Wasteland 2

About Wasteland 2

Wasteland 2 is a post-apocalyptic RPG sequel developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Deep Silver. Released on September 19, 2014, it follows a group of Desert Rangers navigating a wasteland shaped by a 1998 nuclear holocaust. Set across PC, consoles, and Mac, it blends turn-based combat, exploration, and branching dialogue. The game evolved from a 2012 Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1 million. You play as a ranger balancing diplomacy, violence, and resource management in a world where every decision impacts survival. It’s a gritty, morally complex take on the post-apocalypse with deep party customization and a focus on consequence-driven storytelling.

Gameplay

Wasteland 2 uses turn-based combat where positioning and terrain matter as much as stats. You explore a large desert with settlements, prisons, and hostile territories, scavenging supplies and recruiting allies. Each encounter forces tough choices: negotiate, fight, or flee, with outcomes shaping the world. Missions range from rescuing civilians to sabotaging warlords, often with multiple solutions. Dialogue trees let you pick fights, make deals, or avoid conflict entirely. Combat emphasizes tactical grid movement, weapon loadouts, and status effects. Outside battles, you manage resources like water and fuel, trade with factions, and upgrade gear. The game demands patience, it’s not a rush, but every action feels impactful in a world that reacts to your every move.

What Players Think

The PlayPile community gives Wasteland 2 a 75.1/100 on IGDB, with 93 ratings. Average playtime is 35 hours, and 38% of players complete it. Moods include “gritty,” “strategic,” and “rewarding” but also “slow-paced.” A top review says, “The world feels alive, even if the pacing drags at times.” Achievement completion is 72% at 140 total, with 20+ hours needed for most. Critics praise the moral complexity and faction diversity but note dated visuals and repetitive side quests. 68% of players rate the difficulty “challenging,” and 73% say the story justifies the length. It’s a polarizing classic, loved for its depth but criticized for its technical quirks.

PlayPile's Take

Wasteland 2 is a must-play for RPG fans who enjoy tough decisions and tactical combat. At $29.99, it’s a steal for 30+ hours of branching narratives and 140 achievements. The story’s moral ambiguity and world-building stand out, but the slow pacing and dated UI might frustrate newcomers. If you value consequence-driven gameplay over flashy graphics, this is your game. Skip it if you crave fast action or polished visuals. It’s not perfect, but its legacy as a crowdfunded RPG gem holds up. Worth it if you’ve 40 hours to invest in a world that remembers your choices.

Storyline

The game is set in an alternate history timeline, in which a nuclear holocaust took place in 1998 in relation to an impact event involving a cluster of meteors that sparked a global nuclear war. On the day of the cataclysm, a company of U.S. Army Engineers were in the desolate southwestern desert constructing bridges in an area with a number of small survivalist communities and a newly constructed federal death row prison with light industrial facilities. The soldiers sought shelter in the prison, expelled the inmates and invited nearby survivalists to join them shortly thereafter. Years later, together they formed "the Desert Rangers, in the great tradition of the Texas and Arizona Rangers", to help other survivors in the desert and beyond it.