About the Game
Critically acclaimed and enjoyed by fans worldwide, Battle Realms is packed with innovation, deep strategy, and an immersive world filled with meaningful detail. It's a game defined by its setting -- an RTS that combines resource management, unit development, and tactical gameplay with storytelling inspired by the martial arts movies and oriental culture.
If you missed it the first time, now is your chance to experience one of the most innovative RTS's in the genre still. Even though the original game came out more than two decades ago, many of its features are yet to be seen in other games. With unique units and many original ideas Battle Realms is a game that no RTS fan can afford to miss.
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Zen Edition -- What is different?:
☯ New & Improved: New rendering, dual-monitor support, updated screen resolutions, online multiplayer, countless QoLs, bugfixes... and more!
☯ Early Access: The game has been relaunched and remains in continuous development yet once again. Help the game flourish by leaving feedback in the community hub. Let's make the game greater together!
☯ Complete: Includes the original Battle Realms and its Winter of the Wolf expansion that focuses on the Wolf clan and serves as a prequel to the original campaign.
Unique Gameplay:
☯ Train Your Warriors: Experience one of the most unique troop creation systems in RTS. Peasants train into soldiers, which in turn, can follow multiple training paths like Samurai, Cannoneers, Bandits, Berserkers, and many other mythical warriors.
☯ Live or Die by the Land: Seize tactical advantages in a living world teeming with life - birds fly when startled, wolves attack troops, higher ground offers increased power to ranged attacks, and when it rains, fires are put out and crops grow faster.
☯ Command the Power of Zen: Your Zen Masters wield fantastic powers in the heat of battle - heroic feats inspire your people, granting almost magical powers and opening up new strategies.
☯ Blood Spilled Is Power Gained: Lead warriors to victory and earn Yin & Yang points to acquire destructive new weapons and magic. The more you do, the more powerful you become.
☯ A War for the Masses: Stage epic battles with up to 8 players. Dozens of multiplayer maps and a deeply customizable PVP skirmish mode.
Immersive Storyline:
☯ Battle Realms: Kenji, exiled heir to the Serpent throne, must stake his claim in a chaotic world wracked by the subversive intrigues of the Serpent, Wolf, and Lotus clans. Shall he vanquish the land under a campaign of malevolence and terror or restore the war-torn realm to its former glory? Enter Battle Realms and choose your destiny.
☯ Winter Of The Wolf: Explore the history that led up to the events in Battle Realms. Scattered and unorganized, your enslaved Wolf brethren hunger for revolt against their corrupt Lotus Clan masters. You must unite them. You must lead them. You must free them.
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There are four major clans that comprise the population of Battle Realms Island. Each with unique characteristics, units, cultures and histories, the decision of which is best is up to you. Within the borders of this broken land, three clans maintain an uneasy coexistence, fraught with tension and, at times, slavery and open war.
The Wolf Clan in the northwest, the Lotus Clan high on their northern plateau, and the Serpent Clan in the fertile lowlands. And always, at least in some minds, there is a ghost of a fourth great clan, the lost Dragon Clan, forefathers of the Serpent. Despite their proximity, no three persons could be more different. As yet there is no clear victor in this three-handed struggle; alliances and enmities are unstable, and you never know who or what might be massing on your borders. If you are to survive in this world, you must study your enemies and your friends alike: know their ways, their warriors, and their weaknesses.
