Endless Legend 2 seriously impressed me when it launched in early access last year. And now it's poised to escape its development shackles and appear fully formed, as the 1.0 launch now has a release date.

On September 17, you'll be able to begin your conquest of Saiadha in earnest. And if you dipped in during the early access phase, you can expect to be greeted by quite a few new features.

The final major faction will be making its first appearance on that same day. The Sandshapers are the oldest civilisation on the planet and aim to terraform the rather damp marble into a lovely, dry desert.

They'll be joined by a bunch of starfish, though I assume they prefer to be referred to as the Mangrove of Harmony. This is a new minor faction with its own hero, questline and recruitable units and pops. It was also designed in conjunction with the community, so if you hate starfish, you know who to blame.

Finally, there's a new spin on major factions in the form of rogue factions—splinter groups with their own bespoke quests, stories and mechanics.

At launch, we'll get two of them: a conquest-loving twist on the Kin of Sheredyn known as the Order of Zelevas, and a Necrophage offshoot known as The Severed Claw, which can enslave other factions.

Last year I called it "an incredible 4X" even in its unfinished state. The foundations of greatness were already apparent, though I didn't quite vibe with the combat—as much as it was a clear improvement over the disappointing brawls of Humankind. After a year of tinkering, I'm eager to see how much Amplitude has improved on it.

So make some room on your calendar for alien weirdos and planet-spanning quests. That gives you a couple of months to figure out what faction to play first.