Wasteland 2 opens with a funeral, and I’m already mourning the hours I’m about to lose to this massive, brutal world. This one’s going to take a while to complete, so here are my initial impressions of what, so far, looks to be a very fun game.
Character Creation
The first choice you get when you start a game of Wasteland 2 is character creation. In this game you create a team of four characters. I wanted to get playing quickly, so I just took the recommended presets.
I appreciate that this is an option. Too often, CRPGs push you into character creation without any context for how any of the stats will affect the game. Even Baldur’s Gate, one of my all-time favourites, falls into this trap. Skipping straight to gameplay lets you get a feel for the mechanics first. So when restartitis inevitably kicks in, you will know how to build better characters.
Opening Cutscene
A live-action cutscene sets the tone for the world. A post-nuclear apocalypse, with warring factions and shaky alliances. You’re part of the Desert Rangers, a group dedicated to protecting what’s left of civilisation.
It’s easy to draw comparisons to Fallout, but Wasteland has its own flavour of this setting, but you need to play through the game to get a sense of the lore. Even just five hours in, I’m already picking up on unique touches in the lore. I’ll get more into that later when I talk about the story.
Skills and Perks
Each character has a selection of skills that can be learned or improved as they level up. Skills cover everything from weapon proficiencies to lockpicking, computer hacking, or even toaster repair (surprisingly important, it turns out). With only four party members, you’ll need to specialise each one to cover all your bases.
It’s an interesting little system that forces you to make tough choices: do you focus on combat skills or expand dialogue and utility options? Do you learn many skills or focus on improving a smaller subset of skills?
Failing skill checks can have consequences. One of my characters once broke her toe after critically failing to break down a door. Another character tried to fix a toaster and it exploded. I’ve learned not to push my luck with low skill levels.
Advancing certain skills unlocks the ability to buy certain Perks, passive abilities introduced in the Director’s Cut. These add another layer of customisation that grants some useful bonuses. My favourite so far gives my sniper the ability to Ambush with no aim penalty.
Combat
If you get close to a hostile creature it starts a combat. Depending on who spotted who, you may get the earlier turns. The best way to start combat is to get close enough to shoot an enemy and attack it before it spots you. This also has the benefit of wounding or killing the enemy before combat starts.
Combat is turn based and based on Action Points. Each character can perform a number of actions as long as they have enough AP remaining. Actions can include attacking, moving, reloading, or using a skill or item. Once you run out of AP your turn ends. You can also end the turn earlier.
It has a cover system similar to XCOM. But cover not only grants defensive bonuses, but also bonuses to aim. While you won’t always rely on cover as much as in XCOM, it’s an interesting system that opens up new strategies.
There is also an overwatch system, called Ambush. It essentially works the same, costing as many AP as it would to fire your weapon. The downside is that you can only shoot once, and you have an aim penalty. This is a useful ability against giant insects, mutated rats and so on, but not so much against snipers who can keep their distance and stay in cover.
The combat is intuitive, but forces you to think strategically. When ammo is a scarce resource, you may not want to risk firing that precious bullet at an enemy in cover with only a 15% chance to hit. I’ve been running out of ammo very quickly and am finding it hard to find more because I’ve been going in guns blazing. Maneuvering to a flanking position or rushing in to bash them in with a wrench is looking like a more attractive strategy.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is very similar to Baldur’s Gate. Each character has a limited number of slots and a maximum weight, as well as equipped items. They also have a hotbar that can hold skills and items to use, meaning you don’t have to open the inventory.
However, Wastelands adds a twist: items can take up 2 or more slots, showing how bulky they are. This adds an extra layer to inventory management where you may not want to hold onto large weapons and armour.
There also aren’t any ammo slots, with ammo just being used directly from the inventory. Each weapon uses a specific ammo type, so there isn’t a need for ammo selection in this game.
Ammo is much more important in Wasteland 2. Since everyone has a gun of some kind, rushing into melee doesn’t make much sense. So you will have to maintain a good supply of ammo so you can shoot your enemies before they shoot you.
Communication
As with many CRPGs, dialogue is integral to the game, and Wasteland 2 is no different. You choose dialogue options based on key words listed at the bottom. Hovering over them reveals the actual sentence you will say, and clicking it confirms. Simple and efficient.
