Myth II: Soulblighter

Myth II: Soulblighter is a real-time tactics computer game for the PC and Macintosh developed and published by Bungie Software on November 30, 1998. It is a sequel to Myth: The Fallen Lords and second game in the Myth series. Myth II features include an improved graphics engine, new multiplayer maps and units, along with an all new story and campaign. On November 15, 1999, the game was later included in Myth: The Total Codex, which an expansion entitled Myth II: Chimera and Myth: TFL. Myth II was later ported to Linux by Loki Software. An additional game entitled Green Berets: Powered by Myth II set during the Vietnam War was powered by the Myth II engine in 2001.

The game was followed three years later with Myth III: The Wolf Age.

Gameplay
Levels of Myth, Units of Myth, Special Abilities and Dream Spells and Myth II Plugins

Like the previous installment, Myth II is a real-time tactics game where players are given a pre-determined selection of units with their own strengths and weakness, without the option to recruit any further units later in battle, emphasizing the tactics aspect of the gameplay.

In both single and multiplayer games, players can utilize units in different way such as combat formations and special abilities and making use of terrain. While some units from the previous Myth retain their special abilities such as the Dwarf satchel charge and Journeyman healing, other past units like the Bowmen are able to fire a secondary fire arrow that can set the targeted area aflame damaging nearby units and can use a knife as a last resort when in close combat. While some other units for both the Light and Dark sides aren’t present in Myth II such as the Forest Giants and Myrmidons, new units are made available such as Dwarven Mortars and the Myrkridia, previously only mentioned in Myth: The Fallen Lords. The previously Dark Trow are also made available for use by the Light, being classed as unaligned.

The single player campaign is only playable from the perspective of the Light, through a series of both linear and non-linear laid out levels, with end of level stats and individual unit kill counts and prevalence still present, along with the option to play cooperatively in multiplayer through online or local network.

"The Story Thus Far"
''It's now over 100 years since Balor first appeared at the eastern edge of the civilized lands. His arrival was heralded by a great comet that grew in the sky and signaled doom to all life. With dark arts he raised up the Fallen Lords, sorcerer-generals like himself, bent to his will and desiring nothing but to lay waste to the living and rule over the blasted lands. Among their number were Shiver, the Deceiver, the Watcher and, most vicious and cunning of all, Soulblighter.''

''Leading a grim army of beasts, spirit creatures and the reanimated dead, the Fallen swept through Eastern villages and cities, destroying the great capital at Muirthemne and scattering the survivors. They passed the great continental rang of the Cloudspine and flooded into the rich lands of the West. Only two of the great cities of the West still stood when our armies rallied.''

''Pursuing a plan of retaking strategic points and exploiting the weaknesses of the Fallen, Alric, last of the Nine protectors of the West, led a strike through the Fallen lines and directly for Balor himself. In a desperate gamble, Alric tricked Balor into exposing himself and cut off his head. Eluding Soulblighter, he brought it to the Great Devoid, a vast pit in the heart of the world, and threw it in to seal Balor's fate.''

''Their leadership broken, most of the Fallen Lords were soon hunted down and destroyed by Alric's armies. With Balor's destruction, Soulblighter found himself defeated, but alive and free from Balor's service. He escaped into the wilderness, to bide his time and look for an opportunity to return to his former power, to achieve the ambition that was denied his master.''

''Now sixty years have passed since the end of the Great War against the Fallen. Alric sits on the throne in the rebuilt city of Madrigal. Warriors have returned to their villages, and allies like the fir'bolg to their homelands. Peace reigns and the land prospers.''

History proves there is always a lull before the storm....

Setting
Sixty years after the Great War and the fall of Balor the Leveler, the remaining armies of the Province led by Alric have managed to restore their lands, with the once fallen city of Madrigal now standing as the capital. The forces of the Dark are only a few scattered remnants, however, the fate of Balor's general - Soulblighter, remains unknown.

