What changed
0 fixes0 additions7 changes0 removals
changedGreenskins — Speed on one side and fist on the otherThe goblins are fast and made of paper. A Goblin Skirmisher is weak but it moves with fast and is hard to hit. However that only holds while it's healthy, so a wounded goblin is suddenly a slow goblin. They dart in, stab, and scurry out before you can swing back. Chase them across open ground and you'll string your line out and die piecemeal. The Goblin Wolfrider is the lesson made vicious: mounted, blindingly fast, and a Hit-and-Run ability built to strike and disengage in the same turn. And lurking at the back, the Goblin Poisoner fires poisonous arrows that drain your health every step of the way.
changedGreenskins — Speed on one side and fist on the otherThen there are the orcs, ogres and trolls, who are the exact opposite. The Orc Grunts and Orc Brutes are tough and hit like a hammer. They Cleave through through your line and its Heavy Blows do bonus damage to healthy targets — it's designed to open a fight by caving in your strongest man. The Ogres and Trolls are the power houses. The Ogres can crush unarmored units with a single blow but they like to share the fun. If a goblin is nearby it will throw them at your backline to spread some chaos. Meanwhile the Trolls are the gift that keeps giving. And by gift, I mean pain. And by giving, it means their Regeneration makes them very hard to put down without fire.
changedGreenskins — Speed on one side and fist on the otherThe trap is that the counter to the goblins — spread out, run them down — is exactly what feeds you to the orcs, ogres and trolls, who want you out of formation and overextended. Hold tight and the goblins kite you; chase and the orcs smash you from behind you. And it all gets harder near an Orc Warchief , whose War Horn and Rallying Presence stiffen the whole warband's nerve, or an Orc Shaman quietly topping the line back up with heals. The greenskins teach the first hard lesson of the game: pick your tempo, because the enemy is built to make you regret either choice.
changedThe Ratkin Empire — Discipline you cannot breakThe bulk is the Ratkin Ashigaru , a conscript spearman who is nothing alone and a wall in a block. The trick is in two passives: Formation Bonus and Disciplined March — when two or more of them stand adjacent, not only do they fight stronger but the whole column gains an extra action point . They don't trudge toward you. They surge, as a line, faster than a loose mob has any right to. Behind the spears, Ratkin Bowmen loose volleys in disciplined waves, and Tanegashima Gunners stagger up with matchlocks that punch clean through armor
changedThe Duergar — The immovable gun-line and the things it buildsTheir line is built on the Duergar Ironguard, dark-iron plate, warhammer and tower shield, Shield Wall and Anchor the Line. That last passive is the whole faction's engine. An anchored Ironguard holds its ground instead of chasing, and any Duergar Crossbowman standing beside it gains Artillery Anchor, a huge bonus to ranged attack and defense, firing safely from inside the shield wall. So you face a literal wall of dark iron with a battery of armor-piercing crossbows nestled behind it, and walking into that frontally is how companies get deleted. Driving the conscripts forward is the Duergar Taskmaster , whose Intimidating Presence saps the will of everyone near him — though the conscripts themselves are Slave-Driven, trading willpower for fear-fueled aggression, which means they shatter fast the moment the whip stops cracking.
changedThe Duergar — The immovable gun-line and the things it buildsHere's the crack in the wall, though, and it's deliberate. Dark Iron Armor corrodes — it sheds armor over a long fight — and fire and magic punch straight through it. The duergar are the faction that finally rewards you for having built up your magic back line. The Duergar are a test of whether you can take apart their line before they shatter yours. Note - Images will likely may change as I am slowly replacing images with a graphic artist as this game gets traction These factions and 17+ others can be found in Mercenary Brotherhood Coming to Steam as Early Access this Fall 2026.
