- Devblog 30 - Cargo Boat Update, Naval Industry, House Tags, Map Expansion & More - 11 September 2026
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development in pre-alpha and may change in the future. REVAMPED CARGO BOATThe Cargo Boat has been revamped and reintroduced to the game as naval transport will be critical with the map expansion (see below). This vessel has been updated to feature 2 rower seats and can now furl and unfurl its sails. Rowers can control a boat's forward and backward movement while the helmsman controls its direction, with the wind providing an additional source of propulsion through the ship's sails. All of these inputs are combined to determine the vehicle's final movement, creating a more dynamic and cooperative system for multi-crew vehicles. Finally, the ship system has been upgraded with a brand new physics engine that simulates proper buoyancy and other factors for a more realistic experience.SHIPYARDShipyards are world stru…
- Devblog 29 - Territory Zones, New Siege Equipment, New Town Core Structures - 7 August 2026
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development in pre-alpha and may change in the future. TERRITORY ZONES AND MILITARY VICTORYThe previous Territory system has been replaced with a new Zone system designed to make territorial control clearer, fairer, and more immersive overall. The map is now divided up into discreet Zones that have more sensible and natural borders. The borders will correctly stradle rivers, be bounded by the sea, and will conform more organically to the layout of the map. This will provides a clearer sense of frontline progress while also eliminating issues caused by the previous territory algorithm, such as territory claims erroneously bleeding across bodies of water.Zones can exist in one of three states: Claimed, Contested, or Neutral, with each state affecting which side can build key structures like Homesteads, Keeps and B…
- Devblog 28 - World Map Revamp, Town Keeps, Combat System Changes & More - 9 July 2026
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development in pre-alpha and may change in the future. WORLD MAP REVAMPA lot was learned over the years in terms of what works and what doesn't for map design in Anvil Empires. There have been a lot of pain points, many centering around how much usable space there was in the world for sandbox gameplay as well as the issues that were caused by frequent and extreme changes in elevation. A point was reached where the decision was made to recreate the map from the ground up, taking all these lessons and current gameplay into account.The map above represents just the center region of the world. In the future, the world will be expanded out from here. The new map features terrain that is overall more even and contains much more playable space for Homesteads, Fortresses, Bandit Bases, and areas for battles to take plac…
- Devblog 27 - Bounties, New Creatures, Pagans, Longswords, Crossbows, & More - 29 May 2026
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development in pre-alpha and may change in the future. It's been a long while since a Devblog has been posted so this one will include both a summary of recent additions to the pre-alpha and features coming to future tests.BOUNTIESBounties are the center of the new core game loop for acquiring Silver. Each player has a list of bounties to complete, with varying monetary rewards. Bounties involve hunting animals, killing outlaws known as Reavers, killing enemy players, and more. All bounties require an item to be returned to town for completion. For example, the bounty for Boar hunting requires a Boar Tusk to be turned in for Silver.REAVERSReavers are world characters in the form of outlaws who live in camps and abandoned forts. Their forces include bowmen, knife-wielding bandits, and swordsmen. Facing a large gr…
- Devblog 26 - Avatar Characters - 7 February 2026
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and may change in the future. The main focus of development at the moment is fleshing out the new Avatar system and tuning gameplay to support a more Avatar centric game. Homesteads will still be a vital component of Anvil, but are no longer something that every player is expected to build for themselves. Instead, their progression will be tied to the Avatars under their or their House's control.AVATAR CHARACTERSOne of the goals behind Avatars is to simulate individual citizens within each empire. To facilitate this, Avatars will now have varying visuals, including different skintones, hair styles, facial hair, and sexes. When a new Avatar is generated, their visual characteristics will be determined randomly. You can set preferences to influence these characteristics for Avatars that are generated f…
- Devblog 25 - Inventory Drag and Drop, Rendering Improvements, Unreal Engine 5.6 - 9 October 2025
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and may change in the future. INVENTORY DRAG AND DROPPlayers can now organize their inventories by dragging items both within and between personal and structure inventories. This feature works hand in hand with the hotbar functionality, allowing users to sort their items and equipment more efficiently alongside the hotkeys. Additionally, dragging an item outside the inventory screen now drops it on the ground, just like using Alt + Click. We'll continue working on improving inventory functionalities into the future.VISIBILITY CULLING IMPROVEMENTSTall structures such as walls and foundations now use visibility culling, allowing players to see themselves when moving through Keep and Town areas. We hope this enhances the user experience when fighting in tight spaces surrounded by dense structures. Simil…
