Men of War 2’s final beta weekend will give you a look at its Classic and Realism modes next month
RTS sneaks in one last look ahead of September release date
Men of War 2 devs Best Way have announced they will run a third and final beta weekend for their upcoming World War II RTS next month, giving us a look at its Classic and Realism modes before it fully hits PC screens in September.
The Classic modes - which Best Way describe as being one of the most requested features among players - will aim to recreate the everything-all-at-once strategic buffet of the original 2009 Men of War. Players can just choose one of the game’s three nations - Soviet, US or German – and dive straight in, with all units already unlocked. The Classic modes also do away with battalions and echelons, with units able to be spawned based on the player’s resources and each unit’s separate timer.
On the other end of things is the new Realism mode, which offers exactly what it promises by tweaking gameplay for a more punishing, sim-like experience. Those tweaks include taking away visual cues about units’ health and visibility, upping the chance that vehicles are disabled or captured, and limiting the range of a number of weapons.
As Katharine noted from her time with Men of War 2’s Combat, Front Line and Incursion modes during its first beta, there’s no shortage of options already in the game, with hundreds of units, dozens of battalions and new different game modes across a bunch of different maps. These two latest modes sound like they’ll only add to that, offering up what sounds like an RTS that can be moulded to fit whatever you’re after - from an all-out chaotic smorgasbord of combat to a more thoughtful, tactical strategy challenge.
Alongside the two modes, the final open beta will offer up five PvP multiplayer modes - Assault Zones, Combat, Front Line, Incursion and Combined Arms - plus the Line Defense PvE mode. Seven maps will be playable, ranging from coastal regions to frosty winter environments. You’ll also be able to get a taste of three missions in Men of War 2’s campaign, which can be tackled in single-player or co-op.
Best Way says that this latest beta will “closely mirror” the final game, with the devs working to add some final spots of polish and balance based on the feedback gathered from the previous two public tests. As before, you won’t be able to carry any progress or saves from the beta to the final release.
You’ll be able to see if either of the new modes tickle your fancy next month, when Men of War 2’s beta runs from Friday August 10th to Monday 14th on Steam. You can jump in over on Steam, with the full game also landing on Epic when it releases on September 20th.