frostwhisper
Media Manager
- Joined
- May 25, 2007
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Inspired by StarCraft II's coop commanders, create a custom Warcraft III faction centered around a hero or major character from Warcraft lore. Your design should reflect the theme, personality, and abilities of your chosen character, and the faction’s gameplay should feel true to their identity.
@GhostThruster - Gul'dan - First Place Winner
@Riki - Arthas Menethil - Second Place Winner
@Vinz - Tyrande - Third Place Winner
- 1st place: 2250 experience points
- 2nd place: 1800 experience points
- 3rd place: 1350 experience points
- Entry: 250 experience points
- Judge: 50 experience points per entrant
The three winners will receive an award icon representing the winning entry.
Winning a contest also unlocks Demon Rank icons (at least two wins are required).
Theme – 20/25
The frosty Undead aesthetic and theme feel perfectly integrated with Arthas, fitting his role as the Lich King’s champion and wielder of Frostmourne. While the core concept is strong and cohesive, some unit names and visuals are a bit lackluster, preventing the faction from achieving top marks. The design is thrown together decently, but I felt it missed a few opportunities to truly distinguish itself and stand out further within the Warcraft lore.
Gameplay – 29/30
This is a standard-style faction executed with a deeply unique flair. While it may initially resemble the default Undead faction, a few minutes of play immediately prove otherwise. The central innovation is the Talent system: Arthas himself starts without traditional level-up abilities, instead gaining Soul Points by attacking enemies. These points are then invested directly into an extensive Talent Tree to acquire new skills. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Arthas could accumulate these points, allowing him to access two extra skills well before Level 2, and even his ultimate before Level 6. This rapid progression is an interesting and effective way to balance the fact that he is the faction's sole Hero.
Arthas’s Undead forces are just as deadly. The Husks are a cheap light unit that I consider core to the army. They serve as excellent cannon-fodder and, crucially, provide additional Soul Points when attacking enemies. Simple and effective, they feel like Ghouls on steroids: when they die, they drop a debuff that encourages me to sacrifice low-health units onto the enemy army to boost the damage of nearby Husks. The synergy across the entire roster is excellent, with units like the Wretched, Unravelers, Heralds, Apparitions, and the awesome Harvesters creating a truly dynamic army. My only minor criticisms are that the Grave Tether felt unintuitive and weak despite it sounding strong on paper, and the Wretched not benefiting from damage upgrades felt odd, even if understandable for a dedicated tank unit. Overall, I had immense fun replaying this faction and encountered no major issues that hampered my enjoyment.
Creativity – 26/45
The most creative element here is the design of the Talent Tree. It’s structured to provide Arthas with skill unlocks and stat boosts at specific tiers, with some of the main stat upgrades being nicely themed around Arthas's iconic feats during Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne. I especially enjoyed the ability to call upon his steed and become mounted. Furthermore, the use of corpse mechanics is well implemented. Despite its simple base concept, the overall faction design feels unique enough to be engaging and never dry.
Total: 75/100
The frosty Undead aesthetic and theme feel perfectly integrated with Arthas, fitting his role as the Lich King’s champion and wielder of Frostmourne. While the core concept is strong and cohesive, some unit names and visuals are a bit lackluster, preventing the faction from achieving top marks. The design is thrown together decently, but I felt it missed a few opportunities to truly distinguish itself and stand out further within the Warcraft lore.
Gameplay – 29/30
This is a standard-style faction executed with a deeply unique flair. While it may initially resemble the default Undead faction, a few minutes of play immediately prove otherwise. The central innovation is the Talent system: Arthas himself starts without traditional level-up abilities, instead gaining Soul Points by attacking enemies. These points are then invested directly into an extensive Talent Tree to acquire new skills. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Arthas could accumulate these points, allowing him to access two extra skills well before Level 2, and even his ultimate before Level 6. This rapid progression is an interesting and effective way to balance the fact that he is the faction's sole Hero.
Arthas’s Undead forces are just as deadly. The Husks are a cheap light unit that I consider core to the army. They serve as excellent cannon-fodder and, crucially, provide additional Soul Points when attacking enemies. Simple and effective, they feel like Ghouls on steroids: when they die, they drop a debuff that encourages me to sacrifice low-health units onto the enemy army to boost the damage of nearby Husks. The synergy across the entire roster is excellent, with units like the Wretched, Unravelers, Heralds, Apparitions, and the awesome Harvesters creating a truly dynamic army. My only minor criticisms are that the Grave Tether felt unintuitive and weak despite it sounding strong on paper, and the Wretched not benefiting from damage upgrades felt odd, even if understandable for a dedicated tank unit. Overall, I had immense fun replaying this faction and encountered no major issues that hampered my enjoyment.
Creativity – 26/45
The most creative element here is the design of the Talent Tree. It’s structured to provide Arthas with skill unlocks and stat boosts at specific tiers, with some of the main stat upgrades being nicely themed around Arthas's iconic feats during Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne. I especially enjoyed the ability to call upon his steed and become mounted. Furthermore, the use of corpse mechanics is well implemented. Despite its simple base concept, the overall faction design feels unique enough to be engaging and never dry.
Total: 75/100
Theme: 12/25
Grom and his Warsong Clan certainly feel like an overwhelming horde once they get going. Accessible healing and Grom’s insane creep-clear potential with Bladestorm and Mirror Image allow him to go on a near-continuous warpath. However, several design choices feel out of place thematically. The Sacrifice mechanic tied to Farms, Necrolytes raising skeletons, flying dogs, the heavy industrial aesthetic, lightning spears, and… for some reason rabbits(?!) don’t really fit with the identity of a Warsong faction. Overall, the theme feels scattered and lacks cohesion.
Gameplay:18/30
At first, Grom is very fun to play. Orcish Farms enable unit sacrifices for points, and their mana can instantly restore units to full health, making Grom an early-game powerhouse. His Bladestorm and Mirror Image combo also provides absurd area damage for creep clearing. Once you gather Sacrifice Points, you can choose upgrade paths that unlock new benefits and units.
That said, the way points are earned feels unintuitive. Sacrificing units grants very few, and Grom himself must score last hits with his passive to generate them—effectively punishing players for fielding large armies. Unit balance also swings wildly: you start with the humble (and weak) Warsong Grunt, then get Spearthrowers with a strong stun and flat spell damage, Raiders that can lock down enemies, and finally the Arsenal Warlock-which can summon a permanent unit from corpses that rivals an Abomination or Tauren. Once that option becomes available, I barely needed any other unit. The Warlock’s Mana Nova also had an excessively blinding visual effect.
Late-game, earning enough points lets you field units powerful enough to outright end the game, but the path restrictions limit flexibility and often lock you out of essential units. Other issues include the lack of solid mid-game anti-air, no accessible long-ranged siege, and the rigidity of the path system.
Creativity: 25/45
While most mechanics aren’t entirely new, they combine into a unique (if uneven) experience. Grom getting dash boots was a nice mobility bonus and the overall playstyle, built around Grom’s powerful kit, instant healing via sacrifices, and the Sacrifice tree bonuses, all supports a fun fast-paced strategy focused on clearing camps and overwhelming enemies with superior units. The main issue is however the lack of cohesion, and really just how messy the execution of some things are in general.
Total: 55/100
Grom and his Warsong Clan certainly feel like an overwhelming horde once they get going. Accessible healing and Grom’s insane creep-clear potential with Bladestorm and Mirror Image allow him to go on a near-continuous warpath. However, several design choices feel out of place thematically. The Sacrifice mechanic tied to Farms, Necrolytes raising skeletons, flying dogs, the heavy industrial aesthetic, lightning spears, and… for some reason rabbits(?!) don’t really fit with the identity of a Warsong faction. Overall, the theme feels scattered and lacks cohesion.
Gameplay:18/30
At first, Grom is very fun to play. Orcish Farms enable unit sacrifices for points, and their mana can instantly restore units to full health, making Grom an early-game powerhouse. His Bladestorm and Mirror Image combo also provides absurd area damage for creep clearing. Once you gather Sacrifice Points, you can choose upgrade paths that unlock new benefits and units.
That said, the way points are earned feels unintuitive. Sacrificing units grants very few, and Grom himself must score last hits with his passive to generate them—effectively punishing players for fielding large armies. Unit balance also swings wildly: you start with the humble (and weak) Warsong Grunt, then get Spearthrowers with a strong stun and flat spell damage, Raiders that can lock down enemies, and finally the Arsenal Warlock-which can summon a permanent unit from corpses that rivals an Abomination or Tauren. Once that option becomes available, I barely needed any other unit. The Warlock’s Mana Nova also had an excessively blinding visual effect.
Late-game, earning enough points lets you field units powerful enough to outright end the game, but the path restrictions limit flexibility and often lock you out of essential units. Other issues include the lack of solid mid-game anti-air, no accessible long-ranged siege, and the rigidity of the path system.
Creativity: 25/45
While most mechanics aren’t entirely new, they combine into a unique (if uneven) experience. Grom getting dash boots was a nice mobility bonus and the overall playstyle, built around Grom’s powerful kit, instant healing via sacrifices, and the Sacrifice tree bonuses, all supports a fun fast-paced strategy focused on clearing camps and overwhelming enemies with superior units. The main issue is however the lack of cohesion, and really just how messy the execution of some things are in general.
Total: 55/100
Theme – 24/25
The theme here is very strong. It captures the feel of a very old-school Orcish Horde reminiscent of Warcraft 2, but with the fel-influence of Gul'dan and the Legion. The heroes are all reminiscent of Warcraft 2 characters, and Gul'dan himself is done really well as he feels like the center-piece of the faction, becoming core to the faction's gameplay.
Gameplay – 28/30
The early game is quite basic at first, but Gul'dan spices it up providing some on-demand support and healing for your troops. Zealots were quite interesting being a ranged attacker that can harm itself for bonuses, but the Ogre Knave feels really underwhelming despite being called a "high-health" melee unit due to their rather low health value. I also wish Gul'dan himself had a bit more under his belt than just being a glorified heal / defense tool. Despite all that, I've found no major issues with the faction and you've managed to capture a really cool and unique playstyle here with Gul'dan that's both fun and engaging to play without being frustrating or tedious.
