Warcraft: Dark Crusade

Warcraft: Dark Crusade

Warcraft: Dark Crusade is a project that recreates the classic Warcraft 1 and 2 gameplay as well as the entire single-player campaigns of Warcraft 1, Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, and its expansion, Warcraft 2: Beyond the Dark Portal within the Starcraft 2 engine.  Dark Crusade is a massive undertaking that, when complete, will contain 76 missions, 12 from Warcraft 1 Humans, 12 from Warcraft 1 Orcs, 14 from Warcraft 2 Orcs, 14 from Warcraft 2 Humans, 12 from Warcraft 2X Orcs, and finally 12 from Warcraft 2X Humans.  

Do not hesitate to leave feedback or suggestions in the comments below.

FRIENDLY DISCLAIMER: This mod and all campaign files are FREE.  This means, all who work on Dark Crusade are putting their free time into an incredibly comprehensive remaster of all of Warcraft 1 and Warcraft 2, including entirely new features such as story modes, hero modes, and tons more bonus content.  Thus, there should be absolutely no expectations that bug fixes or new features will be released in any sort of timely manner.  This is a "we'll get to it when we get to it" situation.  Please be aware the modders here have work lives, family lives, and simply do not have the energy to maintain a lively work cycle to keep the mod 100% up to date.  We do promise we will release updates when we feel they are ready to be released.  We hope that you understand our position on this.

Latest News - 

November 12th, 2021

Episode 1 is complete!

The latest update has now bumped the version to 1.00, signaling the completion of Episode 1, containing 12 human missions from Warcraft 1.  This update contains a lot of bug fixes and other updates along with the final human mission in this episode, so give it a whirl at your convienence.

Next up - Episode 2!  Here you will be able to play the Orc Warcraft 1 campaign.  Again, while stable, this is still a work in progress and I expect many more bug fixes and updates along the way till we get through all episodes.  I still really need more classic models from the community if possible, and I do wish Blizzard would release the Reforged 3D models in the SC2 engine...

- OmegaWeapon 

Trailers

Coming Soon!

Downloads

Current Version: 1.03

Required files:

• WCDC - Core Mod, Launcher, and all Maps (Also contains the English Localization mod)
• WCDC Assets Mod
• WCDC Cinematics Part 1
• WCDC Cinematics Part 2

Translations: (Only English is available for now, more will be available at a future date)

• WCDC Localization English - Available in the Core Mod download!

Due to the "work-in-progress" nature of where this project is, it is always highly recommended to do a clean install upon each new map or mod upgrade by deleting any previous Dark Crusade-related folders or zip archives from your Starcraft 2 root install directory, and delete or rename the WCDC.SC2Bank file in (Documents)/Starcraft II/Banks

For older versions of the mod, see the "Files" section.

Installation:

Manual Installation:

Please carefully follow these steps: 

1. Download the required mod files (see the "Downloads" section above)
   • There are four primary downloads, The core mod/missions, the assets mod, and both cinematics mod.  The English localization will be within the core mod.
2. Extract the core mod/missions first.   Within this extracted WCDCfolder, move the folder called "Warcraft Dark Crusade" to the "Maps" folder of your Starcraft 2 Installation folder
   • Typically located in your primary C: drive -> Applications (mac) /Program Files (win) -> Starcraft II.  Or basically, where Starcraft2.exe is located - Note: Create the "Maps" folder here if it doesn't exist!) 
3. Go back to that extracted WCDC folder and now move the "Mods" folder to the same place as the "Maps" folder. 
   • There should be two mods already within the mods folder.  We're going to move more there next.
4. Extract the Assets and Cinematics mod files (WCDCassets and WCDCcinematicsPart1/2) and extract them to the "Mods" folder in your Starcraft 2 install directory.  Your Mods folder should now have FIVE mod files including:
   
   1. WCDCmod.SC2Mod
   2. WCDClocal.SC2Mod
   3. WCDCassets.SC2Mod
   4. WCDCcinematicsPart1.SC2Mod
   5. WCDCcinematicsPart2.SC2Mod

You can now use the pre-placed shortcut in your core WCDC download that says "Warcraft Dark Crusade - WIN".  Just double click that link and it should instantly load up the Campaign Launcher.  If your SC2 installation path is different from the default please update that shortcut path accordingly.  The contents are as follows:

C:\Program Files (x86)\StarCraft II\Support\SC2Switcher.exe" -run "C:\Program Files (x86)\StarCraft II\Maps\Warcraft Dark Crusade\WCDC Campaign Launcher.SC2Map" -displaymode 2

For MAC, its a bit different.   First, unzip the pre-placed shortcut called "Warcraft Dark Crusade - MAC". Then locate your WCDC Campaign Launcher map and drag and drop it over the MAC shortcut.  That will now instantly load the Campaign Launcher.

