Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

Story

A mysterious force called T-Energy is the source of all life and magic in Ancaria. It was originally solely under the control of the ancient race of Seraphim. However, over time as they lost interest in the world, they gave some of their control to the High Elves. With this power, the High Elves quickly became the dominant race of Ancaria. A power struggle is raging between two factions within the High Elves. The nobility and clergy are each trying to gain control over the T-Energy. Other races take advantage of the distraction the conflict provides and try to gain control of the T-Energy themselves, so they can become the dominant and most powerful race. As these events unfold, the T-Energy goes increasingly out of control and changes into a destructive force. A force that mutates creatures, destroys cities, and renders entire regions uninhabitable. The campaign selection you make will determine whether your story involves healing the land, or intensifying the chaos.

Versions: Currently out on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as of May 12, 2009.

Campaign

The game features a very-large, open-world map with two campaigns, one called "Light" and the other called "Shadow." Throughout the chosen campaign it will crossover with the other, in one example in the Light campaign you are asked to defend a town whilst in Shadow you are asked to attack that same town.

The player can choose whether their character follows the Light or Shadow path, except for Seraphim and Inquisitor. Those two have their paths set and cannot follow the other. Meaning, a Seraphin can only play through the Light campaign while an Inquisitor can only play through the Shadow campaign.

Classes

There are 6 classes in the original Sacred 2, the expansion Fire and Ice adds another extra class:

Seraphim

The Seraphim is an ideal all-around character well suited for beginners and veterans alike. They can use most weapons and wear heavy armor. Their aspects of Exalted Warrior, Celestial Magic and Revered Technology reflect a mix of offensive combat arts and solid protection spells. Efficient buffs like Warding Energy comple the profile of a versatile, strong character class. The Seraphim fights for the light and can only therefore only choose the Light Campagin and may not chose a dark God for her Divine Devotion spell. Her unique mount is a Sabertooth.

Shadow Warrior

The Shadow Warrior is a robust, hard to kill and skilled fighter, making him perfect for beginners. He is able to use the largest swords and heaviest war axes and maces. His strikes are deadly and is especially a proficient killer in close quarters. His link to the undead allows him to call on fallen comrades to aid him in battle, including summoning up to four skeleton soldiers to fight along side him. His unique mount is the Hellhound.

High Elf

Of all the character classes in Sacred 2, the High Elf comes the closest to being a "classic mage" She has three magic-based aspects at her command. Arrant Pyromancer which is especially useful for learning fire spells. Mystic Stormite, which grants her access to a number of ice-based spells, and Delphic Arcania which contains special protection spells such as a teleport spell and a banishing circle. The High Elf's constitution is relatively weak and therefor she is easily wounded by melee attacks. In a fight she is dependent on the use of her combat arts, so playing her requires more strategy than that of a melee class. Her unique mount is the Wind Serpent.

Dryad

While the High Elves work mainly with elemental magic, their enemies, the Dryads, focus on nature. Capricious Hunter, Cabalistic Voodoo, and Nature Weaver are the aspects used by the Dryad. She is also the ranged combat specialist among the character classes and starts off with a blowgun and a better than average dexterity value. No one can beat this character when it comes to bows and blowguns. At the same time, her magic is relatively weak initially and as such, is recommended more for advanced and veteran players. Her unique mount is the Monitor Lizard.

Temple Guardian

The Temple Guardian is a special character who can access T-Energy directly. In contrast to the other characters, one of his most important weapons - his weapons arm - is already built in, meaning his left arm changes with whatever combat art is used at the time. He is always able to fire a bolt of energy

for this arm, but as such cannot dual wield, use two-handed weapons, or use a shield. Due to his unique abilities, he makes an excellent support character in co-op play, but is better suited for experienced players in single player campaign. His unique mount is a Mobiculum. He is also the only character that can be only played in the 'good' campaign.

Inquisitor

The Inquisitor is the complete inverse of a the Seraphim and is to the powers of Darkness what the Seraphim are to the powers of Light. The Inquisitor is a High Priest of the High Elves, although the clergy is in direct conflict with the aristocratic High Elves and want total control of T-Energy. His combat arts are of a dark nature, including Nefarious Netherworld, magic that drains souls from his opponents and turns the dead into weapons. Just like his counterpart - the Seraphim - he is a versatile character as an excellent melee fighter with and extensive command of magic. The Inquisitor, being an ally of the Dark, can only play the Dark Campaign and may call on a much more limited number of the Gods than most other characters. The Inquisitors unique mount is the Shroud Spider.

