Reforged’s long-awaited 2.0 patch is a great first step, but the game’s revitalization will depend on future updates

Warcraft 3: Reinforced failed to deliver on its promises in 2020. Nearly four years later, Blizzard is trying to make amends for its disastrous launch and subsequent abandonment of the beloved title. Warcraft Reforged new patch 2.0 was announced and released on November 14thintroducing a series of changes and additions in an attempt to fix, frankly, a broken game.

Graphical improvements, quality of life features, and missing RTS pillars have made it to Warcraft 3: Reinforced. These changes are accompanied by remastered versions of War 1 and Warcraft 2featuring high-resolution graphics and technical improvements similar to Blizzard’s work on StarCraft: Remastered. All of the improvements are easy to appreciate, but if Blizzard truly wants to revitalize its franchise, more work needs to be done.

Patch 2.0 seeks to save Warcraft 3: Reforged’s disastrous launch

Missing features and new additions have arrived in Reforged

Warcraft 3: Reinforced launched with glaring problems, enough so that Blizzard even issued automatic refunds to players disappointed with the launch. Advertised features of the remake, like completely reshot cutscenes, were entirely absentand characteristics present in Warcraft 3as a functional classification, player and clan statistics, suddenly disappeared. The graphical overhaul was criticized for making the unit silhouettes unreadable at first glance. The original Warcraft 3 game was merged into Reforged as well, meaning players would need to re-download a 30-gigabyte game originally made in 2002, while also missing features that players have enjoyed for nearly two decades.

Patch 2.0, four years later Reforged disappointing initial launch, finally fixed some of these issues. The patch introduces a number of new and returning quality of life improvements. A high-resolution graphics option has been added to classic models, and the graphics are now part of a modular system where players can choose modes for specific models. The competitive community now has access to automated tournaments and a working ladder. Smaller features like a visible number that shows the number of workers collecting gold and the ability to resize the HUD are new and welcome additions to the game.

2.0 could lead to a better future in Warcraft

Patch 2.0 hints at future updates and more

Even if everything isn’t fixed, Warcraft 3: ReinforcedPatch 2.0 is a good sign that after years of neglect, Blizzard is finally looking at the RTS genre. Perhaps some credit can be given to Microsoft, which acquired Blizzard in 2021. While Microsoft has taken controversial steps such as closing talented game studios, its management of Age of Empires has resulted in quality remakes and remasters in recent years. Microsoft also published Age of Empires 4a new main title in the series, showing interest in modern developments alongside nostalgia.

It remains to be seen whether Blizzard intends to follow suit. The publisher’s first move, to say the least, is promising. 2.0 is certainly a step in the right directionand hopefully future patches and additions will improve the game even more. The possible addition of new content in the future would help justify the still high price of the established game, but really boosting the fundamental genre should be the ultimate goal. With a little luck, Warcraft 3: ReforgedThe game’s 2.0 patch could be the first step towards a true revitalization of not just the franchise, but RTS games as a whole.