Hero image: Endless Legend 2 1.0 announcement art. Image: Amplitude Studios, via Steam
Endless Legend 2 left early access on 17 September, reaching version 1.0 almost exactly one year after it entered.
The 4X strategy sequel, developed by Amplitude Studios and published by Hooded Horse, launched simultaneously on PC through Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store, and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The early access build had been PC-only since 22 September 2025.
Amplitude set out the contents of the 1.0 release in a development blog published in August. Three additions were named.
The Sandshapers
The Sandshapers are the sixth major faction. Amplitude describes them as the oldest civilisation on Saiadha, one that remembers the world before water covered it and treats terraforming the planet back to desert as a sacred duty.
They arrive with a faction quest, units, heroes, technologies and traits, all of which become available inside the Custom Faction creator.
Two rogue factions
Rogue Factions are new to 1.0. They are splinter groups of existing factions, sharing most of their parent’s design while carrying a separate faction quest, story and gameplay.
The first is the Order of Zelevas, a conquest-focused variant of the Kin of Sheredyn. The second is The Severed Claw, a version of the Necrophage that can only replace its losses by enslaving other factions.
That second constraint is the more interesting of the pair. A faction that cannot reinforce through its own economy has to keep winning fights to stay in the game, which removes the turtling option entirely.
The Mangrove of Harmony
The new minor faction is the Mangrove of Harmony, a starfish-like people developed with the Amplitude community. It carries its own hero and questline, new villages, recruitable units, a new population type and two hero skills.
The mechanic underneath all of it
Saiadha is covered by ocean. Over the course of a campaign the water recedes in events the game calls Tidefalls, exposing land that was not reachable before.
The practical effect is that the map is not fixed. A border secured by water on turn 40 is a land border by turn 90, and a route blocked early becomes an invasion corridor later. Expansion planning has to account for terrain that does not yet exist.
This is the feature that separates the game from the Civilization template it otherwise resembles.
Trying it first
A demo is available on Steam and on both consoles. It offers two playable factions, the defensive Kin of Sheredyn and the cursed Last Lords, against a roster of five opponents, and runs for roughly 90 turns — far enough in to see at least one Tidefall.
Amplitude has already published a post-launch update addressing quests and modding, which is a reasonable sign of how the studio intends to handle the first weeks.
Two physical PlayStation 5 editions are planned in partnership with Strictly Limited. Pre-orders are open through selected retailers, though Amplitude has not confirmed shipping timelines.
Source: Amplitude Studios, Steam