You're all set! Use the shortcut to play anytime.

Alternative ways to play:

If the above doesn't work for you, first and foremost make sure that:

• you have all the necessary files in the right directories
• you've set the correct paths for the shortcut
• you're running the latest version of Starcraft 2

Alternative way to play without the shortcut:

• locate SC2Switcher.exe in the Support folder (your Starcraft 2 install directory)/Support
• locate the WCDC Campaign Launcher file in (your Starcraft 2 install directory)Maps/Warcraft Dark Crusade
• drag and drop the WCDC Campaign Launcher file to SC2Switcher.exe

If you wish to play while logged on to battle.net, you will need to take the following steps:

• Launch Starcraft II using the battle.net launcher
• Alt-tab to desktop
• Launch Warcraft Dark Crusade using the created shortcut

Note that you can still save and load any WCDC map, as long as you're logged in.

Portrait Note

Due to Reforged model assets not being available, yet, in the SC2 engine, most models and portraits are using the older SD warcraft3 versions.  However, I was able to upload Reforged HQ icons for all buttons and portraits.  Because the native 3D portraits are low res, this means it is HIGHLY recommended you disable 3D portraits in your SC2 menu settings under gameplay and use 2D portraits instead.  What this will do is force the game to use the high quality Reforged portrait images when you select units/buildings and during story mode dialog transmissions.  While not entirely detracting to continue to use the low res 3d portraits, there is something to be said about seeing the full high quality portraits instead, especially for drastically redesigned units like Gul'dan from an old man with a loose tooth to a menacing warlock.  In addition, it gives a somewhat classic feel having a 2D portrait for a classic Warcraft.

Your choice - but I would use 2D portraits in your menu settings :)

In-Depth WCDC Informational Pages

• Coming Soon!

Troubleshooting

Make sure you're using an up-to-date version of Starcraft 2.

Common issues:

• Param/values/whatever: if lots of texts are like that, you may have a problem with your Mods: delete WCDCmod and WCDClocal, and re-download them from the links below. If it is only one or two lines (say, a mission objective), report it in the comments section (in that case, please specify which language you are playing in).
• Dependency cannot be loaded: The mods are not at the proper place. Check that you have put your mods (WCDCmod AND WCDClocal) in the Mods folder, as on the picture below.
• Unable to load map: Your maps are not at the proper place. Check that you have put the episode files such as "1. Defends of Azeroth" in a folder "Warcraft Dark Crusade", itself to be placed in Maps, as on the picture above.

About The Author

OmegaWeaponX

Hi there!  It's me, your friendly neighborhood ultimate boss, Omega Weapon.  I have a strong love for all things Blizzard since its first Warcraft game came out who knows when ago.  I love all things RTS such as Warcraft, Starcraft, and Command & Conquer as well as all things action/JRPG role playing such as Diablo, Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, etc.  To that end, I had a desire to see some classic games remade in updated engines.  Sometime, the original developers are too slow to develop these or they just don't do them justice.  The first major project I jumped into was the updated Starcraft: Mass Recall project, which made Starcraft 1 in the Starcraft 2 engine. 

Afterwards, I strongly wanted to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 in the new Warcraft 3 Reforged engine.  However, I was dissapointed to learn that the WC3R engine was hardly updated and was not nearly as customizable as the SC2 engine.  Struggling with the decision which engine to use, I ultimately choose SC2 because of its high degree of customization and powerful editing capabilities.  Although I was able to import all high quality Reforged Icons, most of the Reforged assets however were not available from Blizzard.  It remains to be seen whether Blizzard will release these to the SC2 engine or if fans will create them, but for now, most assets will either use fan-made models or WC3 original models.

Ultimately, I want to have some fun with this remaster of sorts.  We're going to replay all Warcraft 1 and 2 in the SC2 engine with a ton of bonus content that you can toggle on or off as you want including heroes, story content, music, sounds, gameplay stats, achievements, you name it!  What's more, EVERY SINGLE briefing and cinematic from the classic games will be available within this project.  It's like you'll be transported to 1990 and 2020 at the same time.  

Credits

map design and scripting

 OmegaWeaponX

WCDCmod

 based on the SC2 Warcraft mod by 

 Renee

 additional development by 

 OmegaWeaponX

custom 3D models & textures by

additional artwork

localization

PLEASE NOTE that this is a completely unofficial, non-profit, fan-made remake and in no way affiliated with Activision Blizzard.