Greetings My Liege!

As the warmth and green of spring finally begins to break through (At least... Here in the UK!) we are marching ever closer to our July 15th release date for this long awaited expanded remaster of your favourite Stronghold.

We know July feels like a million miles away right now, but rest assured we are working hard to implement your feedback and suggestions before launch. This is thanks in no small part to the more than 6,000 of you who filled out our demo feedback form and the 150,000 potential future players who have wishlisted Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition!

With today's new video we thought... What better way to toast this new season and alleviate some of that wait than with a sneak peek at our deadly new AI opponents, awaiting you this summer! From the wily and dastardly to the blunt and brutish, each of these new characters embody different cultures, employing unique units, castles and battle tactics, resulting in a completely fresh challenge for new players as well as returning series veterans.

In today's Feature Spotlight we also touch on a few changes coming to the game's original 16 enemy Lords, inspired by your suggestions and feedback in the whopping 20+ years since the game's initial release in 2002. This is just a taste of things to come, so please look forward to future videos spotlighting other tweaks that bring Crusader up to date in 2025.

Let us know which of these opponents you’re looking forward to fighting first and be sure to stay tuned here on Steam for the latest news on Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition!

👇 Add to Wishlist 👇
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3024040/Stronghold_Crusader_Definitive_Edition/

Since revealing Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition in January's Real-Time Strategy Fest, you have responded to our rally war cry in full force! With over 150,000 wishlists, 130,000 demo downloads and more than 6,000 helpful responses to our in-game player survey... Let's just say the granary is full, my Lord.

While you wait for our July 15th release, we hope this collection of updates from the team here at Firefly helps bring you up to speed about what you can expect from the final game, before we march back to the desert fortresses and arid plains of the past.

Please enjoy these updates and subscribe to Firefly Studios on YouTube for more reveals!

🎨 Artists Niall, Darrin, Jorge and Tom dive into the recreation of Crusader: DE's new visuals! Discover the extra animals and features coming to Crusader from our talented art team.
🏰 Studio Head Nick provides a general breakdown of our new expanded remaster of the classic Stronghold title. What is it exactly?! What's changed? Find out all this and more.
💬 Scouring the web for your most pressing questions, we present the Crusader: DE Community Q&A! From Discord to Reddit, Sak covers as many topics as he can.
👾 Aaron and Josh play through our Ascalon scenario, as featured in the first Crusader: DE playable demo. Enjoy this dev commentary and give us tips in the comments!
🎵 Masterfully composed by the legendary bard of Stronghold himself, we are proud to present ‘Caravan 2025’. Produced exclusively for Crusader: DE by Robert L. Euvino!
Like what you see? Then wishlist Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition now ahead of the game’s July 15th 2025 release!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3024040/Stronghold_Crusader_Definitive_Edition/

Travel back in time to the legendary crusades for the holy land in this new expanded definitive edition, releasing this year on July 15th 2025 with brand new content, elevated graphics and extensive player-requested features all rebuilt by game’s original developers!

This title is many people’s favourite old-school 2D RTS, so taking this cult favourite and elevating it for the modern player has been an endeavour of passion for us – one that is only possible because of the community’s clear desire for this kind of classic strategy experience. The best way we could think of thanking you for your support has been to go above and beyond, with new AIs, missions, modes and maps, as well as the Steam multiplayer and workshop integrations that the original could never have had.

What better way to kick off the Steam RTS Fest than a demo of this reinvented gem, heralded with a shiny new reveal trailer, masterfully scored by the legendary bard of Stronghold himself, Robert L. Euvino! This trailer showcases the depth of work and love poured into the remaster. We really hope you enjoy it!

Flex your might against 20 challenging AI lords, charge through the new co-op trail with a friend or dive into skirmish mode featuring larger maps, custom options and quality of life fixes – Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition allows you to revisit a reimagined strategy classic and play exactly the way you want to!

Greetings Sire!

The Steam Awards is now taking nominations, so we kindly ask for your vote in the Labor of Love category! From new DLC content to Winter/Spring Updates to technical improvements and fixes, turning Stronghold: Definitive Edition into the ultimate way to play the BAFTA-nominated original has been an endeavour of passion through and through.

With so many of you having returned to save the kingdom from the Rat, Snake, Pig and Wolf already, every bit of lordly support in this moment would mean everything to us.

We thank you deeply, Sire!

Today we released both version v1.3 of Stronghold: Definitive Edition and our second DLC campaign, "Valley of the Wolf". Now available at 10% off during launch week, Stronghold: Definitive Edition's second DLC adds seven new missions concluding the story of your attempts to rescue the Jewel, this time from the legendary Wolf.