Mercenary Brotherhood changes
changedThe goblins are fast and made of paper. A Goblin Skirmisher is weak but it moves with fast and is hard to hit. However that only holds while it's healthy, so a wounded goblin is suddenly a slow goblin. They dart in, stab, and scurry out before you can swing back. Chase them across open ground and you'll string your line out and die piecemeal. The Goblin Wolfrider is the lesson made vicious: mounted, blindingly fast, and a Hit-and-Run ability built to strike and disengage in the same turn. And lurking at the back, the Goblin Poisoner fires poisonous arrows that drain your health every step of the way.
changedThen there are the orcs, ogres and trolls, who are the exact opposite. The Orc Grunts and Orc Brutes are tough and hit like a hammer. They Cleave through through your line and its Heavy Blows do bonus damage to healthy targets — it's designed to open a fight by caving in your strongest man. The Ogres and Trolls are the power houses. The Ogres can crush unarmored units with a single blow but they like to share the fun. If a goblin is nearby it will throw them at your backline to spread some chaos. Meanwhile the Trolls are the gift that keeps giving. And by gift, I mean pain. And by giving, it means their Regeneration makes them very hard to put down without fire.
changedThe trap is that the counter to the goblins — spread out, run them down — is exactly what feeds you to the orcs, ogres and trolls, who want you out of formation and overextended. Hold tight and the goblins kite you; chase and the orcs smash you from behind you. And it all gets harder near an Orc Warchief , whose War Horn and Rallying Presence stiffen the whole warband's nerve, or an Orc Shaman quietly topping the line back up with heals. The greenskins teach the first hard lesson of the game: pick your tempo, because the enemy is built to make you regret either choice.
changedThe bulk is the Ratkin Ashigaru , a conscript spearman who is nothing alone and a wall in a block. The trick is in two passives: Formation Bonus and Disciplined March — when two or more of them stand adjacent, not only do they fight stronger but the whole column gains an extra action point . They don't trudge toward you. They surge, as a line, faster than a loose mob has any right to. Behind the spears, Ratkin Bowmen loose volleys in disciplined waves, and Tanegashima Gunners stagger up with matchlocks that punch clean through armor
changedTheir line is built on the Duergar Ironguard, dark-iron plate, warhammer and tower shield, Shield Wall and Anchor the Line. That last passive is the whole faction's engine. An anchored Ironguard holds its ground instead of chasing, and any Duergar Crossbowman standing beside it gains Artillery Anchor, a huge bonus to ranged attack and defense, firing safely from inside the shield wall. So you face a literal wall of dark iron with a battery of armor-piercing crossbows nestled behind it, and walking into that frontally is how companies get deleted. Driving the conscripts forward is the Duergar Taskmaster , whose Intimidating Presence saps the will of everyone near him — though the conscripts themselves are Slave-Driven, trading willpower for fear-fueled aggression, which means they shatter fast the moment the whip stops cracking.
Faction Highlight - Greenskins Warband, Ratkin Empire and Duergars Slavers
This developer diary today is highlighting three early-mid factions you will fight: the Greenskins, Ratkin Empire and the Duergars.
Greenskins — Speed on one side and fist on the other
A greenskin warband is two armies wearing one banner, and they punish opposite mistakes.
The goblins are fast and made of paper. A Goblin Skirmisher is weak but it moves with fast and is hard to hit. However that only holds while it's healthy, so a wounded goblin is suddenly a slow goblin. They dart in, stab, and scurry out before you can swing back. Chase them across open ground and you'll string your line out and die piecemeal. The Goblin Wolfrider is the lesson made vicious: mounted, blindingly fast, and a Hit-and-Run ability built to strike and disengage in the same turn. And lurking at the back, the Goblin Poisoner fires poisonous arrows that drain your health every step of the way.
Steam post image Steam post image
Then there are the orcs, ogres and trolls, who are the exact opposite. The Orc Grunts and Orc Brutes are tough and hit like a hammer. They Cleave through through your line and its Heavy Blows do bonus damage to healthy targets — it's designed to open a fight by caving in your strongest man. The Ogres and Trolls are the power houses. The Ogres can crush unarmored units with a single blow but they like to share the fun. If a goblin is nearby it will throw them at your backline to spread some chaos. Meanwhile the Trolls are the gift that keeps giving. And by gift, I mean pain. And by giving, it means their Regeneration makes them very hard to put down without fire.
