ELEX II for macOS

Description

If you know a help desk veteran's patience for games that half-run on studio Macs, ELEX II is easier to place — it's a universal binary, so it doesn't need Rosetta or a Windows wrapper to start.

ELEX II — open-world action RPG set in the post-apocalyptic world of Magalan, and a direct sequel to ELEX.

Jax — the main character you control; his choices shift the story as factions react to what you do.

Jetpack — not just a traversal gimmick; it gives fast movement and flight across the broken landscape.

Party — non-player characters can join and leave based on your actions, so the roster is rarely static.

Languages — Russian, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Polish, French, and Japanese text are all included.

Black screen on first launch

First launch sometimes stalls on a black screen. If that happens, the signing quick-fix in the install notes usually sorts it — open Terminal and run xattr -cr /Applications/ELEX2.app && codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/ELEX2.app. The game should start normally after that.

The other repeat offender is the camera sensitivity. Out of the box it swings like a door in a storm. Drop the horizontal and vertical sensitivity sliders to roughly 30%, then adjust up in small steps until panning feels predictable.

On M1 MacBooks with 8 GB of RAM, the open world can stutter when the jetpack kicks up dust and particle effects in dense settlements. Lower shadow quality to Medium and switch anti-aliasing off — the visual hit is minor, but frame pacing improves noticeably. The game runs warmer than most Mac titles, so a stand or a clear desk surface helps more than you'd expect.

Plan for 75 GB of breathing room

Timing-based combos click faster with a gamepad

No, but the keyboard-and-mouse layout has a learning curve. Melee combos use a timing-based system mapped to left-click, right-click and a modifier key. A Bluetooth gamepad smooths the rhythm of combat straight away — the game recognises most standard controllers without extra setup.

Are saves compatible with the Windows version?

Save files share the same format, so you can move them between a Mac and a PC install if you keep both updated to version 1.0.2 fix. Drop the save folder into the same relative location inside the application support directory on either platform.

macOS needs space for the image and the app

Expect around 75 GB of free space before you start. The disk image expands during the drag-to-Applications step, so macOS needs headroom for both the compressed image and the installed app until you eject the image.

Early-game survival loop

A clean start in Magalan punishes impatience. Here's a repeatable sequence that gets you a serviceable ranged weapon and one ally inside the first hour, without needing a lucky drop.

1. Leave the starting cliff path and head north into the ruined settlement. Loot every crate and shelf — you want scrap, not glory.
2. Open the crafting menu and build the basic bow and twenty arrows. Ranged pulls let you thin out lone creatures before they close the distance.
3. Use the jetpack to reach low rooftops before engaging groups. Most early enemies cannot climb or fly, so height turns a losing fight into a safe clear.
4. Follow the road west until a non-player character flags you down with a voice line. Accept their quest without straying — it's a timed escort, and letting them die locks the companion for the rest of the playthrough.
5. Return to the settlement, sell excess scrap, and craft a stamina-regeneration meal. The stamina economy gates every action in combat, so that single recipe pays back more than a better sword early on.

The rhythm sticks: scout from altitude, pull with the bow, finish weakened targets with melee, craft, then move. It carries you until you find a faction and commit to a build. For anyone looking to start fresh with a stable Mac port, you can download ELEX II for Mac and have that first hour running without Rosetta overhead.

Requirements

• macOS 12.4 or later
• Apple silicon or 64-bit Intel Mac