- Devblog 24 - Heavy Battering Ram, Structure Map Tooltips, QoL Improvements - 21 August 2025
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and may change in the future. HEAVY BATTERING RAMThis new siege equipment offers a slower but safer method of breaching enemy walls. It employs a torsion mechanism to prime and then activate the ram, eliminating the need for operators to manually charge the vehicle toward its target. It requires six players to push, compared to the regular ram's four, and features overhead protection against projectiles, offering players additional siege options in the late-age. These rams are more expensive than their lighter counterparts and deal less damage per hit. The Heavy Battering Ram must be placed against its target and then operated by the crew. The right rear seat operates the hand crank to prime the ram mechanism, while the left rear seat releases the tension and triggers the ram strike. STRUCTURE MAP TO…
- Community Highlights #1 - 22 July 2025
Hello people of Calligo, welcome to Anvil's first Community Highlights post! Here we will feature interesting community created content: This includes art, screenshots, videos, or anything else that the team finds worth sharing. We have been really impressed by the amount of high quality content the community has been putting out in the last months, stellar stuff! Note: We try our best to properly credit all community work, but once in a while we may make a mistake. Please let us know if anything is off and we'll make corrections as soon as possible. ARTWORK By: midnight.t A wholesome piece celebrating the intense battles that thousands of players experienced during the Steam Next Fest Demo. The community welcomes all those who are new to the game with open arms and some questionable ale! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------…
- Play Anvil Empires at Steam Next Fest! - 2 June 2025
MASSIVE BATTLE DEMOJoin us at Steam Next Fest for an opportunity to try Anvil Empires for the first time! We will be releasing a limited time Massive Battle Demo that gives you the chance to participate in a large scale siege battle alongside hundreds of other players. This demo will also serve as a stress test for our custom server technology, which is designed to support dense melee battles for up to 1000 players!Keep in mind that this demo is just a small sample of the full Anvil Empires experience. While the demo exists as a short playable event, the full game offers a massively multiplayer experience in a persistent online world.HOW TO PARTICIPATETo participate, download the demo from the Anvil Empires Steam page. When you run the game, the main menu will indicate when the next test event will be happening (The test won't be running continuously but only during certain event timesl…
- Devblog 23 - UI, Art, and Map Polish - 21 April 2025
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and may change in the future. USER INTERFACE TIME & SEASON Previously, the map screen displayed the current time and season in a static plain text box. This has been upgraded into a new widget that has visual elements and dynamically animates as time elapses. In addition to displaying the current time, it also visualizes the current season and weather. Hovering over the widget displays additional details about the current Age. DAMAGE TYPE ICONS With Damage Types becoming a more prominent feature, icons have been added to represent them in tooltips. MAP & ENVIRONMENT Back in June 2024, we announced the first phase of our “Natural Environment” updates. We revised the look of trees, grasses, foliage, ground scatter, etc., to give Calligo a more unified feel that aligned with our long-term vision for Anv…
- Devblog 22 - Three Empire War Update - 7 March 2025
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and may change in the future. This upcoming update and test will be a special one. The third side, the Pagans will finally be introduced into the game, which is expected to bring a new dynamic to the conflict. This update will also be adding several other foundational features like a trade economy (including new resources and equipment), new win conditions, the new Avatar system, and more! The goal of this and the upcoming few updates is to get all remaining foundational features in for an Early Access release on Steam this year. Early Access for Anvil Empires won't be the end, but rather the beginning of a process to build out the vast and expansive vision we have for Anvil Empires. Similar to Foxhole, Anvil Empires won't be built over night and will require long stretches of testing and iteration i…
- Devblog 21 - Communication Tools, Armour Racks, & Ore Processing - 3 February 2025
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. MAP POSTS A vital component of a persistent world war game is a robust communication system that enables players to coordinate on at a large scale. A Map Post system is being implemented that will allow players to share messages with their alliance directly on the map interface. Map Posts will be essential for warning allies about threats on the map, coordinating sieges, and other player driven objectives. Similar to Foxhole's system, players will be able to upvote and downvote Map Posts to influence their level of visibility on the map. Each…