Creativity – 35/45
This faction shows a lot of really unique mechanics and unit designs that I'm really into. The notable ones were the Familiar's Bond mechanic, the Protective Runes on the Shadow Councils, the Terrorfiend, and the Spy mechanic from the Slave. Of course, Gul'dan himself as well. It all ties into together thematically and mechanically. You've hit the nail right on the head here, yet there's just a bit more to hammer down on and I definitely would love to see this concept expanded upon.
Total: 87/100
The theme here is very strong. It captures the feel of a very old-school Orcish Horde reminiscent of Warcraft 2, but with the fel-influence of Gul'dan and the Legion. The heroes are all reminiscent of Warcraft 2 characters, and Gul'dan himself is done really well as he feels like the center-piece of the faction, becoming core to the faction's gameplay.
Gameplay – 28/30
The early game is quite basic at first, but Gul'dan spices it up providing some on-demand support and healing for your troops. Zealots were quite interesting being a ranged attacker that can harm itself for bonuses, but the Ogre Knave feels really underwhelming despite being called a "high-health" melee unit due to their rather low health value. I also wish Gul'dan himself had a bit more under his belt than just being a glorified heal / defense tool. Despite all that, I've found no major issues with the faction and you've managed to capture a really cool and unique playstyle here with Gul'dan that's both fun and engaging to play without being frustrating or tedious.
Creativity – 35/45
This faction shows a lot of really unique mechanics and unit designs that I'm really into. The notable ones were the Familiar's Bond mechanic, the Protective Runes on the Shadow Councils, the Terrorfiend, and the Spy mechanic from the Slave. Of course, Gul'dan himself as well. It all ties into together thematically and mechanically. You've hit the nail right on the head here, yet there's just a bit more to hammer down on and I definitely would love to see this concept expanded upon.
Total: 87/100
Theme: 10/25
While unimpressive, you have captured what the Kirin Tor might look like, or at least Jaina's version of it. She has elements of Lordaeron, Kul'tiras, and Dalaran all merged together, which gives her faction more of a personal flair to it. Now the disappointing aspect here is how it's mostly just a reskinned human faction with only very few interesting elements that play into the theme.
Gameplay: 5/30
In short, the gameplay can be summed up as simple, unpolished, and overpowered. Jaina herself is fully kitted with 2 powerful AOE damage spells and a burst damage stun, as well as a 50% slow on attack. The Barracks units are all basically just reskins of the default Barracks units with minor changes, and the Arcane Sanctum units contain the most overpowered units in the faction. Hydromancers have chain lightning and crushing wave, allowing them to deal insane AOE damage to any non-spell-immune army, and the Archer Priestess have a 300 HP AOE heal on a 10 second cooldown with zero mana cost, basically making your army unkillable. The Arcane Gold Mines also cost no resources and are built nearly instantaneously, allowing Jaina to freely take any expansion. The Arcane Generators themselves have healing similar to a fountain of health / fountain of mana, effectively making it free for her. Then you have the Valkyrie with an insane multi-shot ability. All of these strong effects add up to simplifying the gameplay and basically making the whole prestige system pointless, as well as restricting any potentially interesting dynamics to be had.
Creativity: 8/45
The ability to pick a prestige to shift Jaina's playstyle is a nice touch, but in terms of the faction's actual design, mechanics, or abilities, it falls extremely short. Jaina is basically just a mix of Human and Undead, with unit design that feels more like reskins of the original Human units. Jaina herself is no better as her ability kit is just a bunch of in-game burst damage spells. The units that were mildly interesting are the casters, such as the Hydromancer, but they basically have a re-themed Chain Lightning ability.
Total: 23/100
While unimpressive, you have captured what the Kirin Tor might look like, or at least Jaina's version of it. She has elements of Lordaeron, Kul'tiras, and Dalaran all merged together, which gives her faction more of a personal flair to it. Now the disappointing aspect here is how it's mostly just a reskinned human faction with only very few interesting elements that play into the theme.
Gameplay: 5/30
In short, the gameplay can be summed up as simple, unpolished, and overpowered. Jaina herself is fully kitted with 2 powerful AOE damage spells and a burst damage stun, as well as a 50% slow on attack. The Barracks units are all basically just reskins of the default Barracks units with minor changes, and the Arcane Sanctum units contain the most overpowered units in the faction. Hydromancers have chain lightning and crushing wave, allowing them to deal insane AOE damage to any non-spell-immune army, and the Archer Priestess have a 300 HP AOE heal on a 10 second cooldown with zero mana cost, basically making your army unkillable. The Arcane Gold Mines also cost no resources and are built nearly instantaneously, allowing Jaina to freely take any expansion. The Arcane Generators themselves have healing similar to a fountain of health / fountain of mana, effectively making it free for her. Then you have the Valkyrie with an insane multi-shot ability. All of these strong effects add up to simplifying the gameplay and basically making the whole prestige system pointless, as well as restricting any potentially interesting dynamics to be had.
Creativity: 8/45
The ability to pick a prestige to shift Jaina's playstyle is a nice touch, but in terms of the faction's actual design, mechanics, or abilities, it falls extremely short. Jaina is basically just a mix of Human and Undead, with unit design that feels more like reskins of the original Human units. Jaina herself is no better as her ability kit is just a bunch of in-game burst damage spells. The units that were mildly interesting are the casters, such as the Hydromancer, but they basically have a re-themed Chain Lightning ability.
Total: 23/100
Theme – 20/25
The faction’s visuals and atmosphere strongly evoke the feeling of a Dark Horde force. The cohesion between the orcs, trolls, ogres, and the Black Dragonflight is especially effective, creating a unified and believable look. Katrana Prestor herself stands out sharply against this backdrop, but this contrast actually works in the faction’s favor, making it clear she’s the center of the entire operation.
Gameplay – 24/30
The gameplay isn’t flashy or overly gimmicky, but it’s solid and well-balanced, following a structure similar to a traditional Warcraft III melee faction. Where it lacks in innovation, it compensates with a dependable, functional techtree.
One highlight is the early-game hero choice: although you’re restricted to Katrana Prestor as your first hero, the option to pick between two different versions of her (with distinct abilities) adds meaningful variety to early gameplay. However, the Mastery of Deception path feels noticeably weaker compared to Master of Sorcery. Sorcery provides faster creeping, stronger fight presence, and a significant experience advantage, leaving little incentive to choose Deception.
The faction also struggles somewhat with siege options, lacking a true long-ranged siege unit. The Nefarion Enforcer feels like an outright upgrade to the Marauder rather than a sidegrade or alternative role. Additionally, the Necrolyte’s Bone Shield currently has no mana cost, making it excessively spammable. Some abilities could also be streamlined. both the Warlock and the Mystic offer healing and single-target disruption, which feels redundant.
Creativity – 22/45
While the aesthetic and theme are strong, the faction’s overall design leans heavily on the base Orc faction, both in structure and in gameplay flow but has some spice to it. I love the idea of being able to pick between one of two of Katrana's styles, and the farm structures being able to be guarded by little dragons. I do feel like this faction played it way too safe, and could've had some more wacky stuff going on.
Total: 66/100
The faction’s visuals and atmosphere strongly evoke the feeling of a Dark Horde force. The cohesion between the orcs, trolls, ogres, and the Black Dragonflight is especially effective, creating a unified and believable look. Katrana Prestor herself stands out sharply against this backdrop, but this contrast actually works in the faction’s favor, making it clear she’s the center of the entire operation.
Gameplay – 24/30
The gameplay isn’t flashy or overly gimmicky, but it’s solid and well-balanced, following a structure similar to a traditional Warcraft III melee faction. Where it lacks in innovation, it compensates with a dependable, functional techtree.
One highlight is the early-game hero choice: although you’re restricted to Katrana Prestor as your first hero, the option to pick between two different versions of her (with distinct abilities) adds meaningful variety to early gameplay. However, the Mastery of Deception path feels noticeably weaker compared to Master of Sorcery. Sorcery provides faster creeping, stronger fight presence, and a significant experience advantage, leaving little incentive to choose Deception.
The faction also struggles somewhat with siege options, lacking a true long-ranged siege unit. The Nefarion Enforcer feels like an outright upgrade to the Marauder rather than a sidegrade or alternative role. Additionally, the Necrolyte’s Bone Shield currently has no mana cost, making it excessively spammable. Some abilities could also be streamlined. both the Warlock and the Mystic offer healing and single-target disruption, which feels redundant.
Creativity – 22/45
While the aesthetic and theme are strong, the faction’s overall design leans heavily on the base Orc faction, both in structure and in gameplay flow but has some spice to it. I love the idea of being able to pick between one of two of Katrana's styles, and the farm structures being able to be guarded by little dragons. I do feel like this faction played it way too safe, and could've had some more wacky stuff going on.
Total: 66/100
Theme – 16/25
Thematically, the faction delivers what is expected from a plant-based army. However, I wish the design had moved away from the standard Night Elf Ancient style and embraced something more unique, as the current visuals feel rather clumsy. Despite this visual lack of polish, the core gameplay and mechanics fit the nature theme exceptionally well.
Gameplay – 15/30
The Primals are essentially a swarm faction, designed to overwhelm the opponent with sheer numbers and accessible units. Their early units are cheap and highly spammable, and there is a diverse range of ways to instantly reinforce your army with plant summons, whether by utilizing trees or by harvesting corpses. The Birthing Pool also offers an instant mechanism for summoning advanced units once you hit the mid-game.
The most interesting element is the way trees become central to the faction's gameplay. Many heroes, units, and items utilize trees to activate abilities or generate resources, which is simultaneously a fun gimmick and a limiting factor.
However, the execution of these unique mechanics leaves much to be desired. So many abilities target trees and have an extremely short range, adding a tedious requirement that doesn't genuinely benefit the gameplay. While this can be bypassed by using items or spells that create trees, it constantly forces the player to engage in an unnecessary setup routine. Furthermore, the majority of the combat units, barring the spellcasters, feel somewhat bland in design and could be improved upon with more distinctive abilities.
