Royal Majesties!
In our previous royal decrees, we spoke of two mighty pillars of the upcoming Volcano update:
The fearsome bosses that rule the fiery slopes, and
The unique mechanics that shape this ever-changing battlefield.
Today, we turn our gaze to what fills these lands between each eruption: the enemies, the events, and the artifacts that will define your journey into the heart of the Inferno.
Scarlet Goblins
The Volcano is an ancient land once tamed by human ritual - where shamans and sages bound the Inferno’s wild power beneath stone and flame. But nothing holds forever.
After decades of relentless raids, the goblins have claimed the Volcano for themselves, guided by their Phoenix demigod. Yet, even goblins cannot dwell near the gates of Hell without being changed. The Infernal energy seeped into their blood, twisting them into a new and more sinister tribe: the Scarlet Goblins, clever, ruthless, and hating fair combat even more than they hate humans.
Scarlet Rogues are the backbone of the tribe's army. Masters of dishonor, these tricksters strike and vanish into the infernal mist to continue harassing your army from the safety of invisibility.
Scarlet Shieldsmen are the frontline-breaking chariots of the tribe. They barrel through your ranks with brutal momentum and, if shamans accompany them, their momentum becomes outright devastation.
But the Scarlet tribe does not rely on crude goblin nonsense.Their Fire Shooters rival the kingdom’s finest musketeers and will kill your soldiers one by one, while Goblin Mortars will be used for a more… crowd-controlling approach. And Dethclaws, enormous brutes serving as walking walls of meat and stubbornness, will make sure you won’t get to the goblin backline easily
When the situation becomes dire, the goblins summon their strongest allies like Hellclops, giant demon-blooded ogres with maces the size of wagons, or Lava Wraiths, manifestations of volcanic fury. So if you thought goblins were annoying before… you’ve seen nothing yet.
Infernal Situations
The Volcano features a series of brand-new narrative events - each one a dilemma wrapped in fire, sin, and questionable judgment.
Our goal was to create events that both offer new and interesting rewards, and present real moral choices while still being entertaining. You can see WIP some examples below
So what will you choose?
Do you convert all your blueprints into units, or simply surrender to wine-fueled bliss?
Is sacrificing a national hero truly a terrible act… or just a bold move in service of demon-approved efficiency?
And what about signing an infernal contract that drains your resources but drastically increases your army morale?
Decisions, decisions…
Artifacts
With new challenges come new ways to switch up the game. The Volcano update will introduce at least a dozen of new artifacts, some of them with Infernal theme. Here are just a few your Majesty may discover:
Sacrificial Vessel. Increase spell damage by 0.1% per enemy killed
Wine Cup. Every 30 wine spent provides permanent 1 morale
Clay Treasure. Earn 1000 clay after picking it up to gain a legendary artifact
Flour Deity. Every 1 flour produced increases all player units’ HP by 0.1%. Gives a Mill
Demon Wings. Increases damage of all infernal units by 30%
Nether Contract. Gain 2 Nether runes when your unit dies.
In this update, some artifacts will also become map-exclusive (like the Nether Contract), ensuring you don’t receive items that make no sense in your current campaign.
Coming Next
In the next article we will talk about content that it’s not thematically tied to the Volcano and will be usable for all maps, like new advisors, and also touch upon new in-game mechanics like trader discounts.
Stay vigilant, Kings - the mountain is waking.
~ The Hypnohead Team