After 500 hours in Monster Train 2, its final faction of bondage angels is teaching me new ways to win

Their aesthetic? Chains, whips; spiked. Their mood? Afflicted, condemned, ritualistic. Their angels? Dark. Their maiden? Iron.

Friendship ended with dwarven gearsmiths; my new favorite clan in Monster Train 2 is the tortured edgelords.

The final faction being added to Monster Train 2, The Punished, arrive November 10 as a paid DLC. Their theme is self-damage, with new keywords and spells that, primarily, reward power in exchange for hurting yourself. Your pain? Enemies' bane.

Though existing MT2 clans like the Melting Remnant revolve around forms of sacrifice, The Punished are absolutely thirsty for it. They bring new keywords like Chained (enemy units take half the damage that your units take) that make damage an active solution to enemy waves. The self-flagellation angle likewise brings new purpose to some existing spells and equipment, and jives great with partner clans that provide protection from pain (Lazarus League) or more ways to inflict it (Pyreborne).

Damaging my own guys sounds like a risk-reward tactic …