Creativity – 21/45
The Primals offer a variety of unique elements that I haven't seen executed in another faction. The focused reliance on trees provides an interesting gameplay anchor, even if it can be tedious at times. The spellcasters are a particular highlight; their abilities to infect units, turn allies into trees, and their unique personal summons were all fresh and interesting. However, it is a bit lacking in execution of a majority of those said creative ideas.
Total: 52/100
Thematically, the faction delivers what is expected from a plant-based army. However, I wish the design had moved away from the standard Night Elf Ancient style and embraced something more unique, as the current visuals feel rather clumsy. Despite this visual lack of polish, the core gameplay and mechanics fit the nature theme exceptionally well.
Gameplay – 15/30
The Primals are essentially a swarm faction, designed to overwhelm the opponent with sheer numbers and accessible units. Their early units are cheap and highly spammable, and there is a diverse range of ways to instantly reinforce your army with plant summons, whether by utilizing trees or by harvesting corpses. The Birthing Pool also offers an instant mechanism for summoning advanced units once you hit the mid-game.
The most interesting element is the way trees become central to the faction's gameplay. Many heroes, units, and items utilize trees to activate abilities or generate resources, which is simultaneously a fun gimmick and a limiting factor.
However, the execution of these unique mechanics leaves much to be desired. So many abilities target trees and have an extremely short range, adding a tedious requirement that doesn't genuinely benefit the gameplay. While this can be bypassed by using items or spells that create trees, it constantly forces the player to engage in an unnecessary setup routine. Furthermore, the majority of the combat units, barring the spellcasters, feel somewhat bland in design and could be improved upon with more distinctive abilities.
Creativity – 21/45
The Primals offer a variety of unique elements that I haven't seen executed in another faction. The focused reliance on trees provides an interesting gameplay anchor, even if it can be tedious at times. The spellcasters are a particular highlight; their abilities to infect units, turn allies into trees, and their unique personal summons were all fresh and interesting. However, it is a bit lacking in execution of a majority of those said creative ideas.
Total: 52/100
Theme – 12/25
Visually, the faction is a stunning spectacle. The custom sound design and unique graphical effects depicting burning heat are impressive and high-quality. Unfortunately, the thematic execution falls flat. Beyond the general fire motif and the ability to summon him directly, there’s little genuine Ragnaros influence or connection to the larger Warcraft universe. The army lacks expected components from the lore, like Dark Iron Dwarves, Golems, or Black Dragons, making the faction feel divorced from the established setting. It's a shame, as the high-quality visual presentation deserved a deeper, more committed thematic foundation.
Gameplay – 16/30
The overarching issue with gameplay is complexity; "overwhelming" is the right word. With numerous upgrades, specialized abilities, and unique mechanics, the faction demands a significant time investment just to grasp the fundamentals.
The initial phase is unnecessarily frustrating. The severe lack of early-game mana replenishment (with no equivalent to Clarity Potions) cripples Hero utility, forcing a passive and boring opening until Tier 2. The early units from the Ground Maw are challenging to use for little reward. Most of them are short-ranged, frail, and struggle even against neutral creeps. The Cinderling is particularly weak: despite its high HP and regeneration, its low Pierce damage and -8 Unarmored defense mean it gets easily shredded on the frontline, contradicting its intended tanking role. Furthermore, the Black Armor upgrade for Black Legions only triggers at high health, rendering the units functionally weak once they sustain any damage. Clearing a simple Centaur camp felt like a major struggle, highlighting how awkward the early game path currently is.
The faction becomes more appreciable later on. The Black Summoner and Awakener are intriguing casters with versatile spells, and the Fire Giant provides much-needed bulk for the otherwise frail army (though it is disappointing that it is not a melee unit). However, several quality-of-life issues and bugs remain. The absence of an allied dispel unit is frustrating, forcing the player to watch armies remain Crippled and Slowed. Worse, I identified two major bugs: the Launch Pad’s Meteor Shower ability seems to incorrectly grant invulnerability to the thrown unit, which is easily abusable; and using Wisps to build occasionally damages or destroys a random nearby Wisp instead of the one performing the action. Finally, the Aspect system, while designed to offer choice and a secondary Hero, feels like unnecessary busywork-it's an expensive, multi-step prerequisite that adds little meaningful depth or variation to the strategy. After twelve 20-30 minute games, I still feel confused about how to play the faction effectively, which severely limited my ability to fully enjoy its potential.
Creativity – 25/45
The faction scores well here because it has a few original ideas. The heat and ember mechanics are cool on paper, and most of the abilities work somewhat well together. However, the units and execution themselves are messy. They seem designed to be different just for the sake of it instead of something the faction actually needed in gameplay or strategic depth. While I'm sure there was an attempt to tie all the systems together, the resulting gameplay experience was just rough and frustrating, making it hard for me to say a lot of these creative designs added any fun or depth to the gameplay and thus will have me docking some points.
Total: 56/100
Visually, the faction is a stunning spectacle. The custom sound design and unique graphical effects depicting burning heat are impressive and high-quality. Unfortunately, the thematic execution falls flat. Beyond the general fire motif and the ability to summon him directly, there’s little genuine Ragnaros influence or connection to the larger Warcraft universe. The army lacks expected components from the lore, like Dark Iron Dwarves, Golems, or Black Dragons, making the faction feel divorced from the established setting. It's a shame, as the high-quality visual presentation deserved a deeper, more committed thematic foundation.
Gameplay – 16/30
The overarching issue with gameplay is complexity; "overwhelming" is the right word. With numerous upgrades, specialized abilities, and unique mechanics, the faction demands a significant time investment just to grasp the fundamentals.
The initial phase is unnecessarily frustrating. The severe lack of early-game mana replenishment (with no equivalent to Clarity Potions) cripples Hero utility, forcing a passive and boring opening until Tier 2. The early units from the Ground Maw are challenging to use for little reward. Most of them are short-ranged, frail, and struggle even against neutral creeps. The Cinderling is particularly weak: despite its high HP and regeneration, its low Pierce damage and -8 Unarmored defense mean it gets easily shredded on the frontline, contradicting its intended tanking role. Furthermore, the Black Armor upgrade for Black Legions only triggers at high health, rendering the units functionally weak once they sustain any damage. Clearing a simple Centaur camp felt like a major struggle, highlighting how awkward the early game path currently is.
The faction becomes more appreciable later on. The Black Summoner and Awakener are intriguing casters with versatile spells, and the Fire Giant provides much-needed bulk for the otherwise frail army (though it is disappointing that it is not a melee unit). However, several quality-of-life issues and bugs remain. The absence of an allied dispel unit is frustrating, forcing the player to watch armies remain Crippled and Slowed. Worse, I identified two major bugs: the Launch Pad’s Meteor Shower ability seems to incorrectly grant invulnerability to the thrown unit, which is easily abusable; and using Wisps to build occasionally damages or destroys a random nearby Wisp instead of the one performing the action. Finally, the Aspect system, while designed to offer choice and a secondary Hero, feels like unnecessary busywork-it's an expensive, multi-step prerequisite that adds little meaningful depth or variation to the strategy. After twelve 20-30 minute games, I still feel confused about how to play the faction effectively, which severely limited my ability to fully enjoy its potential.
Creativity – 25/45
The faction scores well here because it has a few original ideas. The heat and ember mechanics are cool on paper, and most of the abilities work somewhat well together. However, the units and execution themselves are messy. They seem designed to be different just for the sake of it instead of something the faction actually needed in gameplay or strategic depth. While I'm sure there was an attempt to tie all the systems together, the resulting gameplay experience was just rough and frustrating, making it hard for me to say a lot of these creative designs added any fun or depth to the gameplay and thus will have me docking some points.
Total: 56/100
Theme – 10/25
The faction is heavily lacking thematically. I expected Sapphiron's faction to embrace a cohesive, frosty, and cold aesthetic, fielding a legion of mindless, frostbitten undead warriors from Northrend. While some elements of this exist, it’s not executed well enough to make the faction feel coherent. Right now, it just feels like a jumbled mess of various regular Undead creatures, albeit with more dragons. I would have liked for Sapphiron himself to be more intimidating and have a more powerful presence on the field, rather than feeling like a basic hero unit.
Gameplay – 8/30
I had high hopes that the Sapphiron faction would be intriguing, but unfortunately, this entry is full of game-breaking bugs. I was unable to progress far without encountering issues such as Whelps not gathering gold, certain unique mechanics failing to work, or the game simply crashing. Not to mention the complete lack of information: many tooltips are plain and offer no explanation of the unit’s function, values, or abilities.
My review is therefore limited to the early-to-mid game content I was able to access.
First, Sapphiron himself appears to be designed for a support role rather than direct power. Encase is a decent ability for taking a unit out of a fight, but it is currently bugged and costs no mana, allowing players to spam it on cooldown. I also found it strange that he is a melee hero and feel he would have been better suited as a ranged attacker. Including the default Undead heroes alongside him also feels unnecessary; Sapphiron could likely stand as a powerful solo hero without them.
The unit roster has an interesting concept, but only the Phantasm and Sentinel really caught my eye. I’m not a fan of the Azure Behemoth being restricted to attacking only buildings despite its name, though I do appreciate the overall focus on flying units. However, the low sight ranges for these flying units are unnecessarily atrocious for a game like Warcraft 3. Furthermore, the Whelps are currently busted: their ability to instantly harvest lumber from trees with no cooldown means you can clear every tree near your base in seconds and forget about wood gathering entirely.
I wish I could experience the faction more fully without the bugs and crashes. I feel like I am barely scratching the surface of what could potentially be a fun experience, but the current execution clearly needs significant work and polish.
Creativity – 22/45
This faction is more of an experimental prototype than a fully fleshed-out design, but the ideas it introduces are intriguing. Concepts like the main base functioning as a gold mine, the unique Whelp harvesting system, the ability of roosting dragon towers that switch locations with one another, and the central focus on an undead dragon theme are all awesome ideas. However, as noted in the gameplay section, the execution severely lets these creative concepts down.