☯ Dragon Clan: The Path of Righteousness
The ancient Dragon Clan prizes honor above everything else. They are Yang followers with honor as their symbol. Their warriors seek to become one with their weapons. Due to their devotion to honor, the Dragon deity assists them during times of great peril.☯ Serpent Clan: The Way of the Wicked
A derivative of the Dragon Clan, the Serpent Clan have forgotten their honorable ways and have resorted to thievery and deceit. Serpent clansmen are Yin followers. Unlike their Dragon ancestors, they do not scorn the use of firearms; instead they have learned to employ its use in many of their fighting arts. Even though the Dragon Clan knew how to use gunpowder, it was the Serpent Clan which uncovered its secrets. Stealthy, flexible, and cunning, the Serpent Clan uses a plethora of Battle Gears to disable their opponents and produce an advantage.☯ Wolf Clan: The Spirit of Might
The wild Wolf Clan prizes freedom above all else. They are Yang followers with freedom as their symbol. Unlike the other clans, they have no cavalry, nor do they have healers. They feed the horses to their wolves, which accompany them and partake in their battles. Their wounds knit surprisingly fast, even more so with the use of herbs. They know some magic, and much of what they do know is tied to nature. Wolf clansmen are down to earth, hardworking people, and take a delight in nature. They are also known for their use of shale as their armor.☯ Lotus Clan : The Essence of Darkness
The Lotus Clan is the remnant of a Yang Clan of old, but it is now a Yin Clan. Lotus clansmen are Yin followers with corruption as their symbol. They follow the Forbidden Path, which focuses on death and decay. Their religion centralizes around three ancient brothers, now long gone, who tended the Tree of Corruption. The Lotus Clan's strategy is based on their immense understanding of magic, which translates to unit abilities and Battle Gear.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀


Sit by the fire, young nobleman, and help yourself to a goblet of jasmine tea. You are wise to come here. So many warriors before you attempted to unite this realm under their reign. They were brave and strong. They had the noble knowledge of tactics. They knew how to choose the best steel for swords. They had fists that could punch holes through stone walls. They had eyes that could spot a sneaking ninja in the middle of a cloudy night. They had hearts that knew no fear nor remorse. But none of them came to seek advice of an old man living on the mountain. And--one by one--they failed. Their power crumbled, their dreams vanished, and their lives faded. You are wise to come here, young nobleman. But this is only your first step towards the true wisdom and the true power that only comes with balance...
Once upon a time there was a proud empire with many great clans. The Serpent Clan ruled this empire while the other clans like the Lotus and Crane maneuvered for greater control of it. It is said, that in those times a great darkness grew from the shadows and formed sinister creatures of pure night. Like droplets of rain they dotted the land and overwhelmed the one clan after another. Tarrant, the leader of the Serpent clan, was the first to accept the fate of the empire. He fled to the south with the remnants of the Serpent Clan and its prized possession, the Dragon Orb.
Further and further they travelled until he could see the Southern Seas and the end of the land. It was here that he turned and faced the Horde. Summoning all the power of the Dragon Orb, he separated the southern tip of the continent from the rest of the mainland with the awesome power of the orb. Neither it nor he would ever be seen again. The Horde could not cross running water, so Tarrant had saved his people at the cost of his own life and the Orb.
To this protected place came two other Clans, the Lotus and the Wolf. The Lotus Clan, twisted and corrupt managed to cross to safety by means unknown. The Wolf Clan, whose matriarchal Druidesses foresaw the drowning of their lands by tidal wave (a result of Tarrant breaking the world) built massive arks for their people which rode the surge and shipwrecked on the new formed island.
How they came to know one another and fight for their piece of the island is the story of Battle Realms!
Screenshots
11 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
Game Engine: Fixes Korean client crashes when running on Windows
UI: Restored missing Polish font characters
Campaign Update: In 13Q, we tampered down on an overzealous AI and the number of spirit warriors has been brought down to a more reasonable level.
Game Crash Fix: Resolved an issue where game could crash on certain cutscenes if had a language other the default selected.
UI Tidiness: Fixed missing font characters in German.
- AI War Party Fix: The AI now creates more diverse and balanced armies, ensuring a better variety of units in different factions.
- Game Crash Fix: Resolved an issue where the game would crash when closing, particularly related to music. This may also help with lingering sound loop problems.
- Smarter AI Targeting: The AI now avoids targeting units that are likely to dodge or evade missiles, making battles more strategic and realistic.
- Improved GPU Selection: The game will now prioritize external GPUs over internal ones, especially avoiding Intel GPUs and emulated devices for better performance.
- Technical Optimization: Adjusted settings to ensure smoother compatibility with modern hardware.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed an issue where units would move to the same location when near buildings.
- Resolved a crash in the campaign that occurred when dialogues played while the sound device was not ready.
- Addressed a problem where certain units would get stuck on battle gears that relied on projectile-based mechanics (e.g., Kabuki's Stardust).
Gameplay Improvements:
- Reworked the dump collection feature: Dumps can now be collected without requiring admin privileges.
- The game will automatically collect dumps if the -dump parameter is set as a launch option.
- Improved unit pathing in groups to reduce instances of units overlapping or moving on top of each other.
- Fixed an exploit related to unit stacking during attack-move commands. Units will now reposition upon entering an idle state to prevent stacking.
