CI Games has released episode 11 of its ‘Lifting the Veil’ development series, a look at the reworked combat in Lords of the Fallen II, the soulslike action role-playing game (RPG) set to launch in the first quarter of 2027.
According to a release, the sequel has almost 30 distinct weapon movesets. The 2023 Lords of the Fallen had 15. Each weapon class gets its own moves (repositioning strikes, infinite combo chains, area-of-effect attacks) and the studio says melee, magic and ranged combat have all been expanded, with more room for hybrid builds.
Soulslikes are action games modeled on FromSoftware's Dark Souls series: tough enemies, stamina-based fights and checkpoints that bring the world back to life when the player rests or dies.
“We want players to feel like a Swiss Army sword, ready to draw from an arsenal of combat options at any moment,” said Ryan Hill, Chief Creative Officer at CI Games. “From Quickfire projectiles to mid-combo weapon swapping, players will be spoilt for choice when it comes to ripping their foes limb from limb. And there's plenty more yet to reveal...”
Hill hosts the episode, titled ‘Steel & Sorcery’, with Lead Combat Designer Mike Vermeulen. Two members of the Launch Creative Team (LCT) join them: content creator Travis “Pastorgainz” Hughlett and Chandler Huddleston. CI Games recruits LCT members from the Souls community; each needs at least 1,000 hours in soulslikes, and they work with the developers every day.
Weapon swapping, Quickfires and spell stances
The headline change is mid-combo switching. Players can carry two melee loadouts and swap between them in the middle of a combo, without breaking the flow of a fight (open with dual daggers, finish with a scythe). Switching between one-handed and two-handed stances on the fly is still there. New counterstrike attacks join the mix, as do boss weapons with their own signature attacks.
Each melee loadout can also hold two Quickfire abilities. These fire off magic, projectiles or buffs instantly, with no stance change; the release gives throwing a javelin mid-combo as one example.
Magic and ranged play each get a dedicated stance that moves as freely as the default melee stance. Casters can equip up to four spells on one catalyst and four more on a second, all instantly castable, with chargeable versions. Mana now refills through the Sanguinarix instead of consumables. There are seven schools of magic.
Ranged builds get infinite base ammo, while stronger ammo types can be refilled at set points in the world. CI Games says this makes a full ranged playthrough viable. Among the smaller fixes, players can now recover weapon upgrades for a small cost, which the studio hopes will push people to try new weapons late in the game.
The studio credits extra development time for many of the changes. It also posted a separate combat gameplay montage on YouTube.
Platforms and release
Lords of the Fallen II is due out worldwide in Q1 2027 on PC, PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. It can be wishlisted on Steam and the Epic Games Store as well as the console stores. PLAION will handle physical distribution and retail. The game is not yet rated; CI Games expects an ESRB Mature 17+ rating and has a provisional PEGI 18.
Independent developer and publisher CI Games was founded in 2002 and is known for the Lords of the Fallen and Sniper Ghost Warrior series. The company says the 2023 Lords of the Fallen has been played by over 8 million people. Last week, CI Games said the sequel is fully funded through its 2027 launch. More details are on the official Lords of the Fallen website.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