The Rise of the Dark
The story is then told through a series of Journal entries from a lone soldier serving in a small contingency of The Legion led by Commander Crüniac. While on a routine patrol and passing through the town of Tallow, The Legion is asked to investigate reports of grave robbing. At first little is thought of the matter, likely the work of wild dogs looking for a meal, but Cruniac agreed to look into the matter. The Legion continued it's patrol until they reach the town of Willow Creek, where they spot smoke rising from the town. Originally believing to find the town being raided by bandits, they discovered it's actually swarming with undead ghasts. After clearing the town and barely saving a mere handful of villagers from the undead's clutches, The Legion are informed that brigands had taken some of the villagers hostage at an old cemetery. Launching a rescue mission, The Legion were able to save the hostages from both the brigands and from ghasts rising from their graves. Back at Willow Creek, one of the village elders named Rurik revealed that he had information about who was behind the graverobbing.

Plans were made to escort Rurik back to Tallow, but Willow Creek is attacked again during the night. The Legion fended off the increasing attacks, now more disturbing when Soulless and Ghols show up along the outskirts. Leaving some men behind to protect the village, The Legion escorted Rurik back to Tallow. Evading ambushes from the undead along the way, they arrived at Tallow, where Rurik revealed to the mayor that the instances of grave robbing led back to Keep Kildaer, ruled by the sinister Baron Kildaer.

A plan is made to deal with the Baron and his minions. After linking up with some reinforcements, The Legion headed to the keep near Brayl. Encamped on the outskirts, The Legion bared witness to a massive army of Thrall marching out of the gates. Cruniac believed they are heading for Tallow, and sent a runner to warn the town. At dawn, The Legion made their move and laid siege to the keep. Fighting their way to the keep, the drawbridge rose, denying them entry. However, Cruniac had an ace up his sleeve. The dwarven pathfinder Jari, son of the legendary pathfinder Balin, infiltrated the keep and sabotaged the drawbridge mechanism. Crüniac’s forces stormed the courtyard and gained control of the outer regions. The Narrator praised Cruniac's tactical skill in his journal. Cruniac then suddenly attacked one of the guards they captured, nearly strangling him to death. However, this seemed to have released the guard from a mind control enchantment. The Guard then revealed that inside the keep were secret passages that the Baron would use to evade them. Cruniac led a detachment inside the keep to hunt down Baron Kildaer, fighting room to room before trapping the Baron and executing him for his crimes.

The Return of Soulblighter
This victory was short-lived, however. The runner returned bearing grave news. Tallow and every other town east of the Cloudspine and west of Forest Heart had been razed by the undead and now they were returning to the keep. Cruniac then orderd The Legion to fall back to Gonen's Bridge in the Cloudspine. He and some men stayed behind to raze the keep to deny it to the enemy. Phrased up as Cruniac puts it, "Leave it for the torches, lads. And make haste for Gonen.".

In this pursuit, Crüniac ran like hell back to The Legion, calling for an immediate retreat. When his Sergeant, Garrick, caught up to find out what was going on, Cruniac collapsed. Upon examination, Cruniac had been holding his guts in with his shield. Cruniac died soon after, his last words were of the color guard who died trying to save him, even though Soulblighter had delivered the killing blow. This was news beyond anything they could have thought possible. Soulblighter, possibly the most terrible of the Fallen Lords and Balor's right hand man, had returned. Garrick retrieved from Cruniac's belongings during his quick burial a journal taken from the Baron’s library. The journal was written by a soldier who fought in the Great War sixty years prior (being the same who narrated the plot in Myth: The Fallen Lords). The Legion narrowly managed to escape Soulblighter's forces, crossing Gonen's Bridge and destroying it to impede the enemy from following them. It is agreed among The Legion that they had to get to Madrigal as soon as possible, but it would take months to get there on foot. However, there was a World Knot located on the other side of the Cloudspine, the same one that The Legion's predecessors had destroyed during the Great War. Luckily, the dwarves were able to repair it and The Legion eluded Soulblighter once more.

