Endless Legend
Create your own Legend Another sunrise, another day of toil. Food must be grown, industries built, science and magic advanced, and wealth collected. Urgency drives these simple efforts, however, for your planet holds a history of unexplained apocalypse, and the winter you just survived was the worst on record. A fact that has also been true for the previous five. As you discover the lost secrets of your world and the mysteries of the legends and ruins that exist as much in reality as in rumor, you will come to see that you are not alone. Other peoples also struggle to survive, to grow, and perhaps even to conquer. You have a city, a loyal populace, and a few troops; your power and magic should be sufficient to keep them alive. But beyond that, nothing is certain… Where will you go, what will you find, and how will you react? Will your trail be one of roses, or of blood?
Game Discussion
Steam User 58
This game is fantastic truly. But you have to accept it for what it is, not what you expect it to be. If you want to know why so many people love it, just read the positive reviews or watch gameplay videos. The important thing is that this game is genuinely unique. It’s not “Civilization but fantasy,” and it’s not trying to be Warlock or Age of Wonders. It has its own identity, and that’s exactly why it stands out. The combat is unusual. It works a bit like Combat Mission you give your orders, lock them in, and then the units execute them based on initiative. Higher-initiative units act first. If you’re playing a faction like the Broken Lords with low initiative, you’ll often see the enemy move before you expected, change positions, disrupt your plan, or block your movement. Your troops might not carry out your orders exactly as you intended. At first this can feel frustrating, but this isn’t a flaw it’s simply how the system is designed to work. You’re not meant to micromanage every single moment you’re meant to anticipate, plan, and adapt. I do prefer a more traditional turn based system, where units act one by one and you can react instantly to what’s happening. That’s a perfectly fair preference. But the combat here isn’t broken or badly designed. It’s just different, and it requires you to think ahead instead of reacting on the spot.
Once you understand how the system works, it becomes incredibly strategic. You begin planning around initiative instead of fighting against it. A faction like the Broken Lords rewards a defensive, methodical playstyle holding positions, keeping your lines steady, positioning your backline for future turns, and choosing the right moments to commit your cavalry. When everything comes together, a well-planned battle feels satisfying in a way most turn-based games don’t offer. A single bad order can ruin a fight, but that’s part of the tension. When your plan works, it feels earned.
In short this is a great game with a combat system that’s unusual, clever, and rewarding if you take the time to understand it. If you’re willing to adapt and think ahead, the experience becomes something truly memorable.
Steam User 21
Endless Legend (EL) has become the hallmark which I judge all other 4X games against. It combines in-depth gameplay mechanics allowing the player to legitimately pursue alternative win scenarios other than the "murder-death-kill everything on the map" that many other 4X strategy games fall into towards the end of a campaign. Supremacy, Elimination, Diplomacy, Economic, Wonder, and other win scenarios can give a player or faction a myriad of options to win the game. Someone stomping across the map? Push for an economic victory. Vaulters held up in their cities racing for a science victory? Employ spies and diplomacy to win a diplomatic victory before they finish.
And this goes to the main thing that to me, makes EL stand out. The memorable and unique factions that have unique traits and drawbacks ensuring that each one gives a unique experience in playing the game. They are well balanced overall and the expansion factions tend to use a new play mechanic with that expansion as their main theme. Unforgotten and spying, Allayi and pearls, etc. Also the mixture of fantasy and sci-fi in one setting makes for a unique world and story within the larger Endless Universe. And this game ties into both Endless Space 2 and the new sequel, Endless Legend 2 that's just been announced.
The graphics are good and colorful with a nice aesthetic. It won't cause your graphics card to start smoking and are decent for the game but not it's strong point, particularity with the menus. The music is very memorable and beautifully done with a full orchestra in some pieces and unique instruments in others, tying in majestically with the factions they represent or the world at large. The combat system is also more interactive than what you'll see in Endless Space 2 or Humankind for that matter and I prefer it in many ways to those newer games.
I've definitely gotten my bang for my buck with the game and I still find myself coming back every so often to the world of Auriga, only to find myself clicking that turn icon one more time well into the night. Even with Endless Legend 2 on the horizon, I recommend picking up EL especially if it's on sale. If you're a fan of 4X strategy games that's looking for more depth and flavor than Civilization, then give EL a try. You won't be disappointed.
Steam User 22
100+ hours in...
Just found out you can equip items on units, not just heroes.
I’ve been fighting with unarmed peasants this whole time. Genius move.
10/10, would struggle again.
Steam User 12
i dont remember getting it
i dont remember starting it
i cant see an end to this
if you have addiction problems PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT START
fo everybody else - highly recomend
tho not as many "races"/"classes" as other x4 games, eac and every one of these (base game) feel unique
Steam User 10
I wanted to thank the developers, I was playing the game last year and after an update it stopped working on the Steam Deck that at the time was my main computer. After me and a few others reported the issue the devs made a patch to make the game compatible with the SteamDeck. Even after 10 years the game still received support and I'm extremely grateful.
As for the game, its really good. I like the futuristic fantasy setting and the visuals are gorgeous and colorful, it aged like wine. I love that the main menu changes everytime and that it uses the in game 3D assets. The gameplay is really good, a bit slow at the early game especially for new players that may not know what to do. I really like the FIDSI system is simple to understand and it ties into everything in the game, I also really like how it also ties the other Endless games. I love that the different weapons you can give to a unit have 3D sprites that change the unit appearance. I also like that the different ingame missions have art specific to the mission, not just some placeholder.
The gameplay is deep with a TON to do, as should a 4x game. And to me, the match never goes stale like in other similar strategy games, even late game there are new things to explore and challenges. If anything getting the message that a player is soon to win only raises the stake more.
Anyways I really like this game and I hope that the next Endless Legend is as good if not more.
Steam User 10
It's the best. I tried Endless Legends 2, but didn't really like it (who knows in the future). Instead I fell in love with this one all over again. My wife and I have been doing multi-player all week. This game really has a lot of the features you'd like to see and is still pretty simple to understand. It's a very pretty and enjoyable world. It has a wealth of lore and really sucks you into a fantasy world. It's like crack; we just don't seem to be able to put it down. Can highly recommend, especially in hard times.
Steam User 7
This game has been one of my absolute favorites for about a decade now. The world building is imaginative yet subtle, leaving lots of room for the player to read between the lines. The gameplay is first rate and was doing a lot of things Civ has since integrated before Civ did. The customizable, asymmetric factions also add a lot of replay value to the game.
Yeah, I play this game too much, often while watching TV. It's both a comfort and an adventure.