Chris InglisDisciples: Domination is a dark fantasy strategy RPG with turn-based combat from Artefacts Studio and Kalypso Media. The gates to Nevendaar officially swung open on February 12, 2026, on PC and consoles. If you have been longing for some turn-based combat like the Heroes of Might and Magic series or the tactical depth and overland exploration of games like King’s Bounty II, the landscape here feels familiar, yet darker in the best way possible.
To understand the stakes of Domination, you must look back at Avyanna’s roots. In 2021’s Disciples: Liberation, she was a mercenary who discovered her true nature as a Nephilim—a forbidden hybrid of angel and demon. She spent that journey uniting fractured lands, but Domination catches up with her 15 years later. The honeymoon phase of her reign is over. Avyanna is now a weary monarch, and you’ll guide her through a grim tale of power and sacrifice. Unlike the previous game, you aren’t locked into a single path. You can spec Avyanna into four distinct classes that completely overhaul your tactical approach:
- Warmaster: The ultimate frontline bruiser. Whether you’re building her for raw physical DPS or as a protector for her allies, she is the anchor of your formation.
- Primordial Ruler: The master of displacement. She uses Primal magic to toss enemies across the map, triggering lethal collision damage.
- Holy Regent: An angelic support build. She excels at divine healing, purging debuffs, and granting “second chances” to fallen allies.
- Witch Queen: A dark specialist who exploits the dead, resurrecting foes as temporary thralls or sacrificing her own units for unholy power.
Being a leader comes with politics, and Disciples: Domination represents this with the throne system. While exploration and story still play in real-time, your most critical choices occur at the High Seat in Yllian which you can teleport to anytime outside of combat. As Queen, you must resolve grievances between the factions of Empire, Mountain Clans, Undead Hordes, Legions of the Damned and Elven Alliance. Siding with the Empire might bolster your defences, but it could trigger a blockade from the Legions of the Damned, cutting off your access to Primal spells.
Managing your coin and resources is vital for gaining favour with the factions. Reaching Tiers 1-3 will reduce recruitment costs and require less leadership within the army meaning more units available. Tier 4 rewards you with a bonus to those faction units such as increasing power or critical damage, as well as permanently unlocking unique armour appearances as well as unique items. Tier 4 with the Empire will get you a Brand of the Highfather amulet while Tier 4 with Elven Alliance will give you the Blood Tree Bark Heart amulet. Be warned: if your reputation tanks, factions may withdraw their units from your recruitment pool entirely.
Navigating the overland map in Disciples: Domination is a treat for genre veterans. It’s littered with environmental puzzles and hidden caches, many of which are gated by abilities of companions. Companions have their own side quests to follow and have abilities that will help your overall army. You might spot a chest across a chasm that you can’t reach until you recruit a companion with the leap skill, or there may be a sigil on the ground that requires a companion that can summon spirits. Companions will allow you opportunities to return to earlier areas that were previously inaccessible.
The economy has also expanded from common gold to rare essences where everything matters. You’ll also find heavily guarded mines that, once captured, provide a passive trickle of resources back to your treasury. No more manual collecting – once you own it, the resources just flow. But it won’t be an easy fight, and Avyanna will explore the caverns and mines on foot looking for loot and secret areas before tackling the main boss armies.
Combat in Disciples: Dominationis the traditional hex-based battlefield that feels faster and more interactive than Liberation. The new three-color AP system—Blue (Movement), Red (Action), and Orange (Flexible)—requires careful planning. If you end a turn with unused AP, your unit gains useful buffs of agility if finishing on blue, strong when finishing on red and both agil and strong plus a heal, and these end-turn decisions become part of your overall survival strategy. Often, I would finish one fight and either through the story or just stumbling upon a roaming army meant I went straight into the next fight. So, any bonus to health between battles is much desired.
A major highlight for combat is the displacement system in the battlefield. Units can now physically move enemies by pushing or pulling them into other units or obstacles. Seeing a dwarf swing a hammer and push a combatant into the unit behind them—causing collision damage to both—is incredibly satisfying. Also watch out for spiders that will spin a web to pull you closer to them, or into friendly units damaging both.
Another element that continues from Liberation is the backline system, allowing you to slot up to three units that provide passive board effects without taking up a slot on the front lines. For example:
- The Empire: Slot a White Wizard in the backline to grant all allies +10% Divine Resistance.
- The Mountain Clans: A Forge Guardian in the backline will automatically repair your frontliners’ armour every two turns.
- Undead Hordes: A Vampire in the backline can provide life-steal to your entire army.
Overall, Disciples: Domination captures that turn-based combat addiction of HOMM and wraps it in a mature, high-stakes dark fantasy shell. While the weight of the crown is heavy on Avyanna, the gameplay loop feels more fluid and polished than Liberation. Whether you’re a series veteran or a newcomer looking for a strategy game with depth and atmosphere, this is an easy recommendation.
This review utilised a Steam key provided by Mark Allen PR and Disciplines: Domination is out now on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox and PlayStation.
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