ELEX 2

[Zloth]

Much better trailer this time:

View: https://youtu.be/x8maVaJUbw8

 

[mainer]

Much better trailer this time:

Awesome trailer (also available on the Elex 2 store page in Steam), as it shows actual gameplay footage. Combat looks much more refined and faster, we the factions (looked like Nasty in the Outlaws), and the voice acting, as well as the graphics, look much improved. This is my most anticipated game of 2022, even more so than Starfield. I still have a soft spot for the heavy metal release trailer, but this one is much more representative of the actual game. Nice post.

 

[Sarafan]

Piranha games don't convince me. They're quite... wooden? Sure, Elex 2 looks much better than its predecessors (I'm talking here not only about Elex 1, but also Gothic games), but it's still not polished enough for me. And it's not about bugs, but rather some kind of style that it presents. You can feel almost right away that it's a game developed by this studio. I'm perfectly fine with people that love this kind of style. It's just not for me.

 

[Zloth]

They're another one of those "B" studios: several cuts above a typical indie game, several cuts below AAA.

I see the moon with the other moon is back!

 

[IndecentLouie]

This does look better than the first, although bare in mind I wasn't a fan of Elex.
Seems to be a bit more tighter, the jetpack upgrade looks like it could be fun especially fighting creatures midflight
Cautiously Optimistic

 

[mainer]

And it's not about bugs, but rather some kind of style that it presents. You can feel almost right away that it's a game developed by this studio. I'm perfectly fine with people that love this kind of style. It's just not for me.

I understand completely, PB games don't often please a lot of gamers, but it's that certain "PB style" of creating RPGs that I love (discounting the final boss battle of Risen ). The exploration and discovery in the way they create their worlds is some of the best in any game I've ever played. Beginnings can be brutal if a player isn't used to their style, as you can die quickly, and often, until you build your character to higher levels. PB games take patience and thought in how to advance and explore, and the choices you make in conversations will have a huge affect on how the game progresses.

I admire Piranha Bytes greatly for sticking to their style & formula for making RPGs, and in my opinion I hope they always do.

 

[Johnway]

i haven't really been paying attention to Elex truth be told. The only encounter i've had was from the original game and its from SsethTzeentach review of it...

 

[Zloth]

I'm mostly happy because the "moon with a moon" is back. Unless that's a barren planet that's a lot larger than it looks and we're on a moon of that planet... but yeah. Always good to have an interesting sky!

 

[mainer]

March 1st is creeping closer, and Elex 2 is now available for preorder at a 10% discount. I know, I said I'd never preorder another game after having preordered Cyberpunk 2077, but I couldn't resist; I just love how Piranha Bytes makes RPGs.

ELEX II on Steam

In this sequel to the vintage Open World RPG ELEX, Jax must once again unite the free people of the Science-Fantasy world of Magalan against a new threat - the Skyands, who want to change the face of the planet forever.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Zloth]

Right now, ELEX 2 is cheaper than ELEX 1. It is about time to get it on my wish list.

 

[Zloth]

I poked my nose into the Steam discussions, and it seems a lot of folks aren't happy about the camera and frame rates. Others are perfectly happy with them.

 

[mainer]

I poked my nose into the Steam discussions, and it seems a lot of folks aren't happy about the camera and frame rates. Others are perfectly happy with them.

I was looking at some of the posts yesterday, and there does seem to be some negativity regarding the camera and frame rates. Steam discussions are kind of a mixed bag for me, as there always seem to be those folks that just like to complain or get players riled up.

Frame rates and related technical issues I usually take with a grain of salt, at least until I play the game and see for myself. The camera angles I'm curious about, as it sounds like PB tried something a bit different from the first Elex. Maybe there are options for that?

I installed Elex 2 late yesterday, and hope to start it this week. It's a larger install than their previous games, at 43gb, but it looks like a lot of improvements from what I've seen.

 

[DXCHASE]

I was looking at some of the posts yesterday, and there does seem to be some negativity regarding the camera and frame rates. Steam discussions are kind of a mixed bag for me, as there always seem to be those folks that just like to complain or get players riled up.

Frame rates and related technical issues I usually take with a grain of salt, at least until I play the game and see for myself. The camera angles I'm curious about, as it sounds like PB tried something a bit different from the first Elex. Maybe there are options for that?

I installed Elex 2 late yesterday, and hope to start it this week. It's a larger install than their previous games, at 43gb, but it looks like a lot of improvements from what I've seen.

Would love to hear what you think about it. I was hoping its good, i liked Elex but i cant justify throwing in a game at the moment if its sub-par or has lots of issues running.

 

[mainer]

@DXCHASE - I'll let you know, I hope to get started tomorrow. My internet was crawling yesterday for some reason, so it took almost 4 hours to download/install. I have slight concerns about the change in camera angle, but maybe that's adjustable, I'll find out. I don't trust what I read in the Steam Discussions much anymore, or at least not much of it.

 

[mainer]

I played my first few hours of Elex 2 today, and I gotta say I love it and that it's still got that great feeling of exploration and discovery with many improvements over Elex 1.

