Drop Duchy News

[p]Hear ye, hear ye![/p][p][/p][p]Here comes the first DLC update: a brand new faction for DLC owners, plus tons of free content and quality-of-life improvements for everyone![/p][p][/p][h3]Patch notes - August 18th, 2025[/h3][p]
DLC[/p]

• [p]New Added the DLC faction "The Tribe" with their cards & quests[/p]

[p]FREE[/p]

• [p]New Added 7 new commun buildings & 5 new common tech, that can be unlocked from the Progress Tree[/p]
• [p]New Added 16 new common challenges to improve progression's pacing and have enough to unlock the new cards[/p]
• [p]New Added an "endless" mode: you can continue after winning a run, to try going as far you can (only combat, more and more enemies including some "Elite" variants, unplaced enemies deal direct damage)[/p]
• [p]New Added 20 elite variants to buildings: only enemy can use those in the endless mode. The Elites are visible at the bottom of the Collection menu (after meeting them at least once)[/p]
• [p]New Added a new "Constellation" mechanic: 7 powers to select from a dedicated menu and trigger during the round. This mechanic is unlocked from the Progress tree (unless you already had a save with enough progress)[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to "banish" progress tree cards from the loot pool[/p]

[p]QOL[/p]

• [p]Added an option to preview the battle result without making the calculation[/p]
• [p]Added new deck sorting options in the Deck overview menu[/p]
• [p]Added an option to change the piece's default falling speed[/p]
• [p]Added hints in the end round recap to remind the players of mechanics they might have missed[/p]
• [p]Added a tooltip to the Krak des Chevaliers explaining the concept of "area"[/p]
• [p]Added a tooltip explaining "Natural terrain"[/p]
• [p]Added the button to refill defence in exotic map locations[/p]
• [p]Added a scroll bar to the progress tree[/p]
• [p]Clarified the wording of several cards & challenges[/p]
• [p]Added a banner showing if a card is selected when visiting the deck in the Preparaiton phase[/p]
• [p]Added a green check on completed trials[/p]
• [p]Added a button to reset the whole combat path (mouse only)[/p]
• [p]Added text to better understand the Belfry upgrades[/p]

[p]Balancing[/p]

• [p]Reworked the Mercenary mechanic: they can now go in locked spaces (still without exceeding the limit of 8 buildings)[/p]
• [p]Increased the gains of Rangers Base[/p]
• [p]Removed the "Unique" from the Castle[/p]
• [p]Updated The Keep's central towers to reduce the number of watched squares[/p]
• [p]Added a maximum on the technology card "Isolation"[/p]
• [p]Changed Charcoal Kilns to also work with the grid border[/p]
• [p]Added a keyword "Mighty Garrison" to explain better why some enemies have higher garrison (Prison, Raider Colony)[/p]
• [p]Changed the Duchy quest reward so that Fortified Farm starts level 2[/p]
• [p]Market & Warehouse cards can connect through city like the Belfry, for more consistency[/p]
• [p]Changed Taxes for a more consistent & easier to trigger effect[/p]
• [p]Removed the faith gain from Krak des Chevaliers[/p]
• [p]Changed Forced Conversion to a weaker but more consistent effect[/p]
• [p]Increase Stone requirements for many buildings[/p]
• [p]Buffed the Carpenter & Castle cards[/p]
• [p]Lowered Crusaders gains for leftover units at the end of the round (now 2:1)[/p]
• [p]Lowered The Order Resource expedtion cost[/p]
• [p]Lowered requirements The Order quests: For the Cause & General Mobilization[/p]
• [p]Buff crusaders for cards Military Chaplaincy & Crusader OutpostLowered gains Provision Convoy[/p]
• [p]Increased Hard difficulty parameters[/p]
• [p]Lowered Strenght in Numbers gain[/p]
• [p]Resources that were given to Boss 3 bribery are now awarded after the round (if the player continues to Act 4)[/p]
• [p]Erudition tech no longer gives +1 level to the fourth card in Act 3[/p]
• [p]Siege Camp can activate several times for a building if it didn't hit the limit yet (more consistent with other effects)
  
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[p][/p][p]If you want to discuss strategies and share your favorite builds with fellow rulers, don’t hesitate to join our official Discord server! And, don't forget to follow us on Social Media to keep up with the latest news:[/p][p]X / Twitter:[/p]

• [p] X - Sleepy Mill Studio[/p]
• [p] X - The Arcade Crew[/p]

[p]And join us on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and Bluesky![/p]

