I just tried Solasta II’s demo and wow, Neokos is next-level

Why Neokos ramps up tactics

I love when a trailer spells out exactly what the game is about, and Solasta II’s newest look at Neokos just hammered that home. We see sun-bleached ziggurats, vine-choked ruins, and multi-tiered plazas that scream “use that height!” Tactical Adventures isn’t chasing Baldur’s Gate 3’s big-budget cinematic flair—instead, they’re dialing up everything that made the first Solasta feel like D&D on PC. Think booby traps on crumbling walkways, enemies that rappel down ropes to flank you, and lighting puzzles where you juggle torches against magical gloom. It’s a playground for anyone who’s ever yelled “roll higher!” when their rogue tries to squeeze through a narrow fissure above a 40-foot drop.

Key Takeaways

• Neokos expands the scope with layered environments and biome variety, from sun-drenched rooftops to mist-shrouded caverns.
• Combat sticks to strict D&D 5E rules: visible dice rolls, advantage/disadvantage (bonus/penalty to dice), and resource management that punishes freebies.
• Fixed four-person parties keep synergy over romances—your builds and teamwork shine, not emotional arcs.
• The PC demo is live now; Early Access drops in early 2026, promising community-driven updates.

Rules-as-written 5E combat and verticality

Solasta II doubles down on “rules-as-written” D&D 5th Edition, and that’s not window dressing. You’ll see every d20 roll in bright numbers, advantage/disadvantage (a D&D mechanic that grants a bonus or penalty on a roll) actually matter, and every action economy choice hurts when you slip up. Spells like Misty Step and Spider Climb aren’t just flashy—they’re vital to reach ledges or bypass traps. Day/night cycles bite harder, too: darkness gives you disadvantage unless you lug torches, darkvision, or cast a light spell. Short rests cost hit dice, and long rests gobble spell slots, so you can’t spam fireballs without planning your breakout tactics.

One thing I’m keen to see refined in the demo is the UI for reactions—counterspells, shields, opportunity attacks. The first Solasta sometimes made me hunt through menus mid-combat. If Solasta II speeds up prompts and clarifies turn order, every vertical skirmish will feel snappier and more intuitive.

Demo deep dive: hands-on first impressions

I spent a good hour in the PC demo, and a few standout moments made me grin. In the opening courtyard, goblin archers peppered me from a broken parapet 30 feet above. My fighter dashed up a set of crumbling stairs, shoved a goblin off the edge, and then narrowly avoided a falling net trap that would’ve clipped my healer’s legs. Later, I baited a yuan-ti shaman into chasing me across a series of raised platforms—one misstep and they plummeted, triggering a pressure plate that sealed the gateway behind us. It felt like orchestrating a dance of dice and environment rather than clicking “attack.”

Performance held mostly firm on my midrange rig—frame dips only showed up when I summoned too many summoned elementals in a cramped grotto. Camera angles during multi-level fights were largely solid, though I did manually tweak a couple of zoom settings to track my rogue as she vaulted from pillar to pillar. Class breadth felt decent for a demo: I tried a cleric support build with Spirit Guardians and a barbarian skirmisher who used half-cover to set up brutal Sneak Attacks. It felt promising, but I’m itching to see more martial archetypes and battlefield-control options before Early Access.

How Solasta II stands apart from other tactics RPGs

Every new RPG trailer these days gets pitched against Baldur’s Gate 3, but Solasta II isn’t trying to rewrite that playbook. Unlike BG3’s performance-capture cutscenes and sprawling dialogue wheels, this sequel zeroes in on grid mastery and tabletop fidelity. If your best BG3 moment was dropping boulders on enemies from a cliffside or stacking invisibility spells for a high-ground one-shot, you’ll feel right at home here.

Compare it to Divinity: Original Sin 2, which blended elemental combos and environmental hazards into its turn-based fights—Solasta II strips things back to D&D basics but layers on true verticality. And while XCOM stresses cover and overwatch, Solasta’s vertical jousting and resource-scarce long rests give each encounter a different flavor. It’s leaner, yes, but in that leaness lies focus: if you crave pure, positional C&C (command and control) without cinematic side quests, Solasta II is your lane.

The Early Access gamble: roadmap and community

Early Access in early 2026 is both bold and a bit nerve-wracking. Tactical Adventures earned trust with the first Solasta by actively patching balance issues, releasing new classes as DLC, and baking community feedback into updates. Keeping that momentum for two years means they need a transparent roadmap. From what I’ve pieced together on their Discord and dev blogs, expect:

1. Class reveals every quarter—Battle Master-style maneuvers, battlefield-blasting sorcerers, and healing-centric clerics.
2. Biome deep dives that showcase new puzzles and traps in each environment.
3. Systems overhauls, like fatigue rules and a refined crafting UI, based on demo feedback.
4. Monthly balance patches and mod-friendly support to let players re-tool encounters.

If Tactical Adventures keeps that cadence—and uses the current demo as proof of concept—they can hold interest until launch. Ghosting fans for half a year, though? That’s where other tactics-first RPGs have stumbled, as players chase the next big thing.

Conclusion

Solasta II’s Neokos trailer nails its promise: bigger, smarter vertical battlefields and crunchy 5E tactics that respect the tabletop roots. The live PC demo delivers a taste of high-stakes modular fights where missteps cost dearly and positioning is king. Early Access in 2026 gives the studio time to refine class depth, UI flow, and stability—with community input baked in. If you loved the first game’s pure D&D feel and you’re patient for a thoughtful build-up, this is one to bookmark.

TL;DR

Solasta II’s Neokos demo showcases layered terrain, strict 5E rules, and solid performance on PC. Early Access arrives in early 2026—worth sampling now if you live for tactical depth over cinematic flair.