(un)official STORMGROUND discussion thread

[CommissarRotke]

Hey folks! With the release of Age of Sigmar: Stormground I figured I'd take the initiative to start a thread for discussing the first proper AOS video game.

Stormground is a turn-based, hex-based strategy game with a focus on warband customization and randomized campaigns for Stormcast Eternals, Nighthaunt, and Maggotkin.

The other really exciting thing is that Focus Home Interactive was allowed to fit Stormground's lore pieces into GW's official canon! These lore snippets are collected on the battlefield and are fully-voiced for different characters and units that you can play in-game.

The heart of Stormground lies in its deep customization of gear and skills, that are on EVERY unit and hero in the game--not just the named characters. I've only had a couple hours with the game but it already feels amazing to see AOS brought to digital life. Animations and skill effects look awesome, dialogue is properly War-hammy without being forced or overdone, and the randomized campaigns mean you can easily replay your favorite faction differently each time.

I would say even if you are not a fan of the 3 release factions, it feels like a must-have for AOS fans. If you don't have a PC it's also available on PS4, XB1, and Nintendo Switch.

 

[Baron Klatz]

It's been a abysmal week for me so I haven't gotten it yet but i'm so hyped!

I'm extremely okay with a small faction roster. It means there's more focus they can give each army especially with the realmscapes they're fighting on being affected or spawning objectives that particular army needs to take the advantage.

I've no doubt Destruction dlc is in the cards to complete the Grand Alliance set. With the realmscapes being so important I imagine Gloomspite sprouting magic mushrooms and collecting loonshards from the moon god dropping them overhead.

Best part is that crossplay across all systems. That's gonna be Amazing for longevity in keeping the online battles going.

Last notes:

There's a fan sub-reddit out called AoSstormground and for more lore focused games don't sleep on Tempestfall which have been doing a detailed AoS history blog and how the events tie-in to their VR game in the Soul Wars.

https://tempestfall.com/category/tempestfall/

 

[CommissarRotke]

1 hour ago, Baron Klatz said:

There's a fan sub-reddit out called AoSstormground and for more lore focused games don't sleep on Tempestfall which have been doing a detailed AoS history blog and how the events tie-in to their VR game in the Soul Wars.

https://tempestfall.com/category/tempestfall/

ooh I knew there were other games in the works, this looks pretty impressive for a VR game!

 

[CommissarRotke]

1 hour ago, Baron Klatz said:

I'm extremely okay with a small faction roster. It means there's more focus they can give each army especially with the realmscapes they're fighting on being affected or spawning objectives that particular army needs to take the advantage.

I definitely don't mind as each faction has a pretty wide variety of units already; they're split between tank, assault, and scout types so far. But even those types aren't limited by their role as you can make a tanky assault or a killy tank from changing wargear/skills alone. I'm not entirely sure of the lore/story scope yet, but if all the factions are equal in that regard then even better the scope was kept small-but-deep for release

[Neverchosen]

2 hours ago, Baron Klatz said:

It's been a abysmal week for me so I haven't gotten it yet but i'm so hyped!

Same on all counts, hopefully things turn around and we are both able to pick it up. 😁

I will say I do really wish this was a warcry game though as I feel those mechanics would translate fantastically into a turn based strategy rpg video game. I wonder if licence holders are given the information of such properties though as they develop their own products? 

[CommissarRotke]

I haven't played Warcry yet, so correct me if I'm wrong, but is positioning and terrain part of core mechanics? If so I think you'll find this feels similar enough to Warcry in terms of tactics. There's high-ground bonuses, push/pull/taunt skills, and interactive terrain

[Fairbanks]

This is a good place to put this, and I'm not going to lie:

I'm 100% certain I'm the only person interested in Soul Arena. I love me some Teamfight Tactics.

[CommissarRotke]

17 minutes ago, Fairbanks said:

This is a good place to put this, and I'm not going to lie:

I'm 100% certain I'm the only person interested in Soul Arena. I love me some Teamfight Tactics.

I'm not sure what an autobattler is but I'll try any game once! I have no issue with mobile games, and didn't even mind the art style of it. the only thing that bothers me is it looks like they have chibi heads which makes the style itself look weirder.

[Fairbanks]

1 hour ago, CommissarRotke said:

I'm not sure what an autobattler is but I'll try any game once!

Autobattlers alternates between rounds where you build your team of characters and place them on a board, and rounds in which the teams of characters automatically battle one another (no interaction between players and the teams).

[CommissarRotke]

quick tip: this is actually a roguelite type game, don't feel too bad if you die 😩 you do keep any loot/lore you picked up during the mission, and a conciliatory loot piece for failing

[Akylas]

Just started last night and played the first few missions. I'm really liking it so far.

I had some close calls early on without realizing I'd be starting over if I lost.

