Vanguard Exiles news & patch notes

Generals!

ANZ Indiefest has hit Steam, running from May 8th at 7:30pm AEST to May 14th at 7:30pm AEST, and as teased in our previous update, the features we're unveiling today are only the first wave of a greater effort falling under the banner of "Vanguard Logistics", which is focused on a number of features around player identity, including things like player profiles, personalisation and Squad management.

Let's get to the juicy stuff!

Player Profile panel

Soon, players will be able to dive into their profile and preferences using the upcoming Player Profile panel, shown in the image below (top, left of screenshot).

Once the corresponding features have been unlocked in the panel, players will have access to the following:

• Avatar and profile customisation - forge a profile that represents your leadership style by choosing UI elements like your Avatar (with a choice of squad Heraldry, your Steam avatar or in game avatars you've unlocked), card and panel frames, and both the player & spectator emote wheels

• Medals - your display case of achieved and evolving accomplishments as a seasoned General

• Squad Management - a General's "war room", where you can rank, manage and order your Squads to prepare for the battles ahead!

The team put a lot of effort into UX and readability, ensuring UI was both highly readable and creatively expressive, and we're excited to release (and continue releasing) more card frames, hand frames, player ratings, Avatar, backings, emotes and more in the future. Despite the feeling we're on the right track, we pride ourselves on being a community driven team, so naturally we're excited to hear the feedback from our players to continue help shaping the future of Vanguard Exiles.

Now for a little icing on this big cake....

All the aforementioned features are part of the greater stride towards the most requested feature by our players...Campaign Mode. This will be the final major feature planned for our impending V1 release, so you'll have to trust us when we say that players have a LOT to look forward to in future.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing!

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Generals!

ANZ Steam Indiefest will be running from May 8th at 7:30pm AEST to May 14th at 7:30pm AEST, and the team here at The Tea Division is proud to announce that Vanguard Exiles has been handpicked as one of the games scheduled to be featured during the event!

As part of this, Steam and a number of ANZ creators will be streaming games from those being showcased, and players will be able to check out Vanguard Exiles as part of the broadcast showcase of the best indie games made in Australia and New Zealand!

To coincide with the event, players will be treated to a reveal of upcoming UI personalisation elements within the game, so those tuning in over the course of ANZ Indiefest will be the first to see our initial steps towards defining and refining player profiles.

We'll be sending out another announcement when ANZ Indiefest has kicked off, but in the meantime, lock in the dates and get prepared for a week of Indiefest fun!

Cheers, Tinbeard

Generals!

Over the last number of months, we've introduced multiple new Game Modes such as Battle Zone, Daily Challenges and Gauntlet Mode, along with a new Zone, some Zone Actions and a host of new Units.

Now, we're releasing 2 more new Zones and Spectator Emotes! Let's run through the details:

New Zones: Blacksmith's Forge and Acid Pool

The Blacksmith's Forge (pictured below on the left) gives players the ability to give one of their Units 1 Armor (permanently) upon capturing the Zone, making this the first time Factions outside of the Ironhand Dominion (dwarves) gain access to this ability.

In comparison, the new Acid Pool Zone (pictured above on the right) contrasts the Blacksmith's Forge, by wearing down Armor on all Units within the Zone each turn. Whilst this doesn't damage Units themselves, it can certainly make life easier for players coming up against an armored mob. Unlike the Blacksmith's Forge, any armor that has been degraded or removed in a skirmish as a result of the Acid Pool will be replenished in the next skirmish, so keep your guard up! (Pun intended.)

Spectator Emotes

Everybody loves cheering for a player (or booing one down) and with the introduction of Spectator Emotes, your feelings can be heard...or rather, seen!

Players who are battling can see spectators and any emotes they're using in multiple places outside of the skimirsh, including during Squad selection, the lobby and in the Barracks! The emotes themselves are color coded appropriately to take away any ambiguity in who you're cheering for (or against) and the team is excited to see our community and players involved in games, even if they aren't the ones skirmishing.

As always, after the sign-off below you'll find the changelog for this update, so for those who like to dive into the finer points, you can catch all the details there.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing.

