The Gate Must Stand news & patch notes

Bug Fixes & Improvements

• Increased the Cart's HP in Escort missions.

• Fixed several additional soft-lock issues.

• Divine Blessings no longer increase skill cooldowns.

• Improved cart pathfinding.

• Fixed a bug where loading a save on the Demon King map could cause the Merchant to appear unexpectedly.

• Fixed a bug where Guardian War Cry could cause the game to soft-lock.

• Added a Reset button to the Destiny system.

• Added a Void status icon while Shadow is in Shadow Dance.

• Fixed an issue where resistances (such as Burn and Bleed Resistance) were not calculated correctly.

• Fixed a bug where Sword Immortal: Xiaoyao could not correctly deal bonus damage.

• Fixed various English localization issues.

• Reworked the Rune Swap relic.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

• Fixed a bug where Archers could not be placed on Fire and Frost Magic Circles.

• Added a more detailed description for Lucky Bone Dice.

• Fixed a bug with Shadow Assassin’s Bleed spreading effect.

• Increased Source Crystal drops from defeating bosses.

• Fixed several localization issues.

• Fixed a bug where the stat bonuses after merging summons did not take effect between levels 10–16.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

• Increased the Cart's HP in Escort missions.

• Fixed several additional soft-lock issues.

• Divine Blessings no longer increase skill cooldowns.

• Improved cart pathfinding.

• Fixed a bug where loading a save on the Demon King map could cause the Merchant to appear unexpectedly.

• Fixed a bug where Guardian War Cry could cause the game to soft-lock.

• Added a Reset button to the Destiny system.

• Added a Void status icon while Shadow is in Shadow Dance.

• Fixed an issue where resistances (such as Burn and Bleed Resistance) were not calculated correctly.

• Fixed a bug where Sword Immortal: Xiaoyao could not correctly deal bonus damage.

• Fixed various English localization issues.

• Reworked the Rune Swap relic.

Bug Fixes & Improvements

• Fixed a bug where the Tinkerer could not be disabled.

• Fixed an issue where Shadow Assassin clones could occasionally fail to disappear.

• Fixed a bug that could cause the Demon King stage to soft-lock.

• Improved Melina's projectile behavior.

• Improved mouse movement logic.

• Optimized enemy pathfinding.

• Fixed a bug where the Rune Swap relic would sometimes not take effect.

• Fixed an issue where relics could occasionally drop into water.

• Fixed a bug where Roderick and Layla could not trigger the Hellblade effect.

• Fixed a soft-lock that could occur when a hero's level was too high and no Awakenings were available.

• Fixed a bug where Guardian War Cry could cause the game to soft-lock.

• Updated the unlock description for the Tinkerer.

• Fixed a bug where the Thunderstorm Behemoth could cause a soft-lock.

• Fixed an issue where the game speed would become abnormally accelerated after quitting and restarting.

• Fixed a bug where ring effects could disappear when transitioning to the Demon King map.

• Fixed a bug where Layla could not complete her Destiny progression while holding the Book of Seals.

• Increased the amount of Source Crystals rewarded for completing the Demon King stage.

• Increased the Cart's HP in Escort missions.

• Fixed several additional soft-lock issues.

• Fixed a bug where the Tavern would fail to refresh.

• Fixed a bug where items in the Shop could not be purchased.

• Fixed a bug where The More, The Merrier effect was not functioning properly.

• Fixed a bug where Chaos Codex could occasionally fail to trigger properly.

• Reduced the Source Crystal requirements for all Fated Ones.

• Lowered the rank-up requirements for Xenos and Melina.

• Swapped the effects of Summon Rank 1 and Rank 2, allowing players to disable units earlier in progression.

• Significantly reduced the attack power of Ghost Ferryman, Siege Cannon, and Frost Demon.

• Improved the taunt logic for underwater enemies.

• Enabled enemies to walk on bridges in the Water City map (3-2).

• Optimized Melina’s projectile behavior when mouse-targeting attack mode is enabled.

• Capped Experience Gain Bonus at 200% to prevent infinite upgrade popup issues.

• Units affected by Greed’s Blessing can now absorb attack power from diagonally adjacent allies.

Additional Fixes & Improvements

• Fixed an issue where summons would not attack underwater enemies.

• Added enemy wave spawn notifications.

• Fixed a bug where Ultimate summon skills were not correctly inherited during transitions to the Demon Lord map.

• Nerfed the Molten Boss.

• Fixed incorrect damage panel display for the Chainsaw enemy.

• Fixed abnormal animation issues for the Shadow unit.

• Fixed a crash/soft-lock issue on the Water City map.

• Significantly reduced HP of high-tier bosses (previous update values were excessively high).

• Overall performance optimizations to reduce late-game frame drops.

• Improved projectile behavior for Melina.

• Reduced overall boss HP values.

