Stronghold: Warlords News

Update Notes - 12 March 2021

- Fixed a bug that applied the UI scaling setting to the help file
- Fixed the Qin Shi Huang end video playing incorrect Chinese speech
- Fixed the Toyotomi Hideyoshi start video playing incorrect French speech
- The manuals are also now available from the game installation folder as well as Steam (English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese)

Launch Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjLOm-zxwKI
Fans of building, besieging and ‘wuselfaktor’ rejoice! The latest entry in our almost 20 year old ‘castle sim’ series, Stronghold: Warlords is now available on Steam. Today we celebrate the game's long awaited release with a final launch trailer featuring fresh gameplay, the full campaign map and a story preview narrated by the talented Rae Lim.

Including a 31 mission campaign with conflicts and sieges ranging from 300 BC China to 16th century Japan, Stronghold: Warlords both covers a wide historical period and (more importantly) introduces gunpowder to the series for the first time! Introducing legendary figures like Genghis Khan and lesser known rulers such as Thuc Phan, Warlords is designed to build on everything players know and love about Stronghold in an all new setting. Warlords has something for all Stronghold fans, whether you enjoy a single player campaign, unlimited castle building freedom in Free Build mode, offline skirmish or online multiplayer with friends and AI. The game comes complete with everything you expect from a mainline entry in the series, in addition to brand new gunpowder fuelled units, siege weapons and returning favourites like Siege Towers and Horse Archers.

With Stronghold: Warlords release we also have the introduction of the titular Warlords system, a new gameplay mechanic allowing players to conquer, upgrade and command AI ‘warlords’ across the battlefield. A flagging economy can be saved with an Ox or Pig Warlord, who can boost a players' industry and food reserves with their unique ‘Edict’ commands and passive perk abilities. Players looking to rain down fire and fury on their opponents can instead opt for a Dragon or Tiger Warlord, able to supply the player with special units and launch attacks in a pincer movement against their enemies! Whether players decide to forge these alliances through diplomatic buildings like the Consulate or simply by marching in an army and forcing warlords to bend the knee, these bonds can make or break their overall strategy.

Stronghold: Warlords - Special Edition is also available including Stronghold HD, ‘The Art of Stronghold: Warlords’ digital art book, a new soundtrack created by series composer Robert L. Euvino and a special ‘Making Of’ feature-length documentary.

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

Stronghold: Warlords review - an RTS out of time

My plan is perfect: a heavily armoured assault force of samurai and imperial swordsmen will march directly toward the gates of the enemy castle with softer reinforcements behind them, covered by wheeled mantlets. This will draw archer fire as I move my siege weapons into position. Preoccupied with the approaching menace, my opponent will not notice the ninja warriors I've directed to scale their walls. The ninjas make their way around the battlements, dispatching archers with shuriken.

Obviously, none of this works. No plan survives first contact with the enemy - or so the old military adage goes - but my plan doesn't even survive long enough to make first contact. This is Stronghold: Warlords, and part of my attacking force is caught out in the open by a cadre of speedy horse archers. Meanwhile my ninja are discovered before even reaching the walls. Compounding matters, a vassal has denied my request for a much-needed fire arrow cart as he's changed allegiances behind my back. And to top it all off, a fire has wiped out a third of my rice fields back home, sending my once-booming economy into collapse.

Warlords may have a new look and setting in feudal Asia, but long-time fans of the Stronghold series can rest assured it gives no quarter to modern notions of difficulty. This game is hard, and while its complexity is daunting, mastering its many systems might just be worth the effort.

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3v3 Skirmish Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tojme-8vGY
In our final pre-launch gameplay preview Aaron, Natasha and Nick go head to head with the AI in a triple threat 3v3 multiplayer match! Facing off against two Hard opponents (Genghis Khan and Toyotomi Hideyoshi) and one Medium (Thuc Phan), Firefly's marketing team experiments with incendiary bovines, thunder crash bombs and... Spelling their names out in gunpowder? Watch as we play through an hour-long six player game online, using the latest Stronghold: Warlords build, a Large sized map and four different warlords to spice things up.

At launch Stronghold: Warlords will allow for up to eight players total in Multiplayer, using a mix of four human and four AI opponents, in addition to the warlords themselves. Nine maps will be available to play ranging from Small to Large size, with support for Extra Large maps, a full map editor and Steam Workshop functionality at release. Co-op mode will also allow up to two pairs of players to share a castle estate and control of their forces, while traditional teams also feature for players that prefer to build and maintain their own feudal economy.

Stronghold: Warlords will be available on Steam next week from 6pm GMT on March 9th for $39.99, £29.99 and €34.99. A Special Edition will also be available including Stronghold HD, ‘The Art of Stronghold: Warlords’ digital art book, a new soundtrack created by series composer Robert L. Euvino and a special ‘Making Of’ feature-length documentary.

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

Meet the AI (Dev Diary)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvwOa31YfIY

Along with eight unique warlord archetypes, Stronghold: Warlords will feature four fully realised opponents in the form of historical AI Lords. Covering unique historical periods from 300 BC Vietnam through to the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate in 16th century Japan, Warlords shifts the series into new territory with a brand new cast of characters. Featured in the game’s 31 mission single player campaign, but also playable in skirmish mode and multiplayer, Warlords’ main cast are legendary figures and formidable opponents.

This final developer diary (Don't worry - We still have other videos coming!) explores their battlefield prowess, tactics and quirks as AI opponents, providing a look at some of the strategies players will be facing at launch on March 9th. After several games using the same historical settings Genghis Khan, Thuc Phan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Qin Shi Huang were exciting prospects for the studio and a refreshing change of pace. The resulting cast of larger-than-life characters still feels very Stronghold, while living up to the game’s title in their unique castle designs, army composition, tactics and taunts.

With a completely new cast of ‘AI Lord’ opponents, we're also combining regional voice work with bespoke lines for certain characters and units. As with Arabic voice acting in the beloved Stronghold: Crusader series, the introduction of talented Japanese voice actors, in addition to those of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, is designed to both provide native language support and add to the immersion enjoyed by western players. In doing so we hopes to deliver the level of atmosphere Stronghold fans have come to enjoy, both in terms of authentic orchestral music and voice acting.

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