What is War2Combat?

War2Combat is a program created by the War2.ru team for users from all around the world to play on Warcraft II for free without a CD or a CD Key. To download it go to the Downloads section of our website. You can use this program to play online multiplayer games with lots of other people from around the world. There is no spyware and no ads, it is completely free with no strings attached!

Can I play with my old copy of Warcraft 2?

If you have the original DOS version of Warcraft 2, then no. You will need to download War2Combat Edition or get a copy of Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition in order to connect to the server.

If you have a copy of Warcraft II BNE, e.g. from an original disc or an ISO you downloaded, then yes! However, you will first need to download the Gateway Editor or the Gateway .reg file in order to add server.war2.ru to your Gateway list. Instructions for using the Gateway editor.

Why play on server.war2.ru over battle.net?

As of right now, this question is effectively moot as activity on the WC2 battle.net servers has declined to practically nothing. Nonetheless, here’s a brief list of some great reasons why War2.ru is superior:

• Battle.net servers continue to lose players while we continue to grow because of our War2Combat download that does not require a CD or CD key. We are able to provide a place that anyone can play, even if they’ve lost their disc or CD key, because the game is no longer sold.
• Battle.net no longer supports Warcraft II, there is no control over hacking and abuse. On server.war2.ru we have a team of admins who care about the community and do not tolerate hackers.
• Server.war2.ru has a better ladder system at ladder.war2.ru that automatically records all 1vs1 games and ranks players fairly instead of giving points.
• Server.war2.ru makes it possible to have special characters in your account name (~ ! @ $ ^ ) that are no longer available on battle.net.
• Server.war2.ru hosts big tournaments for its players.
• We care about the community and it’s players and will continue to do all we can to make sure you can play the game for years to come. :)

Why do we still play Warcraft II instead of other, newer games?

We have not finished enjoying the greatness of Warcraft II yet. :)

What is the Gateway Editor & how do I use it?

The Gateway Editor is a small standalone utility that can be used to modify the list of available gateways in Warcraft II Battle.net Edition or War2Combat. (For example, the default gateways are useast.battle.net, uswest.battle.net, etc. The gateway for War2.ru is server.war2.ru) It is available in the Downloads section of this website. We’ll be adding a tutorial for using the Gateway Editor shortly.

Where can I find a strategy guide?

One of the best existing WC2 strategy pages left out there is The Warcraft II Occult, a great site made by Axolotl that provides information about the game and will help you get started with some of the basic strategies. The classic battle.net Warcraft II website has a lot of great information available as well.

What is “GoW”?

GoW is short for Garden of War – it’s the most played map on Warcraft II. If you’re serious about getting good at WC2 then GoW is a map that you must learn. There are two versions:

• GoW Classic (aka “old”) which is usually hosted on the even faster (“ef”) speed with high resources (“high res”)
• the Ladder version of GoW (“BNE”) which players host on fastest (“f”) speed.

What is Ladder?

Our in-house ladder system, located at ladder.war2.ru, hosts a ladder that counts any game between two people, and boasts a ranking system superior to the one built-in to the WC2 client. It also includes a customizable team ladder.

How do I take screenshots?

When you’re in a game, if someone pauses and says “ss” or “screen shot” you are required to immediately take a screenshot and upload it after the game ends – this is to prevent people from “hacking” on the server. To take a screenshot simply press the the Print Screen button on your keyboard (often labeled “Print Scrn” or “PrtSc”). For more information read the complete screenshot policy.

Where do I upload screenshots?

Upload your screenshots here: ss.war2.ru

How do I record/view replays?

There are two different kinds of replay viewers: WarVideo and War2BNE Insight. Both can be found in the Downloads section of this website.

• Insight allows you rewatch the entire game (with fog of war disabled) from any player’s POV. Insight is generally better for learning other people’s strategies as you can view exactly what the other player did, however it is unable to record games on certain custom maps. Additionally, the only way to watch an Insight replay is to actually host a game using the replay-specific map and settings and let it play out in real time.
• Warvideo allows a player to take a video from their own point of view, reproducing the game exactly as it appeared on their screen (including all of their mouse movements), similar to other screen-recording software such as Fraps. It’s good for tournaments as it offers unequivocal proof that one is not hacking.

