Pirates Outlaws 2: Heritage

My first hour with Pirates Outlaws 2: Heritage went like this: picked the wrong class, misread the ammo system, sailed in circles near a tavern, died to a Sea Master, and immediately started a new run. That restart instinct is the clearest signal a roguelike deckbuilder can send, and Heritage earns it more often than its mixed community reception suggests. The strategic skeleton here is familiar but layered. You pick one of three heroes, each with multiple unlockable classes that ship with a unique starting deck and a single ability card. Then you bolt on a companion (animal options included, a chicken was apparently popular in early reviews) whose cards slot into your starter hand, opening up cross-synergy angles before the first battle even begins. Combat runs on a countdown system: every card played or redrawn ticks enemy actions closer, so you are not just managing resources, you are managing tempo. Ranged attacks and shields eat ammo, starting at three bullets, so you are also tracking reload cards mid-fight. It is tighter than it looks on paper. The three-in-one card evolution mechanic adds another decision layer: collect three copies of the same card and you choose between two upgrade paths, which rewards deliberate drafting over passive accumulation. The Workshop lets you craft golden versions of base cards with gold and gemstones. The Black Market lets you permanently banish cards you never want to see again. The Heritage talent tree upgrades persistent passives between runs. That is a lot of systems for a sub-$20 Early Access game, and the density is both the pitch and the problem. The Early Access state is real, and you should price it into your decision. Steam user sentiment sits around 61 percent positive on roughly 95 reviews, which reflects a game that the developer itself has acknowledged needs a significant rework. Some of the new mechanics, particularly the open-ended Navigate map where you sail isle-to-isle rather than following a structured climb, have generated criticism for being strategically flatter than they appear. Hugging the tavern for emergency heals while waiting for elite spawns is not the bold pirate fantasy the design implies. The redraw and cooldown mechanic has been flagged as underdeveloped. The developer posted publicly that new mechanics unintentionally drifted from the series' roguelike strengths, which is an honest admission and signals a studio paying attention, but it also means the version currently in your library may feel rougher than the version six months from now. What holds up regardless of patch state: the art direction, the accessibility features, and the content volume at launch. Every card and status effect can be clicked mid-combat for a full description, and an in-game glossary covers every term. For newcomers to the genre who bounced off denser deckbuilders, this is a genuine entry point. The Early Access build ships with roughly 250 cards, around 80 to 90 relics, seven classes across three heroes, four companions, and nine Sea Master boss fights in the Pirates Bay region. That is enough content to feel out multiple class and companion combinations before repetition sets in. The Arena mode adds a wave-survival alternative to the campaign loop, and the Heritage talent tree gives persistent progression meaning that early failed runs still build toward something. The bottom line for a strategy-minded buyer: the decision tree in each run is real, and players who like planning routes, drafting toward specific card evolutions, and juggling ammo economy alongside countdown pressure will find the core loop rewarding. The open-map navigation needs work, the balance is still being figured out, and the single region currently available will feel thin after fifteen or twenty hours. Watch the developer's update cadence closely. If the announced rework lands well, this becomes a much easier recommendation.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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