Hi folks, Cyanide here! We’re back with another look inside Styx: Blades of Greed. This time, we’re leaving behind the towering stone of The Wall and diving deep into a very different kind of battlefield: Turquoise Dawn. Lush, haunted, and bristling with danger, it’s an environment unlike anything we’ve done before.
Turquoise Dawn is a dense forest, once a proud Orc village, now caught in the teeth of the Empire's war machine. Half-colonized, half-scattered, it stands as a testament to the scale of the conflict, and Styx's place in it.
This is the first time players will explore this iconic location, where nature and tradition clash violently with conquest and betrayal. It’s a place tied to Styx’s own past, one he'd probably rather forget.
But as the invasion deepens and ancient bonds resurface, even Styx, grudgingly, instinctively, might find himself helping his former kin.
The forest bleeds
Turquoise Dawn isn’t just “a forest level”. It’s a battlefield layered with pain and history. Once home to the Orc Clan of the Turquoise Dawn, it was a breathtaking village built into the treetops, homes were carved into massive, hollow trees, their walkways stretched across carefully guided branches, and their culture, deeply spiritual, centered on balance with the Earth Mother.
Then the Empire launched a brutal surprise attack to seize the clan’s Quartz stone, guided by betrayals from within. Many Orcs were killed or captured. The survivors fled into the forest, leaving their ancestral home desecrated.
Now the place is divided, occupied, and defiled.
The Outpost, once a forgotten forward camp, has become a fully established Imperial base built over scorched earth with fortifications. The Main Tree, the clan’s spiritual core, stands vandalized, its council halls ransacked and murals defaced. The Empire has begun to claim it, but only partially. The base of the tree has been invaded and defiled. Imperial soldiers have set up camps, hacked into roots, and carved out footholds. As you climb, signs of the invasion thin out. The middle zone teeters between ruin and resistance, while the upper levels remain untouched, wild, and sacred.
And deep in hiding lies the Shamans’ Lair, where corrupted Quartz pulses at the heart of a decaying sanctuary.
Nature fights back
If The Wall was all about cold geometry and heavy boots on steel, Turquoise Dawn is wild. The environment itself is sometimes a threat.
We designed this space to be vertical in a very different way. Instead of towers and catwalks, you’ll be traversing roots, vines, and collapsed walkways. The forest itself becomes both your cover and your enemy. It’s a stealth playground filled with traps, opportunities, and the kind of natural hazards that don’t care if you’re a guard or a goblin.
Toxic mushrooms lie in wait. Fun to kick. Dangerous near enemies. Giant thorn clusters block shortcuts and escape routes, forcing you into more dangerous terrain. Even the Roaches are different here. Blind, yes, but far more sensitive to noise. Use them, or stay very, very quiet. Oh, and then there are the Roabies. You’ll meet them soon enough. Try not to panic.
And in the thickest parts of the forest, where the Inquisition’s boots. Inquisition doesn’t march on schedules here. They adapt. So should you.
Whether you’re crawling through fallen trunks, diving into old shrines, or navigating the shattered village center, this environment rewards creativity, and punishes mistakes.
View game pageEnemies who know the land
You’ll deal with more than just soldiers in Turquoise Dawn. The forest is home to complex factions and unpredictable threats.
The Empire controls a part of the area now. Their soldiers may not have fancy gadgets, but they’ve got numbers and discipline. Sometimes you’ll hear them above you, sometimes below. Always watching.
But they’re not your only problem. Roaches still crawl in the darkness, and they’re worse than ever. You’ll also run into Orcs. Some chose the wrong side of history, some are just... broken. They might help. They might scream. A few still fight. Orc warriors scattered throughout the forest, striking at anything that trespasses too deep into their land, fiercely protecting what little remains of their home.
Then there are the Shaman Orcs. Still rare. Still terrifying. Their connection to the spiritual forces of the forest isn’t broken, it’s just twisted. And bad news, some can sense Styx before he even enters the room. Others go berserk if you get too close to sacred ground. When one shows up? Stay hidden.
A living wound
Turquoise Dawn isn’t just a forest map. It’s a wild, wounded place, scarred by war, soaked in memory. A fallen world still echoing with what was lost. And whether Styx admits it or not… this one’s personal.
This forest remembers what it was. It remembers the pain. And it wants someone, anyone, to pay for it. Styx might not care about revenge or healing, but he’s got his own reasons for being here.
What does he find among the ruins? That’s for you to discover.
But the journey’s far from over.
Next time, we’ll take you somewhere even older. Deeper. A place long thought buried beneath dust, secrets… and bones.
The ruins of Akenash await.
– The Cyanide Team
[STYX INTERRUPTS] Did the devs seriously end this with a meditation on memory? Unbelievable!
Anyway. TL;DR: Forest’s wrecked. Everyone’s crazy. The Empire’s stomping around like they own the place. There’s Quartz to steal, secrets to uncover, and more corpses than I have insults for. I’m in! You?
You’re still here? Go wishlist the damn game already.
Or don’t. Up to you.
…No really, click the button. It’s right there. See it?
View game pageTouch it.
Click it.
Do it before I turn your antivirus into a roach nest!
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