Forge Forward 2026 Recap: New Games and Huge Updates
Forge Forward 2026: Everything Announced at Our First Games Showcase
A new chapter for Orna and Hero of Aethric, a return to our roots, and a first look at something entirely new.
Today, we hosted our very first Forge Forward, a showcase dedicated to what’s next for Northern Forge Studios and the games we’ve spent the last several years building alongside our community.
From a massive multiplayer-focused update to Orna and Hero of Aethric, to a nostalgic return to the early days of Orna, and even the reveal of our next game, we’ve had quite a bit cooking behind the scenes.
If you missed the showcase, or just want to revisit everything we announced, here’s the rundown!
[Watch Forge Forward 2026 on YouTube]
The Orna Codex: Your New Adventuring Companion
We’ve recently launched The Codex, a brand-new companion app for Orna, available on iOS and Android!
Over the years, Orna has accumulated an enormous amount of information. Between monsters, equipment, abilities, followers and the countless mechanics that make the game tick, there’s a lot to learn.
Historically, the best way to find some of that information was to ask that one person on Discord who somehow knows absolutely everything.
Well, we’ve decided to give them a break.
The Codex puts a wealth of game information at your fingertips, including previously hidden details like spell penetration values and follower base stats.
We’ve also introduced the Gear Inspector, a tool that allows you to examine equipment stats at every upgrade level, compare different pieces of gear and create a wishlist of items you’re hoping to acquire.
And we’re just getting started!
The Codex will continue to evolve based on feedback from our community. Download it, give it a try and let us know what features you’d like to see next.
[Download The Codex on iOS and Android]
Patch 4.0: Convergence
Bringing our worlds and their adventurers closer together.
One of our biggest announcements was Patch 4.0: Convergence, a massive update coming to both Orna and Hero of Aethric.
Convergence represents a major step toward making our games feel like more connected, living multiplayer worlds. We’re introducing new ways to socialize, cooperate and adventure together, alongside improvements to some of our longest-standing systems.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get into it.
Kingdoms, Reimagined
Kingdoms have always been a huge part of Orna, but with Convergence, we’re making some of the most significant changes to them since their introduction.
Kingdom Quests are being completely reworked.
Instead of individual players picking up quests (and occasionally forgetting they exist for several weeks), Kingdoms will now work together toward nine shared weekly quests.
Members contribute to these quests simply by playing different types of content, making it easier for everyone to help their Kingdom progress.
We’re also introducing contribution leaderboards and expanded Kingdom statistics, giving members more ways to celebrate their accomplishments and recognize those who go above and beyond.
And because looking good is half the battle, we’re introducing an expanded Kingdom Banner Designer, including animated banners to help your Kingdom stand out.
Introducing Crusades
Gather your Kingdom members, because we’re introducing an entirely new cooperative PvE mode: Crusades.
Crusades will allow parties of up to six Kingdom members to take on themed onslaughts of enemies together.
Players will queue into a lobby, form their party and battle through waves of enemies, earning new currency that can be used to summon Kingdom Raids and unlock additional Kingdom cosmetics.
It’s a new way to bring your Kingdom together, tackle challenges and earn rewards as a team.
Kingdom Realms: A Place to Call Home
Every great Kingdom needs somewhere to gather.
With Convergence, we’re introducing Kingdom Realms, new social spaces where members can meet, chat, interact and prepare for their next adventure.
These spaces will also support our new party-based Kingdom Raids, allowing players to gather their allies and take on powerful enemies together.
Kingdom Realms will be customizable, with cosmetic options earned through Kingdom activities that allow you to show off your collective accomplishments.
Finally, somewhere for your entire Kingdom to stand around while waiting for that one person who’s “almost ready.”
Hero of Aethric: Towns Come Alive
Hero of Aethric is also receiving some major multiplayer improvements.
With Convergence, towns will become social hubs, allowing players to see one another moving around the world in real time.
You’ll be able to hang out with other adventurers, chat, use emotes, form parties and venture into the overworld together.
We’ve also made significant infrastructure improvements behind the scenes to make player movement and communication faster and more responsive.