Total: 40/100
The faction is heavily lacking thematically. I expected Sapphiron's faction to embrace a cohesive, frosty, and cold aesthetic, fielding a legion of mindless, frostbitten undead warriors from Northrend. While some elements of this exist, it’s not executed well enough to make the faction feel coherent. Right now, it just feels like a jumbled mess of various regular Undead creatures, albeit with more dragons. I would have liked for Sapphiron himself to be more intimidating and have a more powerful presence on the field, rather than feeling like a basic hero unit.
Gameplay – 8/30
I had high hopes that the Sapphiron faction would be intriguing, but unfortunately, this entry is full of game-breaking bugs. I was unable to progress far without encountering issues such as Whelps not gathering gold, certain unique mechanics failing to work, or the game simply crashing. Not to mention the complete lack of information: many tooltips are plain and offer no explanation of the unit’s function, values, or abilities.
My review is therefore limited to the early-to-mid game content I was able to access.
First, Sapphiron himself appears to be designed for a support role rather than direct power. Encase is a decent ability for taking a unit out of a fight, but it is currently bugged and costs no mana, allowing players to spam it on cooldown. I also found it strange that he is a melee hero and feel he would have been better suited as a ranged attacker. Including the default Undead heroes alongside him also feels unnecessary; Sapphiron could likely stand as a powerful solo hero without them.
The unit roster has an interesting concept, but only the Phantasm and Sentinel really caught my eye. I’m not a fan of the Azure Behemoth being restricted to attacking only buildings despite its name, though I do appreciate the overall focus on flying units. However, the low sight ranges for these flying units are unnecessarily atrocious for a game like Warcraft 3. Furthermore, the Whelps are currently busted: their ability to instantly harvest lumber from trees with no cooldown means you can clear every tree near your base in seconds and forget about wood gathering entirely.
I wish I could experience the faction more fully without the bugs and crashes. I feel like I am barely scratching the surface of what could potentially be a fun experience, but the current execution clearly needs significant work and polish.
Creativity – 22/45
This faction is more of an experimental prototype than a fully fleshed-out design, but the ideas it introduces are intriguing. Concepts like the main base functioning as a gold mine, the unique Whelp harvesting system, the ability of roosting dragon towers that switch locations with one another, and the central focus on an undead dragon theme are all awesome ideas. However, as noted in the gameplay section, the execution severely lets these creative concepts down.
Total: 40/100
Theme – 22/25
This faction feels like a natural extension of what the Night Elves could have become. The models and effects work well together to create a cohesive, attractive look. Tyrande’s archery or leadership aspects could have been highlighted more, but focusing on her priestess side and presenting her as the leader of an elite band of loyalists also makes sense and gives the faction a distinct identity.
Gameplay – 20/30
The early game feels awkward. The town hall spawns very close to the gold mine, and you don’t start with enough resources to follow the usual Worker–Barracks–Altar–Farm opening, especially since there’s no initial lumber harvester. Unless you follow a very specific build, the first minutes feel clumsy.
Tyrande herself is also an issue. She’s positioned as the centerpiece of the faction, but her kit is almost entirely supportive and most of her abilities feel situational or underwhelming. Her ultimate in particular lacks impact. Giving her a signature passive or a stronger opening ability could make her stand out more and guide the player toward clear playstyles.
Once you get through the rough start and Tyrande’s weak kit, the rest of the faction is fun and creative. Nightblades are powerful but fragile damage dealers; Foragers double as ranged support; Moonkin serve as sturdy defensive units; the Elysian Ark functions similarly to an Obsidian Statue, providing some additional healing (although Tyrande's heal is way better); and the Vale Guardian provides heavy splash damage from the air with a really cool boulder rolling attack.
Some balance issues stand out: the Haven to Sanctuary tech upgrade is currently free, so you can jump to Tier 2 immediately; and the Woodland Shrine generates a lot of lumber passively without costing food. Requiring an Artisan to be loaded inside it would make it more balanced.
Creativity – 30/45
The faction has plenty of fresh ideas. Foragers as combat healers, Starcallers summoning mini starfalls, and the Moonkin’s Lifeline passive are all memorable touches. The units feel a little MOBA-like at times, but they still fit the Warcraft style. The Sanctuary’s unique Tier 3 upgrades are a smart design choice — by the time you reach that tier, you already know your army composition and can choose the upgrade that benefits you most. Again, I do wish the same amount of thought and effort was put into Tyrande however.
Total: 72/100
This faction feels like a natural extension of what the Night Elves could have become. The models and effects work well together to create a cohesive, attractive look. Tyrande’s archery or leadership aspects could have been highlighted more, but focusing on her priestess side and presenting her as the leader of an elite band of loyalists also makes sense and gives the faction a distinct identity.
Gameplay – 20/30
The early game feels awkward. The town hall spawns very close to the gold mine, and you don’t start with enough resources to follow the usual Worker–Barracks–Altar–Farm opening, especially since there’s no initial lumber harvester. Unless you follow a very specific build, the first minutes feel clumsy.
Tyrande herself is also an issue. She’s positioned as the centerpiece of the faction, but her kit is almost entirely supportive and most of her abilities feel situational or underwhelming. Her ultimate in particular lacks impact. Giving her a signature passive or a stronger opening ability could make her stand out more and guide the player toward clear playstyles.
Once you get through the rough start and Tyrande’s weak kit, the rest of the faction is fun and creative. Nightblades are powerful but fragile damage dealers; Foragers double as ranged support; Moonkin serve as sturdy defensive units; the Elysian Ark functions similarly to an Obsidian Statue, providing some additional healing (although Tyrande's heal is way better); and the Vale Guardian provides heavy splash damage from the air with a really cool boulder rolling attack.
Some balance issues stand out: the Haven to Sanctuary tech upgrade is currently free, so you can jump to Tier 2 immediately; and the Woodland Shrine generates a lot of lumber passively without costing food. Requiring an Artisan to be loaded inside it would make it more balanced.
Creativity – 30/45
The faction has plenty of fresh ideas. Foragers as combat healers, Starcallers summoning mini starfalls, and the Moonkin’s Lifeline passive are all memorable touches. The units feel a little MOBA-like at times, but they still fit the Warcraft style. The Sanctuary’s unique Tier 3 upgrades are a smart design choice — by the time you reach that tier, you already know your army composition and can choose the upgrade that benefits you most. Again, I do wish the same amount of thought and effort was put into Tyrande however.
Total: 72/100
Theme – 16/25
As an HD entry, I was concerned about the visual quality, and my concerns were validated. The lack of cohesion is immediately obvious due to the conflicting styles of SD and HD assets. Ignoring that technical issue, the faction looks like a classical Human army with a clear emphasis on faith and the Light. While the style generally fits the Silver Hand theme, a few units, such as the Glaive Throwers and the variety of Angels, don't feel meaningfully related to what Uther himself represents.
Gameplay – 13/30
The game start is initially confusing because workers are split between the Peasant and the Cantor, each with their own unique building lists. Once you get past that initial hurdle, the mechanics become relatively simple to grasp. However, I’m confused by the existence of two separate food structures, the Farm and the Lodge, which feels quite unnecessary.
The faction is overloaded with units, structures, and upgrades, leading to significant overlap between the different types of combat units. Some units, like the Captain, are limited in number but don't offer an impressive return on that investment, which I'm generally not a fan of. Additionally, the wall system feels clunky to use—especially the gates—and introduces unnecessary mechanics or inconvenient designs.
Finally, there is the Faith system. It remains relevant and useful from the early to the late game, but the method of gaining Faith is quite boring, requiring you to simply stick a Cantor onto one of the Silver Hand buildings. I feel the execution here could have been much deeper and more dynamic to make Faith gathering a more engaging mechanic.
Creativity – 20/45
There are a lot of strong creative design decisions here, but like some other entries, they fall short due to a lack of polish or thought in their execution. Techtree-wise, the faction isn't visually unique or particularly striking, but mechanically, there are many interesting elements at play, such as the unique role of the Cantors, the Faith system, and the tiered upgrade path for Uther himself.
Total: 49/100
As an HD entry, I was concerned about the visual quality, and my concerns were validated. The lack of cohesion is immediately obvious due to the conflicting styles of SD and HD assets. Ignoring that technical issue, the faction looks like a classical Human army with a clear emphasis on faith and the Light. While the style generally fits the Silver Hand theme, a few units, such as the Glaive Throwers and the variety of Angels, don't feel meaningfully related to what Uther himself represents.
Gameplay – 13/30
The game start is initially confusing because workers are split between the Peasant and the Cantor, each with their own unique building lists. Once you get past that initial hurdle, the mechanics become relatively simple to grasp. However, I’m confused by the existence of two separate food structures, the Farm and the Lodge, which feels quite unnecessary.
The faction is overloaded with units, structures, and upgrades, leading to significant overlap between the different types of combat units. Some units, like the Captain, are limited in number but don't offer an impressive return on that investment, which I'm generally not a fan of. Additionally, the wall system feels clunky to use—especially the gates—and introduces unnecessary mechanics or inconvenient designs.
Finally, there is the Faith system. It remains relevant and useful from the early to the late game, but the method of gaining Faith is quite boring, requiring you to simply stick a Cantor onto one of the Silver Hand buildings. I feel the execution here could have been much deeper and more dynamic to make Faith gathering a more engaging mechanic.
Creativity – 20/45
There are a lot of strong creative design decisions here, but like some other entries, they fall short due to a lack of polish or thought in their execution. Techtree-wise, the faction isn't visually unique or particularly striking, but mechanically, there are many interesting elements at play, such as the unique role of the Cantors, the Faith system, and the tiered upgrade path for Uther himself.
