Stonewards Demo Changelog

Banana Tiger Studio shipped a public Stonewards demo on Steam (app 4502710) around June 2, 2026 and iterated rapidly through version 0.1.10 before taking the demo offline on July 11, 2026. Those six weeks were not a frozen vertical slice—the team added a full player hub, reworked forge and ring systems, fixed multiplayer stability, tuned survival tools like campfire healing and resurrection, and introduced quality-of-life options like the motion sickness reduction setting. This page documents the demo patch arc so players who missed the window—and Early Access buyers comparing notes—understand which systems were validated in public playtests versus which features arrived late in the cycle.

Demo Window and Why It Ended

The demo ran roughly from early June through July 11, 2026. On that date Banana Tiger Studio removed public demo access to concentrate engineering and QA on the August 11, 2026 Early Access launch. If you only read store pages today, you might assume the demo still exists; it does not. Early Access replaces the demo as the playable branch, with a longer update runway described on Early Access Launch.

Players who participated should remember demo progress may not carry one-to-one into paid builds—treat unlocks and balance as subject to reset until launch patch notes confirm otherwise.

Stonewards demo gameplay and patch highlights

Hotfix 0.1.4 — Quality of Life and Motion Sickness Option

Demo hotfix 0.1.4 introduced practical improvements based on player feedback:

• Motion sickness reduction setting — A new optional setting to reduce the game’s low-resolution effect, which may help players experiencing motion sickness during first-person gameplay. This addresses a common concern in immersive FPS titles and is especially relevant for players sensitive to camera effects or FOV-related discomfort during extended play sessions.

• Additional balance tweaks and bug fixes for overall stability.

Hotfix 0.1.5 — Lore Pages, Blacksmith Level Cap Raised, New Secret

Hotfix 0.1.5 arrived with significant additions:

• New Lore Pages — Added discoverable Lore Pages hidden throughout the procedural caves. These collectible documents expand the world-building around Stonewards’ dwarven setting and provide another reason to explore mine branches beyond ore greed. Lore hunters should check cave pockets and dead ends during mining phases.

• Blacksmith level cap increased to 999 — Previously capped at level 101, the Blacksmith station now allows forge levels up to 999. This dramatic cap increase rewards sustained runs and endless mode pushes where deep progression enables more powerful upgrades over longer sessions. Teams targeting high wave counts now have meaningful blacksmith scaling through milestone horns.

• New secret in the caves — A small hidden discovery awaits explorers in the cave system. Finding it requires curiosity and thorough exploration during mining phases.

• Gold Coin drop adjustment — Reduced gold coin drops from Artificer bombs to balance economy pacing.

Patch Line Overview (0.1.5–0.1.10)

Public notes and community testing across demo builds highlight these recurring themes:

Hub and Missions

Mid-demo patches introduced the persistent hub as the between-run layer: character select, mission board, shop purchases, and squad staging before deploying to a bastion. Missions frame which kingdom distress call you answer and what rewards return to meta progression. This replaced the feeling of instantly re-queueing identical naked runs without context.

Hub integration matters for wiki readers because many Guides assume you visit the hub between attempts—see How to Use the Hub and The Stonewards Hub for navigation detail that demo patches made mandatory rather than optional.

Forge, Blacksmith, and Ring Systems

Forge depth expanded across 0.1.x builds. The Blacksmith station handles forge level upgrades and ring choices—public testing described up to four ring slots with four offered options per roll, forcing real build commitments instead of hoarding every buff. Hotfix 0.1.5 raised the blacksmith level cap to 999, extending progression depth for endless runs. Ring and relic presentation improved in later patches, aligning with Rings and Relics and Forge Upgrades pages on this wiki.

Chest rarity changes also landed in demo patches, affecting how loot spikes feel between waves. If your group remembers “purple chests suddenly mattering,” that was part of this tuning pass—not Early Access launch novelty.

Stations and Bastion Loop

Demo builds solidified the station roster players now expect inside missions:

• Blacksmith — forge levels and ring selection (now scales to level 999).
• Recycling Camp — convert surplus into usable resources.
• Crafting Camp — arrow and ammunition production.
• Chest Opener — roll loot between waves.
• Wall Repair — spend stone to patch lanes toward the King.
• Campfire — heal and resurrect fallen teammates during inter-wave lobbies.

Campfire healing and resurrection were explicit patch additions—teams that previously wiped because one death meant permanent manpower loss gained a recovery valve. That shifts co-op strategy: see How to Co-op in Stonewards and Tips and Tricks for how to protect campfire windows.

Lore Pages Collectible System

The new Lore Pages system introduced in hotfix 0.1.5 adds world-building collectibles hidden in cave systems. Players exploring off the main ore route may discover these pages, which provide narrative context about Stonewards’ dwarven lore. The system rewards curiosity during mining phases without requiring completion for run success.

Characters and Unique Abilities

Later demo patches emphasized character unique abilities beyond generic dwarf stats. Starter classes Miner and Warrior anchor early rosters, with additional characters unlocking through hub meta progression. Ability tooltips and UI clarity improved patch to patch—if a teammate insists “this passive always existed,” check whether they started after 0.1.8.

Full character detail lives in Stonewards Characters Guide.

Scrolls, Loot, and Bonus Cards

Scroll and generalized loot drops expanded build variance during demo cycles. Between waves, teams enter a lobby phase to vote on Bonus Cards—team-wide modifiers before returning to the mine. That vote is easy to rush; patient groups treat it as important as forging ammo. Wave Defense explains horn timing; Tools pages help plan resource spend before cards lock in.

Multiplayer and Version Matching

Co-op stability fixes shipped throughout 0.1.x. A critical public rule emerged: matchmaking requires the same game version across the squad. If one player skips a demo patch, lobbies fail or desync in ways that look like random crashes. Early Access will keep that expectation—auto-update Steam before co-op night.

Online co-op supports one to four players; solo remains available but publicly described as demanding. Networking fixes did not remove solo timing pressure—they reduced disconnects and host migration pain.

Milestone Waves and Endless Mode

Demo missions commonly escalate through eleven waves, after which teams choose endless mode or return to the hub for meta rewards and quest progress. That fork is a defining Stonewards rhythm: greed for leaderboard horns versus secure hub currency. The blacksmith level 999 cap in hotfix 0.1.5 becomes particularly relevant for endless mode runs where sustained forge progression creates meaningful power curves across very long sessions.

What Demo Patches Did Not Promise

The demo validated core dig–forge–defend loops and hub persistence. It did not ship final enemy rosters, complete cosmetic catalogs, or the full nine-to-twelve month Early Access roadmap. Missing demo access after July 11 does not mean missing the game—August 11 Early Access continues development with broader scope described in Early Access Overview.

Reading Patches Alongside Other Wiki Sections

Use this changelog when a friend says “that changed in demo” and you need context:

Topic	Read next
Forge and rings	Builds
Wave defense and monsters	Combat
Ores, weapons, relics	Items
Hub layout	Map
Launch pricing and demo end	Early Access Launch
Motion sickness and settings	System Requirements
Practical mine and role tips	Guides

After the Demo Went Offline

No new public demo patches are expected while Early Access prep finishes. Follow Updates Hub for launch-week notes, hotfix 0.1.5 details, and post-EA balance passes. Steam news remains the authoritative source for exact version numbers and line-by-line patch notes; this page captures player-facing system changes that survived into Early Access design.