Upon the Legion's arrival, King Alric is informed of Soulblighter's return. He immediately sent the Seventh Legion to Scales to hunt down Soulblighter's army, and destroy them before it could get any larger. Alric assumed that Soulblighter is searching for a man known as The Summoner. The Summone had been foretold that he would resurrect the Myrkridia in the Total Codex. Alric sent a detachment of the Legion to Covenant's Great Library to recover the Codex, hoping that they could use it to find The Summoner before Soulblighter can. Upon arrival, it became clear that Soulblighter already had his forces in the city, intent on the same thing. The Legion managed to defend the library long enough for the Codex to be recovered, and then hurriedly fled the city via it's World Knot, escaping death's clutches for a third time.

The Return of the Myrkridia and Shiver
Weeks pass, and it was clear that Soulblighter had eluded the Seventh Legion, and could not be stopped for some unknown reason. The cities of Scales, Covenant and Tyr had all fallen to him. A report from survivors from Tyr brought a foreboding message. One of them had been brought before a woman afflicted so much by injury and age that he had turned from her repulsed. He then promptly had eyes gouged out and left with a message, telling Alric that his nightmare had just begun, and was then released to stumble of the city. Alric was unsettled by this message and he ordered what was left of the West's forces to head to the city of Tandem in the north, gathering as many men as they could along the way. Alric led a rearguard at Madrigal to make sure that no one is left behind. It was at Madrigal that the reason for Soulblighter's invincibility was discovered. The Myrkridia, nightmare incarnate flesh-eaters from a time long past, had been resurrected and set loose on the world once more. Suffering appalling casualties at the Myrkridia's claws, Alric and his surviving men managed to escape with the ship Vigilance. During the retreat, Alric saw an old enemy standing in the horde and gloating over her victory. It was Shiver, one of the Fallen Lords.

The situation was grim. Soulblighter had returned, resurrected the Myrkridia and Shiver and had razed most of the west with little opposition.

Alric and the Legion arrived at White Falls, where Alric planned to hold Soulblighter at bay while the Free Cities of the North prepared for him. They soon found out that the fort there had been captured by Soulblighter's forces. A beach invasion is quickly launched to recapture White Falls and within the hour, White Falls returned in their hands.

The Search for The Deceiver
Seeing how Soulblighter now had an advantage over the West, Alric came up with a plan that will fight fire with fire. He proposed finding the Avatara Myrdred, better known as the Fallen Lord The Deceiver after Balor turned him to his will. Although he did fight alongside Balor during the Great War, he held no love or loyalty to the rest of the fallen. His constant clashes with his rival, The Watcher, was evidence enough.

An expedition from The Legion was sent to find The Deceiver, meeting up with the Journeyman, Twelve Motion Jeweled Skull, who guided them to where they think The Deciever is located, somewhere on the Cloudspine. It was decided that it would save time if they cut through the Ermine, the fir'Bolg's homeland. However, during the night, the expedition was attacked repeatedly by the Ermine's other inhabitants, the bloodthirsty bre'Unor who had intentions of sacrificing them to their god. The Legion was able to fend off the constant attacks and survived the night before heading off to the Cloudspine.

The Legion braved the perilous trek up the mountains northernmost pass, the Stair of Grief, as Twelve Motion guided them to a specific spot on the frozen Dramus River. Twelve Motion explained of what happened to The Deceiver at the end of the Great War. The Deceiver was pursued here by the remnants of the West's armies and was plunged into the raging torrent of melted snow and ice brought upon by the eruption of Tharsis. The Deceiver had been swept down stream while his scepter, the focus of his power, sank to the bottom. The Deceiver had since been frozen in a half-death in the river that now formed into Angurvedal Glacier, clinging to life through sorcery alone, with no power left to free himself. It is hoped by Alric that if he was revived and his scepter returned to him, he would join their cause. However this plan was under jeopardy as scouts reported hulking figures lurking about in the storms. Plans are made, setting up ambush sites throughout the pass to give Twelve Motion enough time to recover The Deceiver's scepter. The Legion engaged Soulblighter's forces, now augmented by the hulking savages know as Mauls, and stalled them long enough as Twelve Motion finally recovered the scepter. The Legion made a hasty march away from the enemy to Angurvadal Glacier, The Deceivers icy tomb.