Total: 49/100
Theme: 23/25
Having the undead and corrupted Arthas grow in power as he and his forces collect souls is exactly what I imagine after his fall to Frostmourne and the Lich King’s influence. A full custom ability tree and UI system in place of the traditional hero level-up mechanic is an amazing touch. I loved all the lore beats as he increased in strength, showcasing key moments in Arthas’ ascension to the Frozen Throne, paired with abilities befitting the first Death Knight. The faction itself supports his themes well, with some units acting as fodder and others harvesting souls to fuel his power. That said, I feel Arthas lacks the “kingly” presence without other heroes at his side. It would have been great to see at least two supporting heroes serving as his guards or confidants, perhaps unlocked only once Arthas himself is summoned, much like the cinematic where he slays his father.
Gameplay: 25/30
A very well-polished faction. It has everything you’d expect from a high-quality custom race: a wide selection of unique units with distinct abilities, each filling their own role. The custom workers are excellent, serving multiple purposes in economy, defense, soul harvesting, and construction. Each unit offered interesting strategies and synergies, especially in how they interacted with blight, as one would hope for in an undead faction. The only notable drawbacks I found were minor. The UI for the skill tree looks stretched and awkward compared to the rest of the polished interface, and the “Arthas” text at the top of the skill tree looks like a clickable button even though it isn’t, which caused some confusion. A few small text issues also stood out, but nothing game-breaking.
Creativity: 41/45
The soul-harvesting mechanic for Arthas was easily the most creative and memorable part of the faction, and it hit the mark perfectly. Using a distinct undead building set helped the race stand apart from the vanilla Scourge, though I wish there had been a stronger emphasis on frost and ice—things like snowy ubersplats or structures generating thematic snow would’ve driven the Frozen Throne aesthetic home. Separating the undead’s economy design by repurposing ghouls as purely offensive units while giving new workers defensive and structural roles was a clever choice. The mechanic of workers channeling at the main structure to defend it was a standout feature and a fresh take on undead base defense, however I would have liked it if it granted the main an actual attack.
Having the undead and corrupted Arthas grow in power as he and his forces collect souls is exactly what I imagine after his fall to Frostmourne and the Lich King’s influence. A full custom ability tree and UI system in place of the traditional hero level-up mechanic is an amazing touch. I loved all the lore beats as he increased in strength, showcasing key moments in Arthas’ ascension to the Frozen Throne, paired with abilities befitting the first Death Knight. The faction itself supports his themes well, with some units acting as fodder and others harvesting souls to fuel his power. That said, I feel Arthas lacks the “kingly” presence without other heroes at his side. It would have been great to see at least two supporting heroes serving as his guards or confidants, perhaps unlocked only once Arthas himself is summoned, much like the cinematic where he slays his father.
Gameplay: 25/30
A very well-polished faction. It has everything you’d expect from a high-quality custom race: a wide selection of unique units with distinct abilities, each filling their own role. The custom workers are excellent, serving multiple purposes in economy, defense, soul harvesting, and construction. Each unit offered interesting strategies and synergies, especially in how they interacted with blight, as one would hope for in an undead faction. The only notable drawbacks I found were minor. The UI for the skill tree looks stretched and awkward compared to the rest of the polished interface, and the “Arthas” text at the top of the skill tree looks like a clickable button even though it isn’t, which caused some confusion. A few small text issues also stood out, but nothing game-breaking.
Creativity: 41/45
The soul-harvesting mechanic for Arthas was easily the most creative and memorable part of the faction, and it hit the mark perfectly. Using a distinct undead building set helped the race stand apart from the vanilla Scourge, though I wish there had been a stronger emphasis on frost and ice—things like snowy ubersplats or structures generating thematic snow would’ve driven the Frozen Throne aesthetic home. Separating the undead’s economy design by repurposing ghouls as purely offensive units while giving new workers defensive and structural roles was a clever choice. The mechanic of workers channeling at the main structure to defend it was a standout feature and a fresh take on undead base defense, however I would have liked it if it granted the main an actual attack.
Theme: 10/25
The kit for Grom himself fits the theme quite well, taking aspects of the vanilla Blademaster but tailoring them to Grom. There are a lot of siege-type units that help reinforce the Warsong image. I don’t think the whole “sacrificing” aspect fits very well for Grom or the Warsong clan. They’re not a faction based on sacrificing their own forces; they’re more about raiding and pillaging. Killing your own units to gain sacrifice points, and having the farm structure heal using the life of others, feels more like a Gul’dan-style faction. Some units also feel strange and out of place, like rabid bunnies or the flying dog warlock. The Timberfeller is a cool concept, alluding to the lumber harvest mission, but the unit doesn’t even have a lumber harvest animation, and the mechanic itself gets overshadowed by Grom being able to hire Goblin Shredders. The skeleton warriors don’t make much thematic sense either, since the Warsong clan aren’t really tied to necromancy or the undead. Grom could have had more unique heroes to support him—commanders or champions—since the lack of other unique heroes takes away from the splendor of the main hero.
Gameplay: 15/30
The faction has a lot of variety through the sacrifice point system, and it's interesting to see all the different potentials for strategies. Attempting to gather enough sacrifice points is a slog. Requiring a unit or hero to get the last hit is a terrible system in a game like this. You constantly have to worry about your whole army kill-stealing from Grom, which creates micromanagement hell. You could solve most of this issue by implementing a short timer after attacking a unit, so if it dies, the ability still procs. It’s a more tedious system to code, but it’s the only way to make “On Kill” abilities functional. The orb effect is visually overpowering, especially for a hero that makes clone images, which flood the screen with the same effect. The massive mana-regen effect covers most of the screen, making it impossible to see what’s happening. Unless the player goes out of their way to sacrifice expensive units and play extremely defensively, they won’t get enough sacrifice points to purchase anything worthwhile. Requiring Grom to enter a building for base defense is also counterintuitive; you want him out killing to earn sacrifice points and level up, but he can’t do that if he’s stuck defending.
Creativity: 20/45
Grom himself, and the idea of him transforming into chaos forms, is a cool concept. The sacrifice mechanic with a whole tree of different upgrades also stands out. Having units temporarily transform into chaos forms is really creative and adds a layer of discovery. Giving the Chaos units their own special abilities is a fun addition. Making Grom instrumental in base defense is a neat idea on paper, but it just doesn’t work well in practice.
The kit for Grom himself fits the theme quite well, taking aspects of the vanilla Blademaster but tailoring them to Grom. There are a lot of siege-type units that help reinforce the Warsong image. I don’t think the whole “sacrificing” aspect fits very well for Grom or the Warsong clan. They’re not a faction based on sacrificing their own forces; they’re more about raiding and pillaging. Killing your own units to gain sacrifice points, and having the farm structure heal using the life of others, feels more like a Gul’dan-style faction. Some units also feel strange and out of place, like rabid bunnies or the flying dog warlock. The Timberfeller is a cool concept, alluding to the lumber harvest mission, but the unit doesn’t even have a lumber harvest animation, and the mechanic itself gets overshadowed by Grom being able to hire Goblin Shredders. The skeleton warriors don’t make much thematic sense either, since the Warsong clan aren’t really tied to necromancy or the undead. Grom could have had more unique heroes to support him—commanders or champions—since the lack of other unique heroes takes away from the splendor of the main hero.
Gameplay: 15/30
The faction has a lot of variety through the sacrifice point system, and it's interesting to see all the different potentials for strategies. Attempting to gather enough sacrifice points is a slog. Requiring a unit or hero to get the last hit is a terrible system in a game like this. You constantly have to worry about your whole army kill-stealing from Grom, which creates micromanagement hell. You could solve most of this issue by implementing a short timer after attacking a unit, so if it dies, the ability still procs. It’s a more tedious system to code, but it’s the only way to make “On Kill” abilities functional. The orb effect is visually overpowering, especially for a hero that makes clone images, which flood the screen with the same effect. The massive mana-regen effect covers most of the screen, making it impossible to see what’s happening. Unless the player goes out of their way to sacrifice expensive units and play extremely defensively, they won’t get enough sacrifice points to purchase anything worthwhile. Requiring Grom to enter a building for base defense is also counterintuitive; you want him out killing to earn sacrifice points and level up, but he can’t do that if he’s stuck defending.
Creativity: 20/45
Grom himself, and the idea of him transforming into chaos forms, is a cool concept. The sacrifice mechanic with a whole tree of different upgrades also stands out. Having units temporarily transform into chaos forms is really creative and adds a layer of discovery. Giving the Chaos units their own special abilities is a fun addition. Making Grom instrumental in base defense is a neat idea on paper, but it just doesn’t work well in practice.
Theme: 22/25
Lots of fel magic, lots of enslaving, and a big dose of cruelty, really fitting for the Gul’dan I had in mind. The main structure acting as the Shadow Council works well, and Gul’dan himself having abilities such as draining life and souls fits perfectly. There’s a wide breadth of units from different races — Orcs, Ogres, demons, and more — which reinforces the theme. All the heroes expand the inner workings of Gul’dan, propping up his themes even further.
Most of the buildings, unit models, icons, and effects are well-crafted and fitting. However, when everything is custom and polished, the few missing details stand out more, such as the lack of a custom UI that would feel more fitting for Gul’dan. Even just a slightly edited Orc UI with a touch of fel fire would work, or perhaps a varied building birth animation, even a recolor toward a fel-green aesthetic.
Note: the phrase “employ Slaves” made me chuckle at the oxymoron.
Gameplay: 28/30
The gameplay was well-polished and had every unit type you’d expect in a custom faction, with the neat caveat of the commander serving as the builder. The Barbarity mechanic was also well-made and hinted at interesting ideas, though it felt a little underbaked. There’s a whole fancy custom UI and coding around the system, but the end result was just the ability to summon a slave harvester unit that doesn’t do much beyond gathering. I would’ve liked to see more variety, perhaps slaves that sacrifice themselves, act as spies, or serve other unique purposes. I can see some potential strategies with the catapult and maybe certain casters using slaves as fodder, but it’s quite niche and requires effort to make work.
Creativity: 42/45
The idea of having Gul’dan himself as the builder is a fantastic twist, and I thought it worked great. This mechanic forces you to engage with the commander directly, showing how he clawed his way into power and forged his clan through vile means. All the heroes have clear roles that fit the faction, serving almost as secondary to Gul’dan since he’s required for the faction’s functionality. The fact that he increases in power with each tier is a very nice touch.
