Lords of the Fallen (2023): Overview & Critic Reception

Combat and Classes

You create an avatar and choose one of nine classes at the start. According to Fextralife, Hallowed Knight (starting level 10) is a sword-and-shield melee class with the highest starting Endurance; Orian Preacher (level 11) is a Radiance caster with a strong ranged spell; and Condemned (level 1) has the lowest starting stats. Dark Crusader is one of four unlockable classes.

Notable bosses include Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal (Skyrest Bridge), Judge Cleric, the Radiant Sentinel (The Empyrean), and Tancred, Master of Castigations and Reinhold the Immured (both in the Tower of Penance).

Axiom and Umbral

You reach Umbral with the Umbral Lamp. Dying in Axiom the first time sends you to Umbral. Dying again there returns you to your last save point in Axiom and forfeits your unspent Vigor, which you can recover only by returning to where you died. You can craft your own save points from materials dropped by Umbral monsters.

Story

The dark god Adyr, who ruled the demonic Rhogar, was sealed away by followers of the radiance god Orius. The Hallowed Sentinels were formed to guard five beacons that keep him from returning, but they became corrupted. You, the Lamp Bearer, are given the Umbral Lamp by the Dark Crusaders to cleanse the beacons.

Platforms and Updates

Lords of the Fallen is on PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S. The version 2 update (April 2025) improved co-op, added quality-of-life changes that reduce difficulty, a character creator, redone audio cues and more tutorials. A sequel, Lords of the Fallen II, has been announced; Wikipedia cites 2027 for its release, although one cited source says 2026, so check the publisher for the latest date.

Reception

Metacritic lists the game at 75 on PC and 77 on Xbox Series X/S (both generally favorable) and 70 on PS5 (mixed or average). It sold over one million copies in its first ten days.

Pros & Cons