The Warcraft II Occult has more information on how to take and view replays.

How do I live stream?

Live streaming is a great way to create and share replays and also get involved in the community, as it allows games to be broadcast and watched live, and automatically creates a video file on the streaming server that can be saved and rewatched later. Twitch.tv is a great free service specifically designed for this purpose. In the future, we’ll post a complete tutorial on how to set up streaming.

How do I watch a game?

Sometimes for various reasons when you’re in a game you’ll be instructed to “watch”, which means you won’t be playing and should only spectate from that point forward.

• If you join a new game specifically to watch, set your race to Human and make sure all players know that you’re a watcher. Once the game starts ally all players but do not give shared vision, and move your peon to an out-of-the-way location that will not interfere with gameplay. Absolutely do not build or get involved in any way – you’re watching!
• If you’re instructed to watch in the middle of a team game (for example, if one of the opponents leaves or drops) then ally all players and remove shared vision from your original allies. Additionally, move all your existing units back into your base and discontinue building.
• If you’re the one playing, then ally and give shared vision to all watchers (be carefuly not accidentally ally/vision an opponent – it happens!)

War2Observe (created by xslider) is a great utility for watching games, though it is only effective if you run it before the game starts and do not build. It can be found in our Downloads section.

Where can I download WC2 maps (.puds)?

This website has a small collection of map packs available in the Downloads section. The Warcraft II Occult also offers a fairly extensive map archive that is home to a wide variety of puds. Between these two sources, you should have more than enough maps to keep you busy for a long, long time!

How can I be banned?

Certain actions are not tolerated on this server – chief among them are:

• Abuse of the Ladder system (including sharing of accounts)
• Using third-party software in-game to gain an unfair advantage (aka “Hacking”)
• Failure to provide screenshots requested in-game

All of these things will result in an automatic ban from the server, though some leeway is permitted regarding failure to upload screenshots. Additionally, anyone can be kicked, banned, or have their account locked at the discretion of the adminstrators if they become too much of a problem/general nuisance. We understand there will always be smack-talking on this game, just be sure not to take it too far.

If you are a user who is accusing somebody of hacking, we need actual proof in the form of screenshots that clearly show both a) full username of the accused, and b) clear evidence of hacking. Read the complete screenshot policy for more information.

Who are the admins on this server?

How do I register for this site?

You can register an account here – you’ll be redirected to our forum to complete the registration process. Afterwards, you’ll be registered on both the forum and the site, and when you log in or out to one you’ll automatically be logged in or out of the other.

You can register an account here. In the future we may set up a new community forum that interfaces with this website, however as of right now this has not gone into effect.

Can I sign up to receive announcements?

Yep! You can be informed about the news, big tournaments and other events by being added to the official War2.ru mailing list. Thousands of players from the past and present are already a part of the list – just shoot us an email via the contact form with the subject “War2Combat Mailing List” and state that you’d like to be added. If you have AIM or MSN Messenger/Skype you can send that as well.

We’ll also be incorporating a subscription form for the mailing list into the new site in the near future!

Can I contribute?

Any help is always much appreciated! In particular:

• Writing tutorials, strategy guides, or any other content we can use on the site to help educate new players about WC2. If you see any section on the site that’s missing content, feel free to write something up yourself and send it in!
• Creating video tutorials, taking WC2 replays & uploading them to YouTube, live streaming WC2 on Twitch.tv. All these things help put Warcraft II in front of a wider audience and attract new players to the server.
• Spread our link around – the more places we can get our website linked the better.
• Do all you can to try and get more people onto the server. Tell everyone you ever meet about how great WC2 is – use messenger services, chat rooms, forums, Craigslist, flyers, people you know in real life, people you don’t know in real life – everyone! Walk up to strangers and tell them about our server!
• If you’re artistically inclined, you can also help us out by creating banners that have our website address on them and other graphics, such as custom client tags.

If you’re interested in creating banners or have any other skills you think would be useful, send us the specifics via the contact form.

Can I be an affiliate?

Yes! All you have to do is add our website link somewhere easy to find on your website or message board, then we’ll add you to the links section of our website. You can make a plain HTML link, or we also have a number of different sized promotional banners available for you to use.