Puzzle Quest 2 Trailers, Class Info, and Storyline Details

D3Publisher and Infinite Interactive have sent us some more Puzzle Quest 2 assets, including the game's opening cinematic, a video of the introductory Goblin Witch battle, and details about the game's storyline and four character classes. The videos are up on our YouTube channel, and I've embedded them below:





If those don't get you looking forward to the game, perhaps the below information will:
PUZZLE QUEST 2: THE STORY SO FAR...

Not even the eldest citizens from the town of Verloren remember their sleepy village as the site of the once mighty fortress built to protect the world from a great evil. As stories fade with every generation, the tale of the evil which had been secured behind the strong walls of Verloren has become the subject of myth.

And while no one in Verloren is quite sure why the great crumbling stone walls surround their town, there are several in the realm of Etheria who have not forgotten... These heroes have watched as the days have slowly grown dark again, and when entire Verloren families have been reported as missing taken from their homes in the night, one hero is sent to investigate.

When the hero arrives, he finds the town square overrun with Goblins. Upon vanquishing the Goblins, the hero tracks the Goblin's origins to ruins of a centuries' old tower on the outskirts of town, a tower now buried deep within a sea of ice.

Your mission (as a male or female Barbarian, Assassin, Sorcerer, or Templar) is to explore this strange labyrinth carved out of ice and castle ruins. Is it just a last refuge for rabid beasts, minions of the undead, and mythical creatures long considered vanquished, or is there something more powerful at work? Perhaps something more sinister is using these creatures to protect the recesses of its lair, as it implements a plan far more disastrous for all of mankind?

In the tradition of the original Puzzle Quest Puzzle Quest 2 combines an easy-to-play match-3-based puzzle system with the a compelling fantasy adventure and strategic turn-based combat found at the heart of all great role-playing games.

Puzzle Quest 2 further intensifies the puzzle-RPG blend as action points are awarded for deeper combat experience. Exploration of the dungeon-crawling variety also brings with it new puzzling mini-games when finding loot, discovering and disarming traps, breaking down doors, picking locks, and more.

Level your hero, learn new spells, acquire new deadlier weapons, better armor, and put your puzzle skills to the ultimate test against more dangerous foes as you descend deeper and deeper into this dungeon. What lies in wait? It is said (No Daemon sleeps forever...)


CLASS WARFARE: INTRODUCING THE NEW CLASSES OF PUZZLE QUEST 2

We've all fallen asleep in class at one time, so we'll make a deal with you. If you're interested in staying alive in Puzzle Quest 2, we'll give you a quick overview of the new classes; Templar, Assassin, Barbarian and Sorcerer and include some general strategy on how to best to play as them. [Note: as Etheria is an equal opportunity fantasy realm, players can also choose to be either a female or male version of each class, and the stats for each class are the same regardless of gender] And in the interest of keeping you awake, we'll make this class discussion to the point.

Barbarian
Barbarians are a well-rounded class, with both solid offensive and defensive spells. They are the only class that may use the most powerful two-handed weapons, and start with 29 Life points.

Barbarians start with higher strength and stamina, and their first spell is appropriately called (pummel). They are a great character for players who prefer big weapons that do heavy damage. Players who use the Barbarian will want to accumulate more action points and equip big, two-handed weapons like the heavy club and bastard sword.

Assassin
Assassins may appear weak at first, but their spells combine to deliver some of the most lethal damage in the game. By activating a (stealth) spell first, an Assassin with enough mana can then activate a series of (strike) spells which (with stealth enabled) will double the damage.

The assassin's starting spell, (sneak attack) will help whittle away at enemy life points. Even though it does minimal damage, it does NOT use up a turn, so use it regularly when you have a good supply of blue mana.

Assassins are best outfitted in leather armor, and the Assassin's signature weapon is the dirk, find a good one to upgrade as it deals a decent amount of damage for a relatively limited number of action points. Assassins are also the only class that can use the most powerful poisons.

Sorcerer
In many ways, Sorcerers really are the masters of the puzzle quest board with spells for all occasions from direct damage to board manipulation, the Sorcerer is the thinking man's or resourceful puzzler's character.

Sorcerers are the only class that can use mana tonics; they have fewer life points, but can also start with the highest amount of mana (30). Spell-casters will want to rally behind the (Mage Strike) spell and focus less on wielding traditional weapons.

Templar
Cautious and methodical players will appreciate the Templar. The Templar is the master of defense they start with the highest number of life points, 30, and gain five per level (Barbarians and Assassins gain four, Sorcerers only three). Unlike the Assassin, they may not be able to deal a lot of quick damage, but they are difficult to kill.

The Templar's starting spell is (Defensive Wall) and true to a knight class, they are the only class in the game which can wear the most protective armor, plate armor, and the only class to carry Tower Shields.