Much worse than expected and simply can't compare to it's predecessor Warband.
Unfortunately my hopes were smashed to pieces as I begun playing, that isn't to say the game was totally broken, it was just disappointing compared to what I was expecting.
The beginning character creation process was pitiful, they have striped it down completely, you can no longer choose your background or heritage, you choose your face, distribute your skills and are then immediately sent off into the world without knowing where you've even come from.
The world map consisted of boring and uninspired fields, there were no hills or anything that looked like scenery. Men of various states will roam around in their "15's", there is no variation when it comes to the faction men that aren't led by lords. Bandits will spawn right in front of you, causing a sudden and unexpected battle that usually results in your capture if you're just starting out which is unbelievably frustrating.
I personally hate the new mercenary camp system, WFAS stops the player from hiring soldiers in villages all together, now we have been stripped down to either hiring merc's from taverns or traveling miles to various special camps where have the choice of certain units that, granted can be upgraded which is an improvement. But when your alone stuck in the middle of nowhere surrounded by enemies, it would be nice to be able to find some men in a nearby village to increase your chances of not being mercilessly battered.
The world map seems empty compared to it's predecessor, no villagers roam from town to town, there are no caravans to been seen, only bandits and faction men pollute this boring patch of earth.
The game also comes with a cosy selection of bugs and programming problems that make the game that little bit more terrible. Whether it's the "magic" bandits that I mentioned earlier, or being able to ask what city someone that you've never met in your life is currently in.
The new factions, armour and weapons just aren't enough to distract it's players from the shallow gameplay.
Rather than forking out £10 for this accident, I recommend buying Mount and Blade: Warband and downloading a firearms mod; believe me there is more content in some of these user made mods than in the entire WFAS.