As the Legion struggled through the horrendous blizzards and storms, there was another unexpected party on the mountains. Scouts reported of an odd group of men lurking about on the glacier. From their description, Twelve Motion recognized them as the Warlocks of the Scholomance, allies of The Deceiver and collaborators of the Fallen Lords. Now the Legion knew for certain that The Deceiver was here. Soulblighter's forces had also arrived on the glacier, despite the horrendous weather and the best efforts of The Legion at covering their tracks. It was unlikely that he was trying to enlist The Deceiver into joining him and was likely going to have him executed rather then let him be a threat. The Legion comes up with a cunning plan to revive The Deceiver. The berserks led Soulblighter's minions right into the Warlocks' clutches and snuck through the ensuing chaos to The Deceiver. The Deceiver is revived and he transports The Legion and his Warlocks away from the battle.

The Return of the Cath Bruig Empire
The Deceiver brought the Legion to the the Twelve Duns and to the Trow city of Rhi'ornin. The Deceiver claimed to be held in high regard by the trow as a being of 'Furor Poeticus' and believed he could win the Trow to their cause. The Trow, on the other hand, believed that humanity was not a race worth fighting for, owing to their defeat against Connacht during the Wind Age and the Legion during the Great War. But they agreed to aid them for one year if the Legion could defeat them in a flag capture game. The Legion accepted the challenge, which was a game of holding the majority of six flags planted around the city, and won, winning the aid of the Trow.

The expedition traveled south to rejoin the rest of the Legion, surprising their comrades when they saw the trow accompanying them. Garrick, the Legion's new commander after Cruniac's death, informed them of events back in the west. Shiver and her army attacked White Falls as expected and they held her at bay for more then a month until the seventh legion, who had manage to make it north, flanked her from behind and their combined forces decimated Shiver's army, causing her to retreat. The victory was short lived as Shiver returned with an army of Myrkridia and, despite their best efforts, White Falls fell to Shiver. Now Tandem's fall was inevitable.

King Alric decided on a new course of action. The Legion had to capture the ancient ruins of Muirthemne. The reason for the plan was unknown as the ruins held no strategic benefit, but the Legion go ahead with the plan. Scouts reported that a great number of Fetch and Myrkridia led by the Shade Herod were roaming the city, likely to deny anyone a place of refuge. The trow are sent towards the city, rendezvousing with Dwarven Mortar troopers who parachuted near city and they proceed to the city wall, dodging incoming cannon fire from ghols, and fighting roaming Myrkridian packs. Reaching the walls, the Dwarves demolished a weakened section, allowing the Trow to advance and wiped out the occupying horde, killing Herod in the process. More Dwarven troops parachuted to secure the city.

Upon securing the city, Alric revealed the reason for this decision. He intended to find the Ibis Crown of the Cath Bruig and, with it's immense powers, be able to defeat Soulblighter once and for all. The Crown was thought lost when Balor destroyed Muirthemne a century ago, but it was revealed to be hidden somewhere in the Mausolium of Clovis. Although entering the catacombs was tantamount to a death sentence, a band of volunteers chose to enter the crypt. The party encountered many dangers in the catacombs, foremost being the ghosts of the dead who protected the crypt from intruders. The group recovered the crown and also uncovered Balmung, a powerful magical sword and one of the Artifacts of Power.

A ceremony was then held in the ruins of the place as Alric was crowned as the new Emperor of the Cath Bruig Empire. The Journeymen, after a hundred years of self imposed penance for being absent during the fall of their city, threw down the tiles that hung round their necks and swore fealty to their new emperor. The Journeymen were no more and the Heron Guard, the elite warriors of the empire and the emperor's bodyguards, were reborn. But in typical fashion, an army of Myrkridia arrived to reclaim the city and the Heron Guard were given their chance of redemption. After a long and brutal battle for the walls, The Legion were victorious.

