https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BviS6ns_8k
We're spotlighting Stronghold: Warlords' economic campaign segment with 20 minutes of fresh gameplay footage! Featuring new developer commentary and insight from Senior Programmer Matt Smith and marketing lead Nick Tannahill, this new developer diary features plenty of classic Stronghold gameplay in our new setting.

From medieval events and the distinct possibility of fire... To new changing weather conditions and map hazards, Stronghold: Warlords' 'Path of Peace' campaign will give you plenty to think about while growing your castle economy.



Following The Scribe, Warlords' economic-centric missions will test your city builder and sim skills as you're tasked with gathering resources, growing your population and fulfilling unique objectives as you fight against the clock (or in this case - tiger attacks).

Today's dev diary also features new community driven improvements such as UI scaling, wandering priests and other examples of that ever important 'wuselfaktor'. This new beta build should be taken as a sign of more improvements to come before Stronghold: Warlords launches on January 26th 2021.



We value your feedback hugely, so please keep it coming as we endeavour to make as many improvements as possible between now and launch!

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfmFaG3ymE0
As shown during the Gamescom Studio show, we're giving you a first look at our Japanese campaign missions following Toyotomi Hideyoshi! This new developer commentary footage shows details on the new ‘Warlord System’ and provides a closer look at some of the new units coming to Stronghold: Warlords at launch on January 26th, 2021.



While the base game will be made available on Steam for $39.99, €34.99 or £29.99, Stronghold: Warlords will also be purchasable as a digital Special Edition. Our Special Edition package contains:

• Stronghold: Warlords Base Game
• Stronghold HD on Steam
• Full Stronghold: Warlords Soundtrack (Composed by Robert Euvino)
• 'Art of Warlords' Digital Art Book
• Feature-Length 'Making Of' Stronghold: Warlords Documentary



Including developer interviews and behind the scenes footage from the last three years of development, the Warlords Documentary provides an honest look at modern indie game development at a small studio during a global pandemic. The Warlords art book and soundtrack will contain high quality source material from Firefly Studios artists and Stronghold series composer Robert Euvino. As an added bonus Special Edition owners will also receive a copy of Stronghold HD on Steam. The Special Edition will cost $49.99 USD, €44.99 or £39.99

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

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/

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/