The darkness is an entity of evil. Some say it is the manifestation of human fear and nightmares, others say it is a wandering mass of damned souls haunting us. The origin of the darkness itself is unknown, but one thing for certain is that we can keep it at bay through the power of light and fire.

Age Of Darkness: Final Stand is a dark fantasy survival RTS where you must illuminate, build and defend humanity’s last bastion against hordes of Nightmares.

Set in a dark fantasy world with the last vestiges of humanity fighting for survival, Age of Darkness: Final Stand features proprietary SwarmTech technology to render over 70,000 enemies – the Nightmares – that attack humanity’s last known stronghold.

Surrounded by The Veil, a deadly procedurally generated fog of war that conceals Nightmares and drains the very lifeforce from anyone brave enough to venture through it, the final enclaves of humanity must survive a series of five Death Nights, waves of attacks with an exponential number of Nightmares to overcome, so hope can endure.

Strategic construction, careful resource management, and rapid recruitment are the keys to surviving unrelenting swarms of Nightmares. Robust defenses to build, battle worn heroes to enlist, and the tug of war between light and dark all complemented with an original soundtrack by Path of Exile composer Kamil Orman-Janowski. Each Death Night brings with it ‘malices’, random gameplay modifiers such as reduced range of defence towers or even trained units leaving training halls as Nightmares, which test humanity’s strategies for survival. Meanwhile, mighty Heroes bring with them unique abilities that can help strongholds hold back the Nightmares during the night.

Set in the remnants of a kingdom consumed by a deadly fog, you decide. Will you hide in the light? Or take back your world.

A long shadow is being cast over the harsh and unforgiving world of Erodar. Aancient threats, old grudges, and new allies are set to emerge across the continent. Protectors of the Light, it’s almost time to take your Final Stand…

Team17 and PlaySide Studios announced that Flames of Retribution, the biggest Steam Early Access update ever for Age of Darkness: Final Stand, is now available.

Flames of Retribution includes: Act I and Act II of Final Stand, the game’s long-awaited campaign mode; a new hero for The Order in Survival Mode, Merek; alongside new Survival Mode improvements.

In Flames of Retribution, players will cast back The Veil to reveal secrets of the grim, dark world of Erodar across the prologue and the first seven of 10 fully voiced campaign missions, confronting monsters both human and Nightmare in the process. 

Merek Longhold, also known as “The Bolstering Might”, will be the latest Hero to join the illustrious ranks of The Order in Survival Mode. Wielding a massive halberd and with an ego to match, this hard-hitting, close-combat bruiser is an imposing figure on and off the battlefield. Despite presenting himself as a paragon of law and order, Merek has been known to demonstrate some moral flexibility when it benefits his desires and coin purse. 

Additionally, PlaySide Studios and Team17 are pleased to announce the follow-up content update, Exile’s Return will launch later this year. This upcoming content update will include the world-shattering conclusion of the campaign and addition of an aggressive new Survival Mode hero.

Here's a breakdown of Merek Longhold's hard-hitting abilities:

• Drinks on Me! (Level 1): Merek’s passive Skill is unlocked from Level 1. Drinks on Me! will activate once Merek takes enough damage, whereby he will then heal allies around him for 5% of his maximum HP. When Merek’s Ultimate, Holy Protector, is active, Drinks on Me! will also heal Merek.
• Crushing Weight (Level 2): At Level 2, Merek leaps into action with his active Skill, Crushing Weight. This Skill gives Merek the ability to jump forward, slamming into the ground to damage and stun enemies within an Area of Effect radius. Merek also regains armour for each Nightmare slain, scaling per level. 
• Halberd Hurricane (Level 4): Merek comes in like a destructive force at Level 4 with Halberd Hurricane! The Bolstering Might sweeps his Halberd in a 360 degree arc, damaging all units in the area. There is also a chance to proc Drinks on Me! when he kills an enemy using this skill. Halberd Hurricane can be used multiple times in quick succession and the amount of uses that can be stored increases as Merek levels up. The time it takes for each use to be stored also reduced with each level.
  
• Holy Protector (Level 6): At Level 6, Merek gains the ability to buff and support his loyal comrades with Holy Protector. When this Skill is activated, Merek temporarily grants nearby allies Armour equal to his maximum and recovers it to that maximum if it has been damaged – this applies even to units that don’t ordinarily have Armour. While Merek’s Ultimate is active, Drink's on Me! also restores health to Merek. Holy Protector also buffs Merek's other skills by temporarily increasing the area of effect.

Read the full patch notes here

Key Features:

• Fog of War: Evolved: Light up a rich, complex, procedurally generated map to claim territory back from ‘The Veil’. A dynamic living death fog that conceals enemies, drains life from your troops, and hinders exploration efforts. Holding the line against this terror is not for the faint of heart. Any units unfortunate enough to be too close to ‘The Veil’ become ‘horrified’, sending them into fits of fear and lowering their fighting effectiveness. Only light cures the darkness, so fight in the light or pay the price.
• Death Nights: Brace yourself against huge tidal waves of Nightmares. Leveraging an internally developed technology called ‘SwarmTech’ Age of Darkness: Final Stand is able to  render over 70,000 enemy units on the screen at one time. These enemy legions claw their way up through seething fissures in the earth to reinforce ‘The Veil’. When the Death Night begins, you’ll be weakened by a Malice - a random affliction capable of undermining the best laid plans. If you are fortunate enough to survive until dawn you will be rewarded with a choice of Blessings. Live or die, Death Nights will test your strategic skills to breaking point.
• Heroes Vs Horrors: Lead the charge against the horrors of the night with powerful and unique Heroes. Using special abilities gained from levelling them up, these Heroes can be key to turning the tide of a desperate battle. But beware, the Nightmares have elite roaming champions of their own that drop precious resources when killed, posing an extreme and ever-present threat to your expansion. Are you the hunter, or the hunted?
• An Army Needs Training: Train and configure your army via a multi-faceted Army Skill Tree system where you decide upon multiple routes of progression for Melee, Ranged, and Siege units. Grant your Archers invisibility to scout hard-to-reach places. Imbue your Sentinels with rage so they may restore their health with each blow and install speed boosters on your Ballista’s to hurry them to new defensive locations. Each session, the choice becomes yours, though be warned, the most powerful abilities may cost more than just your gold.
• Day & Night transitions, expand by day, hunt by night
• Living Death Fog system that grows and recoils from the light
• Horror and Embolden based status effects which may curse or aid your troops
• Special Nightmare units, Spitters, Crushers, and Wraiths that test your combat skills

Age Of Darkness: Final Stand is coming to PC (Steam) in 2023.