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Changelog

Features:

• Spectators can emote

• Added Spectator lists to Barracks and Multiplayer Lobby

• Blacksmith Forge and Acid Pool added

Improvements:

• Audio listener mechanism changed to give more variation when panning around map

• AR change can now report durability degradation, not just full AR change in Gamelog

• Speed Slider resolves on all clients to improve spectator synchronisation

Fixes:

• Fixed exploit allowing constructions to be duplicated in a controlled zone

• Fixed Particle shader and highlighting colours for VFX

• Fixed Issue with Director allowing 'phantom' units in zone, this resulted in units 'overlapping' at times

• Fixed some localised texts

• Fixed tooltip ordering for PvP Tooltips on main menu

• Reset audio distance on return to main menu - fixes zone sounds in glossary

Generals!

In our latest update, "Command Flags" hit the battlefield in Vanguard Exiles, offering each Faction the capacity to exert influence over Unit movement as they traverse the map!

This influence comes through utilising Zone Actions, which feature Attract and Repel mechanics. The former gives directional preference to an affected Unit’s movement, while the latter causes a Unit to ignore movement choices towards that Zone (instead of making a random movement choice).

Here’s a breakdown of each Zone Action for their respective Factions and what they do:

• Elven: Beguiling Sigil – Attracts all opponent Units (Enemy Squad)

• Human: Eldritch Beacon – Attracts all allied Units (Your Squad)

• Dwarven: Captivating Obelisk – Attracts ALL Units

• Undead (Attract): Desecrated Ground – Attracts ALL Undead and repels ALL non-Undead Units

• Undead (Repel): Hallowed Ground – Repels ALL Undead and attracts ALL non-Undead Units

To give players an illustration of how they work, we've provided an example below:

• The Zombie starts in Zone A which also contains a Hallowed Ground

• Hallowed Ground repels Undead but lures Non-Undead, but since it's already been deployed in the Zone (and being that the Zone is unclaimed) it doesn't move and claims Zone A

• Once claimed, it now looks for the nearest unclaimed Zone and has an option of 4 possible Zones (being Zones B,C,D,E - all of which are all 1 Zone away)

• Zone E also has a Hallowed Ground, so being that it repels Undead, it is removed as option

• Zone B has a Desecrated Ground which lures Undead, which means C and D are eliminated as an option as the Zombie is drawn to the Desecrated Ground

• Once claiming Zone B, it now looks for the nearest unclaimed Zones of which there are 3, Zone C, D and E

• Where Zones E & D are 2 Zones away, and Zone C is 1 Zone away, it chooses to move to capture C

• Once C is claimed and the Zombie looks for the next unclaimed Zone, the options are Zone E and Zone D (both 2 Zones away)

• As Zone E has a Hallowed Ground which repels Undead, it will prefer to move to Zone D (via Zone A) to claim it

• Once Zone D is claimed, the Zombie has only one viable Zone left to claim, and now "reluctantly" goes to claim Zone E, being the last option available

This is just one example of what to expect, but in the near future we’ll be releasing a follow-up "deep dive" article that explores these new Zone Actions and their nuances in greater detail.

Additionally, the Demo version has been updated with all the latest fixes and improvements from the Early Access version, including a refined difficulty progression and greater variety in the Daily Challenges.

Mandatory shout-out to our community for their continued support, and as always, after the sign-off below, you can find the detailed changelog of the latest update to keep you up-to-date on recent bug fixes, additions and tweaks.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing!

Cheers, Tinbeard

Changelog:

New:

• Command Flags

Improvements:

• Tweaked layout of Keyword information (Font sizes and spacing)

• Fixed some redundant data in characters

• Daily challenges tweaked to remain challenging, but not totally 1 sided

• Options Menu Tooltips

• Improved/added shadows to some zone objects

• Adjusted Shadow cascades to improve zoomed/battle range shadows

• Demo specific: Refined Difficulty progression and added more variety to the Daily Challenges.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed issue with UI ordering on Dailies screen

• Worked around issue of VFX Graph material changes crashing Unity

• Fixes for raycast detection issues against world and cards

• Stopped Redeploy for spectators showing up in some circumstances

• Changed player iterator to shallow copy traversal to fix a rare crash

• Fixed modifier icons turning white after tooltips

• Stop Unit visual logic updating at end of game (fix for rare end of game issue causing bad data at start of next skirmish)

Generals!

