Plague Lords News

Greetings, mercenaries!

It’s been a while — which means it’s time to share how development is progressing.

After the closed beta test of the prologue, we realized Plague Lords needed some serious changes. We’ve been reworking many systems — and the good news is that the updated version of the prologue is nearing completion. Most of the localizations are done, and the gameplay is now significantly more player-friendly.

Here’s what we’ve already implemented — or are just about to wrap up:

⚒️ Automatic Use of Tools and Weapons

No more micromanagement — characters will now automatically equip the right tool or weapon from their inventory, depending on the task: chopping, hammer, or fighting.

🪙 New Loot Window with “Take All” Button

No more opening a separate window for each building — now, when you search houses, carts, or corpses, you’ll get a compact loot window where you can grab everything you need with one click.



🗺️ Map

Your squad didn’t come here blindly — they had a map.
And now you do too: open the map, find the nearest town or tavern, and stop wandering aimlessly.



📦 Loot is Now Visible on the Map

Items dropped on the ground will now remain visible even after your squad leaves the tile.
You’ll always know where your loot is — no more guessing or backtracking blindly.
Dropped resources stay in place and are clearly marked on the map, making it easier to plan your routes and manage overloaded squads.

👜 Bags Increase Carrying Capacity

We’ve added a new type of equipment — bags, which can be placed in a dedicated gear slot.
They greatly increase a character’s carry weight — perfect for long expeditions and resource gathering.

⚙️ Other Key Improvements

Ability to skip dialogues with one click

Usage counters on consumable items (food, water, arrows, etc.)

More useful info on character portraits

Additional UI tweaks and usability improvements

We’re now hard at work improving the economy and building systems, and we’ll show you those changes in an upcoming update.

Thanks for sticking with us! We’re doing everything we can to release the prologue as soon as possible — and it’ll be worth the wait.

See you soon, mercenaries! 💀

[h3]Long time no see, mercenaries![/h3]

It’s been a while since our last update — and we haven’t been idle. Over the past few months, Plague Lords has undergone massive changes. We’ve reworked core systems, added quality-of-life features, and improved the overall gameplay experience. Here's a quick breakdown of the most important updates:

[h2]🧳 Items Can Now Be Dropped on the Ground[/h2]

No more disappearing gear! Dropped items will now stay on the ground for a couple of in-game days. If your squad is overloaded, you can temporarily leave some supplies behind and come back for them later. Perfect for forced marches when you don't want to lose valuable resources.



[h2]⚖️ Morale System Fully Reworked
[/h2]
Morale now dynamically responds to everything: character actions, conditions, and story events.

• High morale may allow characters to walk without losing stamina, do more work, or even gain bonus attacks in combat.
  
• Low morale means reduced effectiveness and negative statuses.
  

Had a few too many drinks? You'll get a “Had too much wine” debuff.
Run from too many fights? Your squad might earn the dreaded “Running like cowards!” trait.

Morale is no longer an infinite buff — it's now a tactical tool that can help or hurt, depending on your choices.



[h3]💥 Abilities Now Use Stamina Instead of Morale[/h3]

Abilities now consume stamina, making the system more intuitive. Morale now affects combat indirectly, while stamina governs your ability to act. This makes skill use easier to plan and overall combat resource management more strategic.

[h3]🔧 Equipment Repair Now Happens in Workshops[/h3]

You can now repair worn-out gear at workshops. This allows you to keep your equipment in good condition without having to waste extra resources crafting replacements.

[h3]🧍‍♂️ Easier Unit Selection in Combat[/h3]

No more hunting for the right portrait in the UI — just click the character directly on the battlefield to select them. Fast and intuitive.

[h3]🛡️ Attack and Defense Now Use Percentages[/h3]

Calculations are now shown as percentages and influenced by character stats. This makes outcomes more transparent and allows for better tactical planning.

[h3]🔁 Limited Counterattacks[/h3]

Each character and enemy can only make one counterattack per turn. The old “do nothing and win” strategy is no longer viable — now, every move counts.



[h3]🎨 Colored Hints and More Info On-Screen[/h3]

Want to know who you're up against? Hover over characters and enemies to see detailed info right on the battlefield. It’s faster, clearer, and more informative.

[h3]🔍 Equipment Comparison in Inventory[/h3]

When a character is selected, item tooltips in the inventory will now highlight attack and defense stats in green if they're better than the equipped item, and red if they're worse.
This makes comparing gear quick and effortless — no more switching back and forth.

[h3]🧮 Item Usage Counter[/h3]

Consumable items like food, water, and arrows now show a small icon indicating how many uses are left.
Simple and convenient for resource management during long expeditions.

[h3]🧠 Smarter AI[/h3]

Enemies now behave more logically — instead of circling around endlessly, they’ll push through camps and buildings to reach their targets. Defense is now more straightforward, and tactical gameplay feels cleaner and more predictable.

And finally — we’ll be sharing more about the prologue very soon...

