Age of Darkness: Final Stand cover
Age of Darkness: Final Stand screenshot
Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Strategy

Age of Darkness: Final Stand

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Patch v1.0.1


Protectors of the Light,

Thank you for your ongoing support following our 1.0 release. Your input has been crucial in helping us identify and address the feedback shared by our players.

Our latest patch addresses a variety of community suggestions, including several fixes and improvements across Campaign, Survival, and Co-Op game modes.

You can read all the improvements and community feedback we have incorporated in v1.0.1 below:

Balance Adjustments


  • Increased melee range for the Order Knight auto-attack by 0.4.
  • Lightbearer attack range increased, now attack from a short distance.
  • Increased the Lightbearer’s base Health from 90 to 125.
  • Added Armour to the Lightbearer from 0 to 25.
  • Added Armour Regeneration to the Lightbearer from 0 to 0.02.
  • Changed the Rogue’s basic attack to now be a multi-hit cone attack.
  • Increased the Rogue’s Attack Rate from 0.25 to 0.15.
  • Reduced the Rogue’s Gold Steal on kill from 3 to 2.
  • Reduced the Rogue’s base Damage from 15 to 7.
  • Increased the Rogue’s production Gold cost from 160 to 175.
  • Increased the Rogue’s production Stone cost from 2 to 5.
  • In Multiplayer T2 and T3 POI Camps reward slightly more Units/Siege Units.

General Fixes & Improvements


  • General improvements to load times and performance across the game.
  • Fixed a situation where unlocked Survival Difficulties wouldn’t save correctly.
  • Fixed a situation where Cloud Saves wouldn’t sync.
  • Fix for buildings that aren't impacted by the treasury getting icons as if they are impacted after paying off a debt.
  • Fixed Aelis's royal guards displaying a visual flicker under certain conditions.
  • Fixed a selection bug caused by holding shift and selecting buildings.
  • Fixed the objectives UI not updating correctly when you change the language.
  • Fixed UI not displaying correctly on the action grid when canceling research.
  • Fix for some situations in which some units wouldn't animate correctly.
  • Improved Audio balancing across all three game modes.
  • Fixed Audio timing issues present with Crushers.
  • Added audio to various buttons that were missing audio feedback.

Campaign Specific


  • Fixed a situation where Campaign progression wouldn’t save correctly.
  • Improved overall Cutscene audio within the Campaign.
  • Fixed an issue where Nightmares could get stuck during Mission 3.
  • Fixed audio timing related to Ritual Crystals in Campaign.
  • Fixed Vizargo's shield in Mission 10 not displaying during combat.
  • Fix for the wrong audio playing during cutscenes in Campaign Mission 10.

Multiplayer Specific


  • Fixed a crash that can occur when pressing the Multiplayer Button.
  • Added a pop-up when you’re not logged into Steam and try to access Multiplayer.
  • Fix for the host sometimes not properly loading into matches.
  • Fix for being able to select the other player's team color button in the multiplayer lobby.
  • Greyed out the "send" button in the trading window if no resources are going to be sent to the other player.
  • Fixed an issue where Units gained from captured POI camps spawned in a single point.
  • Removed the ability to transfer ownership of the Fishing Port in Multiplayer.
  • Fixed an issue where for Death Nights that break two Crystals only one would drop Dark Essence.
  • Disabled “+ buttons” in the trade menu when there are no more resources to send.

Balance Adjustments Deep Dive


As noted above, we've made a number of changes to balance Heroes, Units, and Buildings. The goal here is to improve early-game survivability, smooth out some frustrating aspects, and give a few underperforming characters a much-needed boost. Here’s a closer look at the v1.0.1 as well as 1.0 balance adjustments, and how your gameplay experience will change.

