- Early Access Update - 11 July 2026
Greetings, Commanders!It's been an exciting few weeks! Since Steam Next Fest, Empyrean Defense has officially launched into Early Access, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who downloaded the demo, wishlisted the game, picked up a copy, left a review, or supported development through one of the Founder Packs. Your support truly means a lot.Now that the game is in your hands, my focus is on gathering feedback and seeing how everyone experiences the game. Every review, suggestion, and bug report helps me better understand what should be prioritized as development continues.I'm already planning the first post-launch update, which will focus on improving the overall experience through quality-of-life improvements, balance adjustments where needed, and additional content, including new missions.Thank you again for being part of the Early Access launch. I'm excited to continue imp…
- Balance Updates, Localization Fixes, and Demo Polish - 15 June 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Demo and Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been playing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports.🔧 ImprovementsAdded in-game objectives reminders on Sidewinder Pass (full version) and Graywake Reach (demo) to keep mission goals top of mindAdded interaction animations to the Market, Foundry, and Abilities panelsAdded economy production information to site panels, making it easier to understand the output and efficiency of economic structures\ Added reminders when deploying if you have unused skill points or haven't equipped an ability yet⚖️ Balance ChangesUpdated the Rocket Strike abilityNow fires two rockets per activation at a slightly reduced damage per rocket, resulting in higher overall base damageUpdated the Triple Threat skillThe third bonus rocket now deals double damage and has a disti…
- Empyrean Defense on Steam Deck & Controller - 10 June 2026
While Empyrean Defense has always been designed first and foremost as a PC strategy experience with mouse & keyboard, it has also been built with full controller support from the beginning and optimized to play great on Steam Deck.Full Controller SupportWhether you prefer mouse & keyboard or a controller, Empyrean Defense supports both playstyles. Building and upgrading sites, navigating menus, managing targeting priorities, deploying active abilities, and interacting with progression systems have all been designed with controller accessibility in mind.Steam Deck CompatibilityThroughout development, Empyrean Defense has been regularly tested on Steam Deck and provides a great handheld experience.While the game has not yet undergone Valve's official Steam Deck verification review process, the current demo is fully playable on Steam Deck using the default control layout.Looking AheadSteam…
- New Equipment, Skills, and Craftsman Achievement - 5 June 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Demo and Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been playing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports.✨ New FeaturesAdded the Ballistics Solver equipmentA precision targeting computer that analyzes ballistic trajectories in real time, increasing the critical hit chance of all defense sites by 5%Added the Overcharge Module equipmentA nanite enhanced power relay that pushes all defense sites beyond their rated limits, increasing the rate of fire of all defense sites by 8%Added the Lethal Precision skillCritical hits deal 10% additional damageAdded the War Dividend skillEarn 100 credits upon completing each waveAdded the Craftsman achievementCraft your first piece of equipment⚖️ Balance Changes\ Added the Fortification Payload equipment to the Market, allowing it to be purchased directly in addition to…
- Equipment Crafting, New Skills & Items, Shipwrecked Achievement - 9 May 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Demo and Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been playing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports.✨ New FeaturesAdded Equipment Crafting to the FoundryAdded the Void Resonator Core and Nanite Fabricator Mesh rare resourcesAdded the Shipwrecked achievementDiscover the wreckage of a long lost battleship hidden beneath the wavesAdded base armor ratings to all sitesAdded Fortification Payload equipment to improve site armorAdded the First Strike skillEach site's opening strike on an enemy deals 10% bonus damage and has a 10% increased critical hit chanceAdded the Fortified Foundations skillGrants all sites a permanent 10% increase to their armor rating, reducing incoming damageAdded the Acid Rain abilityShowers the area in corrosive acid, dealing armor-piercing damage over time⚖️ Balance ChangesIncr…
- New Demo Mission: Sunflare Dunes - 1 May 2026
Greetings, Commanders! A new challenge has arrived. The demo has just been updated with an entirely new mission: Sunflare Dunes. The heat is relentless, and resources are scarce—this one will test your ability to adapt under pressure.Mission Overview: Sunflare Dunes takes place on the outskirts of a deserted oil town, where maintaining production is key to your success. This mission introduces a new objective focused on resource generation, requiring you to keep oil flowing while holding back enemy forces. Tactical Intel:Power the Pumpjacks: Oil production depends on your power grid. Without sufficient power, pumpjacks will stall—prioritize upgrading your solar arrays to keep them running.Keep Them Operational: Pumpjacks are vulnerable to enemy fire. Stay on top of repairs to avoid losing critical production during heavy waves.Balance Defense and Economy: You’ll need to manage both your…