• Fixed an issue where Thunderforge did not properly display quest information.

• When merging summons, unit render layers will now correctly prioritize and will no longer be visually blocked.

• Filtered out certain long-duration quests that could exceed expected gameplay duration limits.

• Increased Source Crystal rewards on higher difficulties. Difficulty 2–5 now grants +30% / +60% / +90% / +120% bonuses.

• Added missing codex entry for the Tinkerer.

• Fixed a bug where the Book of Summons would incorrectly store unused Ancient King’s Decree items.

• Removed collision between the wagon and both enemies and players.

• Ring-type skills now correctly persist when switching summons to the Demon Lord map.

• Completed localization for the Fated One interface.

• Fixed several crash issues.

• Fixed an issue where game speed could become abnormally fast and uncontrollable after the PC woke from sleep or when the game was brought back from the background.

• Fixed a bug where placing fences during an upgrade popup could cause them to be placed instantly in unintended positions.

• Improved interaction cleanup for upgrade popups: fences, selected summons, highlights, and attack range indicators are now correctly cleared.

• Fixed an issue where a single click after successful fence placement could still select units on the field.

• Fixed a bug where placing Divine Blessings in invalid positions could still consume selections or close previews incorrectly.

• Improved validation for Divine Blessing placement on the client side to reduce invalid placement state errors.

• Fixed an issue where the merchant countdown text could block mouse input.

• Fixed issues related to the Peerless Battle Banner.

• Fixed a bug where using the Ancient King’s Decree on a level 16 summon incorrectly displayed it as level 11.

• Fixed occasional crash issues involving Lyra.

🔥Major New Content

• New follower: Tinker

  • Ability: continuously repairs fences and gates, with two ultimate upgrade paths—Chainsaw Wielder and Minstrel Artisan

• New meta progression system: Fated One

  • After meeting unlock conditions and spending Source Crystals, players can directly enhance specific characters

  • You can also block unwanted upgrade affixes and follower pools, reducing RNG clutter and improving build consistency

I. Balance Adjustments

• Increased base HP of Reviving Guardian

• Rebalanced boss HP across all difficulties

• Improved carriage system to better match wave pacing across difficulty levels

II. Map & Follower Slot System Adjustments

• Reworked follower slot rules

  • Easy difficulty: full access to all map slots

  • Higher difficulties: progressively reduced slot availability

• Added UI display for current difficulty slot cap

III. Match Data Additions

• Added total gate damage taken in the post-match results screen Used for defensive analysis and run review

IV. UI, Rendering & Bug Fixes

• Fixed Lancer attack range display issue

• Fixed map boundary rendering issues when zooming out

• Fixed Gate Archer layer issue

• Adjusted boss rendering above visual effects layer

• Fixed “Cheers” description and effect issue

• Fixed Demonic Brew item malfunction

• Fixed Lucky Bone Dice incorrect trigger caused by follower awakening passive

• Fixed incorrect damage calculation in certain stats

• Optimized startup loading stutter and freezing issues

Performance Optimizations (Overall Progress: 70%)

• Significantly improved performance during high-speed gameplay, greatly reducing frame drops and improving long-session stability.

• Adjusted the render order of certain visual effects to prevent them from obscuring characters.

Gameplay & Stage Adjustments

• Reworked the Escort Wagon mechanics, with scaling values now properly balanced across all difficulty levels and waves.

• Reduced the attack range of the Siege Cannon to better balance its ranged damage output.

• Enhanced the combat mechanics of the Demon Lord.

• Players can now place Barricades during the Demon Lord stage, opening up new defensive strategies.

Visual Layering & Bug Fixes

• Increased the rendering priority of Bosses so they always appear above visual effects and are no longer obscured.

• Fixed a known issue where repeatedly switching windows could prevent Fullscreen mode from functioning correctly.

New Feature

• Added a Defeat Statistics panel that displays the total damage dealt to the Gate during the run, making it easier to review and improve your defense.

Relic Balance

• Significantly buffed the following relics:

  • Peerless Battle Banner

  • Forbidden Grimoire

  • Helm of the Underworld

Text Improvements

• Updated and clarified numerous in-game descriptions, making gameplay information more accurate and easier to understand.

Bug Fixes & Adjustments

• Fixed an issue where some Awakening descriptions were not highlighted correctly.

• Fixed a bug where Towerfront Slash Bounce could occasionally prevent followers from returning to their proper positions.

• Significantly increased the base damage of Xenos' Forward Slash and Uppercut Slash.

• Fixed an issue where some melee enemies would occasionally fail to attack barricades.

• Added buff attribute descriptions to the Codex.

Fixes & Improvements

• Corrected terrain data on the Water City maps:

  • Adjusted enemy spawn waves on the right side of the map.

  • Fixed an issue where bosses could walk into water.

  • Fixed an issue where relics could drop into water and become inaccessible.