These changes provide a stronger technical foundation for future multiplayer experiences and help make Aethric feel more like a living, shared world.
A Better Way to Chat
We’re rebuilding our chat system from the ground up!
The new chat experience is designed to be faster, more responsive and much more capable.
New functionality includes message replies, reactions and additional social features, making it easier to communicate with fellow adventurers.
When visiting social hubs, players will also be able to chat and use emotes that others around them can see.
We want interactions between players to feel more natural, whether you’re organizing a Kingdom raid, discussing your latest equipment drop or simply hanging out.
Archpaths, at Your Own Pace
We’re also redesigning Archpaths to give players more flexibility.
The updated interface makes it easier to view all available quests and track your progress, while the new structure allows you to tackle objectives at your own pace.
Both free and paid Archpaths will remain available, offering opportunities to earn consumables, cosmetics and other rewards.
The goal is to make Archpaths more approachable and enjoyable, without the pressure of keeping up with a rigid schedule.
A Fresh Coat of Paint
Convergence also brings a variety of user interface improvements across both games.
We’ve refreshed menus, improved navigation and expanded the options available to players, including separate volume controls for music and sound effects.
And perhaps most importantly, we’ve changed our familiar brown menu background to espresso.
A sophisticated development milestone, we’re sure you’ll agree.
Patch 4.0: Convergence is a major investment in the future of Orna and Hero of Aethric. We’re excited to bring these improvements to players and continue building on them in the years ahead.
We will be sharing news on beta testing for this massive update soon!
Orna Classic: Back to Where It All Began
Sometimes, moving forward means taking a look back.
Orna has evolved enormously since its original release in 2018. What began as a relatively simple RPG has grown into a massive experience filled with new systems, guilds, questlines, events and ways to play.
But there’s something special about those early days.
The simplicity of wandering around your neighbourhood, discovering monsters, diving into dungeons and slowly building your character into something capable of taking on increasingly terrifying enemies.
That’s the experience we’re bringing back with Orna Classic.
Orna Classic is a new standalone application for iOS and Android, designed to capture the spirit of Orna’s earliest years.
No sprawling new questlines or endless systems to learn. Just good old-fashioned monster grinding, dungeon diving, equipment hunting and character progression.
Whether you were with us in 2018 or discovered Orna much later, Classic is an opportunity to experience a different era of the game.
And don’t worry, the Orna you know today isn’t going anywhere. Classic is its own experience, celebrating the roots of the game while our main titles continue to evolve.
We’re still waiting on Apple approval for this so as of publication, it is not yet available for iOS users. Hang tight!
One More Thing… Introducing Balor
We couldn’t end our first Forge Forward without one more surprise.
For some time now, a team at Northern Forge Studios has been quietly working on something new.
Today, we’re excited to finally introduce Balor, our newest game set within the Ornaverse.
Balor takes the world, mythology and creatures that players have come to know through Orna and Hero of Aethric and brings them into an entirely different kind of adventure.
Combining intense dungeon-crawling gameplay with creature collection, Balor represents an exciting new direction for our studio and the universe we’ve been building.
We’re keeping plenty of details under wraps for now, but we closed Forge Forward with our first teaser trailer, offering a glimpse into the world of Balor.
This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to share more.
Thank You for Being Part of Our Journey
When we first launched Orna, we couldn’t have imagined how far it would take us.
What started as a small passion project has grown into a universe of games, supported by an incredible community of adventurers who continue to surprise us with their creativity, dedication and occasionally alarming knowledge of obscure game mechanics.
Forge Forward is a celebration of that journey, but more importantly, it’s a look at everything we still want to accomplish.
From expanding the ways players connect in Orna and Hero of Aethric, to revisiting our roots with Orna Classic, to exploring entirely new territory with Balor, we’re excited about what’s ahead.
Thank you for playing our games, sharing your feedback and helping shape the Ornaverse into what it is today.
We’ve got plenty more in the forge.
See you out there, Travelers and Heroes!
The Northern Forge Studios Team