Steam post image
The trap is that the counter to the goblins — spread out, run them down — is exactly what feeds you to the orcs, ogres and trolls, who want you out of formation and overextended. Hold tight and the goblins kite you; chase and the orcs smash you from behind you. And it all gets harder near an Orc Warchief, whose War Horn and Rallying Presence stiffen the whole warband's nerve, or an Orc Shaman quietly topping the line back up with heals. The greenskins teach the first hard lesson of the game: pick your tempo, because the enemy is built to make you regret either choice.
The Ratkin Empire — Discipline you cannot break
Cross the sea and you meet the polar opposite of a greenskin warband: a feudal army of civilized ratkin, small in the body and terrifying in the formation. Individually they're weedy. Together they fight like one organism.
The bulk is the Ratkin Ashigaru, a conscript spearman who is nothing alone and a wall in a block. The trick is in two passives: Formation Bonus and Disciplined March — when two or more of them stand adjacent, not only do they fight stronger but the whole column gains an extra action point. They don't trudge toward you. They surge, as a line, faster than a loose mob has any right to. Behind the spears, Ratkin Bowmen loose volleys in disciplined waves, and Tanegashima Gunners stagger up with matchlocks that punch clean through armor
Steam post image Steam post image
And you cannot wait them out, because their nerve doesn't crack. Iron Discipline runs through the officer caste — the Ashigaru-Kashira sergeant, the fanatical Sohei warrior-monk who literally does not know how to flee.
The real knife is what comes for your backline while you're busy with the wall. The Ratkin Shinobi is a born assassin: Shadowy makes it nearly impossible to shoot from range, Ambush gives it a huge bonus on its first strike, and Shadow Step lets it blink past your front rank to gut your healer with a poisoned tanto and vanish. Meanwhile the Ratkin Samurai flickers through your line with Precise Strikes and Evasion, striking with unwavering discipline.
Steam post image
The whole faction is a vise: the formation pins you in front, the gunners and bowmen grind you at range, and the shadow-warriors peel your soft targets off the back. Beat them and you have to break the shape — isolate a spearman to strip his column bonus, force the gunners to move so Steady Aim falls off, kill the assassin before it picks its moment. You don't out-fight the Ratkin Empire. You take it apart.
The Duergar — The immovable gun-line and the things it builds
Deep underground live the grey-skinned dwarves, and where the greenskins are tempo and the ratkin are maneuver, the duergar are a single sentence: you will not move them, and they will shoot you the whole time.
Their line is built on the Duergar Ironguard, dark-iron plate, warhammer and tower shield, Shield Wall and Anchor the Line. That last passive is the whole faction's engine. An anchored Ironguard holds its ground instead of chasing, and any Duergar Crossbowman standing beside it gains Artillery Anchor, a huge bonus to ranged attack and defense, firing safely from inside the shield wall. So you face a literal wall of dark iron with a battery of armor-piercing crossbows nestled behind it, and walking into that frontally is how companies get deleted. Driving the conscripts forward is the Duergar Taskmaster, whose Intimidating Presence saps the will of everyone near him — though the conscripts themselves are Slave-Driven, trading willpower for fear-fueled aggression, which means they shatter fast the moment the whip stops cracking.
Steam post image Steam post image
The casters make the anvil mean. A Dark Smith hurls molten dark iron from range and burns anyone who melees him. A Stonekeeper geomancer throws stone shards, casts Stoneskin, and triggers Tremors that shatter your formation right when you're trying to hold one. The Warpriest and the Duergar Lord layer on profane blessings, rallying horns, and Second Wind to keep the line standing long past when it should have folded.
And then there are the foundry's creations. The Copper Golem, Iron Golem and Mithril Golem are rare to find but these are walking siege engines, and you cannot simply trade blows with one. They will take everything you can hit them with but then smash you back.
Here's the crack in the wall, though, and it's deliberate. Dark Iron Armor corrodes — it sheds armor over a long fight — and fire and magic punch straight through it. The duergar are the faction that finally rewards you for having built up your magic back line. The Duergar are a test of whether you can take apart their line before they shatter yours. Note - Images will likely may change as I am slowly replacing images with a graphic artist as this game gets traction These factions and 17+ others can be found in Mercenary Brotherhood Coming to Steam as Early Access this Fall 2026.
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