[p]There it is, the third issue of this mini-devlog series dedicated to the summer DLC and free update. In the last article, I introduced you to the new gameplay mechanics we’ve added; now it’s time to delve deeper into the numerous minor changes and additions. Let’s go![/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]New Common Cards[/h3][p]Do you know how many cards Drop Duchy had at launch? Clearly not enough, because we’re adding 12 more in this update, available to all players and usable by all factions. When designing this bunch of cards, we had two goals: explore fun new mechanics and introduce new devastating combos.[/p][p]For instance, we’ve added two technology cards that activate when you sell them between rounds: Shady Deal will trade resources for a massive Gold payout, while Spy Network can remove units from the next combat encounter. On the building side, we’re trying out something new with the Veterans Hall, whose number of starting units depends on the previous round: the more survivors left, the better it gets. You could, for instance, recruit a ton of soldiers during a peaceful round to buff it for a tricky combat.[/p][p][/p][p]In terms of combo, we noticed how much the community enjoys breaking the game with cards such as Commandery or Barracks, so we nerfed them added even more combo-enabling buildings! The Provision Convoy has the following text: “End of round: lose 10% of Food produced this round and recruit 1 unit for each.” If you commit to Food production, it can easily get over 100 troops. Another new building of the sort is the Jousting Ground, which enables powerful combos if you’ve got several Noble cards.[/p][p][/p][p]All these new common cards can be unlocked through the Progress Tree, and to ensure you’ve got enough Crown for all of them, we’ve also added 16 new challenges. These missions are focused on the early game and are designed to improve the progression pacing for newcomers.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Gameplay and Balancing Improvements[/h3][p]Now, there’s another piece of feedback we’ve heard loud and clear: how hard it can be to find certain combos as you unlock more and more cards. To a degree, this is how we thought the game should be played: we preferred the game to add more diversity and complexity as you progress, which naturally makes early strategies more challenging. To counter-balance this frustration, we’re making two changes to the progress tree.[/p][p]First, for every 10 cards you’ve unlocked, you’ll gain a free reroll for each future run. Starting with a few free rerolls helps you find particular combos faster or military cards in harder difficulty modes. When you’ve used all your free rerolls, you still have the option to use Gold, of course. Second, if there’s a card that you hate seeing, you can use the “Banish” option in the tree to remove it from the loot pool for subsequent runs (you can’t update that while playing!)[/p][p][/p][p]Next, we’re also making a change to the Mercenary mechanic, which wasn’t useful enough in the current version: now the mercenaries you hire may occupy a locked slot (if you have some), so you can still pick all the buildings you need and benefit from the extra help.[/p][p][/p][p]In terms of balancing, we’ve made several changes to address specific pain points such as The Duchy’s starting building, The Order’s incredible power, and The Republic’s consistency. We’ve increased the need for Stone in several buildings (it was too easy to ignore it and still upgrade cards comfortably). One last change to mention, we’ve nerfed the infamous second boss, The Keep, by reducing the amount of trap zones![/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Controls and Interface Changes[/h3][p]Once again, there are too many UI updates to mention them all, but here are a few important ones:[/p]

• [p]The Deck Overview menu has several sorting options[/p]
• [p]The building’s tooltips now mention the type[/p]
• [p]The Pause menu has been reworked to include access to Challenges & Collection[/p]
• [p]There’s a button to reset the entire combat path[/p]
• [p]The Belfry upgrades are now shown above the cards[/p]
• [p]Some card & challenges texts have been clarified, with additional tooltips added[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback you’ve shared. Improving all these small individual things makes for a big improvement when added together![/p][p]Next, we’ve added some comfort/quality of life options for players who wish to customize their experience further to their liking. First, there’s a setting to disable, decrease, or increase the piece falling speed, as well as an option to disable locking with the down key (meaning you can only lock with the instant fall). Use these if you want a more relaxed and strategic experience.[/p][p]Finally, we’ve also added the long-awaited “calculate the combat for me” option. Not my case, but I get that some players dislike the sense of uncertainty, so now you can view the result directly while planning your battle.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]That’s All Folks![/h3][p]And this wraps up the devlog. For more in-depth details, please read the detailed patch notes that will be released alongside the update and DLC.[/p][p]We hope that everything we’re adding to the game will make the game more enjoyable, whether you’ve spent dozens of hours already or are just starting to play with this update! Rest assured development isn’t slowing down and we will continue to read all your feedback while preparing new surprises for the coming months. See you soon![/p][p]
[/p][p]

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[/p]

