Tears of Metal Early Access

Acts and campaign structure

Each act is a node-based roguelike run on an overhead map. You choose routes between campaign battles, merchant events, charm rewards, and NPC encounters while a threat level bar climbs — higher threat means harder modifiers on every upcoming node. EA includes 3 full acts with act bosses; see the walkthrough for route priorities and bosses for finale mechanics.

Preview footage described Act I as the demo-equivalent arc; EA extends through Act III with escalating Dragon Stone lore and enemy variety. Conquer more map regions for richer emblem drops and village currency, or sprint toward the act finale before threat breakpoints — both are valid strategies.

Heroes at launch

3 heroes lead your battalion at EA: Wallace (starter sword-and-shield frontline), Ruadh Stonecrusher (hammer DPS unlocked via Act I boss + village outpost), and Vanguard Tracker (mid-campaign rescue in Act II). Paper Cult plans additional heroes post-launch. Full stats and unlock paths live on the heroes page.

Emblems, artifacts, and charms

The emblem system splits into four clans — each changes your moveset and synergies. On top of emblems, EA ships 100+ artifacts to combine into run-winning builds. Charms from event nodes add passive buffs; the emblems and artifacts tier list pages rank launch options.

Map nodes preview available emblem types before you commit — a core roguelike planning loop Paper Cult highlighted in Next Fest coverage. Split emblem families in co-op so four players do not waste duplicate drops.

Village meta and battalion

Between runs, spend currency in the village hub on permanent upgrades: recruit commanders, promote soldiers, unlock shops, and strengthen battalion baselines. Soldiers gain permanent skills across campaigns — losing them in a run hurts. See village upgrades for building priorities.

Combat uses light/heavy attacks, block, parry, dodge, and a 3-bar special gauge for troop commands (infantry focus, spearmen charge, archer volley) or a full-bar AoE ultimate. Battalion management separates Tears of Metal from solo-hero roguelikes.

Co-op and platforms

4-player online co-op scales enemy density and pressure — not just HP. PC Game Pass joins Steam on EA day one with the same content slice. Read the co-op guide for squad roles and the Game Pass guide for install and cross-store notes.

Demo scope (Next Fest)

Official overview commentary labeled the demo as "Act 1" coverage — hub town was present but limited, challenge modifiers unlocked after the first act boss, and four-player co-op was already supported. Performance rough edges (frame drops during maximum battlefield density) were noted in preview footage; EA targets polish passes based on community feedback.

The demo did not include the full artifact pool, Act II–III story beats, or Vanguard Tracker's rescue unlock chain.

EA additions over demo

Acts II and III with new elites, environments, and act finales. All 3 launch heroes with distinct unlock quests. Full 100+ artifact and charm ecosystem. Persistent village meta with meaningful building choices. Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, and PC Game Pass access. Live balance patches via Paper Cult's EA cadence.

Should you buy EA if you loved the demo?

If the block-and-parry combat loop and emblem routing hooked you in Act I, EA delivers the systems the demo teased at scale. If you only want a finished narrative and full VO, waiting for 1.0 may suit you — Paper Cult estimates 4–12 months of EA.

Check the Steam store page for current pricing and whether a demo branch still exists alongside EA.

Confirmed EA focus areas

New heroes beyond the launch trio. Additional emblems and charms expanding build variety. More voice acting and languages beyond launch subtitle support. Performance and stability — especially large skirmish density and co-op sync. Balance passes on emblem clans, artifacts, and threat-level modifiers.

Platform roadmap

PC first — Steam (app 1913120) and PC Game Pass on July 22, 2026. Xbox Series X/S targeted late 2026 per Microsoft storefront listings and Paper Cult press materials. Console Game Pass inclusion should follow the Series port. No PlayStation version announced.

Wiki and community tracking

This site expands with each patch: heroes, emblems, and artifacts tier list pages version-stamp EA changes. Discord patch-notes channels (names TBA on the shared papercult server) usually update before wiki tables refresh.

What is not promised at EA launch

Full five-hero roster teased in some community reviews, complete charms database, cross-save between Steam and Microsoft Store, and cross-play between Steam and Game Pass PC are not guaranteed at EA day one. Verify in patch notes before planning long meta grinds on a specific platform.

Demo → Early Access

The Steam Next Fest demo is a separate depot from the paid EA app (1913120). Do not expect demo village progress or run history to carry into EA automatically. Treat the demo as a free trial; buy EA or install via Game Pass and start fresh meta progression.

If Paper Cult later announces a one-time demo-to-EA import tool, it will appear on the Steam store page and Discord first — this wiki page will update.

Steam Cloud and platform saves

Steam Cloud is supported on the Steam build — your EA saves sync across PCs logged into the same Steam account. PC Game Pass uses Xbox cloud saves on the Microsoft Store build. These are separate backends: no cross-save between Steam and Game Pass at EA launch.

Pick one platform before investing heavily in village upgrades. Switching mid-EA means rebuilding meta.

EA → 1.0 full release

Standard Steam EA practice applies: progress should carry from EA into 1.0 on the same platform and account unless Paper Cult announces a rare wipe (unlikely for a progression roguelike). Back up expectations, not files — Steam Cloud handles most PC cases.

Console saves will not exist until the Xbox Series port ships late 2026. PC progress will not transfer to console unless cross-save is explicitly announced.

Co-op and shared progress

Campaign map progress and threat level are shared per run in co-op; village meta is personal to each account. If you join a friend's squad, you keep your own hub buildings when you return to solo play.

Steam vs Game Pass for EA

Same acts, heroes, and artifacts — choose based on ecosystem. Steam offers family sharing and the mature friend list PC players already use. Game Pass is zero incremental cost for subscribers. Full comparison on the Game Pass guide.

System requirements reminder

Minimum spec on Steam: Windows 10 64-bit, dual-core 2.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, GTX 1070-class GPU, 10 GB storage. Recommended: quad-core 3 GHz, 16 GB RAM, RTX 20 series. Online co-op requires broadband. Large battles stress GPU — lower particles if hosting four-player lobbies.