to the undead factions, players will be able to play as the Tomb Kings, the Vampire Counts, or the Vampire Coasts. Each of these races has four playable factions to choose from — withsome factions better than others.
The Tomb Kings feature a reanimated skeletal Egyptian empire motif. Vampire Counts are the more traditional dark fantasy, lording over horrific monsters. Vampire Coasts, on the other hand, have a pirate theme to them, and have plenty of gunpowder, steel, and nautical abominations to strike fear into the hearts of their foes.
Players who are particularly enthralled by theWarhammeruniverse might also want to check out the American football-inspiredBlood Bowl 2’swide range of undead teams. This may be a much smaller scale skirmish compared to massive armies, but a lot of strategy enthusiasts miss out by dismissing this game without giving itsunbalanced, yet fun, gameplaya chance.
2Warlock 2: The Exiled
High Fantasy 4X Strategy
There are several fantasy-themed 4X games that some jokingly callCivilizationmixed withD&D, but they generally each have a unique world feel to them.Warlock 2: The Exiledoffers players a much more traditional high fantasy setting. Some of these are quite tricky, while others areperfect for beginners. While the names may differ from their typical high fantasy counterparts, players can choose among races resembling dwarves, humans, elves, merfolk, a single flying dragon unit, monstrous hordes, and, of course, the undead.
Each playable race feels and plays differently, but the undead faction takes things one step further. This faction does not need food, one of the primary resources of the game. Instead, they feed off mana. Other races can use mana for casting spells and the like, but the undead is the best race for really going all-in on a heavy mana-focused playthrough.
WhileWarlock 2: The Exiledis completely played from a world map view,Age of Wonders 4will change the scope to smaller battle maps when two groups of units clash. Players will have many units and heroes to sort through, but the ones they will want to focus on will be those ofthe undead and necromantic nature.
Each choice of race has similarities, but also unique areas that will be stronger in some conflicts, and weaker in others. This will give players a great blend of larger grand strategy games, including making tough choices, with very exciting tactical battles on hex grid-lined battle maps. The game also tells one of the mostriveting stories in the genre.
4Songs Of Conquest
Songs of Conquestmight not look like much at first glance, but a labor of love such as this is rarely seen in the strategy gaming world. It combines elements of multiple, well-known strategy games, and makes them each feel like they belong together. The game features four playable factions, with each having a campaign known as a Song.
The game features a faction known as the Barony of Loth, a union of the undead, unholy living, and rats. This aesthetic works remarkably well and plays into their Song.When it comes to playing The Barony of Loth, they can unleash swarms of smaller units to rush down mid-range units while generating very heavy finishers in the form of massive spells.
While the original game is extremely dated,Warcraft 3: Reforgedshows that it is still an enjoyable game to this very day. The game utilizes mechanics that established the RTS genre, while also having elements unique to it — such as the PvE elements within PvP matches. While each race plays differently, the Undead may feel the most different compared to all the other races.
They are one of the hardest options when it comes to micromanagement, and losing track of things can make it an uphill battle to recover from. Players who wish to play the undead race for this game should not make it their first choice due to this small margin for error. Players who wish to playWarcraft 3: Reforgedwill want tostart with Humans, then Orcs, and then try their hand at Undead.