• Improved the descriptions of several relics.

• Improved the wording of various Awakening effects to make their functionality clearer.

• Reduced the minimum cooldown limit for active skills in extreme situations.

• Players can now view damage statistics in real time during gameplay.

• Divine Blessings on Maps 2 and 3 will no longer spawn underneath fences, and their spawn positions have been adjusted.

• Abandoning a relic now grants Magic Coins.

Fixes & Adjustments

• Restored the visual effect for Holy Hammer Spin and improved its performance to reduce stuttering.

• Added starting Divine Blessings to Stages 2 and 3. One random Divine Blessing will now spawn on the map at the beginning of the run.

• Fixed an issue with the Traditional Chinese description for Sword Immortal Xiaoyao.

• Fixed a bug where Frost Fury would fail to trigger if no valid target could be found.

• Increased the health of the Escort Wagon objective and changed its reward to Ancient King's Decree.

• Fixed a UI issue where experience values could become misaligned on the results screen.

• Reduced the strength of early-game enemies to provide a smoother progression curve.

Bug Fixes & Adjustments

• Fixed several causes of performance stuttering.

• Fixed a bug where the "Hide Health Bars" option could not be reverted after being enabled.

• Fixed an issue where out-of-run Hero Revival effects were not functioning properly.

• Fixed a bug where the Reviving Guardian's resurrection time reduction effect did not take effect.

• Fixed various English localization issues.

• Reduced the Frost Fiend's attack damage.

• The stats panel now displays the Gate's current HP in real time.

• Fixed several locations on the Water City map where players could become permanently stuck.

• Increased the escort cart's HP during Cart Escort missions.

• Fixed an issue where the Frost Legacy and Shield Domain effects could fail under certain circumstances.

• Fixed a bug that could cause some relics to appear excessively large.

• Clicking on units in the battlefield now follows target selection priority rules.

• Optimized the performance of Roderick's Thunder Shield Wall under extreme conditions.

• Reduced the Source Crystal cost of Gate Defense upgrades.

• Further fixed potential soft-lock issues on the Water City map.

• Fixed a bug where the Forest Guardian's Ultimate Follower version had a much lower skill activation chance than intended.

• Fixed an issue where certain Divine Blessings could not be placed correctly.

• Added support for five ultrawide resolutions:

  • 1440×900

  • 1680×1050

  • 1920×1200

  • 2560×1080

  • 3440×1440

• Fixed a bug where the Molten Area effect of the Fire Elemental Envoy was smaller than intended.

Bug Fixes & Adjustments

• Reduced the amount of Source Crystals required for Gate Defense upgrades. (We are currently working on a new out-of-run progression system for hero upgrades.)

• Fixed an issue where certain Steam achievements could not be completed.

• Added additional guidance for the Divine Blessing system.

• Increased the font size of tutorial text.

• Added a display showing the current accumulated follower attack bonus gained from Power Absorption.

• Improved various tutorial and guidance elements.

• Fixed an issue where the Catapult could occasionally launch heroes to incorrect locations.

• Fixed a bug that caused melee enemies to have a longer attack range than intended.

• Fixed a performance issue that could cause stuttering when playing in borderless window mode.

• The rollback feature now automatically adapts to your screen resolution. Support for ultrawide resolutions is still in progress and should be available within the next few days.

• Fixed a bug where the Thunder Sword Saint's projectiles could cause screen flickering.

• Fixed an issue where the Weaver of Dread boss could become stuck.

• Shadow Assassins can now be properly selected and targeted by the King's Command.

Text & Localization Fixes

• Improved and corrected multiple English text translations across the game

Contract System Adjustments

• Fixed logic issues in Soul Contract and Fallen Contract skill effects

New Feature: Direct Map Selection

• Added a map selection entry in the hero selection interface

• Players can now directly choose the stage/map they want to challenge

Camera & Presentation Optimization

• After the merchant entrance animation, the camera now automatically restores to the original aspect ratio

Bug Fixes

• Fixed issue where Gate Archers would not automatically attack

• Fixed abnormal unlocking and tracking issues for some Steam achievements

• Fixed Molten Boss bomb cooldown effect not applying correctly

• Fixed issue where land monsters would incorrectly enter water in the Water City map

• Fixed monsters getting stuck in terrain on the Port map

• Fixed gate auto-attack system failure

• Fixed terrain issue preventing follower placement on certain tiles in the Port map

• Fixed multiple cases of monsters getting stuck in walls or collision points

Map & Unit Balance Adjustments

• Removed redundant follower placement tiles behind statues

• Optimized monster spawn point distribution in the Water City map

• Reduced overall damage values of the Frog Mage

• Fixed attack range bonus calculation for Spear Soldiers and Priests, now properly benefiting from range amplification effects

Quality of Life Improvements

• Added one-key skip for post-battle result animations; any key now skips results screen

• Increased cooldown delay on upgrade option clicks to prevent accidental rapid input and misclicks

Bug fixes and adjustments

• Fixed an issue where environmental kills were incorrectly counted as hero damage.