The Expeditions of The Deceiver
Meanwhile, The Deceiver led a contingent of troops to Forest Heart in search for a shard of the Tain with the intent on entering its maze of caverns to hunt down the Summoner who had been slowly resurrecting the Myrkridian race. The Tain was last used during the Great War when Soulblighter used it on the Legion, and the artifact was shattered by the avataras Cu Roi and Murgen. It turned out that Soulblighter found The Summoner in the town of Strand, the Narrator's home town, and instead of simply searching for him, Soulblighter tortured and killed nearly every soul within days march of that ill fated city. After several days of searching without success, many of The Legion thought that they would never find it. But the Deceiver dismissed them, claiming that he could hear it calling to him. The Legion encountered Soulblighters minions in Forest Heart, no doubt guarding a shard. The Legion finds a shard after battling their way through the ancient forest and entered the Tain. The Deceiver and The Legion navigated their way through the caverns, not fully whole, and filled with voids of emptiness after being shattered, fighting their way past Cave Spiders and Soulblighter's forces. They find the Summoner at the Skull Platform where the Myrkridian banner once stood, and executed him. With the Summonor gone, the Myrkridia could no longer be resurrected, taking away Soulblighter's edge.

Unfortunately, in what can only be described as a poorly thought out attack, The Deceiver teleported himself and the Legion right into Soulblighter's camp. Despite literally having the element of surprise, The Deceiver and the Legion get captured and imprisoned. The Deceiver himself was imprisoned within a magical elemental constructs' claws. The Legion get locked up in crude prison cells with other soldiers of the West. They learn that Soulblighter had crushed all resistance in the West, and he was moving to retake Muirthemne. Soulblighter busyed himself torturing captives while the Legion pondered how to escape. Their salvation came from an unexpected source. The shade Phelot, the one who had decimated the town of Avon's Grove during the Great War, sat a cell of Legion troops free. The troopers freed the rest of their comrades and other prisoners held captive. They manage to release The Deceiver and they all confronted Soulblighter. Soulblighter didn't appear to be concerned with this, even mocking The Deceiver. The Deceiver promptly engaged Soulblighter. Not expecting The Deceiver to be as, if not more, powerful without his link to Balor, Soulblighter fled the area in his murder of crows. The Deceiver, however, managed to shoot down one of the crows, crippling Soulblighter and ridding him of this power.

During their escape from the prison, some of the Legion stumbled upon a large assembly area. Mountains of satchel charges, likely pillaged from Stoneheim, herds of Wights and barrels full of razor sharp shrapnel littered the area. Not planning to let this discovery go to waste, the Legion destroyed everything in this area, much to the accompanying Dwarves' delight, and denying Soulblighter of much of his resources.

The Legion meets up with some of their comrades stationed at Lesotho Dam, with The Deceiver bragging about his victory against Soulblighter, brandishing the dead crow like a trophy. Alric and the rest of The Legion were busy engaging Shiver far down river, with Soulblighter intending on destroying the dam to drown them all in a massive flood. The Deceiver left to warn Alric, commanding those present to defend the dam. The Legion repelled the attacks, preventing Soulblighter from wiping out everything down river in one stroke.

Shiver, having been beaten by the Legion, fled into the maze of ravines south of Silvermines, sending armys of thrall meant more as a distraction then a threat. The Deceiver in the meantime screamed for Shiver's blood, and so he and an elite group of heroes were sent to finish her off once and for all. They encountered Shiver, who mocked The Deceiver as being 'Alric's lap dog'. The Deceiver countered with a witty remark and Shiver retreated further into the ravine, sending wave upon wave of thrall and Myrkridia upon them. They fought their way through the maze, causing much destruction before they cornered Shiver and what's left of her Myrkridian army. Shiver, having all she could take from The Deceiver, ordered Phelot to deal with him. But in a twist of fate, Phelot revealed to be allied with The Deceiver all along and he annihilates Shiver's army while The Deceiver engaged her in a climactic battle. Shiver is destroyed by The Deceiver's magics but she left a final treacherous surprise for him. The Deceiver was then killed in a savage backlash of energy from Shiver's death, sealing the fate of the two Fallen Lords.