• A New Story - Rescue the Jewel in this new campaign featuring the greatest foe in the Stronghold series, the villainous Wolf!
  
• 7 Epic Missions - Prove yourself as a Stronghold veteran and strategist, with some of our most challenging military scenarios yet.
  
• Fresh Gameplay - Tackle each mission with 20 years of Stronghold experience and unique spins on traditional series gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2728000/Stronghold_Definitive_Edition__Valley_of_the_Wolf_Campaign/


Version Number: v1.31 (hotfix)
Date: 13 May 2024
Update Size: 20.5 MB

UPDATES

• Fixed a Victory screen that includes The Jewel at the end of ‘Knocking on the Door’

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where corrupted save or map files would stop the game from loading.
  
• Fixed an issue where more foods or weapons could not be bought despite there being space in the granary/armory.
  
• Fixed an issue where invasions of certain sizes and make-ups would not attack as expected, fixing The Eagle’s Nest (Valley of the Wolf) on Hard/Very Hard difficulties.
  
• Fixed incorrect images in the epilogues for ‘Knocking on the Door’ and ‘A Castle for the Ages’.
  
• Fixed a missing victory screen that includes The Jewel at the end of ‘Knocking on the Door’.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the text in Valley of the Wolf to appear in incorrect locations (Russian only).

Version Number: v1.3
Date: 30 April 2024
Update Size: 76.5 MB


UPDATES

• Added a second castle trail, ‘The Noble Trail’
  - Battle across Europe, attacking and defending 10 of the most historic castles of Poland, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Germany and France.
  
• Added new siege castles
  - Castillo de Coca, Fougères, Biskupin, Malbork, Diósgyőr, Fénis, Niedzica (Dunajec), Ogrodzieniec
  
• Added new maps
  - Sleeping Volcano, Freebuild, 400x400 - An extensive map with a peaceful coastline, a plentiful forest and a sleeping volcano encircling a picturesque inner lake.
  - 4 Rivers, Multiplayer, 400x400 - Each realm is separated by rivers with limited crossing opportunities. The stone and iron rich mountains double up as useful defensive positions.
  - Three's a Crowd, Multiplayer, 400x400 - A three player map where fickle alliances and treachery thrive.
  Downstream, Multiplayer, 400x400 - As the river flows through the middle of the landscape, which lord will secure their victory?
  - Forlorn Hope, MP (King of the Hill), 400x400 - A four player map where feuding lords will have to risk much for great reward.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed issues where very large invasions on custom maps would crash.
  
• Fixed engineer availability on all Swine’s Bay missions.
  
• Fixed an exploit where players could create duplicate engineers by grouping.
  
• Fixed an issue where armies on custom maps would disappear.
  
• Fixed missing audio from Tanner Workshop video.
  
• Fixed autotrade settings in Multiplayer saves.
  
• Fixed gold showing minus figures in objectives if they acquire too much gold.
  
• Fixed ‘Time Until Victory’ progress bar not filling correctly in certain scenarios.
  
• Fixed the Host not seeing chat messages in multiplayer lobbies after maps are retrieved.
  
• Fixed it so that Siege Mode can no longer be started with no AI Troops ending in Victory.
  
• Removed incorrect Ox Tether on ‘Taunting the Hog’.
  
• Fixed various issues with tree life cycles, especially on maps with large numbers of trees.
  
• Fixed broken wall in ‘A Timely Arrival’.
  
• Fixed objective setup for capturing the keep in ‘A Timely Arrival’.
  
• Fixed an issue where invasions would attack in waves rather than all at once.
  
• Fixed battering rams without full engineers being unattackable.
  
• Fixed inconsistent trade goods positioning.
  
• Fixed an issue where quarry storage pallets could end up in unpathable locations.
  
• Full proofread and re-translation of Ukrainian text by SBT Localization[sbt.localization.com.ua]. Thanks to Dmytro for flagging the issue and suggesting SBT.
  
• Lots of fixes to the Korean text courtesy of Gripen (Jeonggi Song). Thanks for your amazing help!
  
• Proofread and standardisation of key terms in Hungarian. Thanks to Tamás Kondi for highlighting the issue.
  
• Various other text fixes in all languages.

