Solasta: Crown of the Magister was a sleeper hit and one of our favorite games from 2020. The debut Tactical RPG from the aptly named studio Tactical Adventures went on to garner positive reviews, even from some of my old friends at RPG Codex. After two major campaign expansions and two class DLCs, it was naturally time for a sequel using the same D&D 5e ruleset. 2 full years after its initial announcement, the much-anticipated Solasta 2 Early Access became an official thing on March 12, 2026. In the absence of Sailesh, who previewed the first game, I jumped at the opportunity to preview the Solasta 2 early access build. I was not disappointed.
By now, one should temper their expectations when it comes to Steam Early Access. You’re basically paying to get access to a game early to be part of the development process. As a result, you get to play through a WIP build of the game and get to voice your opinions and criticisms to shape the direction of the future updates. It’s more or less the story with Solasta 2. As of March 12, the early access build includes full character creation with 6 classes and 13 subclasses to choose from, with the option of multi-classing. The max level cap is 4, and the devs are hoping to offer up to 10 at 1.0. As for the playable content, the current build includes a portion of Act 1, with a mix of main and side quests. Steam tells me my playthrough lasted around 12 hours before hitting the big wall. Obviously, there will be several major and minor updates till the game hits 1.0. Players can expect more classes, a higher level cap, and co-op multiplayer, alongside other things. All the foundations and most of the systems are in place and are working as intended (for the most part).
Looking at both Solasta and Solasta 2 side by side, the biggest change comes in the form of visual fidelity. Crown of the Magister was not a looker by any means. In fact, most of the time, it looked downright uncanny valley-ish. Solasta 2, by comparison, is a far-far better-looking game. From the general art design to each element of the visuals, the switch to Unreal Engine 5 is evident. While not at par with 100 million dollar projects, Solasta 2 looks pretty neat with some gorgeous lighting and detailed environments.
But there is one major caveat. The characters. Crown of the Magister had some hideous character models courtesy of its engine. Solasta 2, by comparison, should have some really striking character creation options. Right? Well, the character creation tool is perfectly adequate. The problem is that whatever you do, it is nearly impossible to design a convincingly appealing character; most outcomes tend to result in overly delicate, conventionally “pretty” male figures (for the lack of a better term). Thankfully, the devs have already addressed this issue and will be prioritizing improvements in the coming weeks.
Other than the character creator, everything in Solasta 2 seems like a big overhaul over the original. Perhaps the most interesting change comes in the form of the story. Set in a distant era in another corner of the world, Solasta 2 follows the (mis)adventures of four adopted siblings, the Colwalls, as they find themselves in an unknown land chasing their family’s mysterious legacy tied to a powerful goddess. If you do not count Baldur’s Gate, you’d be hard pressed to find an RPG where your party members are, in fact, your literal family.
This doesn’t mean that Solasta 2 is going in the route of a predetermined-character RPG (like Dragon Age 2 or The Witcher). Despite the familial setup, the four heroes are very much blank slates. During character creation, each of the four party members can be assigned a tag that shapes their personalities and backgrounds. These tags (and character skills) influence how the party responds during interactions with NPCs, often resulting in amusingly passive-aggressive moments that feel like a quirky form of familial bonding. Similar to the recently released Banquet for Fools, each of the party members gets their fair share of screen time. It feels like the era of RPGs where one character did all the talking while the rest stood around awkwardly is finally a thing of the past.
Making these interactions come to life are the new “cinematic” cutscenes. From a distance, it’s easy to mistake the game for Baldur’s Gate 3. Solasta 2’s style of presentation is highly inspired by Larian’s blockbuster RPG. However, that’s where the similarities start to narrow. I’ve seen so many people comparing the two and heard the sorrows of people who bought Solasta 2 expecting another BG3 experience, only to be disappointed. Solasta 2 is a tactical RPG, and thus, the game is designed around the hundreds, if not thousands, of potential combat encounters. Sure, there is a story. Yes, the cutscenes are gorgeous. Of course, you get skill checks and role-playing opportunities. But they all take a backseat to the combat.
Solasta 2 is a bit more open to the other avenues of CRPG-ing, but it’s still a combat-first game. The story, while interesting at first, slows to a crawl after the opening. The dialogues are not very interesting and can feel like they’re trying too hard at times. The voice acting, while serviceable, is not consistent, and the generally good-looking cutscenes have their share of janky animations and bad lip sync. But these are all ok, as long as the combat is good. After all, it’s the primary reason to be excited for Solasta 2. Thankfully, it is.
Crown of the Magister, while being a significantly modest production, did a better job at implementing the 5e D&D ruleset than Baldur’s Gate 3 without feeling too restrictive. While I do not agree with the trend of trying to be revisionist and calling BG3 “baby’s first RPG” (like, seriously?), it definitely felt like the 5e ruleset was painted on top of Original Sin’s backbone. Solasta 2 is shaping up to be an even better implementation of 5e.
In Solasta 2, you live by the dice; you die by the dice. Aside from some minor game-y changes (no need to bother), Solasta 2 tries to follow 5e to the letter. From its scripted combat encounters to the random encounters you happen upon while traversing the overworld (one hex at a time, baby!), the combat feels tense and exciting but not too challenging to the point of frustration. Tactical is the name of the game. Everything you’d want from a 5e combat simulation is present already. The spells and the skills included. I just wish the UI wasn’t all over the place and was customizable. There are also a couple of minor bugs and glitches, quite common for a game in early access.
Initial Impression
So far, I’m quite taken with Solasta 2. It’s still in “early” early access and currently offers only a portion of its planned content, but what’s already there is promising. If this is any indication of what’s to come, it has the potential to surpass its predecessor. I only hope it enjoys the same level of support from fan-made campaigns that helped the first game thrive.