The Steam Spring Sale 2026 has kicked off and The Tea Division is here to bring you the value!

During the duration of the Steam Spring Sale, Vanguard Exiles will be discounted by 25%!

Now to add a little context to the significance of this sale, in the last few months, we’ve not only  released a host of new Units and a new Zone Modifier to the game, but we’ve also done an overhaul of our single player experience within the last week! 

With so many new features having been released (and more coming in the near future) this sale represents some stellar value! For those yet to own the game, now is the time to take on the mantle of General and join the fray! 

The Steam Spring Sale ends March 26, so don’t miss this opportunity to take advantage of this offer and join the skirmish at the discounted price!

Generals!

We’re thrilled to roll out this update, delivering a full overhaul of Difficulty mode (now reborn as Gauntlet) alongside a revamped Daily Challenge experience.

Gauntlet Mode

Our previous "Challenges" game mode has had an overhaul, now boasting the new "Gauntlet Mode", where the difficulty levels for this mode, once capped at level 8, are now potentially endless! You heard correctly. Players will now be able to keep pushing their limits to see just how far they can go without a level cap.

As the difficulty levels progress, game attributes increment and fluctuate, challenging players to work around the changing parameters. But...we’re far from finished with the Gauntlet Mode. With more plans on the horizon linking this (and other) game modes to new achievements and rewards, players can expect some exciting features that will work in conjunction with its continued development in the future.

Gauntlet mode also introduces its own dynamic medal that will reflect your Gauntlet journey, changing based upon the factions you win and lose against.

Daily Challenges

Complimenting this is our next overhauled game mode, "Daily Challenges". As the name suggests, each day players will be presented with a set challenge where the game's attributes and victory conditions are altered to test your strategic and adaptive skills as a General.

Should a player fail a Daily Challenge, they can keep attempting it until it's been completed. This mode also offers a peek into the next days challenge, while also giving players the opportunity to tackle some of the previous days' challenges if they didn't happen to complete them upon release. As with Gauntlet Mode, works are happening in the background to link this mode to new achievements and rewards, so again, there's more to Daily Challenges coming down the pipeline.

Quality of Life

• Improvements have been made to how cards are handled in the board and in your hand to make them feel more seamless, fixing frustrating issues with incorrect unit/action(s) being selected when overlayed on each other.

• A Recall button has been added to the Deploy UI to allow quick return of all of your deployed units and actions back to your hand.

• A Redeploy button has been added to the Deploy UI. This is enabled from Skirmish 2 onwards, and will allow you to quickly re-deploy any unit/action still in your hand as it was in the previous skirmish (if possible).

Our community has been integral as a part of seeing these modes come to life, so the customary shout out for these new features is that much more significant considering what a large stride this update represents. To all our players and friends, we cannot thank you enough for your support.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing.

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Changelog:

New Updates:

• Introduced Gauntlet Mode

• Expanded Dailies mode

• Added 'Gauntlets Renown' Medal

• Game mode overrides expanded to include map creation and stat modification

QoL changes and improvements:

• Added Redeploy and Recall buttons to Deploy interface

• Increased more font sizes and alignments

Fixes:

• Fixed Audio response on Tutorial buttons

• Fixed Agent Siren card offsets

• Fixed some menu tooltips persisting when returning from sub menus

• Fixed positioning of some zone tooltips

• Fixed ordering issue for mouse picking with stacked card/zone/hand areas

• Fixed a rare issue with progress not saving in offline mode

• Fixed Fountain of Origin background audio persisting

Generals!

This update serves up a double-whammy with two new additions to Vanguard Exiles that will bring a twist to any game!

First off, players have a new Zone Modifier to contend with which can change the flow of battle; the Fountain of Origin! Upon capturing a Zone with this Modifier, all buffs, debuffs and added modifications on Units within that Zone are removed, returning them to their baseline stats. Where the restorative application of this Zone is obvious to remove debuffs, the team has had fun experimenting with ways in which to lead or lure enemy Units into the Zone to have any pesky buffs removed from their Units. Needless to say, in the right game, this Modifier is a potential game changer! 

