While the first game was more of a strategy game in a collectable card format, Etherlords II looks and plays more like a full-fledged RPG. You only have one main hero during each of the the game’s four single player campaigns (one for each of the magical races in the sequel) plus a fifth campaign with the central character of Diamanda. The game also has side quests, dialogue between characters and NPCs, and other things which once again adds to its RPG features. The storyline itself deals with all these races, while competing against one another, dealing with a new presence called "the pale" that threatens everyone.