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Author Topic: Conquest of Elysium 5 (Turn-based 4x like you've never seen it before!)  (Read 6667 times)

TheFjordFox

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Conquest of Elysium 5!

Have you heard about it? I wouldn't blame you if you haven't, I learned about this game's existence myself only a few months back. It's unfortunately quite niche, as this game has wowed me with it's depth, complexity, diversity and re-playability. Among other things. I've put several hundred hours into it over the past few months - the 5th iteration of it released back in August this year.

Do you like 4X games? Fantasy/history based settings? Turn-based action? Well, this game has that, and more! It's got several thousand units you can equip your armies with, in addition to countless items and about a couple dozen classes to play with. All feeling quite distinct and unique from one and other. I would argue there is at least one class for every person's likings available in this game.

It's also quite affordable! The developers of the game, Illwinter Games, from Sweden - a TWO MAN team(!!!) has been at this game and another called Dominions for a very very long time. They started making games back in the SEGA days. And I gotta say, personally I am extremely impressed what only two people have been able to create!

This game is a masterpiece! I only wish I knew it existed sooner! It's even quite affordable on steam, and so far I've gotten veeeeeeery much value for my money. And I intend to get more. It's also got some great humour in it, if you're the kind of guy that can bother reading descriptions of units. One example that had me giggle is the Giant Ant Queen - apparently it is the law of the land to immediately attack these on sight, before they can settle down and make an ant hill. If you can not attack them immediately, you must gather a force that can at the very latest one hour after it's been spotted! (and trust me, you really want to do this, or it will make babies that you'll have to deal with) - this is just one of the thousands of colourful units you can encounter in this game.

You can play as, for instance, Senator (A faction based on the Roman Empire.), Dryad Queen (a faction that summons animals of the forest, and protectors of nature to fight alongside it's minotaurs, dryads, centaurs and satyr, among other powerful beings of the wilds.) - you also have everything from goblins and dwarves, to a vast array of caster-focused classes - and an un-believable amount of spells and spell trees to delve into!

Heck, I'm just scratching the surface here! You can play as factions based on the Aztecs, feudal lords of Europe, Japanese samurais and so much more!

(My favourite class in the game is the Dryad Queen - I love charming my opponents over to fight for my side, and capturing the animals of the forest with my spells and rituals to bolster my armies with moose, bears, boars, elephants, spider, snakes and a whoooole lot more.)

The game is massive! There is a lot to learn, so it can be daunting for new players to take on, but once you've played it for a little while, you will start getting the hang of it! And if it at all looks like a game that you would be even slightly interested in - I can damn near guarantee you that you will not regret picking it up! (until you watch the hours you've played it rack up into the hundreds and thousands, and start wondering what the heck you are actually doing with your life.)

All that being said - I from time to time play through this game and put out the playthrough on youtube, although mostly I just chill and play for solo enjoyment. That being said - you can also play with your friends in multiplayer!

Either way, let me present to you a few playthroughs that I have out of this game on youtube, so you can have a look for yourself and see if you might want to get it! (which if you're anywhere near answering that with "maybe", I'd say do not hesitate, and just get it already!)

The first playthrough I want to show you, is with my favourite class, the Dryad Queen. I just vibe so well with this class, it's such an enjoyable gaming experience for me. Click here for the first episode of the playlist.


Secondly, I want to show you another class I really enjoy - the Necromancer! Raise the dead, summon demons from hades, kill your enemies only to raise them back from the dead and have them fight their previous masters! ...what's not to like about that?? Click here for the first episode of the playlist.


Sincerely - if this at all looks anywhere near your alley - you owe it to yourself to try it out! And to the game developers for making such a masterpiece! Too bad they're not better known than they are. They really have done people who like games like this a great service!
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EuchreJack

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Re: Conquest of Elysium 5 (Turn-based 4x like you've never seen it before!)
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2021, 01:58:58 pm »

I have Conquest of Elysium 3.  Can't justify the expense of purchasing the newest version in comparison to other games that I could purchase.

It's not like Dominions where I occasionally purchase the newest version to play against other people.