Secondly, yet another new Unit comes to Vanguard Exiles in the form of our very own voodoo vixen, Mortabella! With the ability to inflict the 'Wild' effect, this wily witch causes enemy Units to attack friend and foe alike. Opposing Generals will certainly have their hands full dealing with once loyal Units twisted into mind-warped mutineers. 

This update also comes with a handful of fixes and updates, so as always, those seeking those finer points can find the details beneath the sign-off below.

The feedback we've received for our 2026 updates have been nothing short of heart-warming and inspiring, so as always, a big shout-out to our community for their support and friendship. This has been a wonderful first quarter of the year, and we're looking forward to bringing our players more as we continue through 2026. 

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing.

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Changelog:

Features:

• New Unit - Mortabella

• New Zone Modifier - Fountain of Origin

Quality of Life:

• Cosmetic and layout improvements for Glossary

• Increased Font size for Tooltips and Keywords for better legibility

Generals!

If the release of a new game mode and another new Unit wasn’t enough (with both of those being within a few weeks of each other), The Tea Division brings even more to Vanguard Exiles with yet another new Unit…Agent Siren!

This lulling Elivish beauty has the ability to pull an opposing Unit from an adjacent Zone into her Zone, giving her a unique means to disrupt your opponent’s strategy. But we couldn’t let this fair Elvish lass be at the mercy of those Units, so we’ve given her a touch of Stealth to help avoid being immediately targeted.

The team had an absolute blast experimenting with ways to use Agent Siren, and we’re excited to see what our players come up with.

Now for those discerning players who like to know the nitty-gritty of an update, you'll find the changelog below the sign-off that will give you the finer details you're chasing.

As always, the team wants to give the mandatory shout out to our awesome community who continue to inspire and support us, and we look forward to releasing more exciting updates in future.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing.

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Changelog:

Features:

* New Unit: Released Agent Siren

* Many improved VFX

Balance changes

* Barbed Wire now causes 1 damage on entry to Zone

* Healer cost increased to 4

* Archmendix heal reduced to 6

* Armorer and Plating only give 1 AR

Bug Fixes

* Fixed Agent Of Decay variant sprite skinning

* Fix for Battlezone squads swapping when host leaves and client takes over session while in deck select lobby

* Fixes for caught (non critical) exceptions seen during game-menu transition

* Fixed squad card dupe bug with overhaul of barracks and library/discard pile mechanism

Generals!

Steam PvP Fest is underway and The Tea Division is more than excited to be a part of it!

As mentioned in our previous post, Battle Zone has been unleashed in Vanguard Exiles, so for those seeking to whet their competitive whistle, this new mode is for you!

In the advent of Battle Zone being released, our phenomenal community stepped up to the challenge and showed us their mettle by usurping the team in the leaderboards, dominating the highest positions. So, on behalf of The Tea Division...WELL DONE TO OUR PLAYERS!

Over the coming months, we're poised to release more Units and Actions and if that wasn't enough, another new game mode is already in the mix (with the aim of releasing it in the not too distant future.)

With all these awesome things coming, we'd be remiss if we didn't remind players of a minor price bump kicking in after Steam PvP Fest. So, if you haven't purchased Vanguard Exiles, the window is closing for you to grab it at the cheaper price!

As always, a huge thanks to our wonderful and supportive community, both veteran and new members alike.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing.

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Generals!

In the advent of Steam PvP Fest kicking off in a few days, the team has throw down the gauntlet to introduce a colossal content update, geared to satisfy any competitive cravings.

The Tea Division are proud and excited to announce our newest gameplay mode, Battle Zone!

In this self-contained mode, you and other would-be Generals choose from a selection of preset Squads, to battle both man and machine (i.e. other players or the AI) for leaderboard dominance! YES....you heard correctly...leaderboards!

Not only is there an overarching leaderboard for Battle Zone itself, but each Squad has its own leaderboard, letting you gauge your prowess using that Squad against other players.

