War2.ru is a private player-versus-player gaming network (PvPGN) dedicated to the 1995 real time strategy game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. Our free online server allows you to play Warcraft II multiplayer with other people from all over the world.

War2.ru (or just “.ru” for short) was created by Ldir in 2006 when Blizzard ceased support for the game and the original Battle.net gaming servers were on the decline. The server is based in Russia, and the original Russian community is still active at War2.ru. This website, en.war2.ru, is the English version of the website and central hub for the majority of the playerbase.

This article covers the following:

War2.ru Community

Most of the players on War2.ru are experienced veterans of the game that specialize in Classic/BNE maps, and specifically in the map Garden of War (GoW). Gow is the single most played map on the server (with Chop farms being a close second), but if you’re new to Warcraft II or haven’t played online very much you will probably find it impossible to play either of these maps with the pro players.

Some alternative options are:

• Talk to other players in the lobby and try to find opponents at your own skill level
• Invite your friends to join you on the server
• Practice playing versus computers
• Ask experienced players to show you the ropes and/or let you sit in on their games as an observer
• Watch replays and training vids to improve your skills

War2Combat

War2Combat is a free download that War2.ru provides so people can play Warcraft II on our server if they’ve lost their CD or CD key. It’s designed to be portable, easy to install, and includes serveral bug fixes & improvements to make it easier to play online. Developed by iL and based on WPPatch by zzzKOTzzz. You can read more here.

This Website

This website provides information about our server and community, as well as helpful resources related to understanding and playing Warcraft II online.

In July of 2014 a new version of the English War2.ru website was launched. It is designed, built & maintained by mousEtopher. Much of the original content (such as player biographies and old news posts) is preserved from the original website. Please report any errors, broken images/links, etc. via the contact form.

In February of 2015 the website’s url was updated from “server.war2.ru” to “en.war2.ru” for technical reasons. If you have a link to our site using the old url (e.g. on your own website, YouTube channel, or elsewhere) please update it to the new URL when you have a chance!

War2 Forum

War2.ru launched a community forum in December 2014 where players can ask questions, share replays, and discuss a variety of general as well as Warcraft II-related topics.

The original Warcraft 2 Forum was hosted by Axolotl of the Warcraft II Occult and can still be viewed at occult.war2.ru/forum/, though it is no longer actively used.

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy-themed real-time strategy (RTS) game published by Blizzard Entertainment and first released for MS-DOS in 1995 and for Mac OS in 1996. The main game, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, earned enthusiastic reviews, won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996, and sold over 2 million copies.

In Warcraft II one side represents the human inhabitants of Lordaeron and allied races, and the other controls the invading orcs and their allied races. Each side tries to destroy the other by collecting resources and creating an army. The game is played in a medieval setting with fantasy elements, where both sides have melee, ranged, naval and aerial units, and spellcasters. [Source]