Your social skills matter too. If you are a threatening Hard Ass or a polite Kiss Ass, you can often get more information out of characters than you would otherwise. These skills can be useful in avoiding combat or providing new ways of completing missions.
As Rangers, you also have a radio that you can use at any time. This radio is your lifeline, and you will find yourself reporting in often. When characters level up, they have to radio back to base in order to get their field promotions, granting new skill points. It’s a system that prevents levelling up during combat, something that is possible in other games of the genre.
Tutorial
The tutorial is delivered via pop-up tooltips as you encounter new systems. While I generally prefer in-world tutorials that feel like part of the world, or stealth tutorials, these pop-ups make sense given the games complexity. They’re brief, informative, and don’t get in the way too much.
Followers
Though you start with four custom characters, you can recruit Followers along the way. These Followers are more fleshed out characters, with their own backstory, dialogue, and personal goals. It’s strikes a nice balance between Icewind Dale‘s full custom party and Baldur’s Gate‘s more character-driven companions.
Presentation
The Director’s Cut updates the game with improved graphics and voice acting. The game looks beautiful, with well designed characters and detailed environments that help deliver the setting. It’s a 3D game with an isometric camera, which maintains that old-skool CRPG vibe.
One standout area is Highpool, where you can really feel the sense of height gained as you climb the village’s walls in a way that classic isometric engines could never achieve. The visuals aren’t cutting edge, but they’re thoughtfully designed and suit the world perfectly.
The visuals are complemented by professional voice acting that adds immersion. Key characters are well-performed, and you’ll find yourself sympathising with a lot of characters.
Travel
Travel happens via an overworld map. And since this is a post-apocalyptic world, a good water supply is essential. You need to make sure you have enough water for any journey you take. This means remembering to refill your canteens at settlements or oases before or during long journeys.
Other hazards on the map include radioactive zones. Moving through these can damage or even kill your party. They’re best left avoided. There are also random encounters across the world map that make travel feel closer to a JRPG like Final Fantasy, which is an interesting change of pace.
The game hints that there are many places to explore outside of the main quest-line. So far I’ve stuck with the main quest line, but I’m looking forward to exploring more.
Story
Spoiler Warning
I’ll be discussing some of the earlier parts of the story here. Skip this section if you’d rather avoid spoilers.
The story opens with the funeral of another Ranger. After the funeral you are sent on a mission to find out what happened to him and to recover his radio equipment. There is a mysterious force talking over the radio, threatening the Rangers, and he was trying to find out who they were before he was murdered.
It’s a good opening that draws you right into being a Ranger and wanting to complete missions for them. The Rangers are shown to be benevolent, always being ordered to prioritise helping the locals before completing their personal mission.
After discovering the murdered Ranger’s body, you are then given the task to finish his mission. But then the two places you need to deploy the repeaters come under attack at the same time. You are forced to choose which settlement to help.
The sense of urgency is really pushed onto you by the game. Which ever one you choose to save, you end up hearing over the radio the desperate cries of the other settlement as they’re overrun. The Rangers at base apologising because there are no other Rangers available. Eventually the last call says “Don’t come. We’re already dead.” Then, silence.
It’s brutal. It makes you feel that sense of urgency and desperation. It demonstrates how spread thin the Rangers are. It’s harrowing knowing you can’t help everyone. That despite doing your best, you’ll still get blamed for the failures. You managed to save one settlement, but you still feel guilty when you finally get to the other and see it in ruins.
It’s a gut punch that cements Wasteland 2’s world as one where tough calls carry real, lasting weight.
Closing Thoughts
So the story and the gameplay have really sucked me into this game. Even just a few hours in, I’m confident recommending Wasteland 2. It’s harsh, clever, and already has its claws in me. If you like CRPGs like Icewind Dale or Baldur’s Gate, if you like settings like Fallout, or if you like turn-based strategies like XCOM, you will find a lot to enjoy here
Of course, this comes from around 5-6 hours of playing a game that takes 40+ hours to complete. So my impression of the game might change. I’ll report back when I’ve finished the full campaign.