[h3]Greetings, survivors![/h3]
Over the past few months, we've been hard at work enhancing the game experience, fixing bugs, and adding new elements to the tutorial. Let's break down the key updates:

[h3]Tutorial Improvements[/h3]



We've completely revamped the tutorial, breaking it down into short, easy-to-follow steps with visual aids. The learning process is now more intuitive and accessible. Here are some key additions:

Food and Morale: The tutorial now explains how to properly feed your squad and maintain their morale. Morale directly affects combat performance, so keeping an eye on this stat is crucial.



Character Abilities: We've added detailed explanations for using character abilities. This knowledge will help you plan your battle tactics more effectively.



[h3]Gameplay Improvements[/h3]
Armor and Tool Restrictions Removed: We've lifted the strict limitations on who can use what armor and tools. Now, any character can equip any gear, but their effectiveness will depend on their skills.

Automatic Food Distribution: Your squad now automatically distributes food among themselves, allowing you to focus more on the strategic aspects of the game.



New Hunger and Thirst Icons: We've added hunger and thirst indicators to help you keep track of your squad’s status at all times. This makes the interface more user-friendly and intuitive.



Loot Optimization: We’ve reduced the number of dropped items, as playtests revealed that squads often became overloaded with too much loot. You’ll now find it easier to manage your inventory and spend less time clearing out excess items.

Overload Indicator: The inventory screen now shows an overload status, which simplifies managing your squad's load.



[h3]Small but Important Improvements:[/h3]

• You can now move characters by clicking directly on them during trading.
  
• Updated crafting recipes for better balance.
  
• Trees become transparent when your squad enters the forest, improving visibility.
  
• Map scrolling added by moving the mouse to the edges of the screen for easier navigation.
  
• Characters on the battlefield can now be selected by clicking directly on them, not just on their portraits.
  
• During trading, you can click on a character to get detailed information about them, making it easier to form the squads you need.
  

Add the full game to your wishlist and follow us on social media!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2616100/Plague_Lords/

[h2]Hello, mercenaries![/h2]

Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work balancing the game, improving the interface, and reworking the hunger and fatigue mechanics. We've made great progress and are excited to share our achievements with you!

[h2]Open Playtest[/h2]



We are currently performing an open playtest of the Plague Lords prologue on the main game's Steam page. Join in and leave your feedback—your input helps us make the game better. Thank you to everyone participating!

This week, we updated the playtest several times to fix critical issues:

• Fixed a bug where the interface wasn't displaying for some players.
  
• Added support for ultra-wide monitors.
  
• Fixed numerous minor gameplay bugs.
  

Don't forget to join our Discord server to discuss the game with the developers:
Discord

[h2]New Character Abilities in Tactical Combat[/h2]



We are continuing to add new abilities to the tactical combat system. These abilities become available to characters with certain combinations of attributes and equipped weapons.


[h3]Counterattack[/h3] - Available to Guards armed with a shield and sword. After activation, the next counterattack will deal double damage.


[h3]Charge[/h3] - Available to Guards armed with a shield. After activation, a random enemy will miss their turn.


[h3]Thrust[/h3] - Available to Squires armed with a sword. Deflects the first attack and strikes back, finishing off the enemy.


[h3]Defender[/h3] - Available to Squires armed with a shield. After activation, intercepts two random attacks during the enemy's turn.

Many abilities require high morale to use. You can boost morale with good food, completing quests, defeating enemies, and, of course, drinking. What mercenary doesn't love a good drink?

[h2]Interface Improvements[/h2]

We've made several enhancements to the interface:

Turn Progress: The progress of turns is now displayed on the new turn icon at the top of the screen, allowing you to better track and plan your actions.


Movement Gauge: A movement gauge has been added to indicate the available movement for your squad, helping you tactically calculate your move.


Quest Compass: A compass with the direction to the main quest has been added. The map in PL is quite extensive and has many points of interest, so we wanted to guide exploration in the right direction.


Character Status Information: Expanded character status information is now available when hovering over a character's portrait.


[h2]Updated Tutorial [/h2]

To make the game's immersion as enjoyable as possible, we've reworked many parts of our tutorial.



[h2]Nighttime Attacks[/h2]

Infected enemies have become more aggressive during nighttime. Don't leave your craftsmen unarmed after dark.



[h2]Other Changes:[/h2]

• Camp Changes: Characters no longer go hungry in the camp, allowing you to focus on building without worry.
  
• Loot Adjustments: The amount of secondary loot has been reduced to prevent characters from constantly being overloaded.
  
• Mission Updates: Some missions in the prologue have been altered, and a battle with a strong opponent has been added.
  

Don't forget to add the main game to your wishlist and follow us on social media!

DISCORD XTwitter

Exciting news! We are starting the open testing of Plague Lords: Witch Hunt.

To join, click this button on the game page



The testing will be open until July 28, so make sure to join in.

Don't forget to give your feedback in the form.

We invite you to our discord server, where you can communicate with developers and get more news about the development

DISCORD server Red Unit Studios Twitter