It took 17 years, three games, and a jump to 64-bit—but Stardock is finally delivering the Elemental they always wanted to make.
Elemental: Reforged, announced today, is the definitive version of Stardock’s long-running fantasy 4X series. It brings together the best parts of Elemental: War of Magic, Fallen Enchantress, and Sorcerer King, remastered and rebuilt in a modern engine that can finally handle the ambition of the original design.
Back in 2008, fresh off the success of Galactic Civilizations II and Sins of a Solar Empire, Stardock set out to create the ultimate fantasy strategy game. But 32-bit limitations clipped its wings. The launch of Elemental: War of Magic in 2010 was rough, plagued by technical issues. The studio course-corrected with Fallen Enchantress and then again with Sorcerer King, each focusing on different parts of the design. Still, the full vision remained out of reach.
“With Elemental: Reforged, we’re finally able to deliver the original design we wanted,” said Stardock CEO Brad Wardell. Now built on a 64-bit engine with DirectX 11 support, Reforged combines strategy and RPG mechanics into a single, unified experience.
Here’s what’s in the reforged package:
- A Unified Elemental Experience: Strategic depth and AI from Fallen Enchantress, crafting and questing from Sorcerer King, and dynasty-building and terraforming from War of Magic—now all under one roof.
- Rich, Dynamic Worlds: Procedurally generated maps, magic-altered environments, simulated citizens, and lore-packed quests.
- RPG-Style Unit Design: Create and customize heroes and armies, each with unique traits, gear, and growth.
- Tactical Combat & Auto-Resolve: Battle it out in refined tactical skirmishes or let the advanced AI handle the dirty work.
- Narrative-Driven Quests: Story arcs woven directly into empire-building, diplomacy, and exploration.
- Modern Visuals and UI: From cloth map to close-up, the visual overhaul comes with seamless zoom and a redesigned interface.
- Built-in Modding Tools: Full map editor, mod support, and Steam Workshop integration.
Wardell calls it a “strategy game in an RPG world.” You create your own character, your own faction, and shape your own journey.
Elemental: Reforged is now available to wishlist on Steam.