For support, please contact us through our support site: https://firefly-studios.helpshift.com/hc/en/15-stronghold-definitive-edition/

Snarls Soon you will see what it means to wage real warfare! That is... In our final instalment of the Stronghold: Definitive Edition 'Jewel' campaign! Valley of the Wolf extends the base game with seven new missions and extra achievements. Under the tutelage of the wise Sergeant, finish the fight by rescuing Sir Longarm's captured kin once and for all, when this new DLC releases for $2.99, €2.99 and £2.49 on April 30th.

This final chapter of 'The Jewel' campaign pits players against the greatest rogue of them all... The vicious Wolf! To safely retrieve the Jewel of the North and put an end to The Wolf's insidious scourge, players must plunge directly into the belly of the beast and bring the fight to his borders. Against great odds in unfamiliar territory, survival alone demands that nothing is held back.

Also arriving on April 30th is our FREE 'Spring Update', featuring a second castle trail of 10 siege scenarios. This new 'Noble Trail' will arrive alongside additional maps for Multiplayer, Free Build and Siege modes, with the exciting (and long overdue!) introduction of our first ever Polish castles to be featured in a Stronghold game.

Malbork, the fortress erected by the Teutonic Order to signify their Prussian conquest, Biskupin, an ancient stronghold built at the dawn of Rome, and Niedzica, a daunting gothic castle that Dracula would be proud of, will all be found in the new castle trail, while another castle, Ogrodzieniec, will be playable as a standalone map through Siege mode. All will be made available for free as part of the Spring Update.

We would like to thank our Polish fans who suggested these epic citadels online and in person last year, at events like Gamescom and EGX. Your support for Stronghold: Definitive Edition has been incredible and we hope to bring demos of future Stronghold games to events in Poland. So please keep an eye on our socials for the latest news!

Be sure to return on April 30th and check out our full patch notes at release, for both the paid Valley of the Wolf DLC and free Spring Update. These will include a run down of other minor features, fixes and improvements coming to the game as part of the Spring Update in version 1.3.

Thanks for playing!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2728000/Stronghold_Definitive_Edition__Valley_of_the_Wolf_Campaign/

As part of the Steam Spring Sale, Stronghold: Definitive Edition is 20% off for a limited period.

The Swine's Bay DLC, released as part of the Winter Update, is also on discount for 10% during this time.

Take advantage of these discounts while they last!

Today we released both version v1.2 of Stronghold: Definitive Edition and our first DLC campaign, "Swine's Bay". Now available at 10% off during launch week, Stronghold: Definitive Edition's first DLC adds seven new missions continuing the story of your attempts to rescue the Jewel, this time from the notorious Slaver Captain Hogsfoot.

• A New Story - Rescue the Jewel from the scurvy-ridden clutches of the wretched Slaver Captain Hogsfoot in a new campaign.
  
• 7 Epic Missions - Prove yourself as a Stronghold veteran and strategist, with some of our most challenging military scenarios yet.
  
• Fresh Gameplay - Tackle each mission with 20 years of Stronghold experience and unique spins on traditional series gameplay.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2727990/Stronghold_Definitive_Edition__Swines_Bay_Campaign/


Version Number: v1.2
Date: 13 Feb 2024
Update Size: 150 MB


UPDATES

• Added the ‘Home Fires’ Economic Campaign
  - A brand new economic campaign featuring 7 challenging missions created by the designer of the original Stronghold campaigns, Simon Bradbury.
  
• Added 2 new Multiplayer maps
  - Snake Island - 2 players, 400x400 - “Island warfare as two castles battle it out across narrow crossings to a neutral peninsula.”
  - Vile Gulch - 4 players, 400x400 - “War for your quarter, as 4 Lords battle against each other while trying to avoid getting stuck in the mud.”
  
• Added a new Freebuild map
  - Forest - 400x400 - “An overgrown area that can be expanded into a vast open plain, rich with resources and the chance for a peaceful castle life.”
  
• Added Increasing Attack Sizes option to Freebuild advanced options
  - To use this, click on the “Invasion Difficulty” to cycle through until it changes to “Increasing Difficulty”
  - There are three speeds (Slow, Medium and Fast) which determine after how many attacks the difficulty will increase
  - The invasions still use the “Repeating Invasions” timer option and respect the ‘Peace Time’ option
  
• Added Steam Trading Cards
  
• Added Private Multiplayer lobbies, with invite codes
  - These can be used to invite players that are not necessarily on your Steam friend’s list
  
• Added Max Players setting to Multiplayer lobbies
  
• Added ability to hover over campaign mission names and show if the mission has been completed, and on which difficulty.
  