Lots of fel magic, lots of enslaving, and a big dose of cruelty, really fitting for the Gul’dan I had in mind. The main structure acting as the Shadow Council works well, and Gul’dan himself having abilities such as draining life and souls fits perfectly. There’s a wide breadth of units from different races — Orcs, Ogres, demons, and more — which reinforces the theme. All the heroes expand the inner workings of Gul’dan, propping up his themes even further.
Most of the buildings, unit models, icons, and effects are well-crafted and fitting. However, when everything is custom and polished, the few missing details stand out more, such as the lack of a custom UI that would feel more fitting for Gul’dan. Even just a slightly edited Orc UI with a touch of fel fire would work, or perhaps a varied building birth animation, even a recolor toward a fel-green aesthetic.
Note: the phrase “employ Slaves” made me chuckle at the oxymoron.
Gameplay: 28/30
The gameplay was well-polished and had every unit type you’d expect in a custom faction, with the neat caveat of the commander serving as the builder. The Barbarity mechanic was also well-made and hinted at interesting ideas, though it felt a little underbaked. There’s a whole fancy custom UI and coding around the system, but the end result was just the ability to summon a slave harvester unit that doesn’t do much beyond gathering. I would’ve liked to see more variety, perhaps slaves that sacrifice themselves, act as spies, or serve other unique purposes. I can see some potential strategies with the catapult and maybe certain casters using slaves as fodder, but it’s quite niche and requires effort to make work.
Creativity: 42/45
The idea of having Gul’dan himself as the builder is a fantastic twist, and I thought it worked great. This mechanic forces you to engage with the commander directly, showing how he clawed his way into power and forged his clan through vile means. All the heroes have clear roles that fit the faction, serving almost as secondary to Gul’dan since he’s required for the faction’s functionality. The fact that he increases in power with each tier is a very nice touch.
Theme: 10/25
The chosen skins for human units and some buildings fit well for a Jaina faction, giving off a mix of Dalaran and Kul Tiras vibes. However, the Arcane Goldmine uses a blight ubersplat, which feels unfitting for a human-themed faction. Small issues, like improper missile cast points, also stand out. Upgrade icons are scattered randomly, breaking visual consistency. Overall, there’s nothing here that truly screams “Jaina” as the defining identity of the faction.
Gameplay: 10/30
The faction plays almost identically to the vanilla Human race, aside from only having one hero option. Clicking “No” in the starting prompt creates duplicates of the main building and workers, which feels like a glaring bug. Prestige is an interesting idea, but the implementation leaves much to be desired, the prompt only appears after constructing your Altar and doesn’t even explain what it does. Balance is also a major concern: having the farm structure act as a Fountain of Power is extremely overpowered. On top of that, the faction lacks initial defense mechanics like Militia or Orc Burrows. Direct damage spells are another issue—unless carefully balanced, they become far too strong, especially when paired with a built-in mana fountain that allows the player to effortlessly decimate entire armies.
Creativity: 10/45
The Prestige system is the most promising feature, giving the faction a small spark of uniqueness and making each match a little more dynamic with its benefits and drawbacks. Unfortunately, Jaina’s ability kit is very vanilla and relies too heavily on standard abilities rather than showcasing anything unique and custom. The absence of additional commanders to support Jaina further hurts the faction’s identity; she could have Dalaran and Kul Turian heroes to aid her. Most units are just reskinned versions of vanilla humans, showing little originality or creative effort. The wide variety of tower types is a neat nod to the Theramore campaign mission, but it doesn’t carry the faction’s identity far enough. Finally, the absence of a custom Orb and the reliance on the standard human item pool highlight a lack of deeper innovation. Nothing here truly sets the faction apart as a standout Jaina-themed design.
The chosen skins for human units and some buildings fit well for a Jaina faction, giving off a mix of Dalaran and Kul Tiras vibes. However, the Arcane Goldmine uses a blight ubersplat, which feels unfitting for a human-themed faction. Small issues, like improper missile cast points, also stand out. Upgrade icons are scattered randomly, breaking visual consistency. Overall, there’s nothing here that truly screams “Jaina” as the defining identity of the faction.
Gameplay: 10/30
The faction plays almost identically to the vanilla Human race, aside from only having one hero option. Clicking “No” in the starting prompt creates duplicates of the main building and workers, which feels like a glaring bug. Prestige is an interesting idea, but the implementation leaves much to be desired, the prompt only appears after constructing your Altar and doesn’t even explain what it does. Balance is also a major concern: having the farm structure act as a Fountain of Power is extremely overpowered. On top of that, the faction lacks initial defense mechanics like Militia or Orc Burrows. Direct damage spells are another issue—unless carefully balanced, they become far too strong, especially when paired with a built-in mana fountain that allows the player to effortlessly decimate entire armies.
Creativity: 10/45
The Prestige system is the most promising feature, giving the faction a small spark of uniqueness and making each match a little more dynamic with its benefits and drawbacks. Unfortunately, Jaina’s ability kit is very vanilla and relies too heavily on standard abilities rather than showcasing anything unique and custom. The absence of additional commanders to support Jaina further hurts the faction’s identity; she could have Dalaran and Kul Turian heroes to aid her. Most units are just reskinned versions of vanilla humans, showing little originality or creative effort. The wide variety of tower types is a neat nod to the Theramore campaign mission, but it doesn’t carry the faction’s identity far enough. Finally, the absence of a custom Orb and the reliance on the standard human item pool highlight a lack of deeper innovation. Nothing here truly sets the faction apart as a standout Jaina-themed design.
Theme: 20/25
The Dark Horde surrounding Katrana fits her personality well, with her many followers supporting her power. The inclusion of orcs, trolls, ogres, bandits, and black dragons all feels appropriate and true to her theme. The building set matches the black dragon motif nicely. However, some of the visuals could use improvement; certain icons, spell effects, and models don’t quite hold up. That said, the effort to recolor many icons to reflect grey-skinned orcs instead of the traditional green was a thoughtful touch that went a long way in selling the theme.
Gameplay: 15/30
Gameplay-wise, the faction feels largely like an Orc faction. While functional, this was a missed opportunity to really showcase Katrana’s unique abilities and her identity as a powerful figure. The recolored ubersplat was a creative attempt, but its stark black-and-white contrast makes the buildings less appealing visually; I assume it was meant to resemble ash, though it doesn’t quite land. Hero icons also stand out as inconsistent, with some not matching Warcraft III’s style. Most units rely on variants of vanilla abilities, which is serviceable in moderation but feels underwhelming for a custom faction. On the positive side, I didn’t encounter any major bugs during play.
Creativity: 20/45
The option to choose between two variants of the same hero was one of the most interesting aspects; it adds replayability and helps Katrana feel more distinct. However, I wish the ultimate form also reflected this choice with unique abilities that better matched each variant. Including other supporting heroes to help reinforce her identity was a good decision, but overall her ability set feels too “vanilla” for such a strong character. The lore snippets were a nice touch and helped immerse the faction more deeply.
The Dark Horde surrounding Katrana fits her personality well, with her many followers supporting her power. The inclusion of orcs, trolls, ogres, bandits, and black dragons all feels appropriate and true to her theme. The building set matches the black dragon motif nicely. However, some of the visuals could use improvement; certain icons, spell effects, and models don’t quite hold up. That said, the effort to recolor many icons to reflect grey-skinned orcs instead of the traditional green was a thoughtful touch that went a long way in selling the theme.
Gameplay: 15/30
Gameplay-wise, the faction feels largely like an Orc faction. While functional, this was a missed opportunity to really showcase Katrana’s unique abilities and her identity as a powerful figure. The recolored ubersplat was a creative attempt, but its stark black-and-white contrast makes the buildings less appealing visually; I assume it was meant to resemble ash, though it doesn’t quite land. Hero icons also stand out as inconsistent, with some not matching Warcraft III’s style. Most units rely on variants of vanilla abilities, which is serviceable in moderation but feels underwhelming for a custom faction. On the positive side, I didn’t encounter any major bugs during play.
Creativity: 20/45
The option to choose between two variants of the same hero was one of the most interesting aspects; it adds replayability and helps Katrana feel more distinct. However, I wish the ultimate form also reflected this choice with unique abilities that better matched each variant. Including other supporting heroes to help reinforce her identity was a good decision, but overall her ability set feels too “vanilla” for such a strong character. The lore snippets were a nice touch and helped immerse the faction more deeply.
Theme: 15/25
Everything has the ancient green life feel to it. The first three units don’t have many unique qualities aside from their models, just a bare bones unit, eventually getting a simple shared ability. For a nature-focused “Evergreen” faction, having a lumber gathering function by chopping down trees feels counter to the theme. The faction includes heroes, all nature-themed, which is fitting. However, some units - such as a plain green zombie - don’t align well with the intended theme, there's plenty of nature models that could have sufficed. There are lots of units that are created from trees, which fits well.
Gameplay: 10/30
The faction lacks a straightforward form of long-ranged siege or any reliable method to break through fortified bases with tower spam. Many units require corpses to function effectively, but there is no passive or consistent way to generate corpses. The Birthing Pool gates the strongest unit and also requires corpses to function, but as an immobile structure, it only works with corpses in close proximity. This makes it highly unrealistic and impractical in most combat scenarios. While players could use corpse items or sacrifice their own units to feed it, this feels clunky and demanding. Overall, the roster is missing several unit types needed to make the faction feel truly complete. Mystic’s Cultivate grows a tree but requires Tier 3, costs 75 mana, and needs a corpse, while Earthshaper’s Grow Tree costs only 50 mana, requires Tier 2, and can be used anywhere. This creates a major balance issue between two near-identical abilities.
Creativity: 18/45
The concept of blending corpse mechanics with a nature-overtaking-death theme is interesting. Heavy use of tree-based mechanics is also a creative choice and rarely explored. However, some ancients are simply default Night Elf ancients with little customization. Mystics and Earthshapers both share nearly identical “grow tree” abilities, are both casters, come from the same structure, and serve overlapping roles, leading to redundancy. Most abilities lean heavily on vanilla designs and don’t stand out as particularly exciting. Reliance on trees and corpses is somewhat creative, but the execution leaves room for improvement.
