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Watch trailer on Steam ↗Defenders of Etheria
Community Made Games · Published by Chromatic Games
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
Harness the power of ancient runes, forge mighty gear, and take to the sword against the Old One’s Army in this Co-op "SARPG" (Survivor Action RPG) featuring familiar Dungeon Defenders antagonists and allies!
Embark on epic quests to vanquish foes in Defenders of Etheria. Forge your own path by harnessing ancient runes and wielding mighty gear against the Old One's Army, with familiar faces from Dungeon Defenders joining your cause.
About this game
Harness the power of ancient runes, forge mighty gear, and take to the sword against the Old One’s Army in this Co-op "SARPG" (Survivor Action RPG) featuring familiar Dungeon Defenders antagonists and allies!
What is Defenders of Etheria?
It’s about time the Old One’s Army played defense! Enraged by the death of his father at the hands of the Harbinger, the Prince of Dragonfall has enlisted Etheria’s mightiest heroes to lead a crusade against the Old One’s Army.
Defenders of Etheria won’t be your traditional tower-defense game (not that Dungeon Defenders was very traditional to begin with), but a cooperative, rogue-lite bullet-heaven with all the added charm and stoicism of your favorite, mostly-silent protagonists!
In case you’ve been trapped in a crystal for the past several millennia and are unfamiliar with survivor-like games, here’s the gist (through the lens of DoE);
Venture solo or team up with up to three allies to one of Etheria’s many fantastical, contested grounds. Face unrelenting waves of the Old One’s Army, earning experience, gold, crafting materials, runes and equipment as enemies are slain. These rewards may be bolstered by completing random, optional objectives that arise during the mission, and by defeating admittedly less optional, much scarier bosses!
Upon successfully completing a mission, return to the hub to spend your riches upgrading your equipment, recruiting new pets, unlocking new heroes, and honing your heroes’ skills to aid you on future endeavors!
Core (Get it?) Features
Cooperative Gameplay
What could possibly be better than mercilessly cutting down hordes of goblins, righteously defending Etheria, and basking in the adoration of its citizens? Doing it together! Team up with up to three other Defenders and lead your forces into the Old One’s treacherous territories, either as a diverse party of heroes, fit to overcome any challenge with their balance of skills, or as four monks—we won’t judge!
Unique Heroic Abilities
Whether you’d prefer to transform yourself into a swirling mass of steel, careening through Etheria’s contested territories, or barrage your foes with a volley of arcane hexes, rest assured each hero’s arsenal is designed with the express purpose of turning the Old One’s Army into little green and purple smears on the ground. Choose the Etherian legend that compliments your play-style!
Random Objectives
No two missions are alike! Etheria is a mysterious land, and random objectives provide Defenders with additional challenges and opportunities for glory and—perhaps more importantly—loot! Capture a stray propeller cat, help the Tavernkeep retrieve lost tankards, or tide the eldritch, insatiable hunger of a cursed vase in need of sacrifice! All common, daily occurrences in Etheria.
Runic Empowerments
Defenders will gain Runes throughout each mission, imbuing them with ancient powers and improving their combat ability. Gaining additional copies of the same rune will amplify their potency, while rare, hero-specific runes unlock the hidden potential in each of Etheria’s heroes!
Meta-Progression
Of course, Etheria’s finest armor smiths, enchanters, and petrinarians aren’t going to let you wage this war unprepared! Through the collection of materials and a bit of post-combat scavenging, you’ll obtain new pieces of gear to aid you in future missions, including pets, armor, and weapons!
Skill trees similarly allow each hero’s potential to be fully realized, upgrading their abilities and stats permanently!
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 20 GB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3060 / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 20 GB available space
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Defenders of Etheria Dev Update
Greetings, Defenders!We’re back with a chunky update on Defenders of Etheria (DOE) covering community channels, Kickstarter fulfillment, fresh content, and a peek at fearsome new foes. This is the first of several updates coming your way, so let’s dive in!Join the Conversation (New Discord Channel)We’ve opened a dedicated DOE channel you can enable during Discord onboarding. It’s the best place to chat directly with the dev team, report feedback, and shape the future of DOE. I’ll be hanging out there daily to share progress and turn your best ideas into in-game improvements. See you in the Tavern DOE channel!Kickstarter FulfillmentAll in-game rewards are complete and finalized. We’re in the final stretch of setup: the only blocker is confirming our code redemption flow for DOE rewards. As soon as that’s locked, backer surveys will hit your inbox. If you’ve got fulfillment questions, the new Discord channel is the quickest way to get answers; otherwise, shoot an email to Support@Chromatic.Games!Content Drop (Teasers Without Spoilers)We want to keep plenty of surprises for launch, but here are today’s highlights:New Map - Volcano PlateauWelcome to Embermount’s blistering frontier, where vents roar and the ground itself fights back. Expect hazardous terrain, new enemy types, and a fresh boss. Volcano Plateau marks our third DOE map! And there's more on the way!Controller & Steam Deck SupportDOE is now fully playable on controller and Steam Deck. Core gameplay feels tight and responsive; remaining work is mostly UI scaling and glyph polish. Grab a controller during the next playtest and let us know how it feels in longer sessions.Objectives SystemCrank up the challenge and stack the rewards. Our new Objectives layer adds optional twists to your runs. Balance risk for reward challenges that pay out rare loot, XP, and currencies. We’ve made seven to start and want your ideas for more. What wild challenges do you want to see?New Bosses (3!)Three never-before-seen bosses ha...Read full article on Community Announcements (Paimon)AnnouncementsOfficial
🎉 Defenders of Etheria – Demo Now Available!