I've played about 4 hours and haven't had a single technical issue. No crashes, no stuttering, and everything feels smooth and fluid, that's with all setting set to high.

You can go to Ultra on Fog Quality & Shadow Quality, but I left them on High, at least for the time being.

I should also note that the camera movement is a bit of a weird design choice, and might take a bit getting used to. If you're moving or running the camera automatically backs off a bit, and as soon as you stop, it zooms back in on Jax. Not like a closeup, but closer than when you're running. I can see how someone with a motion sickness issue might have a problem.

I really think it will be something PB will address in a patch, either by making it an option, or going back to the camera of Elex 1. It doesn't really bother me now that I've played a few hours.

Graphics are vastly improved, and animations much smoother.

The skill tree is awesome, so much better that Elex 1. You're no longer tied to a faction for certain skills, you can build Jax however you want. And there's a lot of skills, many of them new.

Remember how you could only place one map marker of your own? Not anymore, place as many as you want, with several symbols to choose from. Find a chest you can't open and want to go back? Mark it on the map so you won't forget. Same with monsters that are too tough.

And the UI, god's I love it. Very minimal (great for screenshots @Zloth ).

The combat UI, health & stamina. I'm assuming that the magic bar will be there if you invest in that skill branch. You can also remove the compass/mini-map in the options if you want.

The exploration UI. You still have a 10 slot hot bar to use, just press & hold "Q" to bring it up, but it doesn't constantly hog your screen.

There's also a nice little section in your journal that gives you information about characters you meet and beasts and enemies you fight.

All in all, I'm loving it, just be aware that the current camera may take a couple hours to get used to.

 

[Zloth]

That isn't many skil.... oh! SCROLL BAR! OK, that's much better.

 

[Brian Boru]

@mainer I see a Monitor setting in your first screenie—does it support more than 1?

Great report btw

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Remember how you could only place one map marker of your own? Not anymore, place as many as you want, with several symbols to choose from. Find a chest you can't open and want to go back? Mark it on the map so you won't forget. Same with monsters that are too tough.

The 'other current game' has exactly the same system, I really like the approach.

Keeping an on this for later, wishlisted.

 

[mainer]

That isn't many skil.... oh! SCROLL BAR! OK, that's much better.

Yeah, there was no way to show the whole tree. As well, many of those skills can be selected multiple times increasing their effectiveness. As in Elex 1, most of those skills, or upgraded skills, have prerequisites tied to your attributes. I'm not very far yet, but I think it's going to take some thought and planning on how you build your character.

@mainer I see a Monitor setting in your first screenie—does it support more than 1?

Good question. I have no idea. I hadn't thought about it because I've only ever used a single monitor. When I opened up the Options Menu, that's what was showing: 1(primary). Maybe the game automatically detects what you have? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but if you have a dual monitor setup, isn't one primary and the other secondary? So maybe that could be auto-detected also? I'm just guessing. I have yet to hear or read anything one way or the other.

The 'other current game' has exactly the same system, I really like the approach.

I'm loving that system as well. Have as many map markers as you want, or none at all; it's all in the players hands.

 

[Brian Boru]

if you have a dual monitor setup, isn't one primary and the other secondary?

Yes.

The first Elex has it, so I guess a good chance it's in 2 too—in a tutu?

ELEX - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

ETA: they have a page for Elex 2, but it's incomplete. Lists multi-monitor as 'Unknown', so if you could kindly buy a second one and let them know, that would be loverly…

ELEX II - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

 

[Sarafan]

I've played about 4 hours and haven't had a single technical issue. No crashes, no stuttering, and everything feels smooth and fluid, that's with all setting set to high.

Prepare for trouble when you reach the faction bases. The game is terribly optimized there from what I've read. In Cleric's base on RTX 3090 there are 70-76 fps. My RTX 2070 Super can only dream about keeping stable 60 fps in 1080p (it hovers around 50 fps). Probably it's the most demanding game on the market right now and the graphics quality doesn't justify that unfortunately.

 

[Zloth]

If the faction bases were like before, you'll mostly be just chatting with people along with a few light battles. A framerate of 50 should be fine and dandy.

Are the NPCs doing much in town? Depending on what's going on, it could be CPUs capping the framerate.

 

[Sarafan]

Are the NPCs doing much in town? Depending on what's going on, it could be CPUs capping the framerate.

The test I'm referring to was made on Ryzen 9 5950X, so the CPU isn't a bottleneck for sure: https://www.purepc.pl/gra-elex-2-wymagania-sprzetowe-test-wydajnosci?page=0,6. It's not in English, the charts should be understandable though. Also please keep in mind that I haven't played the game personally yet, but the tests from the above site are usually quite accurate.

 

[Zloth]

Oooo, that's at 1080p, too.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I wonder if Nvidia/AMD have optimized drivers for the game? All the AMD cards there performing exactly the same as if there's a massive CPU limit, and Nvidia cards too close together for their relative power for same reason.

As its not a big AAA release they might not have prioritized it,