One of the most unique Half-Life mods has reached a historic milestone: after almost 18 years of development, Pirates, Vikings & Knights II has officially launched version 1.0. The free Source-based multiplayer mod first appeared on Steam back in 2010, but its origins trace back to 2007.

The project, driven by Octoshark Studios and a team of volunteers, slowly evolved thanks to the dedication of both developers and the community. Pirates, Vikings & Knights II pits three distinct factions against each other—pirates, Vikings, and knights—across several modes, from standard team deathmatch to quirky setups like Booty, where players raid each other’s bases for treasure chests.

Over nearly two decades, the melee combat system has been continuously refined. The new 1.0 release features 12 playable classes, including one entirely new character: the Buccaneer, a pirate tank wielding a massive hammer and equipped with a boarding hook to reel in foes for brutal close combat.

“It’s been over 6,500 days since Pirates, Vikings & Knights 2 was unleashed. Since then, we’ve sailed a long and thrilling course shaped by countless hours of passion and the unwavering support of our community. The Buccaneer serves as the pirate team’s tank. His large health pool and powerful weapons give his team an advantage in brawls they’ve been lacking,” Octoshark explained in its 1.0 announcement.

The Buccaneer’s arrival brought a wave of rebalancing and adjustments across other classes. The Pirate Captain is now faster but more fragile, and his parrot companion can directly attack enemies with two damaging droppings. The Assassin gained a new model and a harder-hitting crossbow, while the Skirmisher, Huscarl, and Heavy Knight all benefited from improved animations.

Pirates, Vikings & Knights II remains free to download on Steam. Version 1.0 has been dedicated to ZeroTron, one of the project’s former programmers, who passed away earlier this year.

Source: PCGamer, Steam News, Steam page