But...it isn't as simple as reaching #1, as the Squads within Battle Zone cycle over time. In order to maintain glory and sustain your rank as top General, you have to fight to keep it or risk being usurped by another contender!

Having said this, with such a massive content update, Vanguard Exiles will have a minor price bump, but not until after STEAM PVP Fest. With such a big feature being added, there is no better time grab the game. Now...on the topic of added content, as mentioned in a previous post, the team has been working on releasing new Units and Actions over the coming months, which brings us to the introduction of the newest of those Units, the Hallhound!

As the name suggests, this enigmatic Unit forsakes occupying larger Zones in the game and prefers lurking in the corridors that connect them. With such a unique new mechanic being introduced into the game, it's sure to add some twists to your (or your opponents') strategy.

Last but certainly not least, below the sign-off, we have the comprehensive list of updates within this build, along with bug fixes the team has been playing "whack-a-mole" with, so for those interested in the finer details, you'll find them there.

As ever, the team wants to express their appreciation to our growing, supportive community. Vanguard Exiles means so much to the team, and we're proud and grateful to have our players join us on our journey as the game continues to grow.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing.

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Change notes as follows:

* Fixes for trapped exceptions in Director visualisation

* Added HallHound Unit

* Added Library count to Barracks screen

* Fixed ability to 'dupe' cards with rerolls at end of library and before the discard pile reshuffle

* Fixes to some character sprite layering

* Fix for timing issue when clicking through menus quickly and character setter not being initialised

* Fix for deaths in beat 0 hanging the Director

* Optimised memory layout between games, flushing asset bundles correctly

* Fixed Undeployable modifier not showing on Zone tooltips

* Localisation fixes

* BattleZone mode, leaderboard and stats systems

* Revamped UI throughout

* New Icon

Generals!

Steam Board Game Fest has arrived, and as always, the Tea Division comes prepared to join the festivities!

During the duration of Board Game Fest, Vanguard Exiles will be discounted by 25%!

Too complex to translate into a physical format, Vanguard Exiles has been aptly described as “a board game that couldn’t be a board game.” However in a digital battlefield, those limitations disappear, giving Vanguard Exiles all the room it needs to fully express its boundless possibilities.

Designed by Richard Garfield (award winning creator and one of the greatest board game designers on the planet), Steam Board Game Fest is the perfect stage for Vanguard Exiles to shine. With four unique Factions, dozens of Units and Actions, and even more content planned for the future, there’s never been a better time to jump in.

Steam Board Game Fest ends 2 February, so don’t miss your chance to take advantage of this limited time offer and join the skirmish at a discounted price!

Small hotfix with the following fixes:

• Default controller profiles map panning fixed

• Pause Button works again

• Fixed a sneaky resolver crash effecting some users/games

Generals! 

The monkey business keeps on coming in 2026 as the team hits the ground running with this update, along with some exciting announcements to kick-off the year! 

Firstly, The Tea Division will be participating in a few Steam events over the coming months, so keep an eye out for the dedicated posts on these in the near future. In addition to these events, throughout the year, players will also be seeing a steady release of brand new Units and Actions to existing Factions! Excitingly, all the Units boast mechanics never seen in-game before and are sure to add a fresh new twist to gameplay and strategies.

With that being said, it brings the team great joy to introduce players to the very first of the aforementioned new Units...the Cairn Monkey! 

This cheeky chimp gains an attack buff in Zones that possess 'Cairn' modifiers, as well as making modifiers trigger again if they're in the Zone when claiming it! Opponents will be in double trouble with this aggressive ape bouncing around the board.

Keeping in theme with the monkey jokes, the list of bug-fixes is outright bananas, so rather than your usual summary, you can check the full details listed after the sign-off below. 

As always, the team is ever-grateful for the love and support from our phenomenal community, and we’re looking forward to the journey with you all in 2026. 

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing. 

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Detailed change notes:

• Unleashed the Cairn Monkey! 🍌

• Limited UI Hover sound instances

• Fixed Improve ability not triggering in some circumstances

• Reduced Improve chance of Technician to 30%

• Healer Gold cost increased to 3

• Zones tags now shown in glossary

• Stop attached spells to Units revealing their positions in hotseat

• Stop actions that rely on the Zone being capturable being placed in non capturable zones

• Stopped Units seeing ghosts and moving towards them!