Everything has the ancient green life feel to it. The first three units don’t have many unique qualities aside from their models, just a bare bones unit, eventually getting a simple shared ability. For a nature-focused “Evergreen” faction, having a lumber gathering function by chopping down trees feels counter to the theme. The faction includes heroes, all nature-themed, which is fitting. However, some units - such as a plain green zombie - don’t align well with the intended theme, there's plenty of nature models that could have sufficed. There are lots of units that are created from trees, which fits well.
Gameplay: 10/30
The faction lacks a straightforward form of long-ranged siege or any reliable method to break through fortified bases with tower spam. Many units require corpses to function effectively, but there is no passive or consistent way to generate corpses. The Birthing Pool gates the strongest unit and also requires corpses to function, but as an immobile structure, it only works with corpses in close proximity. This makes it highly unrealistic and impractical in most combat scenarios. While players could use corpse items or sacrifice their own units to feed it, this feels clunky and demanding. Overall, the roster is missing several unit types needed to make the faction feel truly complete. Mystic’s Cultivate grows a tree but requires Tier 3, costs 75 mana, and needs a corpse, while Earthshaper’s Grow Tree costs only 50 mana, requires Tier 2, and can be used anywhere. This creates a major balance issue between two near-identical abilities.
Creativity: 18/45
The concept of blending corpse mechanics with a nature-overtaking-death theme is interesting. Heavy use of tree-based mechanics is also a creative choice and rarely explored. However, some ancients are simply default Night Elf ancients with little customization. Mystics and Earthshapers both share nearly identical “grow tree” abilities, are both casters, come from the same structure, and serve overlapping roles, leading to redundancy. Most abilities lean heavily on vanilla designs and don’t stand out as particularly exciting. Reliance on trees and corpses is somewhat creative, but the execution leaves room for improvement.
Theme: 20/25
The building models feel inconsistent, as they pull from many different sets. Using a single cohesive set or retexturing the existing models would help them mesh together better. The blight effect that incinerates after construction is a strong thematic touch, as is the faint glow from the base; both give a sense of intense heat radiating outward. Most unit models fit very well and reinforce the image of a fiery, destructive faction devoted to the Firelord. Fire, heat, ash, soot, and volcanoes. This faction checks every box of what one expects from a flamebound theme.
However, the double hotkey indicators stand out awkwardly and don’t contribute to the theme. The UI also feels disconnected, lacking fire motifs, molten effects, or anything distinctly tied to Ragnaros and his aesthetic. The flying recolored Juggernaut feels underwhelming; a more tailored reskin would have fit the ‘Black Legion’’ theme much better.
Gameplay: 20/30
The faction has a steep learning curve with many systems layered on top of each other. Early games are confusing, and even once the mechanics are understood, many issues remain. The global abilities are not clearly communicated. I missed them entirely in my first playthrough. There are also inconsistencies with capitalization (e.g., “Fuel transfer” vs. “Fuel Transfer”), which can be distracting.
The build menu layout is unintuitive, leaving gaps at 3,0 and 0,2. A more traditional grid flow -top-left to bottom-right - would improve readability, and placing the aura ability at 2,2 would align with common hero UI standards. Plasma Ring cannot be easily selected, and abilities like Volcanic Storm and Magma Pillar obscure far too much vision. The Launch Pad has major issues: units can become permanently invulnerable or stuck if launched into certain positions. The Crust Grinder drains Heat Charges passively without a toggle, which is restrictive. There are also too many upgrades overall, making tech progression feel bloated. Ember generation is slow, and lingering bugs persist; such as heroes keeping the Drop ability from the Entrance Tunnel and the Trapper-Shredder being essentially non-functional.
Creativity: 40/45
The amount of unique content is impressive. Six custom heroes is a huge undertaking, and each one contributes to the faction’s identity. Gold harvesters leaping between the mine and the main building are a clever visual and mechanical touch. A full set of unique items adds depth, while the Heat system functions as a distinct global ability mechanic. Exclusive research choices allow for diverse strategies. The Launch Pad mechanic, which catapults units into battle, is not only functional but also highly thematic. Nearly every ability feels custom, giving the faction a fresh identity. Finally, Ragnaros himself is designed as an appropriately monumental figure, requiring extreme effort to summon and living up to his legendary status.
The building models feel inconsistent, as they pull from many different sets. Using a single cohesive set or retexturing the existing models would help them mesh together better. The blight effect that incinerates after construction is a strong thematic touch, as is the faint glow from the base; both give a sense of intense heat radiating outward. Most unit models fit very well and reinforce the image of a fiery, destructive faction devoted to the Firelord. Fire, heat, ash, soot, and volcanoes. This faction checks every box of what one expects from a flamebound theme.
However, the double hotkey indicators stand out awkwardly and don’t contribute to the theme. The UI also feels disconnected, lacking fire motifs, molten effects, or anything distinctly tied to Ragnaros and his aesthetic. The flying recolored Juggernaut feels underwhelming; a more tailored reskin would have fit the ‘Black Legion’’ theme much better.
Gameplay: 20/30
The faction has a steep learning curve with many systems layered on top of each other. Early games are confusing, and even once the mechanics are understood, many issues remain. The global abilities are not clearly communicated. I missed them entirely in my first playthrough. There are also inconsistencies with capitalization (e.g., “Fuel transfer” vs. “Fuel Transfer”), which can be distracting.
The build menu layout is unintuitive, leaving gaps at 3,0 and 0,2. A more traditional grid flow -top-left to bottom-right - would improve readability, and placing the aura ability at 2,2 would align with common hero UI standards. Plasma Ring cannot be easily selected, and abilities like Volcanic Storm and Magma Pillar obscure far too much vision. The Launch Pad has major issues: units can become permanently invulnerable or stuck if launched into certain positions. The Crust Grinder drains Heat Charges passively without a toggle, which is restrictive. There are also too many upgrades overall, making tech progression feel bloated. Ember generation is slow, and lingering bugs persist; such as heroes keeping the Drop ability from the Entrance Tunnel and the Trapper-Shredder being essentially non-functional.
Creativity: 40/45
The amount of unique content is impressive. Six custom heroes is a huge undertaking, and each one contributes to the faction’s identity. Gold harvesters leaping between the mine and the main building are a clever visual and mechanical touch. A full set of unique items adds depth, while the Heat system functions as a distinct global ability mechanic. Exclusive research choices allow for diverse strategies. The Launch Pad mechanic, which catapults units into battle, is not only functional but also highly thematic. Nearly every ability feels custom, giving the faction a fresh identity. Finally, Ragnaros himself is designed as an appropriately monumental figure, requiring extreme effort to summon and living up to his legendary status.
Theme: 10/25
Sapphiron itself has a decent ability kit and fits the theme of a giant undead dragon. However, the faction uses a lot of strange unit types; some black dragons (which are known for fire) and some blue dragons (who are typically loyal to a different dragon lord altogether). This creates quite a bit of conflict in the design. Why would Sapphiron’s forces include a Dreadlord hero when they serve the Burning Legion, while Sapphiron is loyal to the Lich King? Many of the icons are just vanilla ones, with several unfitting choices, such as a hippogryph icon for the vulture. I feel like Sapphiron’s forces should employ more skeletal/undead elements. There’s also a lack of Sapphiron-themed items, with most just being vanilla undead ones.
Gameplay: 7/30
The game crashed twice while I was testing, and there were still debug messages present. The faction essentially has two forms of defense towers: the Clutch and the Perch. Constantly having Perch dragons fly away and return doesn’t make for smooth gameplay, especially when your army is far from base. Their system either needs a higher attack count or requires players to rely on a very niche strategy of building close to the enemy base. There’s a heavy emphasis on synergy between units with vision and those without, which can make for interesting play and counterplay. However, this is easily countered by factions like Humans, who can Aerial Shackle almost all the flying units, including Sapphiron. Overall, the faction doesn’t seem to have a strong air-vs-air position.
Creativity: 20/45
I like the idea of a faction that focuses heavily on air superiority. There are a lot of interesting systems at work, such as defense towers with dragons that can hop between nests, “fighter jet”-like dragons that need to return to nests to “reload” their attacks, and the Frozen Watcher unit having a narrow vision ability across the map, which I found intriguing. The Phantasm is another creative unit, using a banshee to do its bidding by sending enemies into the air so flying units can attack them. This faction oozes creativity, and I’m all here for it. However, it lacks proper execution and polish. Relying on vanilla undead heroes to bolster the faction feels uncreative; it would be much better to design unique heroes, or even exclude vanilla ones entirely.
Sapphiron itself has a decent ability kit and fits the theme of a giant undead dragon. However, the faction uses a lot of strange unit types; some black dragons (which are known for fire) and some blue dragons (who are typically loyal to a different dragon lord altogether). This creates quite a bit of conflict in the design. Why would Sapphiron’s forces include a Dreadlord hero when they serve the Burning Legion, while Sapphiron is loyal to the Lich King? Many of the icons are just vanilla ones, with several unfitting choices, such as a hippogryph icon for the vulture. I feel like Sapphiron’s forces should employ more skeletal/undead elements. There’s also a lack of Sapphiron-themed items, with most just being vanilla undead ones.
Gameplay: 7/30
The game crashed twice while I was testing, and there were still debug messages present. The faction essentially has two forms of defense towers: the Clutch and the Perch. Constantly having Perch dragons fly away and return doesn’t make for smooth gameplay, especially when your army is far from base. Their system either needs a higher attack count or requires players to rely on a very niche strategy of building close to the enemy base. There’s a heavy emphasis on synergy between units with vision and those without, which can make for interesting play and counterplay. However, this is easily countered by factions like Humans, who can Aerial Shackle almost all the flying units, including Sapphiron. Overall, the faction doesn’t seem to have a strong air-vs-air position.
