Strategy games have been popular for a while now, but which titles are the best of the genre?

TheWild Walkersare a great all-rounder faction, while theVaultersandDrakkenexcel at science and diplomacy, respectively.

Picking a more advanced faction for your first game is setting yourself up for problems down the road.

A mage awakens a piece of alien technology on the loading screen of Endless Legend

Others - notably theCultists- feel like playing an entirely different game.

Unless you’re playing as the Broken Lords, you need Food togrow your citiesand get more workers.

When in doubt, improve your Industry output.

XCOM 2 alien, Desperados 3, Crusader Kings

Dust is the currency of the Endless Universe.

Influence is used toengage in diplomacy with other factions.

It’s also necessary forassimilating Minor Factions(see below).

the faction select screen in Endless Legend with Wild Walkers highlighted

You’ll also get afactionwide bonusfor each village of that Minor Faction that’s within your borders.

Finally, each assimilated villagecontributes a worker to the city in its region.

you might assimilate Minor Factions from theEmpire Screen, accessed by the button at the top left.

the city list screen in endless legend

Assimilation is on the bottom left of the Empire Screen.

The video above shows how to assimilate a Minor Faction!

This makes them an essential part of securing a win.

A New Beginning, the first chapter of the Broken Lords Faction Quest in Endless Legend

Easy Approval is hard to come by, so take the opportunity.

to settle or expand to an Anomaly whenever it presents itself!

If there are no Anomalies, attempt to settle in locations withlots of similar features.

A collage showing the worlds of Chrono Trigger, Genshin Impact, and Bloodborne.

Large forests are great for Industry, while rivers and coastline excel at producing Dust with the right buildings!

However, there are some tricks that can help youminimize the cost of maintaining a standing army.

There’s aflat upkeep per army in the field, so fewer armies means a lower cost overall.

A pair of Dragon Tree Anomalies in Endless Legend

Keep Your Loadouts Up-To-Date

New Era?

Upgrading units is done byaltering their equipment loadoutson the Military Screen (the fist on the toolbar).

This will let them handle themselves adequately in most situations, keeping to their core strengths.

a Vaulter city focused on Food production in Endless Legned

However, it’s always best touse the best available materialif you have it.

WInterseverely reduces Food,Industry, and Dust income.

It’s not exact, but it’s better than nothing.

the first era tech tree in Endless Legend

Every Winter is longer and inflicts harsher penalties than the last.

If you’re looking for the best 4X games on Steam, you’ve come to the right place.

a Mezari capital with a governor, small garrison, and the Museum of Auriga in Endless Legend

a Marine is upgraded with new Titanium, Iron, and Glassteel gear in the unit design screen for Endless Legend

A mid-game Winter penalty in Endless Legend

A green battle map of allied and enemy forces in Total War: Rome Remastered, and a bustling settlement surrounded by stone walls in Farthest Frontier.

Triple-A Games

Endless Legend