Elemental: Fallen Enchantress Beta 2 Released, v0.85 Gameplay Preview

In addition to announcing the release of a beta 2 build for Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, Stardock CEO Brad Wardell has treated us to another one of his screenshot-laden gameplay previews. This one is based on version 0.85 and it even comes with some battle screencasts:
Once upon a time.

I created a custom sovereign and allied him with one of the included factions, Altar. Altar is the faction made up by men who fear the rise of the Empires of old who would enslave and ruin the world if they have their way.

My character, DL, is a scholar. He gets an extra 2 research per turn. The large, randomly generated map I'm playing on has 10 others players on it.

Now, immediately I have a few challenges to face.

There's a Mite infestation. And I don't mean the good kind of mites..ok, there are no good mites but still. They're small, they have sharp teeth and they're mean.

I also have an unusually good start position. (pro tip: you can press Ctrl-N to have it regenerate the map until you get a random world you like). I have metal and crystal. Metal is good for making good mundane weapons (swords, armor, etc.). Crystal is good for making arcane items. It's rare to see both near a starting location.

There's an exiled Wilding Warrior hanging around an abandoned caravan (no doubt, he being the source of said abandonment). There's also a champion I can recruit nearby Ralle.