TheFjordFox

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Re: Conquest of Elysium 5 (Turn-based 4x like you've never seen it before!)
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2021, 06:47:04 am »

Fair enough, I can understand that argument!

I suppose there isn't necessarily all that much new in the 5th iteration compared to the 3rd that you'd necessarily want to shell out for it. I mean, you can still enjoy the Elysium experience with the 3rd iteration I am sure! For me tho, I've looked up the previous versions - and this could just be me being a bit biased from having my initial experience with COE through COE5 - but I do feel like the UI/fog of war and some other things look a lot better in the 5th edition. Also it obviously has the most content being newest. But certainly, I'm sure one can enjoy COE3 just as much as COE5! :)
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E. Albright

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Re: Conquest of Elysium 5 (Turn-based 4x like you've never seen it before!)
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2021, 10:18:09 am »

The big switch from 3->4 was additional planes. 4->5 was less dramatic in that regard, though it did add three more, including one directly above Elysium that any flyer could reach. The game loop remains the same, though.
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ThtblovesDF

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Re: Conquest of Elysium 5 (Turn-based 4x like you've never seen it before!)
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2021, 11:11:09 am »

I enjoyed it for its price point, mods are pretty diverse and nice, too.

It's just different then dominions 5 and thats just fine.
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TheFjordFox

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Re: Conquest of Elysium 5 (Turn-based 4x like you've never seen it before!)
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2021, 03:42:21 pm »

I'd have to argue that as they say; "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" :P It's a quite unique gaming experience, and I'm certainly happy it exists!

That being said, I am doing another playthrough at the moment, with the Priest King

Here's the first episode of the playthrough!
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Chaosegg

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Re: Conquest of Elysium 5, 4, and 3
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2022, 09:48:26 pm »

Highly recommend! 
Especially if you have never bought/played any of them before.
Loved 3 & currently still playing 4... since I wasn't yet convinced that 5 brought enough more to the added 'price table'.

Unique game with really no flaws other than the slight learning curve with regards to the control interface/u.i.
but if you're on this forum and you play DF...
well ... maybe that's not such a big deal.
It's not that tricky, [or 3-4 weren't]; I could probably throw up a primer on some basics,
but iirc there were some STEAM guide(s) and/or forum post 'somewheres on the online' to help figure out just what all the odd keys and tiles did/were.

More important advice from my perspective playing 3-4 was learning which of the computer factions would kick my... I mean, which I needed to lower the difficulty on for the game to be playably fun :)
I'll post a better-than-rough list at some point soon if I remember;
Lower difficulty on:
Witch (invulnerable deathcloud thingies might be fixed but... meh)
Priest King (can zerg hard)
Necro (see above with more nasty magic
Warlock "
High blah here's a quick ss of how I might set up a Dark age game... prob on a large or more map with this many but generally i like to play medium with half this number+a few more factions depending which I pick exactly.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2818358076
Spoiler: screenshot only (click to show/hide)


Edit:
hopefully STEAM link works properly now
« Last Edit: June 15, 2022, 03:28:17 pm by Chaosegg »
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***Likes 'green' airships for their efficiency.***
Creative seeking other creative TTRPGers to join, or join me, for  immersive, fun, creative, team-crafted stories. Setting flexible; mostly sci-fi &/or fantasy (I know SW, MiddleEarth, DnD, & ST best, but Ulisses Spiele & Cypher System high on list too. There are a few other niche sys. like DCC, a homebrew 3.5 or Pathfndr I/II; But at this point I'd even DM or play a well-run 5e game. Let the ideas flow, and never forget the 4 pillars of an RPG!

ThtblovesDF

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CoE5 is a delight, i really enjoy the increased connecivity of layers - flooding the underground, piercing into the underworld, unleashing hellish hordes, end times, falling from the sky plane, unleashing baal from his prison, I enjoy the epic scale it sometimes creates. It also plays less "stressful" then dominions 5, where i am far more tempted to obsess about details and choices. Sometimes you just want dom5 at half-brain and quarter pixels.

Mods are fun for it, too.
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