• Fix speed control slider resetting

• Fix Modifier icons for scout drones

• Gold tooltip in Barracks shows Gold granted next Barracks 🪙

• Fixed Speed Slider issues for clients and spectators

• Changed Resolver movement code to loop move by move, fixing Units with multi moves bypassing certain effects

• Stopped homeless Bears appearing 🐻

• Newly Spawned Units process Zone OnEnter functions

• Flooded effects grouped in first beat

• Research Station will display VP granted in tooltips

• Director will focus on Research Station VP events

• Game can be un/paused by Spacebar tap ⏸️

• ESC will not display menu when trying to dismiss game barks

• ESC will not display menu when game has concluded (use normal post round flow to return to menu)

• Battle music does not double up when rewatching replays repeatedly

• Fix for stacks of abilities (Poison, Stun, etc.) not showing

• Fix corridors being able to spawn inside zones

• Multi threaded stat analysis

• Lots of optimisations to reduce GC and unneeded processing of lists in Resolver

• Fixed summoned Units showing on wrong side and with wrong color glow

Quick fix to update Possessed Ranger stats to mirror the base version

A small update with a small stat change and a few fixes Spelling corrections

Charges on units now update correctly in tooltips

AR Durability increased to 10

Ranger ATK lowered to 2, HP lowered to 4

Replays will now wait for zone reveal before showing reveal dialog

Terrain update is handled in a slightly different timing to avoid frames of dark maps

Removed attenuation on game events that were ducking out when zoomed 

Generals!

The end of 2025 is here, and we’re closing out the year with a massive update! Get ready for rebalanced stats and gold, brand new Water Zones, new Units and Actions, an improved Map Generator, and so much more!

Balance Changes

Thanks to your incredible feedback, we’ve fine tuned the game for a better experience.

• Unlimited Units now have increased health and attack to strengthen early gameplay and prevent them from being easy targets.

• Limited Units have received significant boosts to health and attack, making them a more valuable investment.

• Gold costs have been adjusted to keep everything balanced.

New Derived Units

Discover rare variants of familiar Units with unique visuals for added squad diversity. Check the Glossary to see what’s new!

New Actions

We’ve expanded Faction strategies with additional Actions, giving you more tactical options than ever before.

Flooded Mechanic

Introducing a new environmental twist: Flooded Zones.

• Entering or deploying in a flooded zone stuns units, and escaping isn’t guaranteed.

• Use this to your advantage and strike while enemies can’t fight back!

• Counter it with the new Swimmer status, which negates flooded effects.

New Zones

Two water-based biomes join the battlefield: Sewers and The Depths. Expect flooded zones, unique modifiers, and chaotic new challenges!

Map Generation Overhaul

Maps now feature cluster-based generation, creating layouts that twist, turn, and even fold back on themselves. Dead-end corridors add fresh strategic depth for deployment.

Audio Enhancements

Audio now dynamically adjusts with camera zoom for a more immersive experience; whether you’re up close or surveying the battlefield.

Visual Upgrades

Improved shaders and higher-resolution textures bring maps to life with richer detail and variation.

Bug Fixes

A major overhaul of the Director data system has squashed numerous visual bugs. Other fixes include:

• Spectator join issues

• Speed scale slider

• Dead lobby joins

• Drag/Click deploy issues …and many more!

Thank you for being part of this journey; your feedback drives these improvements. Jump in and experience the chaos of water zones, new units, and enhanced strategy today!

Happy Holidays and keep on Skirmishing!

Generals!

The Tea Division knows a good deal when they see one, so the opportunity to chat with the lads at Bargain Bin Gaymers was one we couldn't pass up!

Check out the podcast HERE and laugh along with Mitch, Davey and yours truly, as we chat all things Vanguard Exiles, getting a behind-the-scenes look at Richard Garfield's latest design creation.

Generals!

Want to win a copy of Vanguard Exiles for yourself or a friend?

The lads at Bargain Bin Gaymers have you covered and are giving away 3 Steam keys for the festive season!

Entries close soon so click the link HERE to find out how to get in the draw and nab a copy!