• Added scroll button to scroll through units in the UI when more than 8 unit types are selected
  
• Added Keep enclosed icon to the minimap
  
• Added ability to reload multiple Catapults/Trebuchets with rocks
  
• Mission 18 - End of the Pig - Updated player’s troops starting positions so they’re not instantly dying at the start of the mission
  
• Added pulse effect to Multiplayer ‘Ready’ shield
  
• Added ‘Balanced’ to Steam Workshop map tags
  
• Added right-click to move back in Market panels
  
• Moat delete is now draggable
  
• Opening Multiplayer chat will now show the last 5 messages
  
• Added Waypoint and Patrol information to ‘Controlling Military Units’ in the Help file
  
• Added videos for The Sergeant to all missions in The Jewel Campaign
  
  

BUG FIXES

• Removed Pike production from ‘Two Hovels & a Bucket of Fish’
  
• AI Character videos now stop playing instead of freezing on the final frame.
  
• Various text fixes in all languages
  
• Fixed Knight rally points
  
• Fixed wall pieces remaining after being deleted if placed in certain positions
  
• Added help icon to Good and Bad Lord buildings
  
• Fixed floating wheat farmers
  
• Fixed an issue where disbanding troops while they were patrolling would cause free peasants to start patrolling
  
• Fixed an issue that caused looping sfx on briefing screen
  
• Fixed an issue where, rarely, Hunter’s would not return to their posts after catching deer
  
• Fixed an issue where sometimes AI would attack their own gatehouse in custom missions
  
• Fixed gatehouse repair button not always showing active state correctly
  
• Fixed minimap team colours
  
• Improved unit sprite clipping when standing on a gatehouse
  
• Remove drawbridges from mission 14 ‘The Mountain Pass’
  
• Fixed an issue where control groups would not select units entering towers or walking through gatehouses
  
• Fixed an issue where the Lord would not always return to the keep during a Wolf event
  
• Fixed missing ignite pitch icon when archers are lighting pitch
  
• Fixed an issue where a player disbanding troops would break other players’ cursors briefly
  
• Fixed incorrect building availability in Multiplayer Tech Levels
  
• Fixed bears and rabbits despawning if they encounter a closed gatehouse in their path
  
• ‘Peace Time’ overlay now disappears after Peace Time has ended in Freebuild
  
• Fixed an issue where sometimes placing a wooden gatehouse would remove the wooden stairs on either side of it
  
• Fixed an issue where speech volume would break and reduce to inaudible levels
  
• Fixed an formatting issue in the French help text that caused some words to be joined together (thanks Hugo)

For support, please contact us through our support site: https://firefly-studios.helpshift.com/hc/en/15-stronghold-definitive-edition/

Happy New Year! After a launch that quite frankly exceeded all our expectations... We are pleased to announce that the first substantial gameplay update for Stronghold: Definitive Edition releases on Steam on February 13th! A simultaneous launch of free content and paid DLC, the Winter Update will be available to all players, while the Swine's Bay Campaign DLC will retail for $2.99, £2.49 or €2.99.

Feeling lucky? You could even win this DLC through a giveaway being run in the above development diary! Check it out to learn more and get the inside track on what to expect of Firefly in 2024 and beyond.

As announced before launch, we intend to support Stronghold: Definitive Edition with both free and paid post-launch content, releasing as two major updates. The aim of each DLC is to offer fresh missions, created by veteran developers for players who want to challenge their two decades of castle sim experience. While the free updates will bring a host of fixes and improvements, alongside extra missions designed to compliment the main story.

Releasing on February 13th, the Swine's Bay Campaign DLC follows the events of the main game and is narrated by returning series actor Christopher Kent. Players will be met with seven ruthless military combat scenarios across original maps, as they seek to retrieve the Jewel of the North from the clutches of the infamous slaver Captain Hogsfoot.

Releasing alongside this DLC, our free Winter Update will add a second economic campaign, voiced by another returning Stronghold actor in Jay Simon! These missions are designed to test players’ strategic skills beyond the warfront, with a series of resource production and management challenges. Kingdoms may be crushed by warriors, but they can only be raised by those with the vision to build.

Looking forward to the future we are actively engaged in a number of projects, the most prominent of which is the as of yet untitled ‘Stronghold Unreal’ project, built using Unreal Engine 5. Needless to say, witnessing the love for mechanically deep, passionately made strategy games like Stronghold: Definitive Edition has lit a fire under our little studio and the team can’t wait to share more!

In the meantime our Swine's Bay Campaign is available to Wishlist, ahead of its release on February 13th:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2727990/Stronghold_Definitive_Edition__Swines_Bay_Campaign/