Hey guys! Many of you know that Legion TD is a mod in Warcraft III, but you may not be familiar with the full story of the game. I wanted to share a brief history of Legion TD over the last 7 years and a preview of what’s to come with Legion TD 2.
In 2009, Lisk created the Warcraft III map we all know and love: Legion TD. The idea was actually pretty straightforward: it’s like a tower defense, except the towers come to life. The original Legion TD team consisted of Lisk’s childhood friends: Avernium, Dreadz, and myself. I recall playtesting the game while it was still in beta and telling Lisk, “Dude, this is your best map.”
Our motivation was simply to create a game we would have fun playing ourselves. It turns out we weren’t alone. Legion TD grew organically as players downloaded the game, told their friends, and re-hosted it. By 2010, there were 100,000 people playing Legion TD every month. That’s right about when I gave Lisk an “I told you so.”
Legion TD wasn’t a standalone game. As a result, players took things into their own hands and created amazing communities and features to support the game. They formed skill-based ladders, organized cash tournaments, wrote game guides, recorded videos, and streamed the game. ENT Gaming is notable for building a community around the Warcraft III custom map scene, including Legion TD. The truth is that Lisk made a map, and you made it the game we know today.
In 2010, Lisk open-sourced Legion TD, which led to tons of Legion mods springing up. Legion TD v2.7 by eGze and HuanAK’s Legion TD Mega introduced x3 spawns, Prophet builder, and Arena and became the most prominent adaptations. Legion TD Mega remains the most popular version to this day. The original Legion TD site with detailed patch notes remains online; take a look if you want a trip down memory lane.
Minimap from Legion TD Mega
More recently, Legion TD has become the inspiration for games outside of Warcraft III. Squadron TD was developed by Tsjnsn in 2010 and has been the most popular StarCraft II mod of all-time since its creation. In 2015, Roofkiller created a Dota 2 mod called Legion TD Reborn, reaching 350,000 subscribers within 3 months.
As you read this, the next piece of history is being written. From the team that brought you the original, Legion TD 2 entered development in 2014 and is set to be released in closed beta this year. Regular content additions and updates, game balancing, matchmaking, reconnect, leaver/AFK-detection, stat-tracking, and game modding are some of the many features that will be available in Legion TD 2. Our goal is to design and deliver a game that is even better than the original.
If you’d like to help make Legion TD 2 a reality, consider signing up for our Thunderclap to promote the game. It takes 20 seconds and makes a huge difference. As a 3-man team, our biggest challenge is getting the word out. We promise to deliver an awesome game; help us share it.
