Today we’re showing half an hour of brand new Mongolian campaign gameplay footage! Featuring developer commentary from Stronghold: Warlords Lead Programmer Tony DeLibero, this new video features hitherto unrevealed units, warlords and castle structures. A snapshot of the later stages of Warlords’ Mongolian campaign segment, today’s campaign preview takes players to 1227 AD as the great Khan moves to crush rebelling Xia forces. Surrounded on all fronts by hostile warlords and a well-protected enemy lord, players must first rush to bring each warlord under their command, before launching an all out siege on the enemy. Attacking immediately would be foolish, however with enough warlords pledging their gold, resources and troops, players can amass an army powerful enough to take down the enemy stronghold. Continue reading →

We’ve just released new single player gameplay footage for Stronghold: Warlords, the latest RTS ‘castle sim’ from Firefly Studios. Taken from the Chinese portion of the game’s 31 mission campaign, the ‘Armies of Yan’ occurs toward the end of the Warring States period in 226 BC. Over the course of 40 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, Senior Programmer Matt Smith walks us through the latest additions to the castle building RTS series. Showcasing new units like the Fire Lancer, the titular warlords mechanic and castle sieges, this video is the first in a new series providing an early look at the game’s main single player game mode.

As Warlords approaches launch new campaign previews will be released on our YouTube to tease game features and improvements, but also to collect feedback from players. With particular attention to community requests, new Warlord abilities and of course ‘wuselfaktor’, we’ve been paying close attention to player suggestions since the game’s E3 reveal. For over a year now our designers and devs have been processing feedback on the game’s visuals, sound effects and most recently gameplay using our Steam Game Fest demo.

Castle builders will be able to journey from ancient China and Vietnam to feudal Japan and the Mongol Empire when Stronghold: Warlords launches on Steam later this year.

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 →