Defenders! We’re thrilled to bring you the official demo of Defenders of Etheria! Get an early taste of our cooperative, rogue-lite bullet‑heaven – your first step into the battle against the Old One’s Army. What’s in the Demo? First two mission experience – face the initial wave of the Old One’s Army in a small-scale solo demo. Full version will feature 4 player co-op and MANY mapsRunes & loot preview – collect your first runes and gear to see how runic empowerment works. Make a broken build!Kobold King Boss - The Kobold King has invaded the mushroom forest! Our heroes must cleanse the scourge.Experience the hub – return to the hub, gear your heroes up, and watch as your foes run in terror! 📅 What’s Next? Roadmap StageDetailsDemo ReleaseAvailable now on SteamEarly AccessPlanned for Q3–Q4 2025 Kickstarter FulfilmentPlanned for Q3 2025Full LaunchFollows Early Access, aiming for polished, final version ✅ How You Can Help Play and give feedback! – We’re focused on demo tuning and balancing, submit the survey found at the end of a run!Report issues – Encounter a bug or unfun gameplay loop? Let us know!Wishlist & follow – Support visibility for Steam!Spread the word – Share with your crew of Heroes and/or scoundrels!Read full article on Community Announcements (Paimon)AnnouncementsOfficial
The Prince Joins the Fight for Etheria!
We've just reached our Kickstarter's first stretch goal! Thanks to your incredible support, the Prince of Dragonfall will join the fight against the Old One’s Army as a playable character in Defenders of Etheria! We figured that since the Old One’s Army is soon to receive a close-up of the Prince’s gauntlets, so should you (albeit in a less physical sense)! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45544618/79497717daee6895151225bf2a55faf611814441.png We’ve already explored a handful of designs for the Prince’s arsenal. We want you, our players, to feel involved and rewarded as you climb through different tiers of gear rarity, so what does that mean for our designers? This means that when designing equipment of increasing rarity, we incorporate more unique materials, subtle (and not-so-subtle) thematic elements, eye-catching visual effects, and an emphasis on distinctive silhouette design to differentiate these pieces from prior rarity tiers. You may begin your journey swinging modest, fur-lined mittens, but you may very well end up hurling gilded Etherian relics, shrieking with the souls of departed adventurers, at your foes, who are now also shrieking. We’re incredibly grateful for the reception Defenders of Etheria has received so far. We're hard at work crafting vibrant, chaotic battlefields for your adventures to take place in, and we can't wait to show you some soon! Our next stretch goal reward is the Drakenfrost Region, whose desolate, sleet-covered ruins will surely send a chill up even the most seasoned defenders' spines. To see this eternal winter engulf Etheria would warm our hearts, and we’re confident we can achieve this goal with your support! Our campaign still has 30 days to go, so please share Etheria’s call for heroes far and wide. Check out the Etheria Defenders of Kickstarter Campaign for additional information! For Etheria!Read full article on Community Announcements (Wyvern Whacker)AnnouncementsOfficial
Defenders of Etheria is LIVE on Kickstarter!
DoE is Live on Kickstarter! Defenders! We're proud to announce the Defenders of Etheria Kickstarter campaign is LIVE until May 18th! By backing the game on Kickstarter, you can take advantage of early-bird discounts, franchise-wide game and DLC bundles and earn backer-exclusive rewards for both Defenders of Etheria AND Dungeon Defenders 2! Miss our original announcement? Not to worry, we've included a short recap below, and you can find additional information on our Kickstarter page! What is Defenders of Etheria? It’s about time the Old One’s Army played defense! Enraged by the death of his father at the hands of the Harbinger, the Prince of Dragonfall has enlisted Etheria’s mightiest heroes to lead a crusade against the Old One’s Army. Defenders of Etheria won’t be your traditional tower-defense game (not that Dungeon Defenders was very traditional to begin with), but a cooperative, rogue-lite bullet-heaven with all the added charm and stoicism of your favorite mostly-silent protagonists! Wishlist DoE on Steam! Looking for other ways to support Defenders of Etheria? By wishlisting us on Steam, you can help us gain additional visibility for the game while receiving notifications regarding updates and availability. It’s a win-win! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2647870/Defenders_of_Etheria/ Join the Discussion! You can follow the progress of Defenders of Etheria by following us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch! Additionally, you can join the Official Dungeon Defenders Discord, or participate in the community-driven Dungeon Defenders Reddit. For Etheria!Read full article on Community Announcements (Wyvern Whacker)