Heroes


Merek
Merek has always had great potential but struggled with low survivability and clear speed, especially early in the game. We've made a few tweaks to ensure he can shine as a tank-healer hybrid, excelling alongside an army that benefits from his presence.
  • Improved base HP from 170 to 320 (this change reflects across all levels)
  • Improved base damage to 17 from 14
  • Increased damage of Crushing Weight across all levels

Vizargo
Vizargo was a bit too frustrating early on, especially for new players, though his potential was clear. We've given him a boost to his survivability and skills, especially during those early stages, to make him more approachable and effective.
  • Improved HP across all levels, ie:
    • Level 1: 165 from 145
    • Level 10: 905 from 880
  • Added small amount of armour per level after level 3
  • Claw Dash cooldown reduced by approximately 7 seconds across each level
  • Small boost to Claw Dash damage DASH and VORTEX (swipe at the end)
  • Moderate boost to Impaling Wrath damage across all levels
  • Small boost to move speed from 1.6 to 1.65

Aelis
We’re planning to revisit Aelis soon for some further improvements, particularly for the late game, but for now, she’ll receive a small armoUr boost at early levels to help new players get more out of her.
  • Added small amount of armour per level after level 2

Units


Rogue
Rogues have gotten a rework! They now perform more like an aggressive soldier-pikemen hybrid. While they’re still squishy and gold-hungry, Rogues now clear more effectively but remain risky to use!
  • Added splash to attack instead of single target
  • Reduced gold gain to 2 again (to account for faster clearing)
  • Adjusted purchase price to reflect effectiveness
    • 175G, 5 stone, 5 wood
  • Lowered base damage to 7 from 15
  • Increased attack count to 2

Lightbearer
Lightbearers still need time to figure out their place but for now, they’ve received a range boost, allowing them to support from behind melee units instead of dying up front. They also get some bonuses to their survival.
  • HP increased to 125 from 90
  • Added Armour 25 from 0
  • Starting Engage range pushed forward from 0 to 0.65

Order Knight
The Order Knight is still solid, but we’ve increased their attack spread so they can now hit more enemies at once, making them more effective in large fights.
  • Increased attack range to 0.4

Harbinger
Harbingers still need further attention, but we’ve made a few changes to help their survivability and give them a slight edge in mobility.
  • Starting HP increased from 120 to 250
  • Move speed increased from 1.2 to 1.35

Flamer
Flamers now have better survivability and a slight improvement to their knockback ability.
  • Added Armour to 16 from 0
  • Added Knockback 0.1 from ~0

Hunter
The Hunter has been performing well, but we’ve given the Hunter Trap a small upgrade to improve its effectiveness.
  • Trap duration increased to 5s from 3.5s
  • Trap size increased to 2.5 from 1.5

Buildings and Research


Triage Tent
We’ve reduced the cost of researching the Triage Tent, making it more accessible for players in the early game.
  • Research cost reduced to 300 from 750

Trade Bazaar
The Trade Bazaar has had its purchase cost reduced, making it more affordable for players looking to expand their economy.
  • Purchase cost reduced to 650 from 850

Grand Bellow Tower
We've given the Grand Bellow Tower a bit of a buff, especially in its range, attack rate, and damage, making it a stronger defensive option- We’ll be keeping an eye on this and other attack towers in the future.
  • Attack range increased to 15 from 12
  • Attack rate increased to 5 from 8
  • Base damage increased to 10 from 8

Advanced Farm
The Advanced Farm was a little too pricey, so we’ve reduced its cost. We’ll keep an eye out for other later game research in the future.
  • Research cost reduced to 1200g from 1500g

Your insights and thorough reports have been invaluable helping us to better refine the gameplay experience for you, our players. We’re truly thankful for your engagement and encouragement, driving us to make Age of Darkness: Final Stand the best it can be. We encourage our community to continue to communicate with us regarding any feedback, as we’re always here to help.

To give back to you all, we’ve also launched a community challenge with prizes which you can check out here.

Thank you,
The Age of Darkness Team

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: Save Game & Crash Fixes!


Protectors of the Light,

Thank you for the continued support we’ve received during our 1.0 launch. The feedback and insight you’ve provided has been instrumental in helping us to identify and resolve issues facing our players.

Today, we’ll be releasing another hotfix, centered around a variety of save issues some players have been experiencing. This update addresses several reported issues, including:



  • Fixed a crash related to incorrect Light Radius calculation.
  • Fixed a crash related to audio that could occur in all game modes.
  • Fixed a crash related to Aurelia’s Crimson Lightning when it hit buildings.
  • Fixed a crash related to trying to load incompatible saves.
  • Fixed an issue where the player's resolution would change repeatedly after swapping monitors.
  • Fixed an issue where the player’s mouse could be offset from what’s in-game.
  • Fixed an issue where resolution could be set to something lower than the max resolution when Display settings was set to Borderless Windowed.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could start on the wrong monitor.
  • Disabled resolution drop down when playing in Borderless Windowed.
  • Pre-V1.0 Saves that are incompatible with the current game will now be marked as such.
  • Fixed a situation where the game failed to save. Backup saves will now be created in App Data > Local & App Data > LocalLow Folders.
  • Fix not being able to rebind controls to mouse thumb buttons.

