DTX Studios: Wiki launch content: written from the game's code, data and story bible (Tools/wiki/content)

2026-10-13T21:13:28Z

Wiki launch content: written from the game's code, data and story bible (Tools/wiki/content)

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'''[[Dawn of Embers]]''' has three ways to play: the '''Story''' campaign, '''Skirmish''' against AI opponents, and '''Multiplayer''' with ranked leaderboards. All three use the same rules, units and buildings. The game runs at one fixed speed in every mode, with no speed controls and no pause.

''The game is in development. Modes, settings and ranked rules can change before release.''

{| class="wikitable"
! Mode !! Players !! Online needed !! In short
|-
| [[#Story|Story]] || 1 || No || A campaign of missions as a captain in Ashmere's army
|-
| [[#Skirmish|Skirmish]] || 1, plus AI opponents || No || One match against AI opponents, on settings you choose
|-
| [[#Multiplayer|Multiplayer]] || 2 to 8 || Yes (online or LAN) || Play with or against other people; AI seats can be added
|-
| [[#Ranked|Ranked]] || 2 to 8 (1v1 to 4v4) || Yes || A Multiplayer lobby setting that counts the result on the leaderboards
|}

== Story ==
In the Story campaign you serve as a captain in the army of [[The world#Ashmere|Ashmere]] and play through its missions in order; each mission unlocks the next. The early missions double as the tutorial: each objective says what to do, where, and with which control. The first missions start with enough resources banked for every building they ask for, so a lesson never waits on gathering.

* Your [[Callings|Calling]] and [[Disciplines]] carry over from one story mission to the next.
* Missions save checkpoints as you progress, so a mission can be resumed from its last checkpoint or restarted.
* Some buildings and units are introduced over the course of the campaign and are hidden until a mission allows them.

The missions and their story are on the [[Campaign]] page. Story details are hidden behind spoiler boxes until you open them.

== Skirmish ==
Skirmish is a single match against AI opponents, played offline on settings you choose in the lobby. It is the place to practise.

=== Lobby settings ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Setting !! Options
|-
| Players || 1 to 8 seats in total, limited by the map size (see below)
|-
| Map type || The biome: Forest, Snowy Forest, Snowy Mountain, Desert, Ocean. See [[Biomes]]
|-
| Map size || X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
|-
| Map seed || Optional. The same seed and settings build the same map; left empty, a seed is rolled
|-
| Resource density || How many resources the map holds: three levels, the middle one by default ''(the in-game labels need confirming)''
|-
| AI difficulty || Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Brutal
|-
| Population limit || 200 by default in the current build
|}

=== Player limits by map size ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Map size !! Width !! Most players
|-
| X-Small || 200 m || 2
|-
| Small || 280 m || 4
|-
| Medium || 480 m || 4
|-
| Large || 720 m || 8
|-
| X-Large || 1,200 m || 8
|}
Snowy Mountain needs a Medium or larger map. A player count or map size the lobby cannot offer is shown greyed, with a tooltip.

=== AI opponents ===
AI opponents choose their own Calling and spend their own Discipline points at the start of a match. On the harder difficulties they scout for [[Pillars]], send mages to charge them and send soldiers to drive off enemy mages. An AI may resign when its position is hopeless.

== Multiplayer ==
Multiplayer matches hold 2 to 8 players. You can team up with friends against AI opponents, or play against other people. The main menu offers hosting an online game, hosting a LAN game, and joining a game. A hosted lobby can be public or protected with a passcode.

To play online you sign in with an '''Epic Games account''' from inside the game and claim a '''display name''': 3 to 16 characters with at least one letter, unique across all players. One account and one shared ladder are used across the storefronts the game is sold on.

== Ranked ==
Ranked is a lobby setting that the host turns on. A ranked match counts on the public [https://dawnofembers.com/leaderboards leaderboards]. The full rules are on the official [https://dawnofembers.com/ranked ranked play page]; in short:

* There are four ladders: '''1v1''', '''2v2''', '''3v3''' and '''4v4'''.
* Ranked matches are players only: no AI seats, both sides the same size, every player signed in and on the same game version.
* In 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 both sides must be '''registered teams'''. A team is its exact group of players and has a rating of its own.
* Ratings start at 1500. Only the result counts: score, kills and match length never change a rating.
* A match is ranked only when the two sides' lifetime ratings are within 400 points.
* There are two boards: '''Seasonal''' (seasons last 90 days, with 10 placement matches each) and '''Lifetime''' (never resets).
* Every player's game confirms the result. If they disagree, the match is held for review and no rating changes.
* A new account must finish 5 matches before ranked opens to it.
* In ranked matches, cheat commands are off, and saving and loading are disabled.

== Winning and losing ==
A player is defeated by resigning, or by losing every unit and building they own. A player who disconnects from an online match has two minutes to reconnect before the seat is forfeited.

== The demo ==
The demo offers the first story missions and a limited Skirmish. Multiplayer and Ranked are not part of it. See [[Demo]].

== See also ==
* [[Getting started]]
* [[Biomes]]
* [[Gameplay mechanics]]
* [[Demo]]

{{Navbox game}}

[[Category:Gameplay]]

Game modes - Revision history

DTX Studios: Wiki launch content: written from the game's code, data and story bible (Tools/wiki/content)