Stronghold 3 News

We have just announced that the release date for our upcoming RTS ‘castle sim’, Stronghold: Warlords, has been moved from September 29 to January 26, 2021. Given the impact of COVID-19 on individual team members, this new date will result in the best possible Stronghold experience for fans of the series.



We hadn’t intended for the recent global situation to impact our development, and when we announced September 29th as our release date we fully believed we would succeed in meeting it. That said, the effect COVID-19 has had on us as individuals, as well as a company, has brought us to the point where we’ve had to take a step back, assess what areas of development still need work, and make the tough, but necessary decision to delay.

Here’s a few words on the delay from Stronghold Lead Designer, Simon Bradbury:

“Warlords is almost there and I'm loving playing it. We are currently playtesting and balancing, and there's bags of fun and challenge in there already. We are laser focused on absolutely anything that just doesn't feel right, so we need some extra time for those aspects given the current climate.

We know we can get Warlords super polished by January. We’re proud of what we have already achieved, but we feel we have to take that extra bit of time before we are happy to show it to the world. Hopefully you will stick with us as Warlords will most definitely be worth the wait.”



As always thank you for your support and understanding. We’re incredibly excited to see you play Stronghold: Warlords on January 26th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pgwdzunMNQ
Today we're showing half an hour of brand new Genghis Khan 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.



Featuring Mongolian structures like the new keep and yurt hovels, as well as cavalry units to be revealed in full next month, this new campaign preview is positively brimming with Stronghold: Warlords teases. As we journey with each campaign preview from ancient China and the Mongol Empire to Vietnam and feudal Japan, virtual castle builders can expect more reveals and raw gameplay in the coming weeks. So make sure you're subscribed to Firefly Studios’ YouTube channel 2with notifications turned on to avoid missing out on the latest Stronghold news!

Please Note: This is a beta build and not representative of the final game. Details such as arrow trails, some unit animations and the UI are still being worked on, with improvements to be expected before launch.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMj48CZdEuo
We've just released a new dev diary featuring fresh campaign gameplay! Using the current beta build of our upcoming ‘castle sim’ Stronghold: Warlords, Nick and Matt showcase the Chinese portion of the game’s 31 mission single player campaign. The ‘Armies of Yan’ occurs toward the end of the Warring States period in 226 BC and features plenty of castle building, defending and besieging.



Over the course of 40 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, Senior Programmer Matt Smith walks us through the latest additions to our castle building RTS series. Showcasing new units like the Fire Lancer, the titular warlords mechanic and castle sieges, this dev diary is the first in a new series providing an early look at the game’s main single player game mode.



As Stronghold: Warlords approaches launch later this year new campaign previews will be released showcasing game features and improvements, but also to collect feedback from players. With particular attention to community requests, new Warlord abilities and the all important ‘wuselfaktor’, we've been paying close attention to player suggestions since the game’s 2019 E3 reveal. For over a year now our devs have been processing feedback on the game’s visuals, sound effects and most recently gameplay from our Steam Game Fest demo, which can still be played by joining the official Stronghold Discord.

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.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uHzrAiDq8U
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 September 29th. 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.



These range from proximity traps to those players must trigger manually. So while a tiger will break free from its cage and attack approaching troops (and your own if you’re not careful!) gunpowder trails must be set off by arrow fire or other incendiary triggers. Used them in tandem and players can decide how and when their web of trails and gunpowder stashes explode, to most effectively disrupt enemy siege attacks.



Wooden defences will also be included in the initial campaign missions and early skirmish mode play, giving players cheaper options for erecting a quick defence early on. These include Arrow Towers, castle wall Hoardings and wooden Barricades, all of which serve as excellent secondary defences for those inclined to turtle during a mission or multiplayer match.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFPj57jx1R8
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 Firefly's own Aaron Hayden takes us through the basics of Free Build, how this classic mode will interact with the new 'warlords' system and other 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.



Playable until Monday 22nd June as part of the Steam Game Festival, Stronghold: Warlords was recently announced for a Steam release on September 29th. The game will launch with a full single-player campaign, bonus economic campaign, free build, custom skirmish and mutliplayer modes.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/