Creativity: 20/45
I like the idea of a faction that focuses heavily on air superiority. There are a lot of interesting systems at work, such as defense towers with dragons that can hop between nests, “fighter jet”-like dragons that need to return to nests to “reload” their attacks, and the Frozen Watcher unit having a narrow vision ability across the map, which I found intriguing. The Phantasm is another creative unit, using a banshee to do its bidding by sending enemies into the air so flying units can attack them. This faction oozes creativity, and I’m all here for it. However, it lacks proper execution and polish. Relying on vanilla undead heroes to bolster the faction feels uncreative; it would be much better to design unique heroes, or even exclude vanilla ones entirely.
Theme: 23/25
The theme is great. You set out to create a faction that embodies what Tyrande cares about and what she believes in. There’s a mix of elves, beasts, and woodfolk, with structures that share that same sentiment. Abilities fit well with the theme, and most of the icons do too. Nothing feels egregious or out of place when I think of Tyrande. Altogether, it perfectly captures what I would imagine her forces to be. Not enough Elune theme, however. She is THE Priestess of Elune.
Gameplay: 20/30
Most buildings, units, and effects mesh well together, and nothing feels overwhelmingly out of place. All the units felt good and fun to use; I enjoyed how each one has unique abilities and a distinct role. There’s nothing too crazy or standout with the base mechanics aside from lumber harvesting, which makes the faction fairly simple to pick up and play.
There are several negatives worth noting. The faction begins with a significant 90% handicap, which immediately places the player at a disadvantage. Tooltips often do not align with actual functionality, such as with the Magic Mushroom. A Tier 3 item is available right from the start, which feels unbalanced. The three-choice upgrade system can also be bypassed, as all options may be obtained if queued simultaneously. There are some visual bugs, such as the Ancient Nest’s work animation not displaying correctly, and the Timberlings’ Prioritize ability icon failing to function properly. Additionally, the two Furbolg units lack edited icons, creating inconsistency in presentation. The Artisan unit suffers from a lack of purpose, as they have no third role and tend to idle due to the absence of lumber harvesting. Finally, base defense feels quite weak, with only a maximum of four Ents available to protect against early rushes, leaving the faction highly vulnerable in the opening stages of the game.
As for Tyrande herself, I don’t think she’s as magnificent as she should be for a faction based solely around her. She is powerful and fills a supportive role, but there’s nothing that makes her stand out as a true commander hero. Her ultimate, in particular, feels underwhelming. I would have liked to see her have a bigger role, or perhaps the addition of other heroes to help prop her up.
Creativity: 40/45
All the units felt creative to me, each bringing something unique to the faction’s kit. My favorite creative decision was the Woodland Shrine, which generates little critters to bring back “gifts” as lumber. I’ve seen the concept of a lumber-generating building before, but that cute spin elevated my enjoyment of the mechanic. Honestly, I could give a long list of everything I enjoyed about each unit, they all feel well-made and full of love, both visually and gameplay-wise. My personal taste leans toward that style of tooltip design, giving additional detail and flavor text, which I appreciated.
That said, Tyrande herself, while visually pleasing, doesn’t feel all that creative in her abilities. And since she’s the star of the show, this does knock down a few points. I do think the supportive direction for her works well, but with her being mounted on a giant owl, why not give her an ability to fly? Or perhaps an ability tied more directly to the Sentinels, since she’s their leader.
The theme is great. You set out to create a faction that embodies what Tyrande cares about and what she believes in. There’s a mix of elves, beasts, and woodfolk, with structures that share that same sentiment. Abilities fit well with the theme, and most of the icons do too. Nothing feels egregious or out of place when I think of Tyrande. Altogether, it perfectly captures what I would imagine her forces to be. Not enough Elune theme, however. She is THE Priestess of Elune.
Gameplay: 20/30
Most buildings, units, and effects mesh well together, and nothing feels overwhelmingly out of place. All the units felt good and fun to use; I enjoyed how each one has unique abilities and a distinct role. There’s nothing too crazy or standout with the base mechanics aside from lumber harvesting, which makes the faction fairly simple to pick up and play.
There are several negatives worth noting. The faction begins with a significant 90% handicap, which immediately places the player at a disadvantage. Tooltips often do not align with actual functionality, such as with the Magic Mushroom. A Tier 3 item is available right from the start, which feels unbalanced. The three-choice upgrade system can also be bypassed, as all options may be obtained if queued simultaneously. There are some visual bugs, such as the Ancient Nest’s work animation not displaying correctly, and the Timberlings’ Prioritize ability icon failing to function properly. Additionally, the two Furbolg units lack edited icons, creating inconsistency in presentation. The Artisan unit suffers from a lack of purpose, as they have no third role and tend to idle due to the absence of lumber harvesting. Finally, base defense feels quite weak, with only a maximum of four Ents available to protect against early rushes, leaving the faction highly vulnerable in the opening stages of the game.
As for Tyrande herself, I don’t think she’s as magnificent as she should be for a faction based solely around her. She is powerful and fills a supportive role, but there’s nothing that makes her stand out as a true commander hero. Her ultimate, in particular, feels underwhelming. I would have liked to see her have a bigger role, or perhaps the addition of other heroes to help prop her up.
Creativity: 40/45
All the units felt creative to me, each bringing something unique to the faction’s kit. My favorite creative decision was the Woodland Shrine, which generates little critters to bring back “gifts” as lumber. I’ve seen the concept of a lumber-generating building before, but that cute spin elevated my enjoyment of the mechanic. Honestly, I could give a long list of everything I enjoyed about each unit, they all feel well-made and full of love, both visually and gameplay-wise. My personal taste leans toward that style of tooltip design, giving additional detail and flavor text, which I appreciated.
That said, Tyrande herself, while visually pleasing, doesn’t feel all that creative in her abilities. And since she’s the star of the show, this does knock down a few points. I do think the supportive direction for her works well, but with her being mounted on a giant owl, why not give her an ability to fly? Or perhaps an ability tied more directly to the Sentinels, since she’s their leader.
Theme: 15/25
The custom UI is fitting. There are many holy, light-themed abilities and units, which suits an Uther faction. The Faith mechanic is appropriate for the Silver Hand, and using faith abilities to revive and/or summon Uther across the battlefield as a savior fits the theme well. However, there are too many poorly AI-generated icons without custom editing to make them blend properly into Warcraft 3. Some units also have unfitting walk/run animation speeds, making them look like they are ice-skating. Panther Riders feel completely unrelated to Uther.
Gameplay: 15/30
The game name is not saved with the faction name, the author’s name, or any clear indication of what it is aside from the map. Not a major issue, but notable. The faction is designed for Reforged, yet it doesn’t automatically set the map to Reforged mode, forcing the player to manually change graphics settings.
The pray mechanic is overly redundant, nearly every structure can be prayed to. This would make more sense if it were limited to a central structure, or if praying granted unique abilities to specific buildings. There are also two worker types with nearly identical roles, which makes one redundant. For example, the Cantor can harvest gold, lumber, and repair, yet Peasants already fill that role. Requiring different workers for key structures like the Altar is counterintuitive and forces unnecessary micromanagement.
There are five separate food-source structures, not including the main building, thats far too many and again redundant. The wall system is a cool idea but ultimately unnecessary; with so many redundant mechanics already, it feels like excess fat rather than a meaningful addition. The shield “health bar” is visually overwhelming, takes up too much screen space, and can’t be hidden with Alt. It would be better removed entirely. Lastly, there are far too many melee units. There’s a reason most factions keep melee unit variety limited—otherwise units compete for space and roles. Overall, there are too many unnecessary features, and the design would benefit from significant streamlining.
Creativity: 15/45
Uther’s kit includes many custom abilities, which is great. However, Peasants are still vanilla. There are at least some custom items, which is a positive. The Faith system is a creative addition, but it needs polish; such as working as a global hotbar mechanic instead of forcing the player to hunt down specific units. The concept of Uther growing stronger with each tier, unlocking enhanced spell variants, is very promising. Most units do have unique abilities, which helps, but overall the execution feels uneven.
The custom UI is fitting. There are many holy, light-themed abilities and units, which suits an Uther faction. The Faith mechanic is appropriate for the Silver Hand, and using faith abilities to revive and/or summon Uther across the battlefield as a savior fits the theme well. However, there are too many poorly AI-generated icons without custom editing to make them blend properly into Warcraft 3. Some units also have unfitting walk/run animation speeds, making them look like they are ice-skating. Panther Riders feel completely unrelated to Uther.
Gameplay: 15/30
The game name is not saved with the faction name, the author’s name, or any clear indication of what it is aside from the map. Not a major issue, but notable. The faction is designed for Reforged, yet it doesn’t automatically set the map to Reforged mode, forcing the player to manually change graphics settings.
The pray mechanic is overly redundant, nearly every structure can be prayed to. This would make more sense if it were limited to a central structure, or if praying granted unique abilities to specific buildings. There are also two worker types with nearly identical roles, which makes one redundant. For example, the Cantor can harvest gold, lumber, and repair, yet Peasants already fill that role. Requiring different workers for key structures like the Altar is counterintuitive and forces unnecessary micromanagement.
There are five separate food-source structures, not including the main building, thats far too many and again redundant. The wall system is a cool idea but ultimately unnecessary; with so many redundant mechanics already, it feels like excess fat rather than a meaningful addition. The shield “health bar” is visually overwhelming, takes up too much screen space, and can’t be hidden with Alt. It would be better removed entirely. Lastly, there are far too many melee units. There’s a reason most factions keep melee unit variety limited—otherwise units compete for space and roles. Overall, there are too many unnecessary features, and the design would benefit from significant streamlining.
Creativity: 15/45
Uther’s kit includes many custom abilities, which is great. However, Peasants are still vanilla. There are at least some custom items, which is a positive. The Faith system is a creative addition, but it needs polish; such as working as a global hotbar mechanic instead of forcing the player to hunt down specific units. The concept of Uther growing stronger with each tier, unlocking enhanced spell variants, is very promising. Most units do have unique abilities, which helps, but overall the execution feels uneven.
FinalScore = (30*Reached_Votes/POSSIBLE_VOTES) + (70*Average_Judge_Score/POSSIBLE_SCORE)
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