The Settlers release date + closed beta test announced

Ubisoft has broken the silence surrounding The Settlers reboot, announcing a closed beta test and a release date for the game. For those who are unfamiliar, The Settlers is an economy-driven real-time strategy (RTS) game and is the eighth entry in the franchise. The game is developed by Ubisoft Düsseldorf using the Snowdrop Engine.

The release date for The Settlers is set to 17 March 2022 and will be available on PC via Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store. As for the closed beta test, it will run from 20 – 24 January 2022. You can register for a chance to take part in the closed beta test here.

In terms of gameplay, The Settlers places a lot of emphasis on economy building. From gathering resources to constructing buildings, players will lead one of three factions—Elari, Maru and Jorn—as they grow in strength and influence.

One of the game’s unique innovations is the Engineer—the game’s only controllable civilian unit. Players will need them for construction, surveying underground minerals to build mines, territory expansion and transporting materials in and out of the said territory. Besides Engineers, Landmarks also make up an important part of gameplay, with each map having different Landmarks that serves as challenge areas that provide various rewards.

Combat is also a major aspect of the game, with units divided into soldiers, support and siege units. Players can also raise their defences by building towers and other defensive buildings to guard their territory. Besides adapting their strategy for combat, players will also need to plan how they intend to advance their forces as a whole, with strategic choices like researching upgrades and trading resources paving the way forward.

In The Settlers, players can take on the main Campaign and experience the game’s story, or take part in Skirmish and Onslaught matches. In the Campaign, players will get to meet all three factions as they explore three different biomes. Skirmish mode allows players to fight in 1v1, 2v2 and 4v4 matches against either other players or AI bots. The third mode, Onslaught, is a single-player challenge mode with preset conditions and restrictions, adding another layer of depth to gameplay.

As players progress in The Settlers, they can unlock more and more customisation options, from being able to change their profile to being able to change the look of certain buildings and structures. All customisation options are purely cosmetic—the only difference that’ll affect gameplay is the player’s skill.

Are you ready to lead your settlers to new heights? While waiting for the game’s eventual release, don’t forget to sign up for the closed beta test for a chance to try the game out between 20 – 24 January! You can also learn more about the game by reading our interview with the Creative Director.

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