Wartales: Pirates of Belerion

Wartales: Pirates of Belerion is the first expansion to Wartales, a 2023 game by Shiro Games. Like the base game, it combines elements of strategy and RPG, but introduces new features tied to sea travel. According to the developers, completing the game should take about 25 hours.

Plot

The expansion is set in the Belerion archipelago, which has seen better days. Once peaceful fishermen turned to piracy, terrorizing honest sailors. Still, Belerion is full of treasures, and adventurers won't be deterred by pirates nor sea monsters.

Mechanics

Wartales: Pirates of Belerion has us still commanding a mercenary squad in a medieval-inspired fantasy world. This time, rather than on land, we'll operate on sea. The gameplay focuses on choosing optimal routes, finding opportunities for trade and favorable winds. We'll also fight back against pirates and board other ships. During turn-based boardings we'll have new options to work with, such as pushing enemies overboard.

We'll need to take care of our ship, repair it and upgrade it. Said upgrades can be chosen according to our preferences - for example, we can choose different sails which will either be more durable or make our ship faster. We must also assign our crew different roles, such as helsman, gunner, fisherman and drummer.

By finding treasure, boarding ships and winning duels we'll gradually become a Lord of the Sea. Taking down our most direct competitors will also unlock new marine skills. Some make our mercs more capable in combat, others make travel faster or safer.

Technical aspects

Pirates of Belerion is not a standalone expansion, requiring the base version of Wartales.