- New Demo Mission: Frostwind Hold - 20 April 2026
Greetings, Commanders! A new challenge has arrived. The demo has just been updated with an entirely new mission: Frostwind Hold. Pack your cold weather gear—this one is going to be a struggle for survival.Mission Overview: Frostwind Hold introduces a frozen mountain pass centered around a remote power utility base. This mission offers a faster pace and tactical challenge compared to the previous two demo missions. Your objective is to secure the region and prevent General Zharos from seizing control of the power infrastructure. Tactical Intel:Restore the Grid: You’ll need to prioritize bringing the Power Plant online. Doing so restores power to the deployed Tesla Coil—your best asset for holding the front line of incoming enemy waves.Airborne Threats: There are no existing anti-air defenses at the base. Prioritize building these yourself as soon as the power is back online.Watch the Fla…
- Update v0.12.7 - 18 April 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Demo and Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been playing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports.✨ New Features\ Added skill point mission rewardsAdded Brazilian Portuguese and German localizationRedesigned Harborview District mission 🔧 Improvements\ Existing demo save files are now granted mission reward skill points retroactively\ Added 5 skill points and 3 skill reset kits to the marketAdjusted notification timing:Faster achievement popupsSlower mission reward notificationsStandardized UI formatting with uppercase buttons, titles, and subtitles⚖️ Balance ChangesChanged Time Medal requirements for Harborview DistrictBronze: 13:00 → 12:30Gold: 11:00 → 11:30 🐛 Bug FixesFixed translation issue in skill tree tooltipFixed various localization issues, including incorrect text in the Chapel landma…
- Update v0.12.5 - 14 April 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Demo. Thanks to everyone who’s been playing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports.✨ New FeaturesAdded the Scattershot ability: Detonates a burst of white hot shrapnel in all directions, damaging all enemies within range 🔧 Improvements\ Added a supply drop to the beginning of Graywake Reach in the demo filled with Rockets and Sniper Rounds\ Updated the demo to start directly in Graywake Reach\ Players now start with both Rocket Strike and Scattershot abilities selected\ Repair ability is now available without the need to purchase on the market\ Wraith Turret ability has been moved to the market for purchase\ Reduced the market cost of the Wraith Turret and Overdrive abilities significantly⚖️ Balance ChangesIncreased the base damage boost of the Overdrive ability from 15% → 25%\ Reduced the ba…
- [DEMO LIVE] Play Empyrean Defense Today - 4 April 2026
The front lines are yours, Commander. After months of iteration and refinement, the Empyrean Defense Demo is now available to play on Steam! Jump into a fast paced, modern warfare tower defense game where every decision and second matters. Build and position your sites, manage power and resources, and adapt in real time as enemy forces push forward across land, sea, and air.What's waiting for you in the demo:Two campaign missionsDefend critical landmarks against multi-lane land, sea, and air assaults.Deep strategyAccess to Tier I sites and abilities, with early access to Tier II blueprints. Use the Market to trade for resources and the Foundry to craft specialized ammo.Persistent growthBegin shaping your defensive strategy through the Skills Tree.👉 Play the demo now👉 Wishlist Empyrean Defense to stay updated Found a bug or have feedback? Join our community and help us shape the future…
- Playtest Update v0.12.2 - 2 April 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesLocalization added with support for 5 languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and RussianAdded Overdrive abilityBoosts the firepower of all military sites within range by 15% for a short durationAdded controller guides to settings and level loading screensAdded controller pointer icon when hovering over sitesAdded action text to tooltips for neutral targetsAdded soft text glow to Founder DLC titles and all Tier II and Tier III market items and abilities 🔧 ImprovementsGeneral performance improvements to reduce minor stutteringReduced shadow map size to improve performanceUpdated main font and increased font sizes across the UI for better readabilityImproved UI layout for popu…
- Playtest Update v0.11.0 - 12 March 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesAdded 10th campaign level: Breakpoint Reservoir. Help defend Sentinel Dam and stop General Zharos from seizing control of the reservoir and its vital energy infrastructureItem drops and Supply drop crates now interact with water and float on the surface instead of sinkingDecorative boats in water environments now move naturally with the waves 🔧 ImprovementsImproved the wording of several loading screen tips to make them clearer and more naturalIncreased the LOD distance for Humvees to improve their visual appearance at rangeDefault camera pan sensitivity increased slightly for smoother navigationThe Quit confirmation popup in the game menu now properly returns focus to the mission panel when…