One extra class has been added in the expansion pack, Blood & Ice:

Dragon Mage

The Dragon Mage is part of a dragon cult from a remote part of the world. The members of the cult are respected by and live together with dragons in a community. Only a chosen few are being granted the honour of being instructed by the dragons for training in the ancient dragon magic. A magic that comes from a dimension beyond this world. This energy can take on the powerful T-Energy, which is the source of all life and all magic in Ancaria.

Only the most powerful who complete this training are capable of assuming the form of a dragon and of using the concentrated power of dragon magic. Only they have the privilige of being allowed to carry the title "Dragon Mage". The unique mount of the Dragon Mage is the Draconicon, a hybrid crossover between a dragon and a horse.

Multiplayer

The game features 16 player on the PC, 4 players through Xbox 360's Live service and the Playstation 3's 4 players via PSN, or 2 offline. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel incorporates several elements from MMORPG games such as mounts and persistent characters across servers.

Soundtrack:

The soundtrack for Sacred 2 is also available composed by Dynamedion Studio. It features a bonus track by metal band Blind Guardian, who also make an in-game cameo as NPCs.

Mounts

Any class - Horse

Across Ancaria you will find many horse dealers. They offer all kinds of animals, from the simple nag up to a real war horse. Any NPC with a horseshoe icon will be happy to exchange a large sum of gold for a nice mount.

Seraphim – Saber-toothed Tiger

The Seraphim may look like angels, but their mounts have nothing angelic about them. Their large fangs not only look dangerous, but are indeed deadly weapons.

Shadow Warrior – Hellhound

The Hellhound is the perfect companion for a warrior trapped between life and death. When this monster appears from the underworld, it strikes fear into the heart of every opponent.

Dryad - Monitor Lizard

The Dryads respect nature and ever since the Great War they have hated T-Energy. It makes sense that their special mount is a Monitor Lizard, because these giant lizards complement the Dryad's preference for ranged weapons very well.

High Elf - Wind Serpent

The Wind Serpent would seem almost cute, if it weren’t for its glowing eyes. The Wind Serpent’s appearance is not as commanding as that of a Dragon, but its powers are no less formidable.

Inquisitor - Shroud Spider

The dark powers have provided a very special mount for the Inquisitor. He rides on the back of a large dark spider while weaving his powerful spells.

Temple Guardian - Mobiculum

All characters except for the Temple Guardian have a “biological” special mount. He, on the other hand, uses a modern, T-Energy powered monowheel, a machine that is as imposing as it is dangerous. The Temple Guardian can use his combat arts even when sitting inside the Mobiculum.

Dragon Mage - Draconicon

The Draconicon appears to be a 4 hoofed version of a dragon (Draco = dragon). Unlike most horses this unnatural spawn has carnivorous teeth and only the Dragon Mage is able to control this beast.

Content Updates:

Holiday Content Pack:

• New area of exploration including an underground portion.
• New snowy landscape textures and objects.
• New sounds for the snowy landscape.
• 20 new creatures.
• New NPC's.
• New quest chain.
• New armor set for each character.
• New armor items and weapons.
• Game server creation bugs have been fixed in both single- and multiplayer play.
• Some Combat Arts for all characters have been adjusted or re-balanced.
• Visual issues (such as UI elements not fading out properly) have been fixed.
• Miscellaneous sound and graphical fixes in various environments and situations.

Console Patch/Update:

On May 28th, 2009 a title update was released on Xbox Live addressing the following issues with the 360 version of the game:

• Added trading between players in co-op on a single console.
• Added in-game marketplace for future DLC.
• Changed save game routine to avoid loss of saved data.
• Fix for problem with teleportation when entering a certain dungeon ("Undead Legion" quest).
• Fix for problem in calculating leaderboard results.
• Changed menus for setting co-op game option from "everybody" or "friends only" to "public" or "private".

As of the release of the patch, the Gamestop Exclusive "Carrier Imp" bonus item codes are now working. A Playstation 3 patch is scheduled to follow shortly.

PC System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows XP, XP64, Vista, Vista64
• Processor: 2.4GHz processor
• Memory: 1GB RAM
• Hard Disk: 20GB HDD space
• Video Card: 256MB Nvidia Geforce 6800 or ATi Radeon X800 or better
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card

Recommended:

• OS: Windows XP, XP64, Vista, Vista64
• Processor: 2.0GHz Dual Core
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• Hard Disk: 25GB HDD space
• Video Crd: 512MB Nvidia Geforce 8800 GTS or ATi Radeon HD 3870 or better
• Sound Card: EAX 5.0 surround sound card