Attention Spartans!
Fireshine PvE Survival Craft Festival!
We’re taking part in the Fireshine Survival Craft Festival. No time like the present to defy the gods solo or with up to 3 friends this week with 35% off (and 10% off the supporter pack!) for the whole event running up till September 7th!
You're in good company this festival with some other bangers from the Fireshine Games Survival catalogue. Mine your way through Core Keeper, rebuild a shipwrecked home in Len's Island, sail an ocean full of spirits in Voyagers of Nera, or get an early look at Isle Goblin ahead of its next playtest.
Everything's rounded up here:
Hounds of Zeus Release Date!
To celebrate the festival, we're here to answer the question that has been on every player's mind: when is the next release? Wait no further! Hounds of Zeus is coming October 8th, 2026.
Please watch the following teaser for what is in store for you in Zeus' Temple....
Updated 1.0 Roadmap
Now for the last piece of this news trifecta: We're excited to announce our next major update after Hounds of Zeus will be our 1.0 Release!
The 1.0 Release will allow you to continue your odyssey into the final arc where you must face the domain of Hades and, at last, uncover the truth behind the missing Olympians! Take a look at the updated roadmap that now focuses on the key features coming specifically to Hounds of Zeus and 1.0! The full scale image can be opened at this link and found on our roadmap page at all times!
Hounds of Zeus Features:
While we have shared a number of details about Hounds of Zeus already (see our past July and early August news), the above roadmap gives a little bit more context on a few features coming to Hounds of Zeus that we have not previously discussed. Here is the typed-up list if that is easier to consume:
Temple of Zeus
Defeat the three new bosses alone or with friends in a brand new raid. Break the seal of Zeus' Temple to journey to a new zone of skyborne arenas and challenge the Mythic Harpies.
Mountain Biome Overhaul
Prepare a fire and a hearty meal to withstand the cold in the expanded Smolikas Mountains, where you must fill the chalice of Dionysus, solve the constellations puzzles of Hera, and race through the gates of Hermes.
Cooking & Farming
Plant and tend to your new crops, then use your harvested ingredients to upgrade and enhance your recipes with the improved cooking spit and a new cooking pot refinery.
New Weapons & Gear
Defeating the Harpies will unlock 3 new weapons, each with their own abilities: the legendary shield of Dionysus, the veiled blade of Hermes, and Voidstorm, the mace of Zeus, plus the new unique Praetorian armor set.
Cave Systems
It’s time to level up your mining and upgrade your pickaxe! Delve into a new underground cave system for more exploration, a brand new resource, and more tiered combat.
Improved Portaling
A new portal has appeared in the Smolikas! Now, rather than dedicating your resources towards portal construction, you will unlock their new locations as you progress with the ability to select your destination at each site.
Final 1.0 Features
While we are still determining whether we will have a minor patch (of potentially extra buildable items, tbd!) in between Hounds of Zeus and our 1.0 Release, we do know our 1.0 release will be coming in 2027!
At 1.0, you will be getting all the remaining features discussed on our long-time roadmap, including: the locked portion of the map with a new biome, achievements, new legendary tier-armor, more boss fights, more raid rewards, more skill levels, and localization to four languages (Spanish (Spain), French, German, and Simplified Chinese). Here are the details from the graphic:
Map Unlocked & New Biomes
The northwest biome is at last opened to adventurers, but you must be prepared for the poisonous waters and acid rain if you hope to defeat the dangerous enemy guarding the seals of Hades' Temple.
Legendary Armor
In addition to the unique armor earned through Hade’s Temple, defeating all three major deity raids now unlock three additional armor sets at the new Legendary-tier, providing unmatched, godlike effects.
Hades Raid
Max your skills and embark on the final arc of Dawn of Defiance to discover the truth of the Crossroads and the missing Olympians. Enter Hades' domain and challenge the final boss to complete your Odyssey.
Tradesman NPCs
Meet four new tradesman across the map, and learn from their trials to reach your highest level of Mastery. With their respect earned, welcome them back to your player base to trade with ease!
Fast Travel & Death Experience
Unlock new fast travel locations, including activated Promethean braziers and designated player homes. These same markers will also be respawn locations on death!
Polish & Quality of Life
We’re expanding the customizable rulesets, adding more quality-of-life features, and improving performance and new-player guidance for a final, polished Dawn of Defiance.
Dynamic World Events
Experience every playthrough differently with events triggered across the map. Interact with new mythic-inspired lore and witness their effects on Aegea, from full moons and ambrosia storms to elite mini-boss spawns.
Achievements
From Charon’s ferry to the conclusion of your Odyssey, wrack up new Steam achievements that celebrate your level of completion or add brand new challenges for hardcore players.
You may notice dedicated servers were removed from the roadmap. While, yes, dedicated servers have been removed from our confirmed 1.0 launch feature list, they have not been removed from our internal list of requested features. They remain high on our priority list; however, given our current resources and timeline, they were not something we could confidently commit to for launch. After weighing player feedback and our development goals and scope (including QA testing), the above list is what we deemed best. If you have questions about anything listed or not-listed, please feel free to use the comments or discussion posts!
For now, thank you as always for being a part of our open development. The Crossroads would have been a very different place without your feedback. We're thrilled to see our story and world coming together, and we hope to make you all proud with the upcoming content!
See you in the Smolikas on October 8th!