• Reduced the Demon God's map-wide damage.

• Fixed a bug on certain maps that could generate impossible-to-complete objectives.

• Added an attack speed cap of 10 to prevent lag and crashes.

• Added a screen-edge flashing effect when the gate is at low health.

• Added a protection mechanism when the gate is close to falling, preventing it from being instantly destroyed by certain mechanics.

• Enabled the Thunder Sword Saint's projectiles to pass through barricades.

• Increased the follower slot count on the Water City map.

• Fixed bridge pathing issues, relic drop bugs, and other related issues on the Water City map.

• Fixed a bug where attack range indicators could not be closed after selecting a statue.

• Adjusted the probability of awakening branches appearing, making it easier to obtain awakenings that have already been chosen.

• Fixed an issue where tutorial text could overflow its display area.

• The "Pause Game When Hovering Over the Tavern" option is now disabled by default and can be re-enabled in Settings.

• Fixed a bug where waterborne enemies could become stuck if knocked back.

• Reworked Melina's Gravity Link and Void Traverse abilities.

• Optimized the performance of certain visual effects.

• Adjusted boss spawn behavior on the Water City map.

Hello,

A huge thank you to everyone who has picked up a copy of The Gate Must Stand and left us a review - every bit of feedback is critical for us to bring you updates and make the game the best version we can. We have already managed to fix most of the bugs shared by players, so please keep sharing them on the Steam Forums or in Discord! 

With this update, we would like to address a lot of the concerns we’ve been receiving regarding the art. Some players have raised concerns about the Hero Portraits being AI generated. To the best of our knowledge, this was not the case. We trusted a third party to create the artwork for this portion of the game and are waiting to hear back from them with proof of their creative process. This would help us determine whether any generative AI was used to make the current art assets. We absolutely agree with the community sentiment against AI and stand with you all. This is not an issue we take lightly, but we are also not experts on the topic so we do request some patience while we deal with this, as it is our first time navigating such an issue!

While we wait for proof from the third party, we have reverted  back to an older art style that we know was handmade by one of our artists. This update has already been pushed out so you should see the changes by now. Rest assured we are taking the steps necessary to ensure there is no generative AI art in the game going forward.

We truly appreciate all the feedback and concerns coming from the players and hope you continue to enjoy and support the game as we make the necessary changes over the next few weeks.

Thank you all for your incredible support of The Gate Must Stand!

We've completed a major polish pass on three additional maps and have now added them to the game. We hope these new battlefields will make your gate-defending journey even more exciting and varied.

New Maps

• Sunken Harbor Bastion

• Ashtide Seacity

• Crystal Rift Waters

Each map features unique terrain layouts and challenges, but that's not all. You'll also encounter a host of brand-new enemies ready to test your defenses.

New Enemies

• Sea Siren

• Frog Mage

• Helicopter Monkey

• Deep Sea Giant

• Ghost Ferryman

• Skeleton Pirate

• Frost Jellyfish

• Hook Demon

• Giant Raccoon Demon

• Frost Fiend

Once again, thank you for your support and feedback.

The gate still stands, and the battle has only just begun!

Combat Statistics Panel Improvements

• Upgraded the post-battle damage summary screen.

• In addition to displaying total damage dealt by each hero and follower, every entry can now be expanded to view a detailed damage breakdown.

• Damage sources include:

  • Basic Attacks

  • Active Skills

  • Passive Effects

  • Buffs

  • Divine Blessings

  • Awakenings

  • All other damage sources

Unit Placement Rule Adjustments

Archer Ring Placement Fix

• Archers can no longer be placed on Archer Ring slots that are already occupied by another Archer.

• This prevents position conflicts and overlapping issues.

• Other follower types can still be placed on Archer Ring slots as normal.

Catapult Placement Correction

• Upgraded Catapults now correctly use their larger footprint size for:

  • Placement previews

  • Collision detection

  • Position validation

Follower Fusion & Awakening Improvements

• Followers with ring-based Awakening effects will now correctly re-trigger their ring placement process after being fused.

• Old Awakening data inherited from consumed followers will be cleared properly.

• Fixed issues involving:

  • Lingering visual effects

  • Incorrect ring positions

  • Awakening data inconsistencies

Escort Mission Improvements

• Extended the completion detection window for Escort objectives.

• Escort missions will now complete correctly once the escorted target reaches and remains within the Gate's detection range for a short period.

• This significantly reduces cases where missions become stuck and fail to complete near the Gate.

Combat Behavior Adjustments

• Improved Assassin target selection logic:

  • Assassins now prioritize attacking full-health targets when performing their extra strike.

