Wartorn Joins Steam Next Fest!

Hey everyone!

We have some exciting news—Wartorn will be part of Steam Next Fest this month, giving you an exclusive first look at our combat demo! From February 24 to March 3, you’ll have the chance to dive into Wartorn’s intense squad-based battles and experience elemental warfare firsthand.

This demo is designed to give you a taste of the core gameplay mechanics, highlighting the moment-to-moment combat that makes Wartorn both strategic and visceral. We’ve carefully chosen units, maps, and elemental interactions to showcase the variety and depth of our battles—but this is just the beginning of what’s to come!

[h2]What to Expect in the Combat Demo[/h2]

This combat-focused demo will introduce you to some of the key mechanics of Wartorn’s real-time tactics gameplay, but it will not include the larger narrative, roguelite progression, or meta systems—we’re saving those for Early Access!

Here’s what you’ll get your hands on in Next Fest:

🔥 Dynamic Elemental Combat – Experiment with Fire, Lightning, Tar, Water, and Plant elements to create explosive combos, influence enemy movement, and manipulate the battlefield to best fit your strategy.

⚔️ 11 Unique Unit Types – Each battle will offer different squad rewards, meaning you might need multiple runs to experience all of them!

Units include:

• Elf Bolt Mage
  
• Elf Rainmaker
  
• Goblin Grenadier
  
• Goblin Limb Thrasher Rabble
  
• Goblin Angry Mob
  
• Goblin Novice Brewer
  
• Human Vanguard Spearmen
  
• Styg Fire Acolyte
  
• Styg Ichor Defender
  
• Pheign Heartwood Stomper
  
• Troll Club Clomper
  

👑 Playable Hero Squad: Yara & Elani – These elven sisters lead the charge with powerful and unique abilities. Do not let your heroes die… if they do, you will fail!

🌍 Four Battle Maps in a Single Biome – Get a taste of the diverse environments of the isles of Talaur, with fully destructible battlefields that make every fight dynamic and unpredictable.

🎲 Randomized Battle Rewards – After each victory, you’ll unlock new squad members, giving you the chance to experiment with different team compositions. (In Early Access, rewards will include upgrades, passive/active abilities, and resources to shape your journey.)

⏳ Slow Down Time - With the slow-time feature (space-bar), even the most complex scenarios are approachable, allowing players to slow down, analyze the chaos, and issue precise commands, adapting gameplay to suit their pace.

👀 Work-in-Progress HUD & Controls – We want your feedback! The HUD is still evolving, and we’ll be monitoring community input to make it the best it can be before Early Access.



[h2]What’s Not in the Demo [/h2]

To set expectations, this Next Fest demo is laser-focused on combat, meaning some of the full game’s deeper mechanics aren’t included just yet:

❌ The Narrative & Story Setup – You won’t see why Yara and Elani are fighting or how their journey unfolds—but rest assured, a rich, emotional story awaits in the full game!

❌ Roguelite Progression – The meta-game and long-term upgrades, like unlocking persistent abilities, squad veterancy, or story-driven progression, aren’t here yet.

❌ Caravan Management – In the full game, this is where you’ll manage and swap squads for each run, assign trinkets, and apply veterancy upgrades—but it won’t be accessible in this demo.

❌ Boss Battles – The full game will feature challenging boss encounters, but we’re holding those back for Early Access!

[h2]We Need Your Feedback![/h2]

Next Fest isn’t just about letting you play—it’s our chance to hear from you! We’ll have a Discord section set up just for demo feedback, so let us know what you think about:

✅ Controls & UI – Does everything feel intuitive? Are there improvements you’d like to see?

✅ Combat Balance – Which units feel powerful? Which could use some tweaks?

✅ Overall Feel – What excites you most? What would make Wartorn even better?

This is just the first step in making Wartorn the best game it can be, and your input will shape the future of the game as we head toward Early Access.

Join the Official Wartorn Discord

[h2]Wishlist & Get Ready to Fight![/h2]

The Next Fest Wartorn Combat Demo will be available beginning on February 24, and we can’t wait for you to try it. Be sure to wishlist the game on Steam and join our Discord to share your thoughts after playing.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1296660/Wartorn/

This is just the beginning of the adventure—see you in the Wartorn isles of Talaur!

🔥 The Wartorn Development Team 🔥