Stronghold: Warlords

First post-launch update goes live on Steam and GOG, with a full spring and summer content roadmap revealing Sun Tzu, new units, maps and missions

Firefly Studios has just released their first update for Stronghold: Warlords, adding an extreme difficulty mode, increased troop limits, a new map, AI improvements, balance changes and bug fixes. The castle sim developer also revealed the first part of Warlords’ post-release content roadmap introducing new a AI character and playable unit, as well as extra single player missions and warlords:

Patch Notes
Roadmap Reveal Trailer

“This first phase in our overall roadmap of updates for Warlords covers the spring and early summer period” said Nick Tannahill, Marketing Director and resident castle lover at Firefly Studios. “We have additional smaller patches planned of course and then more to come in the second half of the year, however everything covered in our announcement will be added to the game free for all players”.

Firefly’s content roadmap for Stronghold: Warlords is divided into two separate tracks, creatively titled minor and major updates. Minor updates, starting today with the addition of Extreme Difficulty and numerous AI improvements, will be aimed at improving core gameplay and adding smaller features. Later on players can expect further AI updates, stability improvements, more maps, fixes, quality of life features and series staple features, such as controllable AI invasions in Free Build mode.

When it comes to major updates for the spring and early summer period, two substantial content additions are scheduled as part of the game’s initial roadmap. As requested in post-release feedback, Stronghold: Warlords will first receive a new AI character in the form of Sun Tzu. Available in skirmish mode, multiplayer and all future updates, Sun Tzu will provide players with fresh armies to battle, castles to besiege and tactics to outmaneuver. Following this a larger ‘Skirmish Trail #1’ update is planned for the early summer. The game’s first skirmish trail update will add 10 single player missions, a new unit in the Samurai Lancer and two warlords with unique abilities. The Beetle Warlord in particular is a response to player feedback, introducing the power to heal battlefield units using the new Field Hospital structure. Both major updates, as well as future planned content additions, will aim to improve the content on offer in the core game in both single player and multiplayer modes.

Stronghold: Warlords is now available on Steam and GOG, with a Special Edition including a digital art book, new soundtrack by series composer Robert L. Euvino, ‘Making Of’ documentary and a copy of Stronghold HD.

Visit the official Stronghold: Warlords website for more game information.

Create the ultimate castle and test your defences with custom invasions in ‘Free Build’

Firefly Studios has just released fresh Stronghold: Warlords gameplay featuring the unique ‘Free Build’ sandbox mode, in which players test their dream strongholds against increasingly challenging AI invasions. In Free Build players design a castle using near unlimited resources, customise its defences and finally launch wave after wave of invasions to put their creation to the test:

Extended Gameplay Trailer

Free Build Trailer

Free Build is designed to be played in many different ways. A selection of large open maps with picturesque scenery and monuments will allow players to build to their heart’s content. As in the main campaign, skirmish mode and multiplayer the titular Warlords mechanic can also be used to help build a dream citadel, sending key resources and providing buffs to their castle economy.

Invasions 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 increased 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.

Castle builders will be able to access Free Build mode at launch on September 29th. Scheduled for release via Steam, players can find out more about Stronghold: Warlords by visiting the game’s official website.

First Japanese troops, fresh unit abilities, and Chinese Imperial warriors revealed!

BAFTA nominated developer Firefly Studios has revealed new units coming to Stronghold: Warlords, the upcoming entry in their classic ‘castle sim’ series. With the ability to land precision strikes, instantly clear walls of Archers, or simply deal high damage with powerful weapons, each unit introduces a new set of tactics.

See the new units in action HERE.

Samurai
With the ability to charge down enemies foolish enough to stand in their way and eliminate high priority units like Generals with their Precision Strike, Samurai have a unique role to play in the game. True to their historical roots, these disciplined feudal fighters are best used in combat against priority targets or to quickly shut down foes with powerful abilities of their own. With a steady movement speed and weakness to gunpowder, they are however susceptible to swarms of cavalry and gunpowder-fuelled missile fire.

Imperial Guardsman
An expensive but valuable unit, the heavy mace-wielding Imperial Guardsman will make a serious dent in any enemy siege force. Able to build up a Heavy Attack while in combat, the Guardsmen can then deal area damage in a wide arc when triggered. The Guardsmen can quickly tip the scales in your favour mid-siege—use him to clear castle walls, crush unarmoured skirmish troops, or dismantle siege weapons.

Imperial Warrior
While the Imperial Warrior lacks a unique ability like that of the Samurai or Guardsman, he makes up for it with a high armour rating and damage output thanks to his weapons of choice. Resistant to Archer fire, Fire Lancers, and all but the heaviest siege weapons, the Imperial Warrior should form part of the front line in any castle siege or any large scale open field battle.

Scheduled for release on Steam later this year, players can find out more about Stronghold: Warlords by visiting the game’s official website.

About Stronghold: Warlords

The latest ‘castle sim’ RTS from Firefly Studios, Stronghold: Warlords allows you to recruit, upgrade and command AI warlords across the battlefield. Each warlord under your command boosts your strategic prowess with their own unique perks, characteristics and upgradeable abilities. Use them to boost your industry, fortify defences or team up for a pincer attack! Each campaign mission, skirmish game and multiplayer battle means a fresh set of warlords to command and new strategic depth. Stronghold: Warlords is Firefly’s first game to recreate the castle economies of the Far East, allowing you to command Mongol hordes, imperial warriors and samurai clansmen as you lay siege to Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. Besiege historical warlords using new gunpowder-fuelled siege weapons and a completely new way to play Stronghold.

Unable to physically record actors in his studio, series composer Robert Euvino turns to the Stronghold community with a new competition

London, UK – April 30, 2020 — Firefly Studios, creators of the upcoming ‘castle sim’ RTS Stronghold: Warlords, is asking series fans to submit their own screams, grunts, shrieks, hollers and groans to be featured in the final game. Unable to source actors and record audio in person, Firefly is hoping their players will be willing to warm up their vocal chords and scream into a microphone in hopes of hearing themselves perish in-game:

Come scream with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4FihZ7Cke8

While in the past Firefly has invited fans to vote on weapon designs, armour and even which deceased animals can be thrown by trebuchet, submitting screams is new for the developer. The current global pandemic is presenting developers of all shapes and sizes with unique challenges, but Firefly are hoping they can get closer to their community by letting it all out and bursting a few ear drums in the process.

“These are troubling times. People are concerned about their health, loved ones and jobs” said Robert Euvino, Composer and Sound Designer on Stronghold: Warlords. “It got me thinking, this might be a good opportunity to have a little bit of fun with fans of the game and include them in a manner which we’ve never really tried before.”

Players can take part by joining the #screams-of-stronghold channel on the official Stronghold Discord server, where they can find out more about the submission process and technical requirements to make their screams useable in-game: https://discord.gg/qMG7Zae

If their death screams end up being used, players will be able to hear themselves die in Stronghold: Warlords when the game launches on Scream Steam later this year. For more information and the latest updates players can visit the game’s official website.