• Added a very short attack-lock buffer to certain Hero Awakening abilities, resulting in smoother combat responsiveness.

Window & Cursor Experience Improvements

• In Borderless Fullscreen mode, the mouse cursor is now locked within the game window while the game is active.

• Switching between window modes now refreshes the interface immediately without requiring a game restart.

Steam Achievement Fixes

• Fixed progression achievement validation.

• Difficulty-completion achievements will no longer unlock automatically based solely on the highest difficulty recorded in a save file.

• Players must now legitimately clear the corresponding difficulty level to earn each achievement.

UI Improvements

• Adjusted the size and positioning of several buttons and text elements on the main menu.

• Improved overall layout consistency and visual balance.

Mirror Demon (Enemy23) Adjustments

• Reduced the effectiveness of the Mirror Demon's reflected damage effect:

  • Reflection damage reduced from 100% → 50%.

• Added a visual duration indicator for the reflection effect.

• Updated localization text descriptions across all supported languages.

Black Screen Loading Fixes

• Loading overlays now close immediately upon entering combat scenes.

• Any lingering loading screens are automatically cleared before opening the level-up selection panel.

• Fixed issues that could cause:

  • Persistent black screens

  • Loading overlays failing to disappear

Damage Attribution Improvements

• Fixed multiple issues affecting damage statistics.

• All damage is now correctly attributed to its actual source, including:

  • Heroes

  • Followers

  • Awakenings

  • Relics

• Damage reports will no longer display incorrect ownership or mixed damage attribution.

Fixes & Improvements

• Adjusted the experience requirements for permanent progression unlocks, making long-term progression pacing more balanced. Existing save files will be automatically migrated, and previously unlocked content will not be lost due to the new requirements.

• Fixed an issue where enemies spawning from map edges or special spawn points could become stuck against walls, spawn in invalid locations, or be blocked by their own spawn points.

• Fixed an issue where enemy wave pacing could become inconsistent after loading a saved game, causing leftover enemies from previous waves to delay future spawns.

• Fixed an issue where heroes could occasionally stop attacking and become idle after using skills or performing attacks.

• Fixed an issue where certain enemies near barricades would fail to attack properly after entering their attack range.

• Fixed an issue with the speed-up button icon displaying incorrectly.

• Fixed inaccuracies in some Steam achievement statistics when playing multiplayer or using skill prediction mechanics.

• Fixed an issue where Boss Challenge save data could occasionally contain unintended combat units under special circumstances.

• Added real-time updates to the character stats panel.

• Improved Caravan Quest visibility and behavior:

  • Removed the global taunt effect.

  • Added a brief invulnerability period.

• Fixed an issue where the Half-Blood Prince could fail to disappear correctly.

• Added a minimum cooldown limit of 0.5 seconds for active skills.

• Added reset logic and a maximum cap to Lyra's global Elf counter.

• Fixed several issues that could cause the game to become stuck or unresponsive.

• Fixed incorrect values on the Codex relic.

• Added a short input buffer when the level-up screen appears to prevent accidental upgrades caused by rapid clicking.

• Fixed an issue where certain enemies could reach excessively high stats in late-game scenarios.

• Reduced the risk of performance stuttering caused by Steam Cloud save synchronization.

• Flame Mage attacks can now pass through barricades correctly.

It has been amazing to see so many of you step up and defend the gate!

We would first off like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has played the game so far! It has been amazing to see so many players in the first 24 hours!

You will be pleased to know the developer has been hard at work listening to player feedback and squashing bugs. A variety of hot fixes, bug fixes, balance and performance optimizations have already been put live! Please do let us know if you encounter any issues when playing and we will aim to have them addressed as soon as possible!

For those who are wondering about the upcoming content listed in the roadmap, we are still well on track to add these features to the game. This includes controller support, online co-op mode and a whole bunch of other content including new heroes, new difficulty settings and much more! Check out the list of content below, and if you want to stay up to date and be the first to know when we announce the new content consider joining our Discord!

And on a final note, we once again want to say thank you for playing the game. If you would consider leaving a review this helps us out a lot! The launch discount and bundle deals will continue for the 2 week period so if you are enjoying The Gate Must Stand, please consider telling your friends ahead of the co-op update coming very soon!

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug preventing the carriage quest from completing on certain maps, reorganized the monster entries in the collection book, and nerfed overall enemy strength.

• Fixed an issue where no hero awakenings were available after repeated refreshes.

• Resolved some stuttering problems and added a skip button for the tutorial.

New Features & Display Improvements

Added a tooltip warning that heroes will be slowed when passing through enemies.

Balance Adjustments

• Reduced Gate upgrade costs: New costs are 20 / 50 / 80 / 120 / 150 / 200.

• Relic Codex of Chaos reworked: All active skill cooldowns reduced by 40%. The forced auto-cast mechanic has been removed; players may now trigger skills manually.

