A dark force has risen in the west, obliterating any who stand in its wake. The last living races have banded together to change the course of fate, setting Deadhold's campaign in motion. Told from the perspective of the narrator, you'll uncover the history of the blight and the truth that lies behind their creation. The campaign challenges you to wield the power of the gods, using tactics and strategy to overcome the onslaught of an overwhelming evil force.

In campaign, the scale of Deadhold’s player choice becomes clear. As a paragon of the Empire, players will choose a deity in which to specialize. Spells are unlocked as players earn experience, allowing them to customize their play style. Players can further customize their builds by slotting relics, runes, and gems, which can drop from defeated enemies. A tier based leveling system adds significant replay value to the campaign missions. As players progress through each tier, new and greater challenges and rewards await them: boss-fights, different enemy patrols and tactics, additional mission objectives, and higher quality items.

Battles in Deadhold are physically modeled. The flight of an arrow is realistically simulated and will embed inside a units head, arms, legs or chest. Unit movement is based on physics, increasing the value of tactical positioning: a line of warriors can block incoming enemies or force them to engage or go around. The explosive bomb wielded by the Sapper can literally dismember units as body parts explode and fly into the air. Injuries and severed limbs stain the ground realistically with blood.

The initial Early Access release includes the first campaign mission “Unexpected Welcome”, one horde map named “Crucible” where players fight through waves of AI monsters, and two multiplayer maps “Killing Time” and “Blasted” with support for several game modes including King Of The Hill, Territories, and Deathmatch.

“We are encouraging players who want to get involved early to come join us,” said Paul Callender, co-founder and Lead Designer of Dark Quarry. “We will be continually updating the game with new content, more campaign missions, more multiplayer maps and game modes, and hosts of other features, but our community is the sounding board for everything and they will ultimately determine our priorities.”

“The Early Access process for Deadhold will ultimately lead to a better game,” said Steve Nowalk, Lead Programmer at Dark Quarry. “In the past we would’ve had to develop this behind closed doors but with Early Access we can make sure we are hitting the right notes across the board. It’s an exciting way to build games.”

Deadhold is now available on Steam Early Access for PC/Mac for $19.99

Deadhold’s gameplay is a unique mix of real-time tactics essentials like strategic positioning, unit classes, and physically based simulation similar to such classic games as Myth and Dawn of War 2, combined with the items, loot, and leveling found in action RPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile. The result is a fresh take on the tactical RTS that should delight fans of both ARPG and RTS genres.

With support for up to four co-op players, the gritty dark fantasy world of Deadhold comes to life through its story driven campaign. In multiplayer, Deadhold supports up to eight players in teams or four players in free for all as well as a variety of game modes.

Deadghold is an Unreal Engine 4 powered game developed by a team who worked on titles such as the Borderlands series, Battlefield 2, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Homefront and Myth 3.