Hey guys,
This time, i just wanted to make a post about my favorite game of all the time, and one of the best RTS games that inspired many others, i think you already know which game i'm talking about: Warcraft III.
I remember i used to have a special ritual around the winter holidays. I'd always start a new campaign and fully beat the game ( both Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne) before New Year. It was a ful "challenge" for me, and i kept doing it every single year, just to relive the happiness and joy i had during my childhood.
Unfortunately,Warcraft III:Reforged has gone through a lot of controversy. Many people even call it "Warcraft III:Refunded", and honestly, that name is kind of deserved. A lot of players actually refunded the game due to the inconsistency between Blizzard's trailer and the final version of the game.
Who else here remembers the iconic "This entire city must be purged!" cinematic ? I think we all do!
I don't know about you guys, but the first time i saw that cinematic, i was amazed by how good it was. Hearing Arthas say "This entire city must be purged" hit me with a wave of nostalgia, like taking a full crit strike from a Blademaster
And i think we were all furious when we realized we couldn't experience the same immersive cinematics in Reforged version.
We felt lied to. But in my opinion, it wasn't just the broken promises that hurt. It wasn't the crashes, it wasn't the poor optimization.
The real pain came from something much deeper:
That moment MARKED the death of Blizzard we all knew and loved for so many years.
They didn't care about the game anymore. We couldn't see that 'special touch' we saw in the original launch of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, or the release of Vanilla World of Warcraft
Who else remembers the first cinematic of Vanilla WoW ? Or the Burning Crusade, Illidan standing at the Black Temple ?
It wasn't that they were incapable of creating those kinds of moments again. They just didn't care. They got lazy and they assumed that after delivering high-quality games for so many years, we'd be so blinded by nostalgia that we wouldn't care what they did to our favorite RTS.
But yeah, now that we've talked a bit about Warcraft 3's recent history and controversies, it's time to highlight its strengths.
As i mentioned earlier, Warcraft III defined a lot of games we play today, because you could play almost any type of game inside it.
You had:
- Tower Defense: who else remembers the old but gold: Green TD, Artifact TD, Poker TD, Element TD, Wintermaul, Rune TD and even the OG Tower Defense you could play, made by Blizzard,"Blizzard's Tower Defense"
- Dota 1 - the origin of the entire genre
- Racing maps
- Moba maps ( who remembers the OG extreme candy war 2004/2005 ? )
- Egg Hunt
- RPG
- even full World of Warcraft third person perspective simulation using Warcraft 3 engine
And especially with the recent update that fixed a lot of things and also Classic HD mode, Warcraft III is slowly making its way back to the top
For today's post,i want to show you three custom campaigns that i personally love.
Of course, there are many more out there, and this post would've been way longer if i included them all. But if you're interested, i'd be happy to recommend more campaigns every week ! :)
Okaaay, enough talk. Let's get straight to the point:
First Campaign: Garithos Human Campaign
We all know who Grand Marshal Garithos is, right ?
If not, let me tell you a bit about him: he was a millitary leader of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, known for his.....let's just say interesting dialogue, and his hatred for every single race that wasn't human.
I couldn't recommend this campaign more, it's absolutely hilarious, and the fact that it's fully AI-voiced makes it even funnier.
In this campaign , you replace Prince Arthas in the original human storyline...and send him to, well...build sandcastles ? :)
I won't spoil too much, but seriously, play it! You will definitely get a good laugh.
Also, make sure to select "Classic HD", in options menu, reforged section for the best experience. That applies to all custom campaigns.
Download: https://www.hiveworkshop.com/threads/garithos-human-campaign.358457/
Original Author: Nral
Second Campaign: Warcraft II Tides of Darkness
This one is special, a true masterpiece, split into two storylines: Humans and Orcs.
You will get to fully enjoy Warcraft II music, gameplay and atmosphere, all inside a modern engine with improved graphics and smoother mechanics. it's a faithful recreation that brings the classic to life in a way that feels fresh , but still nostalgic.
Honestly, i can't put into words how good it is! So i'll leave that up to you to discover. What i can say is this: i highly recommend it. It captures everything that made Warcraft II awesome. The story, the tone, the feel and it's clear the creator put an INCREDIBLE amount of effort into details.
Download: https://www.hiveworkshop.com/threads/warcraft-2-tides-of-darkness-humans.335324/
Original Author: LordPerenolde II
Download: https://www.hiveworkshop.com/threads/warcraft-2-tides-of-darkness-orcs.339668/
Original Author: LordPerenolde II
Third and last Campaign:
This is a very high quality campaign split into two chronicles, where you play as Mathias. And no, we're not talking about Mathias Shaw, the leader of Stormwind's SI:7. We're talking about Mathias Menethil, the illegitimate son of King Terenas II.
The story takes place during The Third War, and you will face challenging enemies that will test your skills.
I fully recommend to play it, it's:
- Fully voices
- Features an original, alternate storyline
- Very well-crafted maps and cinematics
- Excellent balance and gameplay
It also fits nicely as an additional Human campaign, as an alternative story
Download: https://www.hiveworkshop.com/threads/mathias-chronicles-i-the-pursuit.323770/
Original Author: Med. MapGuy, Savage Potato
Download: https://www.hiveworkshop.com/threads/mathias-chronicles-ii-reckoning.332173/
Original Author: Med. MapGuy
Than you for reading my post! If you're interested in more recommendations, for some custom campaigns or game modes in Warcraft III, let me know and i'd be happy to make another post in the future.
Sources:
Cinematic Image: IGN / Youtube
Custom campaigns images: original posts in hiveworkshop
Gifs: Tenor