The Last Battle with Soulblighter
Alric and The Legion engaged Soulblighter and his army, cornering him at Tharsis. Alric, with the Ibis Crown's magics empowering him and Balmung's lightning bolts eradicating undead and Myrkridia alike, Soulblighter is pushed back to the base of the volcano. Alric and Soulblighter faced off in a ring of fire, taunting each other on the subject of loyalty before dueling. Alric and Soulblighter fought hard and brutal but in the end, weakened by his defeat against The Deceiver, Soulblighter fled into Tharsis. Knowing that he would not be able to survive, Soulblighter planed a last suicidal feint against Alric and the Light by shattering the Cloudspine mountain range, an act that would cause widespread devastation over the land. Soulblighter, like Balor before him, 'seeked not to conquer but to destroy. To be master of the unthinking dead and their blasted lands'. Alric, knowing full well that Soulblighter wasn't finished yet, led a band of troops into the volcano to kill Soulblighter once and for all. Navigating through the hellish volcanic interior and fighting any of Soulblighter's minions that are left, they eventually tracked Soulblighter down on a ledge over the core, known as the Eye of Tharsis. Soulblighter, channeling his spell, defiantly and possibly insanely claimed that he had killed the whole world. Alric corrected him, stating that he had only killed himself. Alric counterd Soulblighters spell with one of his own and broke the ledge Soulblighter was standing on. Soulblighter fell into the Eye of Tharsis, burning into ash, disintegrating in the molten magma, and caused Tharsis to erupt once more. Alric and his men narrowly escaped Tharsis' eruption but now the war was over.

Soulblighter was dead and now the Fallen Lords were no more.

Epilogue
The journal writer/narrator concludes that man once again rebuilds his land and speaks of the cycle of the Leveler, that he is never dead, but only returns as a different form every millennium. Soulblighter, however, was not the Leveler as he tried to force to cycle at his own peril and as a result might have even broken the cycle. Whether or not this outcome is true is still unknown.

