Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith

Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith for PC is another entry in the series of strategy games that started in 2001. Similarly to previous entries in the franchise, it was developed by independent studio Illwinter Game Design.

Mechanics

The basic principles of Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith for PC are similar to the principles of the previous entries in the series that offered turn-based gameplay similar to 4X games. The player assumes the role of a god of one of a few dozens of available nations and his task is to eliminate other religions. The game starts with player creating his deity. Various traits can impact the type of blessings and can determine during which turn the player starts the game. The blessings can work as passive bonuses for the followers or active abilities. The strongest of the latter require the presence of the avatar of the deity.

Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith keeps the complicated rules known from previous entries in the series. During the game the players must manage their domain by keeping attention to things like province income, military potential (including resources and population) and other factors like public disorder and the number of unburied bodies. In addition to that, the game features magic research that provides access to stronger spells from one of seven schools and eight paths. Combat with other deities by using varied units (including commanders and saint soldiers with divine blessing) is the heart of the game. All other game systems are secondary to the military aspects – victory can be achieved in a few ways, but all of them require building an army.

Despite the similarities to its predecessors, the fifth Dominions for PC greatly modifies the gameplay. The developers resigned on using turn-based battles and instead introduced real-time battles. However, the battles are still fought automatically – the orders are given before the fight. At the same time, the creators introduced new mechanics, including the possibility to cancel casting a spell by wounding the priests or to destroy enemies’ shields. In addition to that, the game enables the players to watch replays of battles in slow motion and to check the history of various squads, battles or the whole campaign. Another new feature is recruitment – a new resource used for adding warriors. It is provided by provinces and forts that can be built in them. Many stronger units cost recruitment and traditional gold.

Technical aspects

Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith for PC is powered by a new graphics engine that features simple three-dimensional graphics. The interface was refreshed as well and the quality of the network mode’s connection was improved.

Last updated on November 14, 2017