Going back to play Warcraft 3 with a whole new campaign was not something I expected to do in 2026, almost 24 years after it first released. While Warcraft 3 Reforged released in 2020, it felt like a nostalgic trip back to my childhood, but not more than that. However, with the Forsaken Kingdom, I feel like Warcraft 3 is back and better than ever.
A Two-Part Journey Through Darkness
Warcraft 3 Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom is split into two parts. The first is a prologue focusing on the fall of Lordaeron across four chapters. Following that, the bigger Forsaken Kingdom campaign focuses on the Undercity and bridges the story between Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft in many ways.
The fall of Lordaeron part of the campaign tells a very straightforward story, but it is elevated by some great cinematics and well-written lines. That initial part took around two to three hours to complete, and I was satisfied already after that, it felt like a very good movie storywise. The maps are pretty linear with a few exploration options that really pay off with some great gear, keeping the overall level design focused and engaging.
A Hero Focus
Both parts of the campaign come almost entirely without base-building. Instead, the gameplay focuses heavily on your heroes and the guards who join you along the way. You need to keep these units alive as much as possible, otherwise the game gets a bit hard.
I have always enjoyed the missions where the focus was on heroes and where you had a limited amount of grunts to help you out, so I was very pleased with this design choice. That said, I can certainly understand some purists not liking this shift away from traditional real-time strategy mechanics.
Bridging RTS and RPG
The Forsaken Kingdom part of the campaign is set in three chapters (referred to as acts, even if they look like chapters in the menu compared to the other campaigns), but they are much bigger in scope. This part of the campaign feels a lot more like a light RPG than an RTS. This is evident both in the openness of the acts, where you move through different areas and do quests for different people, and in the mission structures themselves.
The quests are more in line with the mission structures of World of Warcraft, featuring fetch-quests, saving Forsaken, and finding bosses out in the world. You also have the Undercity acting as a hub that you return to, allowing you to watch it grow over time.
Furthermore, The Forsaken Kingdom introduces a greater focus on a skill tree and a new inventory system that aligns much closer with traditional RPGs. This makes the journey with Garek Bandarion one where you can tailor your combat style more than you ever could before in the series.
I feel like every decision they have made with The Forsaken Kingdom is precisely in line with how I like to play Warcraft 3. It is certainly not going to be for everyone, but it was a great nostalgic journey for me. Even though it felt more like a top-down RPG than a classic RTS, I would love it if this is the direction they choose to go should they ever make a Warcraft 4.
Visual Enhancements
Warcraft 3 Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom also comes with a new graphic option. The new campaign is locked to the updated visuals, while the older campaigns are locked to the original two graphical styles. The new “Definitive Edition” mode smooths some things out, introduces better lighting, and makes the game look even better. Best of all, this visual upgrade has been added to multiplayer for all maps as well. It is a nice extra addition that successfully solves some of the lingering problems the original Reforged launch came with.
Conclusion
At the start of the year, I couldn’t even imagine Warcraft 3 being among the top contenders for best strategy games of the year. But with Forsaken Kingdom, Blizzard has managed to make Warcraft 3 feel relevant again. By delivering a campaign that boasts some of the best writing and pacing in the entire Warcraft universe, and layering new light RPG elements on top of an already great game, what a pleasant surprise this has been.
It is not going to be for every fan of the series, but for those who enjoyed the hero-focused missions and the tight storytelling levels of the original, this is the best the game has ever been. It genuinely gives hope for a great future Warcraft 4, if it ever comes to fruition.
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