Your feedback and detailed reports are invaluable in helping us improve the gameplay experience. We are truly grateful for your active engagement and support, it inspires us to make Age of Darkness: Final Stand the best it can be.

Thank you,
The Age of Darkness Team

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - RTS Fest and Community Challenges


Protectors of the Light!

We’re excited to be taking part in the Real-Time Strategy Festival, and to celebrate, we’re inviting you to showcase your talents in an epic Community Creative Challenge! The theme? Bring the dark, epic world of Erodar to life through your unique perspective. Whether it’s a breathtaking piece of art, a cinematic video, or an intense in-game screenshot, we want to see the Age of Darkness through your eyes.

This is your chance to channel your creativity and make your mark on the community, all while competing for some incredible prizes.

So, how do you get started? Let’s break it down:


The Challenge



We’re looking for stunning works that capture the spirit of Age of Darkness: Final Stand. Your submission could focus on:

  • Epic battles with swarms of Nightmares.
  • Beautiful landscapes of Erodar’s shattered world.
  • Iconic heroes, buildings, or scenes reimagined in your unique style.
  • Whatever you decide to create, your submission should reflect the core themes of the game—darkness, survival, and triumph against the odds.


How to Participate


  1. Create Content: Share your creativity through artwork, videos, or in-game screenshots.
  2. Share Your Work: Upload your submission to the Steam Community Hub under the Artwork or Videos section.
  3. Title Your Entry: Use the format: "AOD Contest Entry - [Give your post a cool title]


Submission Rules



Here are the guidelines for submissions:

  • Your submission must feature Age of Darkness: Final Stand content.
  • All artwork, videos, or screenshots must be original and created by you.
  • Please include evidence of your process, such as a layered file or time-lapse video, to verify authenticity.
  • Images should be no larger than 2000x2000 pixels and under 15 MB in size.
  • Videos should be no longer than 120 seconds.
  • Keep your submissions appropriate—blood and battle are fine, but avoid nudity or explicit content.

Make sure your submission is your original work! AI assistance, tracing, or work not created by you is not allowed. We want to see your vision and creativity come to life.

Submissions will be accepted until February 3rd - 10:00 AM PT.

Prizes




Communnity Favourite (Most Likes):

  • Nightmare Mini
  • $100 Steam Gift Card

Dev Team’s Favorite:

  • Nightmare Mini
  • $100 Steam Gift Card

10 Random Participants:

  • Free copies of Age of Darkness: Final Stand to share with friends

Please note that physical prizes require the ability to receive shipped items. If shipping isn’t possible, we won’t be able to deliver physical prizes.

Share Your Work on Social Media!



For those entering the competition, we’d love to see your submissions on social media. Don’t forget to tag us—we’re excited to signal boost your creativity and celebrate your incredible work!

Winners Announcement



Winners will be announced and contacted on February 11th via Steam. Be sure to keep an eye on your notifications!

Good luck, and may the light guide you through the darkness. We can’t wait to see your creations!

—————

This competition is open only to individuals who are:

  1. Not legally restricted from playing the ‘Age of Darkness: Final Stand’ game
  2. Not in a country or territory at that currently has important restrictions in place or is affected by war
  3. Not employees of PlaySide or their respective immediate family members

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: Stuttering Fixes & More!


Protectors of the Light,

Once again, thank you for your ongoing support for Age of Darkness: Final Stand through our full release. We appreciate the time taken by all of our players to share your feedback with us.

Our latest hotfix addresses several issues affecting players following our 1.0 release, including stuttering, audio, and unit selection.

You can find the full list of fixes for today’s Hotfix below:

  • Camera Stuttering improvements
  • Fixed a crash related to in-game particle FX
  • Fixed a crash related to audio loading.
  • Fixed a situation where Nightmares would get stuck on their way to a Death Night.
  • Added Shift Click improvements to Unit Selection.

    • Shift Clicking selected units in the world will add or remove them to or from the selection.
    • Shift Double-Clicking a unit adds or removes all units of that type to or from the selection.
    • Shift Clicking selected unit portraits in the Action Grid will remove them from the selection.