[p]Welcome back to another episode of “What’s coming next in Drop Duchy”![/p][p]Last time we covered the DLC faction The Tribe, launching on August 18th, and today I’m telling you more about the free update that comes alongside it. Specifically the new mechanics we’re adding to the game (I’ll discuss additional content and quality of life changes in the next article, otherwise, this one would’ve been too long!).[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Reading the Stars[/h3][p]At Sleepy Mill Studio, we’re constantly monitoring the feedback you’ve been sharing and have noticed how randomness can be frustrating for some players. Therefore, we have made a priority of providing new tools to mitigate that randomness.[/p][p]Constellations is a new gameplay feature available to all factions across all game modes that lets you select a power of your choice and trigger it whenever you need it during the round. The constellations have varied effects to modify the current piece to your liking: change its shape, its terrain type, or even remove enemies from it.[/p][p][/p][p]Each constellation requires a certain number of charges before use, which you automatically gain by placing a piece, so you need to decide when is the best time to trigger its effect. Maybe you’re running a river strategy and you’re missing one river piece to connect them all? Use the Pisces constellation to change the current terrain for a river![/p][p][/p][p]The best part is that you don’t even need to stick to a particular constellation; you can freely change throughout the run (although it does reset the charges) if you’re pivoting to a new strategy or feel that a particular Constellation would be ideal for a specific situation. My favorite one is the Centaurus, which can turn enemy buildings into another type, allowing you to dodge some of those annoying effects![/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Ready for a New Challenge?[/h3][p]With the addition of Constellations, runs feel more consistent, and it’s easier to pull off your satisfying combos (without constantly reloading saves). To give an extra challenge for super-rulers with hyper-optimized decks, we’re adding a fourth endless Act to the game.[/p][p][/p][p]After defeating the Dungeon, you now have the option to continue to push your run as far as you can in the new endless act. In this act, every location is a combat with more and more enemies. Don’t expect any rest, a Trading Fair, or anything else: it’s pure combat. You may, however, continue to grab some cards and collect resources to keep optimizing your deck, but be prepared for a tough challenge without an end in sight![/p][p][/p][p]Don’t worry, when you eventually lose (and I promise you will), the run still counts as a Victory, and you should be able to reach new scoring heights.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Formidable Foes[/h3][p]In the endless mode, you’ll also meet a new enemy type: the Elites. Those military buildings may look familiar, but be sure to read their descriptions carefully, as each has subtle changes that significantly increase the difficulty.[/p][p][/p][p]For instance, you got used to shoving Rangers Bases and River Castles aside, easily preventing them from getting bonus troops? Well, the elite's version of those is inverted: you must place them adjacent to their preferred terrain to reduce their strength. Some Elite variants have increased range, and others, such as the Training Camp or Alarm Tower, also work with diagonals, turning the grid into a minefield.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve prepared 20 Elite variants for this update, and for now, they only appear during Act 4, but we’re also considering adding those sporadically to the run. What do you think?[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]See you next time![/h3][p]That’s it for today’s post about the new gameplay mechanics we’re bringing with this free update. Stay tuned for the next article, as we have a lot more in store (still free): new cards, new challenges, gameplay updates, and numerous UI improvements to make the game more enjoyable.[/p][p]If you’d like to discuss this with the community and share your thoughts, you can use the Steam forums, Discord, or Reddit; we’re reading everything on all these platforms. Until then, have fun![/p][p]

You can also follow us on Social Media to keep up with the latest news!

X / Twitter:
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https://x.com/TheArcadeCrew


And join us on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and Bluesky!
[/p]