• Black Market Token: discount tiers adjusted to 10% / 20% / 30% / 40%.

• Pyromancer burn awakenings rebalanced: Each attack now applies an additional 1 / 2 / 3 burn stacks. Base burn stack count lowered to 1.

Gameplay & Performance Optimizations

• Archer projectiles will no longer incorrectly collide with friendly barricades.

• Reworked rendering logic for frequent damage-over-time effects such as Burn to ease performance strain from massive floating damage numbers and hit visual effects in late waves.

• Improved experience orb merging logic to mitigate frame drops when large quantities of pickups spawn at once.

• improved Sanctuary Guardian aura visualization and damage redirection logic to eliminate damage duplication issues and unnecessary performance overhead.

• Optimized visual asset loading for select Bosses reducing stuttering on first effect playback.

• Players now unlock the next difficulty tier upon clearing a single stage.

• Camera zoom will no longer trigger when Lancers or Catapults knock back the hero.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where visual effects and buff/debuff states from certain active skills lingered after the hero died.

• Resolved glitches causing misplaced minions or stuck input states if players open quests, upgrades, shop, settings, or save & exit mid-minion drag, purchase, or fusion.

• Fixed occasional unclickable quest Ul bug.

• Addressed a bug where aquatic monsters would become immobile after climbing onto land.

• Fixed a quest failure bug where defeating minor foes that never attacked the gate would not count toward quest progress.

• Removed the "trial version" watermark text shown in Unity builds.

• Fixed a bug where defeating enemies failed to unlock their entries in the codex.

• Added a Bestiary for normal enemies, elites, and bosses.

• Improved projectile hit detection: Enemy projectiles will no longer be incorrectly blocked by friendly visual-effect colliders that have no character entity attached. Child-object colliders can now also correctly identify their owning character.

• Fixed an issue where certain fixed-spawn elite or ground enemies could spawn on invalid terrain.

• Adjusted the fence placement hotkey logic: The keyboard rotate key is now dedicated to rotation during placement, preventing conflicts with the fence placement shortcut.

• Fixed an issue where some non-authentic boss or monster deaths could incorrectly count toward Steam achievements or kill statistics.

• Fixed a performance issue where swapping Rune Relics could cause noticeable lag.

• Added inheritance count display when merging followers.

The Gate Must Stand is out now with 30% launch discount!

It's time to defend your city with all you've got because the full version of The Gate Must Stand is finally out! You are the city's last line of defence, fend off the hoards of enemies and pick the right upgrades to control the battlefield. Whatever you do, do not let the gate fall.

Grab your copy of The Gate Must Stand and save 30% for the next 2 weeks as we celebrate the launch!

Or you can save even more by snagging one of the bundles with other indie titles Stray Path and Border Pioneer for an extra 20% off, or 33% off by buying all 3 together!

• Gates and Borders

• Gates and Paths

• Gates, Paths and Borders

Leave a review!

If you enjoy the game, please consider leaving us a review on Steam! This is the best way to support us - it helps push us up the Steam algorithm and get the game in front of as many people as possible, which is especially critical on launch day and the days following! We hope you enjoy The Gate Must Stand as much as we enjoyed making it!

Hello everyone!

Exciting news, because The Gate Must Stand has a release date! Prepare your defences and get ready for battle, because you can now count down the days until the demons attack!

The Gate Must Stand releases on Thursday 18th June 2026!

From its initial reveal to the demo test, The Gate Must Stand has received a lot of attention, feedback, and support from players. The team especially thanks all the players who have added it to their wishlists, participated in testing, and offered suggestions. It is this feedback that has helped the game gradually become more complete with each update.

This fantasy roguelike tower defence game puts you in the thick of the action! Choose your valiant warrior, recruit your allies, upgrade their skills, and discover powerful synergies to hold the last line of defence as you fend off brutal waves of demonic hordes. Remember: heroes can fall, but the gate must stand. Trailer below!

Greetings Guardians!

The team has been hard at work fixing and polishing the game and we can finally share just some of the improvements that have been made to The Gate Must Stand in the demo! Starting with the most impressive:

🎨 Complete Visual Art Overhaul

• UI Interface: All UI elements in the game have been redone, including menus, panels, interactive buttons, and function icons.

• Icon Artwork Update: New and exquisite character illustrations for all heroes have been added, and the main menu full-screen cover image has been changed accordingly.

• Hero Performance Reset: All hero character models, skeletal animations, and skill effects have been completely reset, improving combat performance.

Original

New

New Features & Experience Improvements

• Auto Pause: The game will now automatically pause if you switch out of the game during battle.

• UI & Effects

  • Added a UI animation showing EPX crystals flying toward the EPX bar when collected.

  • Fence (barricade) HP bars are now displayed in green.

  • Healing numbers will appear when a single heal exceeds 5 HP.

  • When placing a Catapult, only the four valid tiles will be highlighted.