Good luck!

Generals! 

The Tea Division brings their own joy to Checkpoint Gaming, with yours truly, Tinbeard (aka Seth, Community Manager) spilling the tea on all things Vanguard Exiles alongside Luke and Elliot.

From the game’s history, mechanics, and design, through to our community focus and insightful (or hilarious) behind-the-scenes stories, this is a podcast you won’t want to miss!

The link HERE takes you to joy!

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing! 

Cheers! 

Tinbeard

Generals! 

We're back from PAX Aus 2025, and as expected, it was a HUGE success! 

Talking to players face-to-face was a huge opportunity for us, giving the chance to connect with them in a more meaningful way, as well as gather some great feedback. Having said this, we are delighted (and humbled) to say that we received nothing but positive feedback, with people commenting on how fun, polished and creative the game is, considering it's come from an Indie studio. 

Over the three days, we had a number of interviews with various media outlets, with some requesting follow-up interviews for their podcasts, radio shows, etc., so we'll keep you guys informed on this as we go. 

Amongst the array of people, each with their own diverse game/genre interests, one particular aspect stood out to us, in that the game captured the attention of tabletop, autobattler, and card game lovers alike, engaging players with ease. It was really something to see how the skill level and confidence of players snowball with each skirmish played. Many players came back to the booth throughout the weekend, bringing friends who they thought would love the game, or even just to get some more games in to scratch that skirmish fever they caught. Either way, we loved seeing them back. 

The team has come away with a huge amount of learnings and takeaways (and aches from the 3 full days of standing), and we're excited to use these learnings as part of forging the path ahead. 

Everyone here at The Tea Division is ever grateful to the community for their support, and want to give a special thanks to those who came to our booth over the PAX weekend. It was a touching experience to see how much players loved the game, validating both our efforts and the direction we're heading. 

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing! 

Cheers! 

Tinbeard

Patch update with the following changes:

• Spectator Mode issues fixed while joining mid-game

• Refined some button labels based on player feedback during PAX playthroughs

• Bounding box calculations for tooltips fixed

• Improved Labyrinth and Command Post keyword descriptions

Patch update with the following changes:

• Stopped Director camera bouncing excessively with Action cards

• Fixed Gamelog for Torture Chamber

• Fixed some rare exceptions

• Updated Unity version for CVE-2025-59489

Patch update with the following changes:

• Permanent Buff HitPoints changed to +2 (previously +1)

• Permanent Debuff HitPoints changed to -2 (previously -1)

• Skirmish duration Buffs/ Debuffs Charges removed (now unlimited)

• Berserker Bear Permanent Buff upon survival changed to +1,+2 (previously +2,+2)

• Stopped Units being sneaky and escaping from Barricades with Scout Drone

• HotSeat Mode bug fixes

Generals!

OH BOY do we have an update for you!

After extensive testing with the team here at The Tea Division, gathering feedback and holding experiments with our AMAZING community, with a host of other contributing factors, we are releasing a momentous update, taking a solid step forward in both development and game evolution.

The last few months have certainly been hectic, with our preparation for PAX Aus 2025 and extensive game changes/additions, but the team is proud and excited to release this phenomenal update. 

It's quite a list...so buckle up! The details are as follows: 

Balancing Changes

A significant amount of work has gone into re-evaluating mechanics, Gold, Stats, and various other in-game elements, with an intention to make Actions more appealing by adding value and highlighting their effects, incentivising players to utilise their benefits. 

• Armor changes

  • Armor now has durability, where each point of Armor will grant 8 durability which depletes as it blocks damage. As Durability lowers, the effective Armor value will decrease. (Durability is restored at the Start of each Skirmish)

• Poison changes

  • Every stack of Poison will continue to cause 1 damage per turn. However, application of successive stacks of Poison has a diminishing chance of application.

• New Rarity

  • Uncommon rarity has been introduced, with some Units and Actions falling into this category, providing more variation into Unit/Action Squad generation. (The Uncommon rarity is denoted by the rarity highlighted in Green.) 

