Dwarf Fortress's Steam release now has the excellent Arena mode

Fantasy battle royale simulator

If you’re still intimidated by base building inDwarf Fortress’s Steam release, then there’s good news. Patch 50.06, released today, has added Arena Mode into the Steam version. Arena is a sandbox mode where you can spawn any of Dwarf Fortress’s various creatures, kit them out with gear, set special conditions, and then watch them battle it out. It is great.

That screenshot of Arena mode might not look like much, and it might seem strange to be so enthusiastic about a Dwarf Fortress mode that strips out its farming, its resource management, and its long, emotional character arcs.

There are other changesdetailed in the full patchnotes. Underground crops now have sprouting textures, and various other textures have likewise been amended; a handful of crash bugs have been fixed, alongside fixes for audio issues; and, as is dwarven tradition, there are some patch notes which are just fun to read. For example:

If you’re wondering how Dwarf Fortress has done since being released on Steam, the answer isextremely well. Publishers Kitfoxhave also now published their own retrospectiveof the development process and the response so far.