Dwarf Fortress' Adventure Mode Gets Release Date

Summary

Dwarf Fortress Adventure Mode hits Steam on January 23, 2025, after years of anticipation.
The release brings new experiences and updates, promising immersive gameplay.
Players can expect additional updates to both Fortress and Adventure Modes in the future.

The long-anticipated Adventure Mode for the Steam version of Dwarf Fortress will be released on January 23, 2025. Since its arrival on Steam in 2022, this indie management sim has garnered a loyal fanbase, and many have eagerly waited for the introduction of its more accessible roguelike Adventure Mode. After a wait of approximately two years, that moment is now near.

Tarn and Zach Adams, the creators and siblings behind Dwarf Fortress, expressed their belief in 2023 that the Adventure Mode of the game would astound players upon its Steam release. It wasn’t until 2024 when the roguelike, exploration-centric game mode entered beta testing. Approximately another year has passed since then, and this month, Adventure Mode will exit beta.

On January 8th, the modest crew responsible for the game ‘Dwarf Fortress’ unveiled its planned release date on January 23rd, via an announcement made on the game’s official Steam page. Given that this development has been in progress for quite some time, it’s only natural that several modifications have taken place since the beta testing phase began. As a result, even dedicated players may encounter fresh experiences and unexpected twists. For those who haven’t played the pre-Steam version, there are plenty of exciting prospects ahead, as they’ve yet to explore this particular iteration of the game beyond the beta stage. In essence, ‘Dwarf Fortress’ Adventure Mode is more accessible for newcomers and incredibly immersive, offering a wealth of customization options on an enormous scale.

As Adventure Mode transitions out of beta testing, developers have assured players that more enhancements are on the way. Alongside the revelation of the official launch date, the team revealed a variety of updates now accessible for the Dwarf Fortress beta version. These updates refine certain aspects of Adventure Mode in preparation for its full debut, incorporating bug fixes, user-friendly improvements, and fresh content to clarify some customization options. Additionally, there are several enhancements planned for Fortress mode, the variant of the game that significantly contributed to Dwarf Fortress‘s $9 million earnings in just six days post its initial Steam release.

Following the release on January 23, players can anticipate further enhancements for the game. The creators of Dwarf Fortress have announced that they plan to make numerous updates to both the Fortress and Adventure modes in the future, as there’s still a great deal they wish to incorporate into each. At this point, it is uncertain what these future additions will be or when they will be released. Given that it took 20 years for Dwarf Fortress to arrive on Steam, it might be prudent not to expect anything right away. However, if the game’s past is any indication, the wait will undoubtedly be worthwhile.

Dwarf Fortress Beta 28 Patch Notes

Graphics

Child portraits!
Baby portraits!
Pebble floors are differentiated from stone floors
Mythical remnant images by sphere
Fixed broken human hair palettes
Fixed missing hoods for cloaks in portraits
Fixed coin palettes and pile size images
Fixed off-center mythical dungeon map images

Also

Tame vermin can be made available as pets in fort mode!
Added adventure soundtrack to Fortress mode
Added adventure mode music track credits
Improved initial loading speed

Adventure Mode Character Creation Changes

Changed description and added tip if chosen destiny is disabled
Correct destiny name shown on character sheet in creation
Difficulty tooltips
Creature description tooltips on character creation
Civilization description tooltips on character creation
Home site description tooltips on character creation
Ordered adventurer start sites by population
Belief description tooltips on character creation
Tweaked spacing in background paragraph in character creation
Added character archetypes to character creation for attributes and skills
Skill/attribute tooltips in character creation
Made some additional skills available in character creation
Made character creator choose better starting materials if some points can be spared
Changed item category order
Highlighted item categories in character creation that are for fortress mode
Item quality button explanation in character creation

Adventure Mode General Changes

Added mythical animal populations to mythical sites
Made mythical populations wear less armor and decreased leader skills somewhat
Added more protection against unintended infighting at mythical sites, though goblins can still argue
Compass for retrieve artifact quest
Improved adventure shopkeeper placement and table handling
Stopped chosen from starting in towns with ruined temples
Added handling of player that has been knocked out or unable to act for a long time
Made reputation visible for people and groups in adv log in chosen/hero modes
Improved adventurer log map display somewhat
Added more information about where companions are located in companion list
Right click allows drinking from tiles
Right click on self has view option
Right click on hatch gives option to go below
Made adventurer NPCs tend toward taverns instead of castles
Made priests start in their temples more correctly
Hover info for sounds, vampire senses, memory map
Fixed problem where enemy healing liquids healed you instead
Added more chosen god popups
Added some adventure mode help guides
Made stop travel button flash if travel is impossible
Clarified wording of surrounding obstacles message
Clarified wording in talk button tutorial window
Added announcement button to menu overview
Improved travel restrictions check
Added highlight for travel restrictions
Made divine intervention stronger
Fixed divine intervention crash against projectiles
Cleaned up quest display between games
Added more combat audio layers
Changed songs less often in adventure mode
Fixed audio crash related to ambiance

Other Tweaks

Fixed broken medium taupe coloration for nightmare sphere screaming mouths fabric
Ready to push the button

2025-01-12 22:53

Dwarf Fortress’ Adventure Mode Gets Release Date