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/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dei0FvLynuo
We are pleased to announce that Stronghold: Warlords will include the series' classic ‘Free Build’ game mode, allowing players to put their stronghold to the test with AI invasions. In Free Build players design a castle with near unlimited resources, customise its defences and finally launch wave after wave of invasions, putting their creation to the test.



Free Build is designed to be played in many different ways. A selection of large open maps to choose from, each with picturesque scenery and monuments, will allow players the option to simply build to their heart’s content if they desire. As in the main campaign, skirmish mode and multiplayer the titular Warlords mechanic can also be used to help build their dream citadel, sending key resources and providing buffs to their castle economy.



Invasions will come with a host of options, including a selection of unique siege armies to throw at your castle walls. Test your mettle against everything from squads of tribesmen and stealthy ninja to battalions of cavalry and armoured legions with powerful siege weapons. The challenge can be further modified with invasion difficulty settings and the ability to add random events such as peasant revolts, moth infestations and deadly roaming tigers. Players will also be able to create custom Free Build maps, adding their own events, invasions and warlords to capture.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-OJ3EwsT50

We're proud to announce that Stronghold: Warlords, the latest entry in our ‘castle sim’ series, will be released worldwide on September 29th 2020. Set to launch almost two decades since development started on the original Stronghold, the date and new co-op mode were revealed exclusively as part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming event in a new multiplayer trailer.

At launch Warlords will include full multiplayer functionality, support for AI opponents and a unique co-op mode allowing two players to work together building, defending and besieging from the same castle. Multiplayer will include the ability to play in teams with friends and against the AI, but also the option to control a single castle cooperatively. Players in co-op can choose to handle the economy from the start or build up an army and focus on their military. During a siege one player could control defensive units like Fire Lancers and Archers, while the other triggers castle traps and puts out the inevitable fires!



Multiplayer will also feature the game’s new Warlord mechanic, with smaller AI powered castles dotted around the battlefield that can be conquered through force or diplomacy. Once captured players can team up with these characters, all of whom have their own unique archetype and abilities, to outnumber and encircle rival players. Upgrading them to unlock more powerful castles, armies and perks, Warlords can be used to boost your economy or crush opponents entirely with a decisive pincer movement.



The September 29th release date will be a worldwide simultaneous digital release on Steam. The game will be playable across multiplayer using Steam, as well as launching with full Steam Workshop support. This will allow the Stronghold community to create recreations of historic citadels, and upload custom maps and scenarios from day one.

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

Cast Your Vote on Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

You herd correctly! Our new competition asks players to vote on one of four ill-fated animals to be used as the game's fourth trebuchet ammo type. Voting through the official Stronghold Discord, players will be able to decide which of the four deceased creatures can be used to spread disease in enemy castles when Stronghold: Warlords launches later this year.



Sometimes high walls, food and clean water just aren’t enough to survive a siege. Throughout history many a Lord has foolishly turtled up, believing they have the supplies to outlast their enemy’s military resources and patience. That is of course until they hear the distant sound of a trebuchet loading up and firing a different type of ammunition. Is it a horse? Is it a water buffalo? You decide!



Real medieval sieges could take months, with besiegers launching all manner of objects over enemy walls with the aim of spreading disease and panic. Our in-game spin on this siege strategy involves launching one of four departed animals over enemy walls and into their castle. Creating a temporary cloud of disease upon impact, the chosen animal type will affect the size and spread of disease within the enemy castle. Players will have to keep their soldiers and peasants well away from the affected area, with disease able to damage units and even shut down parts of their castle economy.



While Stronghold has always allowed for some manner of diseased, deceased animal to be flung at your enemies, until now they were limited to European and a few Middle Eastern creatures. With Warlords however the series has broadened its horizons to include water buffalo, a hoarse horse, former caged tigers, and the bactrian camels of Mongolia. Players can vote on their preferred animal ammo type by joining the official Stronghold Discord server and reacting to the trebuchet vote post in the #announcements channel.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK-Ue_sssbg
Join the Stronghold Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

The latest episode in our 'Soldiers of Warlords' series finally takes us to feudal Japan, as we reveal the first Japanese troop type coming to Stronghold: Warlords. With the ability to charge down enemy units foolish enough to stand in their way and eliminate high profile targets like enemy Lords, the Samurai makes for a unique addition to your medieval army. True to their historical roots and long history in games, we've tried to do justice to these disciplined feudal fighters with interesting attributes and a powerful unit ability.



