Devlog #8 - Towns & Factions

We are kicking off 2026 with a brand-new devlog! This month, we will be talking about the towns and factions you will encounter during your adventure in Pathbreakers: Roaming Blades.

Before starting, we will give you an introductory explanation about how our game is structured and why you need to know: the Stormtossed Isle is a procedurally generated world, meaning that every time you start a new journey, the towns will differ from your last playthrough (amongst other things). However, you can rest assured that you will always find the 25-30 populated villages needed for the main campaign.

Many factors affect the contents of towns, such as their size, environment and, quite importantly, their faction. As every town is controlled by a faction, it’s a big topic, so we will be diving deeper into them in the paragraph below.

The Isle’s main (civilized) factions

As we stated before, it is not possible to discuss the towns without having information about the various factions that inhabit them. In Pathbreakers, these groups will influence the villages’ looks, recruitment options, trade goods, and general goods sold.

Having access to many towns of different factions will open a lot more trading and contract options, making exploration all the more worthwhile, for that goal of padding your pockets with gold.

Now let’s take a look at the main factions inhabiting the isle:

• The House of Weir: The faction of the King of Weir, the ruler of the Stormtossed Isle. It is a large and affluent faction and ultimately represents the isle as a whole. Barbarians and the untamed North are not part of their territory, but all other factions technically answer to the king. The king’s faction has a large number of guardsmen and a decent number of traders. Like all major factions, they have a large and imposing capital where one can go to join the faction itself.

• The Blooded: The faction of nobles. They have a strong presence within the Kingdom of Weir and take a balanced approach to things, maintaining an average amount of guards, merchants, and towns.

• The Golden Cup: The faction of merchants. They are scattered across a large portion of the Kingdom of Weir, reaching its furthest corners. They have many merchants and caravans trekking between towns, and their ultimate goal is profit.

• AddedThe ArcanumThe faction of mages. They tend to be concentrated on the mainland of the Kingdom. They have very few merchants and guards and focus on the pursuit of magic. They are the premier destination for recruiting magically oriented mercenaries and outfitting them with the best and greatest staves available.

• The Mantus Queendom: The faction of the Mantus (which we’ve covered before). Although technically part of the Kingdom’s land, the Mantus have their own ruler: the Mantus Queen. Relations with humans have been amicable for a long time, and friction has been minimal, so the King has largely left them to their own affairs despite the unusual arrangement. It helps that they produce unique goods found nowhere else, which are quite popular within the Kingdom. The Mantus have a good mix of guards and merchants, and they favor less conventional routes for their travel.

• The Scattered Clans: The faction of Barbarians, a group of humans not affiliated with the Kingdom. They have long been at odds with the Kingdom of Weir. The Scattered Clans represent the “civilized” subset of Barbarians–those who moved to cities and took up various trades other than raiding their neighbors. They require a strong contingent of guards to defend against roaming Barbarians but lack merchants. They tend to have more limited goods and supplies than the rest of the Kingdom, except for their weapon production, which is often of high quality. The Barbarian clans have been pushed out of the mainland over time and now occupy the badlands of the Isle, an arid region far less hospitable than the lush plains of the mainland.

The Towns, the buildings, and their role in Pathbreakers

Now that we have unveiled the factions roaming and controlling the towns, it’s time to get into the core topic of this devlog!

The populated areas themselves must be distinguished because you will find small, large, or medium-sized villages, as well as factions’ capitals. Furthermore, a town can also be coastal, meaning that they have sea access, hence more opportunities for your mercenary endeavors.

Every town comprises various buildings; of course, the larger it is, the more structures can be found.

The common ones you will see in the majority of towns are related to the ordinary activities you will perform during your journey, like resting, recruiting new mercenaries, training, upgrading your gear, trading goods, and so on.

The two special buildings are the Palace and the Arena. In the first, which is present in every capital city of a major faction, you will be able to join that specific faction as well as enjoy the perks attached to your affiliation with them–buy special items or get unique contracts reserved for the faction’s members. The other special structure, the Arena, is unique. In fact, there’s only one on the whole island, and all mercenaries and fighters gather together to fight and prove who’s the best. Dueling your way through the tough opponents of the arena will reward you with high-value prizes, and you can also test yourself in different modes and bouts.

While you wander the town, time won't pass, but using various building services will advance time by a short amount. The Tavern can be used whenever you want to rest, let time pass, and ask to be awakened at a specific time. Ducking in the town and spending time there is vital to take a breather, understand the next step, and prepare accordingly. You can also enjoy your time with the rest of the crew to help them unwind and keep them fresh for the next encounter. And if any enemy unit was following you on the world map, entering and staying in a town will most likely throw them off your scent for a while.

And that’s a wrap for the first devlog of 2026! We hope you enjoyed this deep dive dedicated to the towns & factions of Pathbreakers: Roaming Blades.

We also want to take this opportunity to wish you a happy new year and that you spent amazing holidays!

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