  • When obtaining the Decree of the Ancient King for the first time, the background will dim and the icon will be highlighted. When usable, the icon will also have a breathing animation.

• Guidance & Text

  • The tutorial for recruiting followers now dims the background and highlights the tavern area. The English text spacing has been adjusted for better readability.

  • Fixed an incorrect Traditional Chinese display for the Boss arrival name.

  • Implemented localized text about “Merge Refund” and “Dismiss Followers.”

• System Configuration: In GameData, the enemy stat scaling after defeating a Boss has been separated into independent parameters. Three configurable slots are reserved for dynamic adjustment.

⚖️ Mechanics and Balance Adjustments

• Carriage Mission:

  • The carriage is now invulnerable for the first 3 seconds.

  • Random upgrades will no longer select Ultimate Followers.

  • For the Thunder Mage, only Thunder King can be selected.

• Status Priority: When a minion has both "Void" and "Taunt", Taunt is canceled first, and restored after Void ends.

• Relic \ Balance: The effect now dynamically reads the number of followers on the field instead of using a fixed value.

• Blessings & Ring-type Effects

  • Two Bow Rings can no longer stack with each other (if A gives it to B, B cannot give it back to A).

  • Two Ring-type Blessings cannot be placed on the same tile.

• Spawn Logic: Followers generated by the relic Leaf Elegance will now always appear on empty tiles

• Logic Optimization \: minions prioritize appearing in empty spaces; corrected \ so that it only takes effect upon advancement.

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Combat Fixes: Fixed issues such as Shadow Hunter's attack missing (changed to deal damage to all targets), Shadow Assassin not triggering upgrade shockwave, Molten Bomb being taunted and moved, and Rift Fiend's attacks not causing damage.

• Numerical Fixes: Fixed Forest Guardian's health regeneration to be dynamically determined; fixed issues such as Catapult/Assassin awakening counting prematurely, Catapult's permanent attack power resetting after death, and incorrect Bow Ring attack speed value.

• Interaction Fixes: Fixed issues such as \ not working, heroes getting stuck when placing roadblocks halfway across a grid, and initial roadblocks being unable to be dismantled.

• System Fixes: Fixed issues such as incorrect Traditional Chinese BOSS names, continuous looping sound effects in the quest interface, and incorrect entries popping up in Thorn Gate.

• Localization: Implemented localized text for the refund when crafting items exceeding the level cap.

• Ring-type blessings no longer allow stacking: fixed the bug where blessings could not be placed after placing a ring-type tile.

Thank you all for being here! Remember,

Heroes can fall, but the gate must stand!

Commanders, we've rolled out an update focusing on optimizing gameplay experience, visual presentation, and addressing recently reported bugs.

Detailed changes below:

✨ New Features and Experience Enhancements

• Upgraded Settings Options：

  • Added **“Hide damage numbers” and “Hide minion HP bars”** options for a cleaner display.

  • Mouse Side Buttons can now be bound as shortcuts.

• UI Display Optimization:

  • Skill buttons are now permanently displayed on-screen without requiring mouse hover.

  • Awakening or relics with permanent stat-boosting effects (such as Shadow Assassin or Catapult) now display the current number of stacks in the bottom-right corner.

• New Player Tutorial：

  • Added tutorials for Boss Attack the Gate, Follower Synthesis/Dismissal, and Mysterious Merchant to help players get started faster.

⚖️ Balance & Mechanics Adjustments

• Boss Mechanics Adjustments:

  • Initial Difficulty Optimization: Bosses now only take 60% damage from control and displacement effects.

  • Collision Optimization: Heroes can now pass through Boss models, but suffer a 90% slow effect while traversing.

• Heroes & Skills:

  • Forward Slash: Epic-level handling optimization! Now Step Forward Slash can directly pass through minions, fences, and Bosses without getting stuck.

  • Mage Adjustment: Mage heroes' out-of-battle experience logic has been adjusted. It now calculates based on enemies base experience and is no longer affected by in-battle experience bonuses, fixing the issue of excessive leveling speed.

  • Black Hole Skill:

    • Black Hole (Melina's dark orb) can no longer pass through terrain edges like city gates and walls.

    • Fixed an issue where Black Hole triggered by basic attacks would consume the skill's duration. Both now have separate cooldowns.

• Other:

  • Forward Slash Logic: While a follower is being thrown, no other follower can be placed in its original position, preventing overlapping upon revival.

🎨 Visual & Audio Effects

• Merchant Entrance Animation: When the Mysterious Merchant arrives on the battlefield, the camera will zoom in with brief slow-motion and highlight effects, ensuring you don't miss it!

• Control Visual Optimization:

  • During minion merging or when using Decree of the Ancient King, the background dims and highlights selectable minions for clearer visual hierarchy and reduced obstruction.