Myth II: Soulblighter by Bungie Software Products Corporation

 * Project Leader: Tuncer Deniz
 * Design: Max Hoberman, Chris McVeigh
 * Programming: Jonathan Haas, Jason Regier, Konrad Sherinian
 * Level / Scenario Design: Christopher Barrett, Mark Bernal, Nathan Bitner, David V. Bowman, Paul Clift, Tuncer Deniz, Chris Dressen, Charles Gough, Tyson Green, Jaime Griesemer, Max Hoberman, Frank Pusateri, Juan Ramirez, Bob Settles, James Trevett, John W. Scott
 * Graphics / Artwork: Mark Bernal, Paul Clift, Frank Pusateri, Juan Ramirez
 * Additional Graphics / Artwork: Gary McCluskey, Juan Ramirez
 * Music: Paul Heitsch, Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, Total Audio Inc.
 * Sound: Paul Heitsch, Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, Total Audio Inc.
 * Cover Art: Corey Barba, John Bolton
 * Packaging: Max Hoberman, 13th Floor
 * Documentation: Max Hoberman, Matthew Soell, Doug Zartman
 * Manual Illustrations/Photos: Juan Ramirez
 * Public Relations: Diane Donohue, Tyson Green, Max Hoberman, Ryan Hylland, David Joost, Jim Ruiz, Alexander Seropian, Matthew Soell, Jenny Trisko, Allen Turner, Doug Zartman
 * Executive Producer: Yuji Morioka, Yasuo Hasegawa
 * Director: Kazuto Nakazawa
 * Writing / Dialogue / Story: Tuncer Deniz, Jason Jones, Robert McLees, Bob Settles
 * Playtesting: Charles Gough, Jaime Griesemer, Peter Marks
 * Strike Team: Tuncer Deniz, Alexander Seropian, Robert McLees, Allen Turner, Brent Pease
 * Cutscenes: Anime International Company
 * Storyboards: Juan Ramirez, Robert McLees
 * Animation: Fumihide Sai, Hisashi Shimokawa, Kenichi Yamaguchi, Kenji Mizuhata, Kōichi Ishihara, Masahiko Kubo, Misao Abe, Takashi Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Watanabe, Yoshimitsu Ōhashi
 * Inbetweening Check: Takai Ayako
 * Inbetweening: Namie Akiba, Akihiro Kurosaki, Tsutomu Takei, Osamu Sakata, Asano Yoji, Gō Takahashi
 * Appointee of Colors: Tomoko Sekiguchi
 * Examination of Colors: Naoko Sato, Noriko Abe, Emiko Kimura, Yūka Suzuki, Aya Ōuchi, Eri Suzuki
 * Painting: Mineyo Onishi, Terumi Ito, Sakiko Ito, Chieko Hibi, Ayami Minowa, Tamae Matsuoka
 * Photography: Hitoshi Satō, Toshiyuki Yasuhara, Hiroshi Tanigaki, Shōta Yamauchi, Takeshi Yamamoto, Yasuhiko Abe
 * Editing: Jay Film, Yayoi Otake
 * Art Designer: Hideyasu Narita
 * Background: Ken Arai, Mto Kenichi, Sōtarō Hori, Nobuhito Sue
 * Line Producer: Shinichi Katano
 * Assistant Producer: Masaaki Kawabata
 * U.S.A. Representation: Pacific Software Publishing Inc.
 * Translation: Yota Wada
 * Special Thanks: Intel, 3Dfx, Apple Computers, nVidia, Microsoft, ATI, Bungie West, Mayumi Nakamura, Yota Wada, Bart G. Farkas, Kathy Tafel, Steve Jobs, Susan Kaulfuss, Frank Zappa, Peter Pusateri, Lori Pusateri, Wyn Hilty, The Foundation For Blind Children, Richard Bernal, Esther Bernal, Mike Bernal, Melissa Bernal, Araceli Diaz de Leon, the late night Bungie Crew, Orhan Deniz, Nezahat Deniz, Gaby Deniz, Chico Deniz, the Marcilla sisters, Mojdeh Gharbi, Mark R. Rubin, Eduardo Chavarri, Hector Magaña, Lauren Fielder, Joe Fielder, Amy Dew, Hope Kavoosi, Bob Mould, Mike Stuto, Lauren Caro, Lloyd Regier, Victoria Regier, Keith Regier, Erik Mortensen, Kelly St. John, Chris Bentley, Nicholas Wilt, The Apple Games Kitchen Gang, Alex Rosenberg, Chris DeSalvo, Steve Bollinger, Steve Bordelon, Nance Zartman, Our admins and beta testers, Jo‑Anne, Aiya, Troy, Mayumi, Wayne, Yumi, Yurika, The Diaz de Leon Family, All hippos everywhere, The people in my immediate family - everyone else has been a huge disappointment, Dieneces, Shelly; Gabe and the Kitties, Thom, Brian, Katiekatrinckle

Linux Version by Loki Entertainment Software

 * Linux Programming: Sam Lantinga, Karl Robillard, Stéphane Peter, Michael Vance
 * Linux QA: Nate Ashford, Bradley Barton, Kathryn Sorhaindo
 * Linux Support: Nate Ashford, Bradley Barton, Kathryn Sorhaindo
 * Linux Sales: Lance Colvin, Veronica Torres
 * Linux Marketing: Lance Colvin, Veronica Torres
 * Other Linux stuff: Scott Draeker

Acting / Voiceovers

 * Narrator: Geoffrey Charlton-Perrin
 * Villager, Rurik: Paul Heitsch
 * Berserk, Warrior, Tutorial: Tony Mackus
 * Soulblighter: Jeff Morrow
 * Alric: Roger Mueller
 * Dwarf, Mortar Dwarf: Bob O'Donnell
 * Shade, Fetch: Martin O'Donnell
 * Bowman, Warrior: James Schneider
 * Journeyman, Trow: Bob Swan

The voice actors for Baron Kildaer, The Deceiver, Phelot, Shiver, and The Summoner are unknown.

Development
After the huge success of Myth: The Fallen Lords, Bungie began work on a sequel, which would become Myth II: Soulblighter.

In 2000, Bungie was bought by Microsoft. Take 2 had owned 19.9% of Bungie, and in the purchase, Take 2 was given the rights to the yet to be released game, Oni, and the Myth Series. At this time, Bungie open sourced the meta server code.

Development (Post-Bungie)
After Bungie.net was shut down, in March, 2002, the remaining players flocked to the new PlayMyth.net, which was run by Blades. There were other alternatives, such as Mariusnet, a server reverse engineered during the TFL era, which supported both games, or Game Ranger a mac game matching system.