- Adjusted Tao's passive ability (max Monk/Ninja override) to function independently of the player's clan. Previously, it was restricted to players in the Dragon Clan.
Performance Enhancements:
- Significantly improved loading times for a smoother gameplay experience.
- Fixed a bug during the Swans Pool defense mission where a Berserker/Werewolf could prevent the mission from completing.
- Fixed an issue where AI towers could sometimes make dismounted units invulnerable, blocking mission completion.
- Fixed an issue where Peasants weren't gathering water correctly in certain scenarios.
- Improved attack-move command behavior: Units will now evaluate how many attackers are needed per target at the start (as per MaxUnitsAttacking), immediately engaging additional targets if the initial target would be overwhelmed. This helps prevent units from unnecessarily clustering on the same enemy before spreading out.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed various animation cancellation exploits related to rice gathering
- Resolved an issue where rice orders were not being processed correctly
- Fixed a displacement bug where units would occasionally teleport when colliding with each other
- Improved order processing performance to reduce perceived input delay
Database Changes:
- Completed migration of Data_Abilities->InnateAbility to new Data_UnitAndInnateAbility sheet
- - New sheet combines UnitType and AbilityType in a unified structure
- - Innate abilities now require valid UnitType/AbilityType pairs
- - The sheet allows to add these pairs manually, as many as Data_Ability slots allow, the game will read them.
- Fixed incorrect tooltip translations displaying outdated text
- Fixed a UI issue preventing speech language selection from working properly
- Fixed self-damage bug where Kenji's Battle Gear would trigger critical strikes against buildings
- Fixed an issue where units could cancel certain animations when interacting with towers
- Fixed Lotus towers preventing unit evacuation during fire state
- Fixed boulder physics causing them to become stuck in certain terrain
- Fixed duplicate visual effects appearing on melee attacks
How many hotfixes will there be? That shall remain a great mystery! In the meantime, the work continues!
Update 1.59 has already released - Steam Cloud, XLSX Data & Many Fixes - Check it out!
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🛠️ • Hotfix #2
Changelog:
- Dragon Spearman: Magic Armor Multiplier changed from 100% to 125% to increase their vulnerability to magical attacks.
- Dragon Spearman: Damage changed from 16 to 15 to further balance their damage output.
- Wolf Druidess: Melee damage type changed from Magic to Blunt to better align with her combat style and overall balance.
As always, we appreciate your feedback. Let us know how these changes feel in-game!
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Since the hotfix announcements are turning out to be rather small, we'll make use of this space to give several shout-outs to some cool BR stuff cooking up!
📹 • BR Miniatures? Coming Soon!
We’ve teamed up with the incredibly talented MiniQuest64 to bring you a sneak peek of something truly special—a breathtaking miniature BR diorama featuring Kenji himself!
🔔 Subscribe to MiniQuest64 and hit the bell icon to make sure you don’t miss the full video when it drops. Join us as we celebrate the art, the community, and the enduring legacy of Battle Realms!
🛍️ • BR Merch Store Waitlist Now Open!
Official Battle Realms-themed merchandise is about to hit the scene. You can now sign up for the waitlist!
We've teamed up with Fourthwall to bring these goodies to BR fans all around the world! Don't miss out—sign up now!
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📣 • Stay Connected with Us!
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- The Battle Realms Team
Update 1.59 has already released - Steam Cloud, XLSX Data & Many Fixes - Check it out!
Changelog:
- Reverted Yvaine's model to its original state (she can now attack and use her battle gear but won't have the mentioned 3 ready up animations).
- Fixed some incorrect XLSX entries that were a reason Kenji could be summoned by AI and other shenanigans.
- Fixed a text related crash trigger. Improved name labels in the chat (AI purposes mainly).
We have put an end to Kenji's terror in AI skirmishes, here's hoping he hasn't done too much damage. But Yvaine... That cursed witch! Just when we thought we had her, her magic spells tricked us once again.
It'll take an equally skilled warlock to bind those new 'ready up' animations to her will once and for all. Until then, she'll be lurking about in her original style, so watch your back - she may be less animated, but she's just as devious!
Sorry for the inconvenience, and another sorry that it took us some time to roll this back.
Hope you have been enjoying the recent update. Cheers!
Current Release
Not available
System Requirements
How to Install
setup.exe
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
• Add folder to Windows Defender exclusions
• Run as administrator
Download
Direct link available
1.8 GB
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