  • When placing minions in the Tavern, unplaceable areas automatically dim, leaving only green-highlighted slots visible.

• Audio Optimization: When the game is paused, looping battlefield sounds (e.g. Gale Dance, Protective Barrier) will be muted accordingly.

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Interaction Fixes：

  • Fixed an issue where fences could be incorrectly placed on Bosses or Heroes.

  • Fixed an issue where fences could overlap with minions during placement.

  • Fixed an issue where the character model would abnormally enlarge after canceling the selection of “Decree of the Ancient King”.

  • Fixed an issue where clicking the Thunder Mage's attack effect could mistakenly trigger the selection panel.

• Skill & Item Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue where other Lightning Mages could still be upgraded incorrectly after unlocking the Lightning Chain Overlord talent.

  • Fixed an issue where the Codex of Chaos skill could not be auto-cast.

  • Fixed the abnormal spawn mechanism of Invincible Battle Flag (failed to guarantee obtaining Greatshield Guardian).

  • Fixed Molten Fire incorrectly attacking Shadow Assassin.

  • Fixed Bow Ring causing abnormal cooldown reductions.

  • Fixed Black Hole projecting bosses into the gate causing clipping issues.

• Miscellaneous:

  • Fixed UI issue displaying multiple “Remove Barrier” icons simultaneously.

  • Fixed skill description text potentially extending beyond screen edges.

Thank you all for playing and sharing your feedback!

Join our Discord to keep up to date with the latest updates: https://discord.gg/DdZnUys4Gz

Heroes!

The Steam Next Fest: February 2026 Edition is now live! You are all welcome to join the adventure!

The Gate Must Stand is a medieval fantasy roguelike tower defence game. Choose your hero, recruit followers, and build synergies to grow stronger through randomized challenges. Allies may fall and be rebuilt, but the gate must stand. Join this battle for the kingdom's survival and face the ultimate trial of defending the gate.

This Steam Next Fest update brings lots of new content to the Demo:

New Levels & Maps

A brand-new battlefield is now open! More complex terrain and tactical space await your exploration of fresh defence strategies.

Massive Enemy Expansion

New monsters join the fray, diversifying enemy formations. Elite variants and dangerous combinations will constantly test your deployments and split-second decisions.

Demo for Steam Next Fest Inclusions

2 Selectable Heroes

• Over 100 hero-specific upgrade options to craft entirely distinct combat styles

9 Followers

• 18 ultimate forms + 54 upgradeable skills

• Build your battlefield legion

🏰 Off-Battle Growth System

• Unlocked to Level 3 off-battle upgrade cap

• Access unique off-battle stat allocation system

🗺 2 Stages + 2 Maps

• Rotating Multi-Battlefield Challenges

👑 4 Bosses with Unique Mechanics

• Each Boss Battle Presents a Fresh Test

✨ 39 Powerful Relics

• Each boasts unique abilities to aid you in battle

The New Year Demo marks a significant milestone in our current development phase. If you have suggestions or ideas for the game's development, feel free to join our QQ group or Discord for discussion. Thank you to all players who follow and support The Gate Must Stand!

Heroes can fall, but the gate must stand.

Add The Gate Must Stand to your wishlist now and fight the enemy to the bitter end!

Hello everyone!

A huge thank you to all players who participated in the Playtest! Each update and improvement would not be possible without your patience, support, and passion. After continuous polishing, the demo version of The Gate Must Stand is now officially live!

Your Playtest save files can be seamlessly carried over to the Demo, so feel free to jump in and experience the latest content. We are also looking forward to hearing more of your feedback and ideas as we continue refining the game together!

Development is still ongoing, with more stages, heroes, and new gameplay features on the way so stay tuned!

✨ New Hero Joins the Fight: Mage “Melina”

• A star mage with silver hair and violet eyes

• Wields unique gravity magic to summon black holes that tear enemies apart

• Her favorite food is pudding

🧬 Meta Progression Unlocked

• The Demo now unlocks meta progression up to Level 3

• Players can unlock and experience the third tier of meta talents

🔄 New Mechanic: Level Overflow Refund

• Triggers when a follower’s upgrade exceeds the level cap

• For each overflow level, 20% of the current upgrade cost is refunded as Mana Coins (rounded up)

• Clear UI feedback has been added to display this behavior

👥 Dismiss / Demolish Features

• Follower Dismissal

  • New “Dismiss” option added

  • Left-click a follower and hold the Dismiss button for 2 seconds to remove them

  • Includes a retreat afterimage animation

• Fence Demolition

  • Left-click fences to access the demolish option

  • Hold for 2 seconds to dismantle

We sincerely hope you’ll continue sharing your thoughts and suggestions, every piece of feedback helps make The Gate Must Stand better. You’re also welcome to join our official Discord community to discuss strategies, share experiences, and witness the game’s growth together!

Play now and add the game to your wishlist!