We remain committed to delivering ongoing improvements, quality-of-life updates, and bug fixes. Our next major focus will be addressing issues related to save files.

Your feedback and detailed reports are invaluable in helping us improve the gameplay experience. We are truly grateful for your active engagement and support, it inspires us to make Age of Darkness: Final Stand the best it can be.

Thank you,
The Age of Darkness Team

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: Multiplayer Region Fixes & More!


Protectors of the Light,

Thank you for your continued support of Age of Darkness: Final Stand! Since the 1.0 release, we’ve been listening to your feedback and working hard to improve the game.

We’re excited to share our latest hotfix, which addresses several key issues:

  • Fixed Multiplayer region handling, players will now be able to invite one another without changing their Steam Download regions.
  • Fixed the Multiplayer End of Round Screen to correctly allow toggling of players.
  • Fix for auto-saving frequency setting string not fitting in the UI for German and Polish.
  • Fixed Researched UI not appearing greyed out if the Research Queue is full.
  • General save file improvements and checks to assist in debugging future save file issues.

We’re aware that some players are still encountering stuttering and performance issues. These are complex challenges, but we’re committed to addressing them as quickly and safely as possible.

Your feedback remains invaluable to us and it helps guide our improvements to ensure Age of Darkness continues to grow into the best experience it can be. Please keep your reports and suggestions coming; we’re listening every step of the way.

Thank you,
The Age of Darkness Team

Cross-Region Play and Performance


We’d also like to highlight that cross-region play is not recommended due to latency inherent in peer-to-peer connections. While cross-region play is supported, players may experience suboptimal performance in this setup. For the best experience, we recommend playing with others in your region.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hot-Fix



Protectors of the Light,

Thank you all for your incredible support of Age of Darkness: Final Stand following its 1.0 release! We deeply appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your experiences and feedback with us.

In response to the issues raised, we’ve released our next batch of fixes addressing the following:

  • Resolved an issue where the VFX on the Main Menu doubled up causing extra bloom and vibrance.
  • Improved the UI displayed when the game is waiting to receive network data from the other player.
  • Moved the UI for Auto-Saving in Multiplayer from the top left to the center screen to communicate with the player when saving is occurring during gameplay.
  • Fixed a situation where a client could no longer re-join an existing Multiplayer Lobby after leaving.
  • Fixed the trade panel UI displaying some text in the background behind the "send" button.
  • Adjusted “Default” windowed resolutions to be a more player-friendly resolution rather than the largest possible fullscreen resolution.
  • Fix for selected resolution resetting when you change monitors or between windowed / fullscreen modes.
  • Fix for displaying an invalid resolution when swapping monitors on uneven displays.
  • Fix for the game restarting on the incorrect monitor.

We remain committed to delivering ongoing improvements, quality-of-life updates, and bug fixes. Addressing game stuttering and resolving the Steam download region issue are top priorities. These fixes require careful implementation, and we’re working diligently to ensure they’re resolved safely and effectively.

Your feedback and detailed reports are invaluable in helping us enhance the gameplay experience. Thank you for your continued support and active engagement—it drives us to make Age of Darkness the best it can be!

Thank you,
The Age of Darkness Team

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - 1.0 Hotfix



Protectors of the Light,

Thank you all for your incredible support of Age of Darkness: Final Stand following its 1.0 release! We deeply appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your experiences and feedback with us.

We’ve been listening closely and working hard to address the issues raised. Today, we’ve released a hotfix focused on resolving the following:

  • Resolved an issue with the Lock Cursor to Window Setting not behaving correctly.
  • Improved Save error-handling within Multiplayer UI to indicate corrupted files.
  • Introduced information pop up within the Multiplayer save UI that provides Steam Cloud Save trouble shooting.
  • Fixed an issue where V-Sync was not enabled by default for all new players.
  • Added an option to toggle the frequency of auto-saves in the Gameplay Settings.
    • 1. "Daily, Post Death Nights and Exit"
    • 2. "Post Death Nights and Exit" - Will be the default value.
    • 3. "Exit Only"



We remain committed to delivering timely fixes, quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and more. Multiplayer stability continues to be a top priority, including resolving the issue requiring players to change their Steam download region. A fix will be released as soon as possible.