- Devblog 20 - Homestead Keystone & Interior Workshops - 3 December 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. HOMESTEAD KEYSTONE In the previous devblog, Modular Homesteads was introduced and they continue to be an area of heavy development. The next step was to integrate the Keystone structure into the modular system itself. The Keystone is the structure that the player interacts with to manage the Homestead's family and to store key supplies for the critical function of the Homestead. The visual design was a challenge, as the structure had to look significant enough (as the most important structure in the Homestead), signify that it stored supplies,…
- Devblog 19 - Modular Homesteads and Bats - 25 October 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. MODULAR HOMESTEADS The modular building system for Forts is now being extended to Homesteads. Instead of Homesteads consisting of a prefabricated structure, it now consists of a Keystone structure which marks off an area for your Homestead (and is also used to manage the associated Family) and a series of connected modular pieces. The concepts here show the long term vision for Homesteads. The goal is to have custom houses for beds, storage, cooking as well as workshop structures for industrial processes like smithing. If players want, both ho…
- Devblog 18 - Cargo Ship & Underworld Updates - 4 October 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. CARGO SHIP With the recent World Expansion, the map now includes multiple land masses separated by the sea. The obvious missing piece vehicle capable of crossing the sea and invading enemy territory on distant shores. To that end, the Cargo Ship is being introduced, which is capable of carrying personnel and equipment across water. The Cargo Ship carries up to 8 passengers and 2 vehicles, including Horses, Carts, and Caravans. This enables armies to setup camps to conquer enemies across the sea. The Cargo Ship has a sail which receives a speed…
- Devblog 17 - Underworld Generation, Mining Operations, Combat Stability System - 17 September 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. UNDERWORLD GENERATION A basic version of the Underworld was introduced to Pre-Alpha several builds ago. It served as an initial test for the technical infrastructure needed to support this feature as it develops over the next few months. In the next phase of development, the system will be expanded from small stand alone, subterranean caves scattered around the world to massive interconnected underground networks with multiple entrances to the surface. Such networks are maze like and require equipment like Torches and Firepits to navigate and…
- Devblog 16 - Keeps, World Expansion, and New Weapon Features - 16 August 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. KEEPS The Keep will replace the Town Center as the core structure at the center of Towns moving forward. This change was made for two reasons. First, during playtests it was observed that players would surround their Town Center with Fort walls and structures which looked incredibly unnatural. Having the center structure be a Keep thematically and visually fits more organically. Second, with the new Fort building system, there was an opportunity to integrate Forts with the core structure of the Town. To that end, Keeps can be attached to expan…
- Devblog 15 - Underworld, Catapult, and Combat Updates - 11 July 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. UNDERWORLD This phase of development introduces the Underworld, the subterranean part of Anvil's persistent world. The Underworld is where new threats, resources, and a new mining game will reside in the future. Not only will the Underworld be a big part of gameplay in future, but it will play a key role in Anvil's lore and overall universe. This next test will include an initial bare bones version of the Underworld in the form of underground caves that can be accessed from various entrances on the surface of Calligo. Entrance locations are ra…
- Devblog 14 - Natural Environment Visual Update, New Fort Building System - 20 June 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. Natural Environment Visual Update We knew at some point we’d need to revisit the look and feel of the natural environment in Anvil Empires to match our atmospheric and thematic goals. While we’ve got a long way to go, here’s a first look at what’s coming. While we’ve been generally happy with the look and feel of the game during our pre-alpha development, our initial approach came across a bit more Mediterranean in style and feels like a warmer climate. In contrast, we want Calligo to feel dangerous, mysterious, moderate and heavy. A lot of ou…
- Devblog 13 - Tavern, Central Marketplace, and Major Town Changes - 27 May 2024
Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game. Tavern One ongoing goal is to make Towns (previously called Settlements) more useful and integrated with player's core gameplay. Players should have more reasons to go into Town and moreover to interact with other players there. The Tavern is a structure inside Towns that provides an area for social activity and offers gameplay benefits as well. Food items can be purchased at the Tavern like Bread and Pie, as well a new type of Food item: Mead. When Food or Drink is consumed at the Tavern together with others, players will receive a Rested Sta…
