The verdict up front
Field of Glory II is, for the right player, the best game of ancient battles on PC. Developed by Byzantine Games (the studio of veteran wargame designer Richard Bodley Scott) and published by Slitherine, it takes the well-regarded Field of Glory tabletop ruleset and turns it into a turn-based computer wargame about the clash of classical armies — Romans against Carthaginians, Greek hoplites against Persian hordes, Macedonian pike phalanxes against Gallic warbands. What makes it special is the quality of its tactical model. Battles are not won by simply stacking up kills; they are won by breaking the enemy's nerve, grinding down unit cohesion until formations crack and rout, and the rich interplay of troop types, weapons, terrain and morale gives every engagement real depth. It holds a Very Positive rating on Steam, and among ancient-warfare wargames it is close to the genre standard.
So is it worth buying? If you enjoy tactical wargames and the ancient world, very much so — the combat is deep yet learnable, the AI is genuinely good, and the multiplayer is superb. The honest caveats are that this is a niche, focused wargame: the presentation is plain and functional, there is a lot of optional DLC, and you do need to learn how ancient troop types beat one another. None of that undermines a tactical experience that few games match.
Field of Glory II is a turn-based tactical wargame from Byzantine Games, published by Slitherine. It covers ancient and classical warfare (the base game centres on the rise of Rome, roughly 280–25 BC), with extensive DLC widening the eras and armies. It offers single-player campaigns, custom battles and scenarios, plus hotseat and asynchronous multiplayer.
What you actually do
A game of Field of Glory II is a single battle, fought turn by turn between two ancient armies. You deploy your forces — lines of heavy infantry, supporting cavalry on the wings, skirmishers screening in front, perhaps elephants or chariots — and then maneuver across a battlefield of open ground, hills, woods and other terrain, trying to engage on your terms. Combat resolves in two stages whenever units clash: an impact phase when they first charge into contact, then ongoing melee for as long as they stay locked together. The interface shows your odds clearly before you commit, so you are making informed tactical decisions, not blind gambles. The goal is not annihilation but morale collapse: push enough enemy units past their breaking point and the whole army routs.
Around those battles sits a generous amount of content. There are historical and "what-if" campaigns, a flexible custom-battle mode that lets you pit almost any two armies against each other, set-piece scenarios, a sandbox generator and a map editor. With dozens of army lists, the variety of matchups is enormous, and that variety is a big part of why the game lasts.
New to the genre? Start with the in-game tutorials and a small, straightforward army like early Romans before experimenting with pike phalanxes or cavalry-heavy forces. Our Field of Glory II beginner guide walks you through your first battles step by step.
Why the combat system carries it
Plenty of strategy games have battles; what sets Field of Glory II apart is how thoughtfully its battles are modelled. The foundation is cohesion — effectively a unit's morale and order. Units do not usually fight to the last man; instead, losses, being charged, fighting in bad terrain, or being hit in the flank or rear erode their cohesion in steps, from steady to disrupted to fragmented to broken, at which point they rout and flee. This single idea makes battles feel authentically ancient: it is shock, fear and formation that decide the day, not just raw casualties, and a clever flanking maneuver can shatter a stronger unit that would never have lost a straight fight.
On top of that sits a deep but legible rock-paper-scissors of troop types. Heavy foot anchor the line in the open; medium foot fight well in rough terrain; light foot and skirmishers harass and flank but melt against cavalry in the open; pikemen are brutal head-on but vulnerable on the flanks; cavalry and cataphracts deliver crushing charges and run down broken units. Weapons matter too, with the impact and melee phases favouring different troops. The "points of advantage" system tots all of this up into clear odds for each clash, so the depth is real but always readable. Learning to match your troops to the enemy and the ground is the heart of the game, and it is deeply satisfying. Our combat guide and troop types tier list go deeper.
Pros
- +Deep yet learnable tactical combat built on morale, matchups and terrain.
- +An enormous roster of historical ancient armies and battles.
- +Strong, sensible AI that makes single-player genuinely challenging.
- +Excellent asynchronous play-by-email multiplayer with a healthy community.
Cons
- −A niche tactical wargame with a real learning curve for its nuance.
- −Plain, functional 3D presentation that looks dated next to mainstream strategy.
- −A long list of paid DLC to expand eras, armies and campaigns.
- −English, French, German and Spanish only — no Japanese, Korean or Chinese.
AI, multiplayer and longevity
Two things give Field of Glory II exceptional staying power. The first is its AI, which is among the best in the tactical wargame genre. It maneuvers with real purpose — refusing flanks, exploiting terrain, committing reserves, going for your weak points — so single-player battles are a genuine contest rather than a scripted walkover, and the sheer number of possible army matchups means the AI keeps throwing you fresh problems. The second is the multiplayer, built on Slitherine's asynchronous play-by-email system: you can run many games at once against opponents worldwide, taking each turn whenever it suits you, with no need to be online simultaneously. Combined with carefully balanced army lists, that makes for a deep, enduring competitive scene, and there is hotseat play for local opponents too.
Between a strong AI, superb asynchronous multiplayer, dozens of armies and a battle generator, the game offers effectively endless tactical variety. For a focused wargame, the longevity is outstanding — this is a title players return to for years.
The honest weaknesses
Now the caveats, because Field of Glory II is not for everyone. It is, first and foremost, a niche tactical wargame: there is no grand campaign of empire-building, no resource economy, no real-time spectacle — just battles, played turn by turn. The presentation reflects that focus; the 3D battlefield is clear and functional but plain, and it looks dated beside mainstream strategy games, so anyone shopping for visual spectacle will be underwhelmed. There is also a learning curve — not a brutal one, but you do need to absorb how the troop types and terrain interact to play well. And like most Slitherine wargames, it has a long list of paid DLC adding eras, armies and campaigns, which can add up if you want everything.
None of this is a flaw in the design so much as a statement of what the game is. It spends its effort on tactical depth and historical breadth rather than polish or accessibility, and you should buy it knowing that is the trade.
Buy Field of Glory II for its tactical depth, historical breadth and brilliant AI and multiplayer, not for graphics, presentation or a casual experience. If you want spectacle or a story-driven strategy game, look elsewhere. If you want the finest game of ancient battles on PC, this is it.
Who should buy it
If you love tactical wargames, ancient warfare, or both, Field of Glory II is close to essential — a deep, precise, endlessly replayable game of classical battles with an AI and multiplayer scene that few rivals can match. Fans of troop matchups, morale-driven combat and historical armies will find more to chew on here than in almost any comparable title, and at its price, with the base game alone offering dozens of armies and modes, the value is strong even before any DLC. To get started on the right foot, read our beginner guide, then dig into the combat guide, troop types tier list and tactics guide.
Who should pass? Anyone wanting a visually spectacular, casual or story-driven strategy game, or who has no interest in learning how ancient troop types and terrain interact. Be honest about that, because the game asks for a little study. For the players it suits — tacticians and history buffs — it is one of the most rewarding wargames on PC, with the honest asterisks that it is niche, plain to look at, and surrounded by a lot of DLC.