[Malakithe]

1 hour ago, CommissarRotke said:

quick tip: this is actually a roguelite type game, don't feel too bad if you die 😩 you do keep any loot/lore you picked up during the mission, and a conciliatory loot piece for failing

Ooh didnt know that. Good to know. The game seems like the perfect Switch type game

[Neverchosen]

8 hours ago, CommissarRotke said:

I haven't played Warcry yet, so correct me if I'm wrong, but is positioning and terrain part of core mechanics? If so I think you'll find this feels similar enough to Warcry in terms of tactics. There's high-ground bonuses, push/pull/taunt skills, and interactive terrain

Yes all of that is pretty applicable now I am very intrigued!

[The Red King]

Anyone beaten the first run? I'm poised to fight the final level and was trying to decide if I should "sell" all the gear I'm not using for exp or if it Carrie's over to your next run.

[CommissarRotke]

29 minutes ago, The Red King said:

Anyone beaten the first run? I'm poised to fight the final level and was trying to decide if I should "sell" all the gear I'm not using for exp or if it Carrie's over to your next run.

I'm not 100% yet on what carries over and what doesn't, but you do keep gear that is on your hero. I got SO CLOSE to beating the final level twice but no dice trying to work on not getting blown up by myrmourns

[Milano]

Me neither. The first round I got units like prosecutors and paladins. Now they are gone, also some equipment like boni to those units. Haven’t figured out the mechanics yet 😅 but its a fun game

[CommissarRotke]

something you should do on each wave spawn: right click units you aren't sure about to check their abilities. you can also see when enemy cooldowns are up/how long they have left.

the myrmourn banshees have been my worst enemy, but luckily the game displays all the knockbacks and damage that will happen when you kill one

[pseudonyme]

Do not buy it on Switch!

I repeat.

Do not buy it on Switch!

Unfortunately the console struggle too much to run the game properly. The first Stormcast campaign is ok besides strange lags during the non combat screen. But once you launch the Nighthaunt campaign with 7 units and a couple of souls on the battlefield, it is unplayable. Will try to get a refund

[Jefferson Skarsnik]

Man switch ports are the biggest scam going huh, how do people keep getting away with this

[Jefferson Skarsnik]

Nurgle seems fun so far. Suitably gross and jolly

[Milano]

I finished all difficulties of the Stormcast campaign yesterday. And yeah, it is a fun game. So good seeing some of my favorite  armies being animated. The moment when the stardrake appears, the screen darkens and he roasts several units, it is just great. Probably the power level the stardrake should have on tabletop anyway – but thats another story 😊

Some details I learned in the process:

• Dying and repeating is ok and an intended game mechanic
• Starting a new campaign means you can take 1-3 fix starter units with you,(depending on difficulty). Those units can have all the gear you collected ingame
• Take high level fixstarters and equip them with the best gear you have!
• During a campaign you can win and choose to add random units, but those will only have access to gear you obtain during the campaign (!) or take gear from other units/fixstarters
• Often you will have to choose if you want a new unit or new gear/talents. On higher lvls its a tough decision, as the gear and talents can be great. But you are already very limited on forces. Should I take that unique sword or get the extra unit of Liberators? Hmm
• Talents are an exception to the rules above. All units will always have full acess to your talent cards obtained any time in the game
• USE the unit multiplier cards for talent slots. Yes, there are cards in the game enabling you to take eg. 2x Elite Units in one slot. Its a must have, especially for later difficulties
• Grab the chest and Vases early. Enemies can take them from you! Often incidentally
• You can delay appearing enemies by stepping on their field. Or apply a delayed shooting/attacking ability to that field – to welcome them properly 😉
• Your hero needs the best equipement and some healing abilities. Especially on higher difficullty. Use one-use cards, healing gear or support units to achieve that.

Thats it for now. Have fun!

Milano

[Jefferson Skarsnik]

My first Nurgle playthrough got prematurely ended because my general and my pusgoyle blightlord glitched into occupying the same hex, so the blightlord was impossible to select for the rest of the battle and everyone else got killed by Nighthaunt

[CommissarRotke]

2 hours ago, Milano said:

Starting a new campaign means you can take 1-3 fix starter units with you

i'm a little confused & this has prevented me from starting campaign #2. so I beat the intro Stormcast campaign. If I pick normal or hard (new difficulty) I start with all the units I collected in that first campaign. Are you saying that the hero+units I pick for the starter mission are what get locked in for the rest of the campaign?

for example: I pick lord aquilor, retributors, and hunters. If I fail campaign #2 and restart again, I will only be able to pick those 3 on each restart?

[Milano]

Right. But you can always restart a campaign (on the difficulty level you want to) and choose a different starting team.
Fun side-note: On highest difficulty you only start with your hero and build your roster completly with random units. So good talent cards and a top equiped hero are a must have

[CommissarRotke]

ohh okay sweet, that makes trying Hard out a lot less stressful!!!

though I still might redo Normal to level up the Aquilor...