We also return once more to ancient China with the reveal of two additional Imperial troop types, namely the mace-wielding Guardsman and almost unstoppable Imperial Warrior. Expensive to recruit and powerful once mastered, these Imperial troops will make a serious dent in any enemy siege force. With the Guardsman's ability to deal area damage when he swings his Heavy Mace and the high damage output of the thickly armoured Warrior, we expect Imperial troops to feature in the later stages of the single player campaign and online multiplayer.



We hope you enjoy today's video and look forward to even more unit reveals as we approach launch later this year! With 16 troop types and even more siege equipment, we're aiming for Warlords to provide players with more tactical siege options than ever. In bringing back classic siege weapons, features and making the most of our new setting with all-new troop types, Warlords is being designed as the definitive 3D Stronghold.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo5pwX9RQIc
Welcome to Stronghold Sessions. Today marks our second episode in a series of extended, unedited interviews lifted from the '20 Years of Stronghold' documentary released last year. Join us as we sit down with Paul Harris, General Manager and Producer of many Stronghold and non-Stronghold titles here at Firefly Studios for more than 15 years!



Paul discusses the early beginnings of Stronghold 2 including tales from the trenches, design goals and player feedback. We then move onto how 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'His Dark Materials' inspired Stronghold Legends and even what Paul's ideal future Stronghold title would look like. Suffice to say the man is a fan of castle customisation!



There are many more planned Stronghold Session interviews for later down the road. So if you're interested in hearing more extended interviews from Firefly Studios developers - from Marketing to Programming - then make sure you subscribe to Firefly Studios on YouTube to catch the latest episodes.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgHaRbd9WkY
Join the Stronghold Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

Now that Stronghold: Warlords is deep into development and approaching launch later this year, we thought it would be a great time to reveal 100 small but interesting facts about our upcoming castle sim. Taking the form of a new rapid-fire Q&A, today Firefly's community team answers as many Stronghold fan questions as possible in under 20 minutes!



Tackling these 100 questions are Natasha and Nick, who take them all on in quickfire fashion. Covering everything from core mechanics and design to a possible beta version and even the game's final price, we attempt to provide as much information as possible at this stage in development. While we can't answer every question for a variety of reasons, be they design, technical or otherwise, we can be open and transparent about the development process about each new title. So if your request or question wasn't answered today rest assured it will be in later videos or even future entries in the Stronghold series.



During the last year we've released countless trailers, gameplay videos and development diaries, with the goal remaining to keep you informed and entertained. Each update brings with it a flood of new requests and questions, so if you don't find the answer you're looking for in today's video then worry not! Simply head on over to our official Stronghold Discord (link above) and put it in our 'Warlords-Questions' channel.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1tv4y3GBK4
Join the Stronghold Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

Today we're has revealing three new siege weapons coming to Stronghold: Warlords! Ranging from classic Siege Towers to new-to-the-series fortification destroyers like the Korean Hwacha and Chinese winged rockets, our latest entry in the series will allow you to infiltrate, decimate and obliterate castle walls however you choose.



For this game we're seeking to balance explosive siege weapons inspired by Chinese, Korean and Mongolian history with fan favourites recreated from past Stronghold games. Players will use gunpowder weaponry to protect their castle walls and eliminate enemy forces, but also rely on series classics to win the day.



From the humble fire lance to the deadly Hwacha, with more siege weapons to be revealed closer to launch, these weapons of war changed the course of military history. While these new tools will be balanced against other units and gunpowder-less siege weapons, players will also have options to enable stronger castle walls as a means of further tweaking the game balance.

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