Fans of Real Time Strategy, it’s time to get pumped. Age of Darkness Final Stand has received its biggest update since the game first came to early access, back in October 2021.
Patch 0.9.0 was released on April 19th, 2023. With this update, Protectors of the Light will be able to play the first two chapters of the epic campaign. Follow champions such as the conflicted Edwin Everard, and Aelis Syren, The Queen of Nothing, as they struggle to protect the world from the endless hordes of Nightmares and evils closer to home.
Make a Stand Against the Darkness
With the Flames of Retribution update, PlaySide Studios and Team 17 Digital add a new mode to this highly regarded title. Since coming to early access, players have been able to enjoy this dark and gritty strategy title through its survival mode. In this scenario, you start with your chosen hero, several soldiers, and a keep. From this humble beginning, you must build a settlement that can weather the onslaught of the Veil.
Enjoy the brief respites of relative peace during the day. This is where you can build up your settlement, recruit new troops, then explore and expand into new territory for exciting new resources to harness. Beware, for when the night encroaches, your enemies grow stronger. Do you dare make another excursion for greater rewards? Be warned though, for as time passes, the Veil grows stronger, shattering the crystals that hold back the nightmare.
When a Crystal shatters, the next night will be a Death Night. After this occurs hundreds, then thousands of enemies pour forth to attack your settlement. What’s more, even the darkness itself can assail you. These hazardous nights bring a thick Death Fog, which not only conceals your enemies but saps your unit’s strength, too. Can you survive until the Final Stand, where every breach unleashes countless enemies, powered by PlaySide’s innovative SwarmTech technology. With this impressive AI system, over 70,000 enemies can be on screen at once as the hordes try to make this your last night.
Discover the Evil Within Men’s Hearts
With the 0.9.0 patch, you can now play an immersive story-driven campaign, following the footsteps of heroes including Edwin, Aurelia, and the detestable Merek. Available to play are the Prologue story and the first two Chapters, which contain seven unique missions.
Fans of classic titles, such as Warcraft 3, are sure to love this campaign, as it pays homage to those legendary games. Enjoy familiar touches, such as heroes who can gain experience and level up, iconic base-building mechanics, and unit upgrade paths.
As you play, learn the history of Erodar, including how the ancient Elosa managed to seal the Nightmares within their realm of the Veil, how humans overthrew the Elosans, the formation of The Order, and its current plight. Thanks to the phenomenal voice acting, be drawn into the story with stellar performances from actors such as Rhiannon Moushall, Guy Cunningham, and Ryan Laughton.
Speculation for What the Future Holds
So, allow me to speculate on what I believe lies in the future for this fantastic game beyond this update. Well, there is, of course, more to come with the campaign, with extra twists and turns we can’t wait to see what’s stories are yet to unfold.
Beyond this is the highly anticipated multiplayer aspect. We’re unsure what is in store for this side of Age of Darkness, but we can make a couple of guesses. The game lends itself well to co-op, where you and a friend can attempt to survive together against the endless hordes of darkness in survival mode. This could even apply to the campaign, as we’ve seen RTS games of the past allow cooperative control of forces, such as in Dawn of War: Retribution.
Let’s not forget, though, that sometimes the best fun is found in crushing your opponents. As mentioned before, the game feels reminiscent of classic RTS titles, such as Starcraft and Age of Empires 2, so perhaps after some balancing, we could see some old-school RTS skirmishes.
What Specs Do I Need to Protect the Light?
If you wish to step into the world of Age of Darkness Final Stand, then we have you covered with the gaming PC specs you’re looking for.
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-10600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT | Intel Core i5-12600 AMD Ryzen 5 7600 |
| Memory | 16GB RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB AMD Radeon R9 380 4GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB |
| Storage | 10GB Available Space | 10GB Available Space |
For Protectors of the Light who love gaming on the go, Age of Darkness Final Stand has been certified as Playable on the Steam Deck.
Take the Fight to the Nightmare with These Gaming PCs
So now that you’re pumped up and determined to survive a Death Night, you’ll need a gaming PC that can handle the thousands of enemies you’ll face. That’s no problem, as here at Overclockers UK we have a great selection of gaming computers to play all your favourite titles.
Refract Gaming Jade Pre-Built PC
Take on Age of Darkness with the Refract Gaming Jade. This pre-built PC is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and the innovative Zen 4 architecture. Paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU, and this PC is a veritable five-star gaming platform! Even better, it is fully tested and ready to ship with next day delivery (stock allowing), all with a three years parts and labour warranty on top.
Refract Gaming Jade
- Pre-built and fully tested gaming PC
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU with Zen 4 architecture
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- Stunning RGB lighting
Refract Gaming Azure Pre-Built PC
Delivering phenomenal 1440p performance, the Refract Gaming Azure packs some serious performance in its beautiful chassis. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and paired with 32GB of speedy DDR5 RAM, this computer will be easily able to handle the endless numbers of Nightmares. What’s more, every detail will pop no matter how hectic the battles become, thanks to the powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU.
Refract Gaming Azure
- Pre-built gaming PC ideal for 1440p gaming
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Processor
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU
- Three years parts and labour warranty
OcUK Gaming Khopesh Configurable PC
Our final recommendation is an amazing choice if you’re after the latest hardware. The OcUK Gaming Khopesh features AMD’s outstanding Ryzen 5 7600X CPU, paired with up to 64GB of blazing-fast DDR5 RAM. Furthermore, you’ll be able to turn your graphics settings to ultra and still achieve high frame rates in many modern titles, as the Khopesh is equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics card.
OcUK Gaming Khopesh
- Customisable modern gaming PC, ideal for gaming and streaming
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600X CPU
- Up to 64GB DDR5 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU
- Flexible storage options
Are You as Excited to See What the Future Holds as We Are?
Are you pumped up for Age of Darkness Final Stand? Have you completed the new campaign already? Have you managed to survive the Final Night? Let us know in the comments below.
PC specs are subject to change.
- 7 min read
Simon Procter
Author
Having been a gaming nut for longer than he cares to think, Simon landed his dream job over a year ago at Overclockers UK. Since then, he has written many product pages and category texts. He even gets released from the basement to write the odd cheeky blog post. When not working, you can often find him entrenched in World of Warcraft, visiting friends to have his butt whooped in a board game, or with his nose buried in a book.
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