Your feedback and detailed issue reports are invaluable in helping us improve the gameplay experience. We’re grateful for your active engagement and support, it drives us to make Age of Darkness the best it can be.

Thank you,
The Age of Darkness Team

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Launch Day

Protectors of the Light,

It is time! Age of Darkness: Final Stand has officially launched, marking the end of over three years in Early Access and the introduction of one of your most requested features: Co-operative Multiplayer. We cannot wait for you to jump in and try it out.



Importantly, we are celebrating the full release of Age of Darkness: Final Stand with our biggest discount yet - available now at 65% off for a limited time only! There really is no better time for you or your friends to jump into the game (and you have our permission to bug them until they do).

If you are new to the AOD community - welcome! In addition to the new Multiplayer Mode, you also have Survival Mode and the gripping Campaign to experience, and they are a great place to start when learning the ropes. Take advantage of the game’s range of difficulty settings if need be - there is no shame in playing on Easy! But if you are a Veteran RTS player and want to grab a friend to defend humanity against the forces of the Veil, do not be afraid to jump into Multiplayer and challenge yourselves with its increased intensity and faster pacing. The game truly has something for everybody!



And finally, we just want to say thank you. Thank you for your support. Thank you for all your feedback. Thank you for all of your support throughout Early Access. This 1.0 launch simply would not have been possible without you, our Protectors of Light.

Till next time, Protectors of the Light…

****

We have a quick recap of updates and changes that have taken place throughout Early Access, building to the 1.0 you can play today:

  • Five new Heroes with brand new abilities
  • The Order, The Rebellion and The Volatist Factions introduced alongside our new Heroes
  • Award winning single player campaign delivered across ten unique chapters, and one epic boss encounter
  • New Units and Buildings across different factions
  • Updated Visuals for the environment to enhance visual fidelity.
  • QOL improvements, balancing and performance enhancements
  • Achievements
  • Map Seeding
  • Accessibility options
  • New Hardships, Blessings and Malices
  • Ultra widescreen
  • And multiplayer co-op is now here!


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We greatly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to let us know about these bugs and crashes you’ve encountered. If you come across any bugs or crashes in the future, please report them to us either through the Steam forums or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

AoD Social Links:

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server
AoD Website - Official Website & Blog
X/Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand
Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page
Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Age of Darkness: Final Stand

Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Full Release & Multiplayer Launch Times

It is almost time for the 1.0 & Multiplayer release for Age of Darkness: Final Stand!

Set your calendars for January 15 to take on hordes of Nightmares, endure brutal Death Nights, scout for treasure and defend humanity from the forces of the Veil. Whether you are taking the stand alone in survival, experiencing the gripping Campaign Mode or fighting with a friend in Cooperative Multiplayer, Age of Darkness: Final Stand has something to offer for everyone.

Ahead of launch day, check out this Release Times Map so you know exactly when the update unlocks in your region. If you are unsure about anything, please leave us a question in the comments and we will be around to help!



Till next time, Protectors of the Light…

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We greatly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to let us know about these bugs and crashes you’ve encountered. If you come across any bugs or crashes in the future, please report them to us either through the Steam forums or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

AoD Social Links:

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server
AoD Website - Official Website & Blog
X/Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand
Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page
Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server. Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

Age of Darkness: Final Stand

Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Full Release & Multiplayer coming January 15



Protectors of the Light,

Age of Darkness: Final Stand is coming out of early access on January 15, 2025 - including the long awaited arrival of co-op multiplayer.

To celebrate, Age of Darkness: Final Stand is now 50% OFF as part of the Steam Winter Sale!

Now is the perfect time for you or your friends to dive in, defend humanity, and experience Age of Darkness: Final Stand for yourself, before taking on hordes of Nightmares together in the New Year.



A special thank you to the Age of Darkness: Final Stand community who have taken the time to be a part of our multiplayer playtesting over the past few months, and for your support throughout our time in Early Access. Your time, and your feedback has been truly invaluable in helping us to bring our vision for multiplayer, and the full release of Age of Darkness: Final Stand to life. We can wait to see the game in players hands very soon!

Till next time, Protectors of the Light…

---

We greatly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to let us know about these bugs and crashes you’ve encountered. If you come across any bugs or crashes in the future, please report them to us either through the Steam forums or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

AoD Social Links:

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server
AoD Website - Official Website & Blog
X/Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand
Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page
Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel
Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.
Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

Age of Darkness: Final Stand