There was talk of an engine update. Is the update only for the DLC? They didn't update the base game?

Also, everyone is saying it's a standalone but it says on top of price on the game's page "Requires Two Worlds 2: Epic Edition in order to play.", so why is everyone assuming it's standalone?

I know on Steam they originally released it as a DLC then a few days later i think they released it as a standalone as well. This looks like the dlc version since it says "Requires Two Worlds 2: Epic Edition in order to play.".

Sorry I don't understand why releasing new content is a bad thing if you like the game? I guess I don't know the backstory

Good catch, I didn't look, I just assumed because that was what everybody else was saying. TW2 really received a silent update with no changelog (except I have automatic updates disabled) and this DLC shows under "Available upgrades" for TW2 galaxy game card. Oh, and my tw2 is called velvet edition, not epic. It still shows epic as owned though and would probably allow me to buy this.

Maybe new marketing strategy - confuse your customers as much as possible. Can't say it's working too well...

Does the patch for the original game that was released with this break Pirates expansion here too?

Two Worlds 2 Epic Edition is how it shows up on the store. I think it gets split in your library into "Two Worlds II Velvet Edition" & "Two Worlds II Castle Defense". You get both when you buy the Two Worlds 2 Epic Edition on the store.
The Pirates expansion on Steam is broken?

I'm honestly busy being confused. I don't really do cheats in games, but at the same time, why stir up a hornet's nest over a game that was released in 2011? Topware just seems like they have no clue wtf they're doing.

The reason is that they are gonna release Two Worlds 3 (which they already announced), and they will most likely use the old engine, albeit updated one, and with these DLC they wanna make us salivate + move the story the way they want it to.

I could not see any other reason to that.

There was a game breaking bug with one of the quests introduced by the patch that hasn't as of yet been fixed. Of course, maybe this version wasn't patched, I have no updates to it.

EDIT: I take it back, TW2 did get a silent update.

Do we get Call of the Tenebrae DLC free if we have the Velvet Edition? Or do we have to buy this separately?

I ask because I just logged into GoG Galaxy and got a TW2VE update.

Both DLC and standalone version of CoT must be bought.

Judas said recently, there are no micro-transactions in any of the GOG Two Worlds games.

BUT - I can't find whether he made the statement before or after the Tenebrae release debacle

For those confused or otherwise standing in the hate line about what has happened to TW2 DLC and the hate train riden Micro transactions actions.

First and foremost, the microtransactions put into the new DLC for TW2 are NOT mandatory nor required in the least. At all. Ever. They are there if you, the player, are so beyond lazy you can not get into the actual game or story and do what is minimually required to do to play the game normally. Beyond seeing the "Storefront" on the actual menu you don't ever even have to venture beyond that point if you don't want to. There are NO pop-ups nor "ads" running in the game for their store. Ever.

Secondly, micro transactions are a "thing" these days. In games like Battlefield or Call of Duty, Mass Effect or whatever you may play, there are micro transactions in these games. They are LAZY BYPASSES to doing what you'd otherwise do enjoying the game but feel as though you may want an "edge" in the game if you need it. 99.9% of the actual players of TW2 KNOW what they're doing, KNOW what is required and don't actually mind playing the game as intended. This game is NOT an E-sports game. There is no actual benefit to using micro transactions beyond making your pawn OP as h.e.l.l.. None.

Thirdly, please don't ride the "hate train" if you do NOT understand what has happened. The devs, as most devs do these days, are trying to implement something that is in a LOT of our RPGs these days. They've caught and recieved thousands of hate posts concerning this. Why is beyond me. Removing the console for a whole 2 days and putting it BACK INTO the game and allowing "cheats" again still has some acting like their favorite pet has died due to their neighbor running over it. Ugh.

The devs for the Two Worlds games are not "rolling in it", so to speak. They just got out of insolvency in the EU and are trying their very best to make money due to their partners and publishers being, well, cheaters and full of shenanigans. Putting MTs into the game just made another option viable for them to actually make some extra money to actually make the TW3 we've been asking for for years. So, please. Have a bit of understanding, understand that the addition of MTs in the game does NOT break it, make it mandatory to use nor bogs down the game nor does it make it unfinishable in any fashion. Thanks.

So to sum up

-if a scam is optional then it's not really a scam
-if other companies are doing it then it makes it even less of a scam
-trying to look at "give us free money and we'll let you edit your savefile" from the corporation's perspective is a valid thing to do

Indeed. The 'others are doing it' line of argument is also applicable to DRM...