On October 2nd, 2007, PlayMyth.net was taken offline, and Mariusnet became the main online server for Myth. On June 2013, Mariusnet experienced technical issues and a new server emerged. GateofStorms.net became the main online server for Myth II.

Sometime in 2003, a group of Myth players/modders with an inside connection to Take 2 were able to strike a deal, signing a contract, they were able to get a hold of the Myth 1/2/3 source code, in game models and rights to continue to update the game, and not give out the source code. The group of people included Clem, Blades and SomeLoser.

The group, along with the mapmaking group, The Underdogs and their Magma Project joined forces to form "MythDevelopers‏‎" and released a few updates to Myth II. Later on, MythDev had internal struggles and fell apart, forming two smaller groups.; Project Magma, and FlyingFlip.

Myth II Installer bug
Due to a short beta testing time, Myth II was produced with a bug in it; he bug was that the CD contained an uninstaller which would remove Myth from a computer by deleting the directory in which it had been installed. If the user had overridden the default and installed Myth to the root level of his hard drive, the uninstaller would delete the entire contents of the user's hard drive. Luckily, only the marketing person who discovered the bug had his hard drive wiped.

This bug was caught after Myth II CDs had been sent out and also duplicated and boxed to ship to stores. Bungie decided they had 3 options. A) Do nothing. B) Issue a recall. C) Or send people to every store and replace the CDs that were bugged. They ended up deciding to admit to it, and go with option C. Employees went to the factory, tore open the boxes, and replaced the faulty CDs with new CDs on which the uninstaller bug had been fixed. This cost them around $800,000, nearly the cost it took them to develop the entire game.

Martin O' Donnell confirmed all this data in an episode of the Bungie Podcast.

Reception
Upon the game's release, Myth II: Soulblighter received a positive reception, with an average score of 88/100 based on 12 reviews at Metacritic.

Myth II continues to have a supportive fanbase. Although Bungie no longer develops the code, they have released the code to a limited set of programmers for continued development. While the game is over a decade old, new releases are still being developed, and hosted at The Tain.

Gate of Storms
Gate of Storms.net came online in May 2013, and that is currently where most are playing Myth II: Soulblighter. An account is needed to play on GoS.

Crows Bridge
In February 2021, Crows Bridge.net became the latest metaserver to pop up for Myth II. The plugin must be downloaded at the Tain before one can sign up for an account.

GameRanger
GameRanger.com supports both Myth: The Fallen Lords & Myth II for Mac users, but has a much smaller userbase.

Myth II Updates

 * Myth II 1.8.4 Readme
 * Myth II 1.8.4 Windows Installer (14.8MB)
 * Myth II 1.8.4 Mac Installer (16.7MB)
 * Myth II 1.8.4 Linux Installer (14.1MB)
 * Myth II 1.8.4 Mac Classic Manual Installer (20.9MB)
 * Myth II 1.8.3 Mac OS X Demo
 * Myth II 1.8.3 Windows Demo
 * Myth II 1.8.3 Linux Demo (x86 and x86_64)

Texture Packs & Hi-Res Tagsets

 * Detail Texture Megapack, the latest add-on that greatly improves ground textures.
 * Bungie Map Textures, an old add-on that improves ground textures.
 * Myth HD Total Conversion v1.3.2, a tagset that provides high definition models for units and TFL behaviors.
 * Iron Tagset v1, a tagset that provides high resolution models for the units of Myth II.
 * Myth II: Soulblighter ESRGAN Upscale Pack, an upscale pack for Myth II: Soulblighter and The Fallen Levels from Mod DB.

Manuals & Guides

 * Adrenaline's Guide to Myth 2 for Newbs (Unofficial)
 * Let's Play Archive, Myth II: Soulblighter
 * Myth II: English Manual
 * Myth II: Polish Manual
 * Myth II: Italian Manual
 * Myth: TFL Quick Reference Card
 * Myth II: English Strategy Guide
 * Myth II: Polish Strategy Guide
 * Myth II: Handbook (Unofficial)