Ashbane

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• Announcements·16 Mar 2026Official

  Devlog #3: Into the Fray

  In Ashbane, every battle begins long before steel is drawn.A warband assembled. Fault lines exposed. Blood already wagered. Every Freeblade enters the field shaped by abilities, stats, gear, and the company they fight beside.The Order of BattleEvery unit gets a turn unless an effect prevents them from taking action. The order is determined by initiative, which reflects how quickly a unit can seize the moment and throw themselves into the fight. The higher a unit’s Initiative, the earlier they act in the round. Equipment, buffs, and debuffs can all shift that order, making turn timing a vital part of controlling the flow of battle.Specialization and Warband SynergyFreeblades can be shaped to fight in very different ways. Abilities can strike in arcs, stars, bursts, and other patterns, whether aimed at a single target or unleashed across a wider area. Some demand line of sight. Others can reach the enemy wherever they stand. Specialization is not simply about hitting harder. It changes a Freeblade’s role on the battlefield. The Templar’s Cauterize is one example. At its base, it deals sword damage, but one specialization path adds a weak burn, letting the wound keep working after the blow lands. That path can be pushed further, leaving the target more vulnerable to fire and setting them up for the next strike from a fire-based ally. Another path could instead spread the burn to nearby enemies, turning a focused attack into wider pressure.Stats, Gear, and the Blade's EdgeSpecialization is only part of what shapes a Freeblade. Gear and attributes can push an ability even further, adding new layers to every strike. A Templar wielding a blade with Blood Drinker, for example, could turn that same attack into more than a wound, carving health from the enemy while burn and fire vulnerability take hold.As Freeblades gain experience, they do more than unlock new paths. Their attributes rise, and with them the battlefield stats that decide who lands a blow, who endures one, and...
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• Announcements·16 Feb 2026Official

  Devlog #2: On the March

  In Ashbane, every campaign begins with a choice.A contract accepted. A risk measured. A warband assembled from the ranks of your Freeblades. From there, you leave the safety of the city and march into uncertainty.A Contract Is an Opportunity. It Is Also a Risk.Expeditions begin at the Contract Board. Each posted contract defines the objective of the expedition and the final battle waiting at its end. You choose the job before you ever leave the city.One contract might send you hunting an Irekei clan leader who has been laying waste to Aduran outposts. Another may see your warband advancing into Sylvan forest lands, carving space for Reptilis expansion. The expedition is built around the contract you accept.Not every guild sees the same opportunities. Oathbound, Dreadforged, and Unsworn banners attract different contracts, enemies, and expectations. Along the road, Event stops may offer smaller optional tasks that bring additional reward, or additional danger.Who MarchesBefore leaving the city, you assemble an active warband of six from your guild roster. Roles, synergies, and current injuries influence who marches and who stays behind. Once the expedition begins, there are no substitutions. Every decision at the roster screen carries forward into the expedition.The Road AheadOnce you leave the city, the expedition unfolds across a branching map. Each stop represents a location along the march, and the path you choose determines the risk you take before reaching the final battle.Some routes are direct and safer, getting you to the objective with fewer encounters. Others are longer and more dangerous, offering greater experience and loot that may strengthen your warband for the final fight if you can manage your health and provisions along the way.Each location type serves a different purpose:Battle: A standard combat encounter designed to pressure your formation and resources.Elite Battle: A significantly harder engagement with stronger opposition and improved reward...
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• Announcements·2 Feb 2026Official

  Devlog #1: Introducing the Freeblades

  In Ashbane, the war doesn’t need heroes. It needs Freeblades. People who sell skill and survival, and don’t care who pays as long as the coin is real. Some break shields. Some break minds. Some keep you breathing when you should be dead.Banners in the bloodFreeblades don’t just take contracts. They wear a loyalty, and people notice. Every guild falls under one of three banners: Oathbound, Dreadforged, or Unsworn.Oathbound guilds draw from Aduran, Dvergar, Caelum, and Sylvan, held together by duty and old rules about who you stand beside. Dreadforged guilds draw from Shade, Lithos, Irekei, and Reptilis, built on strength, fear, and what you can take.The Unsworn are the coin-bound mix, drawn from any race, loyal only to coin and power. Most towns don’t care that you’re Unsworn. They care who’s in your company. Put Oathbound and Dreadforged in the same warband, and you’ll feel the room turn cold.Who answers for coinOathbound and Dreadforged don’t just fight differently, they train differently. Each side fields 20 unique classes, built for their way of war. The Unsworn take whoever they can pay, and that means they get their pick of all 40. But the same freedom that makes them dangerous also makes them difficult. Personal feuds and fragile loyalties can simmer under the banner, threatening cohesion. Gifts and scarsThe Freeblades who drift into your tavern come from those pools, and every hire is a gamble. Each one can arrive with up to five traits, and they’re not all gifts. Some are pure strengths. Some are pure flaws. And a lot of the time, the best advantages come offset by a drawback that makes you think twice.Razhith the warlock, for example, might show up with Calm Focus, boosting his wisdom and magic defense, but he also carries Brittle, cutting his endurance.Once a Freeblade signs on and starts earning XP, they stop being a name on a contract. You raise their attributes, shape their abilities, and specialize them into the kind of problem-solver your guild needs....
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• Announcements·26 Jan 2026Official

  Ashbane Reveal

  Ashbane is a turn-based tactical RPG where you forge a mercenary guild from nothing and turn it into a force fueled by power and profit. Recruit and customize hardened warriors, take high-risk contracts, lead brutal expeditions, and earn a reputation the world can’t ignore.We have been building Ashbane behind the scenes for a long time, and we are so excited to finally show what we've been working on. From here on, we will be posting regular Steam updates with new reveals, feature deep dives, and major milestones as development continues.Crush. Claim. Conquer.Build your guild from the ground up by recruiting hardened soldiers and shaping them into specialists over time. Every character grows through leveling and long-term progression choices, so you can focus a build on survivability, control, raw damage, or a hybrid that fits your style. A Brute, for example, might become an unbreakable front liner, a crowd-control enforcer, or a heavy hitter, depending on how you invest. Your roster becomes your strategy, and the choices you make for each recruit define how your guild fights and what it can survive.Risk. Reward. Consequence.Ashbane is built around a simple promise: power is earned, and mistakes have a cost. Contracts are not just missions you clear and forget. They are decisions that ripple forward, and every expedition is a calculated risk. You commit a warband, choose how far to push for profit, and manage the consequences of every encounter as the expedition unfolds.The Road AheadIn the coming weeks, we will dig deeper into the gameplay, the harsh world your guild will carve its name into, and the factions fighting to control it.Don’t forget to wishlist and follow Ashbane to stay updated with all the latest news. Until next time, keep your blades sharp and your contracts profitable.- Shiverblade Studios
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