[p]Hello and welcome back to a new series of Drop Duchy’s Devlogs (I love a good alliteration), dedicated to the upcoming content of our first major content expansion.
[/p][p]First, I’d like to thank you all for playing the game. If you’re one of the 100,000+ players who’ve purchased Drop Duchy, you can proudly say that you’re 0.00001% responsible for the project’s continuation. In fact, thanks to the game’s incredible success, we’ve decided to continue expanding it. So far, we’ve released two bug-fixing patches, and in a few weeks, you’ll also get to discover a big content update featuring new mechanics, new cards, quality-of-life updates, and more![/p][p][/p][p]This first post will tell you more about the new DLC faction we’re introducing with this update available from August 18th : The Tribe.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Power of the Druids[/h3][p][/p][p]The Tribe is the fourth faction in the game, and as you know, we strive to give each faction a strong gameplay and thematic identity. After the peasants, city dwellers, and crusaders, our next idea was to focus more on the forest, nature, and exploration, which is how we decided to go for the mystical druids.[/p][p][/p][p]The central mechanic of the Tribe is called the Cairn’s area.In your starting deck, you’ve got the technology Ancient Alignment, which adds four Cairn’s pieces to the round deck. Your goal is to create the largest rectangular area that fits inside those four standing stones to trigger the effect of the Tribe’s starting building, the Stone Circle. Indeed, if you manage to place the Stone Circle inside the Cairn’s area, it collects a massive amount of resources.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Cairns also recruit troops when aligned with one another, which can be helpful to support your early game military needs, but you may also decide to drop the idea of a rectangular area in favor of a stone alignment to gain even more troops. In this context, existing technology cards, such as Tactical Advantage or Strength in Numbers, become particularly interesting.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Exploration Combos[/h3][p][/p][p]But wait, don’t underestimate the power of a large rectangular Cairn’s area too quickly! Trying to position a Cairn in each corner of the grid is certainly a challenge, and you’ll have to reconsider your usual approach to optimal positioning, but it provides a fantastic opportunity to set up massive exploration-related combos.[/p][p]As a reminder, in the game, when you complete a line, you get to explore its square and gain resources; now you can explore them a second time! The Tribe has access to exclusive cards that leverage its boosted exploration capacity, such as the Druid Hut for extra food & defense, or the technology Lush Woods, which adds food to forest exploration gains.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]At this point, I should mention that it can be worth revisiting cards from the base game that fit into this archetype. Buildings such as Exploited Lands or Royal Garden can yield resources twice in a round now (or even more if you used the Manor’s capacity to explore squares in range three times!). While the Tribe’s natural environment is the forest, they can definitely work with the river if you bring in a good Shipyard, which recruits for each time a river square adjacent to the grid border is explored.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Now, if you want to go all-in on the exploration, your best option is going to be another druid-exclusive card: the War Council, which recruits for each square explored in the round.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Sacrifice and Progression[/h3][p][/p][p]Like the other factions in the game, the Tribe can play in any mode as long as you’ve unlocked at least the Technology cards in the Progress tree. It comes with 12 faction quests that’ll help you figure out the new mechanics of the faction and challenge you to leverage its power. Can you beat Act 1 without a single production card other than the Stone Circle?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]As you complete the quests, you’ll unlock more cards and get to another specialty of the druid-inspired faction: reading the stars and sacrificing opponents. For the first one, you’ll have to wait until the following article to discover how the Tribe interacts with the new Constellation mechanic we’re adding to this update as well.[/p][p]As for the second, the Tribe can get the technology Law Court which removes units from every enemy building inside the Cairn’s area and more importantly, the building Sacrificial Site which has the power to recruit one unit for each unit that was removed during the whole round (by any building or technology card). That’s another entire archetype you can build your deck around to unleash devastating combo: the good old Siege Camp fits perfectly in such a deck.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Wrap Up[/h3][p][/p][p]That’s it for this first devlog about the next big update to the game. We hope you’ll enjoy this new faction as much as we did when it launches this summer. With its original mechanics and introduction of new combos, the Tribe gives you a perfect excuse to replay the game to figure out new strategies using both old and new content.[/p][p]In the next article, I’ll tell you more about the major additions of the (free) content patch: the Constellation mechanic, the Endless mode, and Elite enemies! See you, have fun![/p][p]


Stay in touch by subscribing to the newsletter and joining the Discord server.

JB Oger - Game Director

You can also follow us on Social Media to keep up with the latest news!

X / Twitter:
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And join us on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and Bluesky!
[/p]

[p]Hear ye, hear ye!
[/p][p]It's now been two months since Drop Duchy has been out, and we can proudly announce that you've been more than 100,000 players to start your ruler journey!👑
[/p][p][/p][p]We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for being part of this adventure. Your ongoing enthusiasm and support have been instrumental in shaping the game – we have now reached 89% on Steam (!!!), and, with the help of your valuable feedback, we aim at bringing you an even more enjoyable game experience![/p][p]Looking ahead, we are also committed to keep updating Drop Duchy to provide you with even more exciting content![/p][p][/p][p]Speaking of updates…[/p][p][/p][h3]DLC & Free Major Update Incoming!![/h3][p]You’ve heard me right!
[/p][p]Drop Duchy will be back THIS SUMMER with its first DLC featuring a brand-new faction (meaning new exclusive buildings, technologies, cards, and challenges!!) and a free major update which will feature new game mechanics, new cards, quality of life updates, and more…!
[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll be sharing more information on what you can expect from these updates in the upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]ICYMI: Drop Duchy's OST is available NOW![/h3][p]The official Drop Duchy Original Soundtrack is now available on Steam! [/p][p]You get to dive back into the game’s unique atmosphere and relive your favorite runs through its vibrant, punchy tunes. [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Whether you want to study, chill, or strategize your next build, it’s yours to enjoy![/p][p][/p][p]If you have thoughts, builds, video clips (or even jokes) to share with us and fellow rulers, please don’t hesitate to join our official Discord server! With your feedback, we'll work on making the game even better![/p][p]JOIN OUR DISCORD[/p][p]You can also follow us on social media to keep up with the latest news: [/p][p]X / Twitter: [/p]

• [p] X - Sleepy Mill Studio [/p]
• [p] X - The Arcade Crew [/p]

[p]And join us on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and Bluesky!
[/p]