Today in a new Feature Spotlight we unveil 10 minutes of fresh gameplay for Stronghold: Warlords, revealing six siege defences available in the game at launch on March 9th, 2021. Living up to the series’ legacy as a ‘castle sim’, today’s reveal has everything from caged tigers to gunpowder traps and front line barricades. To defend against the many troop types and siege weapons in Stronghold: Warlords, players will be able to customise their walls with traps and bolster their outer defences. From classic Stronghold staples to new gunpowder-fuelled defensive traps unique to this new entry, Stronghold: Warlords will give players plenty of options for dealing with siege force of all shapes and sizes. Continue reading →

We have just released nearly an hour of fresh Stronghold: Warlords gameplay in the form of a full Free Build scenario play-though! Once again spotlighting our unique ‘Free Build’ sandbox mode, revealed last week as part of The Escapist Indie Showcase, here players are asked to construct their dream stronghold. Once built they can test their creation against increasingly challenging infantry invasions, siege weapons, difficulty settings and medieval ‘events’.

Watch as Aaron takes us through the basics of Free Build, how this classic mode will interact with the new Warlords system and even more Warlords gameplay fundamentals. Designed as a special game mode within Stronghold: Warlords, Free Build is essentially as difficult as you make it. Players who simply want to build to their hearts content are free to do so, while those who wish to create the tightest and most strategically sound citadel can test their theories with wave upon wave of AI invasions. Currently playable as part of the Steam Game Festival, Stronghold: Warlords was recently announced for release on Steam on March 9th, 2021. The game will launch with a full single-play campaign, bonus economic campaign, free build, custom skirmish mode and mutliplayer modes.

We are pleased to announce that Stronghold: Warlords will include the series’ classic ‘Free Build’ game mode, allowing players to put their stronghold to the test with AI invasions. In Free Build players design a castle with near unlimited resources, customise its defences and finally launch wave after wave of invasions, putting their creation to the test. Free Build is designed to be played in many different ways. A selection of large open maps to choose from, each with picturesque scenery and monuments, will allow players the option to simply build to their heart’s content if they desire. As in the main campaign, skirmish mode and multiplayer the titular Warlords mechanic can also be used to help build their dream citadel, sending key resources and providing buffs to their castle economy.

Invasions will come with a host of options, including a selection of unique siege armies to throw at your castle walls. Test your mettle against everything from squads of tribesmen and stealthy ninja to battalions of cavalry and armoured legions with powerful siege weapons. The challenge can be further modified with invasion difficulty settings and the ability to add random events such as peasant revolts, moth infestations and deadly roaming tigers. Players will also be able to create custom Free Build maps, adding their own events, invasions and warlords to capture.

We’re proud to announce that Stronghold: Warlords, the latest entry in our ‘castle sim’ series, will be released worldwide on September 29th 2020!

Set to launch almost two decades since development started on the original Stronghold, the date and new co-op mode were revealed exclusively as part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming event in a new multiplayer trailer. At launch Warlords will include full multiplayer functionality, support for AI opponents and a unique co-op mode allowing two players to work together building, defending and besieging from the same castle. Multiplayer will include the ability to play in teams with friends and against the AI, but also the option to control a single castle cooperatively. Players in co-op can choose to handle the economy from the start or build up an army and focus on their military. During a siege one player could control defensive units like Fire Lancers and Archers, while the other triggers castle traps and puts out the inevitable fires! Continue reading →

This new entry in our ‘Soldiers of Warlords‘ series finally takes us to feudal Japan as we reveal the first Japanese troop type coming to Stronghold: Warlords. With the ability to charge down enemy units foolish enough to stand in their way and eliminate high profile targets like enemy Lords, the Samurai makes for a unique addition to your medieval army. True to their historical roots and long history in games, we’ve done justice to these disciplined feudal fighters with an interesting set of attributes and powerful unit ability.

We also return once more to ancient China with the reveal of two additional Imperial troop types, namely the mace-wielding Guardsman and almost unstoppable Imperial Warrior. Expensive to recruit and powerful once mastered, these Imperial troops will make a serious dent in any enemy siege force. With the Guardsman’s ability to deal area damage when he swings his Heavy Mace and the high damage output of the thickly armoured Warrior, we expect Imperial troops to feature in the later stages of the single player campaign and online multiplayer. Continue reading →

Now that Stronghold: Warlords is deep into development and approaching launch later this year, we thought it would be a great time to reveal 100 small but interesting facts about our upcoming castle sim. Taking the form of a new rapid-fire Q&A, today Firefly’s community team answers as many Stronghold fan questions as possible in under 20 minutes!

Tackling these 100 questions are Natasha and Nick, who take them all on in quickfire fashion. Covering everything from core mechanics and design to a possible beta version and even the game’s final price, we attempt to provide as much information as possible at this stage in development. While we can’t answer every question for a variety of reasons, be they design, technical or otherwise, we can be open and transparent about the development process about each new title. So if your request or question wasn’t answered today rest assured it will be in later videos or even future entries in the Stronghold series. Continue reading →

Today we’re has revealing three new siege weapons coming to Stronghold: Warlords! Ranging from classic Siege Towers to new-to-the-series fortification destroyers like the Korean Hwacha and Chinese winged rockets, our latest entry in the series will allow you to infiltrate, decimate and obliterate castle walls however you choose. Continue reading →

In today’s video Firefly Studios developers Matt and Paul walk us through the last three months of production, covering everything from campaigns to code. These two senior members of the team were kind enough to take some time out of their day to reflect on recent builds, design decisions and advances toward release. This is followed up by a lengthy FAQ featuring the ten of the most commonly asked community questions covering a possible beta demo, graphical improvements, easter eggs and more!

Continue reading →