Dverghold
When the Dwarves of Dverghold awakened something ancient beneath the isle of Rekestt, King Sterren sent word across the Shattered Sea: brave the haunted depths, or let the darkness rise. Oldschool dungeon crawler with turn-based combat and atmospheric soundtrack by Dungeon Synth artist Splendorius.
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About this game
A RETURN TO THE GOLDEN AGE ...
... of first-person dungeon crawling. Lead a party of up to four into the haunted depths of Rekestt. Grid-based exploration in the tradition of Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, and Might & Magic, paired with tactical turn-based combat where positioning, timing, and the terrain around you can mean the difference between glory and death.
Between expeditions, return to your basecamp near the mining town Gravhollow. Recruit mercenaries, upgrade your camp and speak with the characters there. Each has their own story to tell, and their own part to play in Dverghold.
Inspired by the "blobber" dungeon crawlers of the 90s, with a homebase and roster management in the spirit of Darkest Dungeon and the archaic soundscapes of Dungeon Synth: Dverghold is built for those who remember when games didn't hold your hand, and for a new generation discovering the genre for the first time.
THE SHATTERED SEA
When the last great age of civilisation was sundered by the breaking of the earth, a new folk arose from the ashes and set their mark upon the world of Hyrdengard, that realm which is now called the Shattered Sea. Through storms, pestilence, and ceaseless foes without number, the Dwarves of DVERGHOLD were tempered, and by fire and iron they were forged as the undisputed power of the Sea of Thorns.
The Dwarves' first forays awakened something ancient and hungry in the deep, and the shadows beneath Rekestt began to stir. Weary from a brutal campaign against the mountain trolls, King Sterren the Second now turns to the outside world. His envoys travel across the waters to the prosperous island-city of Presdon, and beyond, seeking any who possess the courage – or desperation – to descend into the dark.
From distant coasts, from battered ships, and from hidden corners of the Shattered Sea, they come: adventurers, wanderers, and vagabonds willing to risk not only their lives but their very souls to stand with DVERGHOLD against the rising dread below Rekestt.
DESCEND INTO THE DEPTHS
FIRST-PERSON DUNGEON DELVING
Navigate the haunted halls of Rekestt level by level, in hand-crafted dungeons full of secrets, traps, and worse. Every corner could hide treasure or death. Every step deeper reveals more of what lurks below.
TACTICAL TURN-BASED COMBAT
Arrange your party in a classic front-row, back-row formation and engage in turn-based battles where positioning and timing matter. Prepare your spells, lure foes into hazards, and time your strikes - instead of menu-driven combat, imagine a more FPS-like gameplay but turn-based. Resources are precious. Enemies are cunning. Sometimes retreat is the wiser choice.
A PLACE FULL OF STORIES
Your basecamp is more than a place to rest. Speak with the mercenaries of the Saltbound company, the quartermaster who supplies you, and strange folk drawn to Rekestt for their own reasons - their words will guide you in the strange world of Hyrdengard.
ADAPT AND IMPROVISE
Recruits come with random skills and serve as long as exhaustion, disease, and the dungeon allow. Build your strategy around the roster you have, which may not always be the roster you wish you had.
BUILD YOUR BASECAMP
Inspired by the likes of the hamlet in Darkest Dungeon, your camp near Inner Gravhollow grows with you. Recruit new heroes, upgrade facilities, manage resources, and prepare for your next expedition.
DEATH HAS CONSEQUENCES
Will you spend your hard-won resources to recruit a veteran warrior, or press on with green recruits? Every loss matters.
HAND-CRAFTED DUNGEONS, LIVING DEPTHS
The halls of Rekestt are designed by hand, not generated by chance - but the dangers within shift between expeditions. Monsters patrol where they will. Treasure caches hold what fortune allows. Doors once locked may yield to keys you did not have before. Learn the layout. Never assume you know what waits around the next corner.
THE ROYAL DECREE
"Let it be known across the Shattered Sea that His Majesty, King of DVERGHOLD, issues a solemn decree to all allies and brave souls of the realm and beyond. The newly claimed island of Rekestt lies besieged, its mines and hollows assailed by unseen and unnameable fiends. Our armies, still blooded from their hard-won victory over the savage mountain trolls, can no longer stand alone against this fresh tide of horror.
Therefore, the Crown calls upon Dwarves, citizens of Presdon, wanderers, sellswords, and seekers of renown to take up arms and descend into the haunted deeps of Rekestt. Those who dare to face the lurking evil may find not only honor, but wealth, glory, and their names etched in the chronicles of DVERGHOLD.
Amnesty and royal provisions shall be granted to all who answer this call.
But steel your will, and bring what gear you may—for the shadows beneath Rekestt show no mercy."
— By order of King Sterren the Second
AN ORIGINAL DUNGEON SYNTH SOUNDTRACK
Dverghold has a Dungeon Synth soundtrack by renowned artists Splendorius and Kurald Galain. Splendorius has even exclusively composed an entire album for Dverghold! Haunting melodies and cozy atmospheric soundscapes accompany your descent.
This is a full atmospheric album written for the game. Each track captures the essence of a fallen kingdom: melancholy laments of abandoned halls, oppressive silence in the deep, and the corruption that has taken hold.
This is THE game for fans of dungeon synth, dark ambient, and atmospheric black metal.
THE RECLAMATION OF REKESTT
Dverghold unfolds episodically throughout Early Access as the mountain is reclaimed level by level. Each major update represents another section wrested back from the darkness:
ACT I: FOR THE THRONE AND THE OATH (Early Access Launch - Summer 2026)
Your first expedition into Rekestt. Establish your base, recruit your party, and face what dwells in the abandoned halls, where the Dwarves once lived. Re-conquer the throne of the Dwarven King fighting your path through stone and marble of the Dwarven halls.
ACT II: WHAT LIES BENEATH (In development)
Descend to the flooded caverns beneath the living quarters, which host a natural wonder - deep underground lake and the ruins of a civilization gone.
ACT III: THE TWISTED REALM (Planned)
The deepest sections of Rekestt await. What eldritch horrors lie in the heart of the corruption will be revealed as we descend together. Your feedback shapes each descent: Early Access supporters help determine the path deeper into darkness.
FULL RELEASE
- Complete story arc through all Acts
- All planned content and additional polish
- The final confrontation at the heart of Rekestt
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
- Classic grid-based first-person dungeon crawling
- Turn-based tactical combat with positioning and strategy
- Base upgrading and persistent progression between expeditions
- Multiple character classes with unique abilities
- Resource management - every provision matters!
- Randomized monster spawns and loot distribution
- Boss encounters guarding key sections
- Atmospheric aesthetics and oppressive darkness
- Lore-rich world for those who seek it
- Original Dungeon Synth soundtrack by Splendorius and tracks by Kurald Galain
STEEL YOUR WILL
No hand-holding.
Just dwarves, eldritch monstrosities and the inexorable darkness beneath Rekestt await you.
Answer the call and descend. Crush your enemies and carve your name into the chronicles of DVERGHOLD.
The shadows show no mercy, and neither do you.
Wishlist now for Early Access Summer 2026.