- Playtest Update v0.10.0 - 2 March 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesNew Ability: Teleport - Displaces a group of enemies, instantly teleporting them back along their advance and disrupting their push.Path Indicators: Added ground and naval path indicators during the setup phaseWater Improvements: Updated water shader to include Gerstner swells and CPU wave sampling for vessel rotation 🔧 ImprovementsUpdated ability icons for:FirestormLightning StormAdded tabbed containers in the Market to make browsing and navigation easierAllow tooltips in menu pages to be hidden when using controllerUpdated UI Scale setting info text and reordered it within the settings listUpdated wave overlay countdown to use mm:ss format⚖️ Balance ChangesLandmines AbilityCooldown increase…
- Playtest Update v0.9.1 - 23 February 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesAdded progress bars to Economy Sites to better visualize resource production 🔧 ImprovementsImproved performance and stability during extended play sessionsImproved UI readability with larger fonts across the top navigation menu, buttons, credits and briefing panelsImproved controller navigationMap mission panel objectives and medals are now focusable when using a controllerTooltips behave more consistently when navigating with a controllerIntroduced a new Main Menu layout with an integrated Briefing PanelAdded new UI button effect with a sticky selected option for controller navigationAdded Armory enhancements including ground, naval, and airborne scenes for improved presentationAdded higher…
- Playtest Update v0.9.0 - 16 February 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesAdded ability damage popups with accompanying icons for clearer combat feedbackIntroduced landmarks as neutral targets, including new interactions and mission fail conditionsAdded Chapel of the First Sovereign landmark to Graywake ReachAbilities can now interact with sites during Mission Prep (before Wave 1 begins)World repair and shield abilities now affect landmarksAdded a controller target icon for clearer target selectionAdded a loss reason indicator when failing due to landmark destructionSupply drop crates now auto-remove after one minute if uncollectedAdded a dedicated boss icon for improved readability 🔧 ImprovementsImproved item drop cooldown indicators with clearer visuals and backg…
- Playtest Update v0.8.0 - 9 February 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesAdded an onboarding checklist for new recruits to better familiarize them with the game menu and core mechanicsAdded multiple game save slots, and the game menu quit button now provides an option to return to the main menuAdded enemy and site overlay shaders that trigger on damaging hits and abilitiesAdded Rank 2 Fire and Ice skill: boosts the Napalm Strike ability's damage by 25% and increases the effectiveness of the Blizzard ability's slow by 25% 🔧 ImprovementsIncreased initial camera rotation and movement speed slightlyThe quick actions menu now reappears and highlights the site after closing site menu if the cursor is still hovering over itMajor performance enhancements to:Military sites…
- Playtest Update v0.7.0 - 2 February 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesAdded sound effects for skill up and reset skills actions in the skill treeAdded a red glow to site HP bars when below 30% HPAdded on-screen arrow indicators for:Sites below 30% HPSites that have run out of ammoLanded Supply DropsIncoming boss unitsRare item dropsAdded a side button on the abilities bar to toggle Night Vision Goggles for keyboard & mouse users (the toggle setting is still available in Settings)Renamed Greenwood Shoreline to Brightwood Bay 🔧 ImprovementsSplit Display settings out of cloud saves and keep them user/device specificRemoved redundant item descriptions from bottom pickup notificationsUpdated interface action font to better match the game's themeImproved clarity of P…
- Playtest Update v0.6.2 – QoL Improvements & Bug Fixes - 26 January 2026
This update is now live on the Empyrean Defense Steam Playtest. Thanks to everyone who’s been testing and sending feedback, many of the updates below came directly from your reports. ✨ New FeaturesAdded left click and drag for easier mouse panningAdded character popup when building first site and performing first upgrade on Verdant Anchorage 🔧 ImprovementsReduced installation size from 3 GB to 1 GBImproved Pillbox Site targeting accuracy by adjusting attack line-of-sight originUpdated Site Menu descriptions for improved clarityUpdated mission and loading screen visualsAdded controller-friendly scrolling to the Armory description panel using the right stickAdded left click and drag for easier mouse map panningAdded character popup when building first site and performing first upgrade on Verdant AnchorageIncreased coin and item drop sizes and timers to make it easier to see and pick upIn…