• Gold now increases at the Barracks over each Skirmish

• Gold costs for Units and Actions have been reviewed/updated

• High value VP Zones will not appear earlier to mitigate early game swings

• Most permanent buffs and debuffs have been made asymmetrical, boosting or reducing either Attack or Health rather than both

• New Zone Modifiers and tweaks to some existing ones

• Extensive balancing for Actions and Units (including aspects such as Attack power, HP, Gold cost, cooldown, ability Charges, and other abilities)

• HOT ADDITION: Purchasing certain (indicated) Actions at the Barracks will now keep players in the Barracks, enabling another purchase before their next Skirmish!

Director improvements

• Some tweaks have been made to the Director, giving more focus/visibility to critical events/triggers that were potentially missed earlier

• Unnecessary camera zoom/movement has been addressed, with the added feature of limiting the zoom capacity of the Director via the game settings 

Keywords

• Tooltips have been revamped with the introduction of Keywords, streamlining player comprehension of the various abilities in the game. 

  • Tooltips expand Keywords to give players full visibility on Unit and Action capabilities, giving players more agency over game choices and strategy

• Notably, the Glossary has been updated, outlining Keyword descriptions across Units, Actions, Zone Modifiers, etc. 

Interactive Tutorial

By popular demand, a Tutorial has been added to the game, and 'yours truly' has the honor of guiding players on their journey to being Generals. You can bet there's more to come on this, with prospective plans to iterate and extend the Tutorial content in the future

QOL and General Fixes/Improvements

• Notable: Extra Squad slot with the timer being reduced for Squad rerolls!

• Possessed and Summon Units now have a fixed palette, reflected in the game log by the same color

  • This further clarifies their inability to retain Permanent buffs/debuffs

• Art update for Actions and VFX for specific Units and Actions

• Audio fade off rebalanced to be uniform regardless of map size

• On screen hints can be disabled in options

• Players waiting for MP game indicator (which can be disabled in the Options menu)

• Replay fixes! (Old replays will be invalidated and fail to load…sorry!) 

• Crash and exception fixes

The team is ever grateful for the support from our fantastic community, and looking forward to continuing this journey.

Until next time, keep smiling and keep on skirmishing!

Cheers!

Tinbeard

Happy Skirmishing!

Generals!

The Tea Division is making their way to PAX Aus 2025!

The crew is ready and eager to have some fun with the wider gaming community, with the following lined up for our on-the-floor visitors:

• Hands-on gaming with the Tea Division crew

• Meet and hang out with the Tinbeard

• Your chance to nab some PAX exclusive giveaways!

The crew will be there the entire weekend from 10-12 of October, and we're looking forward to a few days of fun and gaming with everyone.

If you're in Melbourne, be sure to swing by and say hi!

The Tea Division

#PAXAus

Patch update to fix issue with Action VFX not triggering.

Generals, the wait is over! We're thrilled to release an updated version of the Demo with:

• Performance updates

• Lower memory usage, ensuring that the game can be run on the lower spec devices

• Improved Director

• Bugfixes and improvements made in the Early Access version of the game

Our mission is to bring this game to the widest possible audience. We're dedicated to delivering the best playable experience, and want our players and community to know we’re fully committed to making that happen.

Happy Skirmishing!

Generals!

We're at it again, and this round of fixes and improvements has happened in no small part to our wonderful community. In the weeks proceeding our second official tournament, the data obtained gave the team some valuable insights which has helped both find and squash some pesky bugs, as well as guide us with balancing and player experience.

Release notes:

• Fixes and improvements from Tournament

• Replays

  • Replays are now saved out after each battle, they can be viewed by loading them from the main menu -> Options -> Gameplay. (Note: Replays may change and become invalid as the game evolves, and the flow to access/organise them will change over time.)

• Visual fixes with Units and effects

• Changes to Resolver and Director to better capture 'deadlock' scenarios where some 'interesting' event might still happen

• Fixes for spawned Units in Director visualisation (wrong or invisible Units, and cause of some soft-locks)

• Fixes for UI items within in-game options menu

• Tighter logging and exception handling for rare issues to help future debugging

The Tea Division sends a BIG THANKS to all our players who participated in our last official tournament, as we excitedly prepare to kick off our next one in the near future.