Warlords Under Siege Review – A Brutal Roguelike RTS That Tests Your Strategy and Your Patience

Introduction

Ever since I fell in love with Civilization, I’ve been on a never-ending hunt for strategy games that can deliver that same “just one more turn” energy. Whether it’s RTS, 4X, or hybrid experiments, I’m always chasing that high. While waiting for Civilization VII, I stumbled upon Warlords Under Siege, a game that immediately caught my attention thanks to its mashup of RTS combat, roguelike progression, base building, and — most intriguingly — deckbuilding.

Going in, I was hoping for echoes of Age of Empires, Civ, and Age of Mythology, wrapped into something more compact and replayable. What I got instead was a game that’s equal parts chaotic, punishing, clever, and frustrating. Warlords Under Siege is absolutely something, and I’ve got a lot to say about it.

Concept & Core Idea

At its core, Warlords Under Siege is a roguelike RTS where you build a small fortified city and defend it against relentless waves of enemies. Goblins, monsters, and armies flood toward your walls in ever-increasing numbers, forcing you to constantly adapt your defenses and strategies.

What sets the game apart is its deckbuilding system. Every building, unit, upgrade, and improvement is tied to cards in your deck. You can only construct or upgrade things if you’ve drawn the appropriate card, making deck composition just as important as battlefield tactics. Between runs, you earn gold that can be spent on permanent upgrades and new cards, slowly expanding your options and pushing deeper into higher difficulties.

It’s an ambitious blend of genres that sounds incredible on paper — and at times, it absolutely delivers.

Gameplay

Each run begins by selecting a level and entering the battlefield with your chosen deck. From there, your goal is simple: survive. Waves of enemies constantly attack your city, and you must build walls, towers, siege weapons, and recruit units fast enough to hold them back.

Because your deck dictates what you can build, preparation is critical. A poorly constructed deck can leave you helpless, while a well-tuned one can turn overwhelming odds into controlled chaos. As you progress, you unlock heroes with unique abilities, gain experience points to upgrade them, and choose bonuses at the start of each day that influence your long-term strategy.

The gameplay loop is undeniably addictive. There’s a genuine thrill in watching your defenses barely hold, then swinging momentum by unlocking a crucial card or upgrade at just the right moment. Destroying massive enemy squads with ballista towers or siege shops while desperately kiting survivors with hastily placed walls is stressful — but incredibly satisfying.

Deckbuilding & Progression

Deckbuilding is one of the strongest aspects of Warlords Under Siege. There are tons of cards to unlock, covering different unit types, buildings, heroes, and synergies. While not every build is perfectly balanced, nearly every unit type and hero can be made viable with enough experimentation.

The in-game Gamepedia is an absolute standout. It clearly explains every unit, building, and card, complete with stats and abilities, making it much easier to theorycraft effective decks. This system rewards players who enjoy tinkering, optimizing, and slowly mastering a game over time.

However, progression is heavily tied to grinding — especially early on. You’ll likely replay the first level dozens of times before you’re strong enough to “properly” beat it, which can be both motivating and exhausting depending on your tolerance for repetition.

Presentation & Performance

Visually, Warlords Under Siege has a charming, throwback aesthetic. It feels like an early 2000s PC strategy game with hints of Xbox 360-era visuals, and honestly, that works in its favor. The art style complements the gameplay and sells the fantasy of a desperate, under-siege civilization.

The soundtrack is serviceable rather than memorable, but it fits the tone and doesn’t distract from the action. Performance is mostly stable, but there are occasional freezes that completely halt the game for a moment. While not frequent enough to be game-breaking, they do disrupt the flow during already intense moments.

The game is also playable on Steam Deck, though small text makes handheld play less comfortable. Docked play works much better. Unfortunately, there’s no controller support, which limits flexibility for players who prefer couch-friendly setups.

Pros

Warlords Under Siege shines brightest in its core concept and gameplay loop. Defending your city against nonstop waves of enemies is deeply engaging, and the combination of RTS mechanics with roguelike structure keeps each run feeling tense and rewarding. The deckbuilding system adds meaningful depth, forcing players to think carefully about long-term strategy rather than relying purely on reaction speed or brute force.

The progression system, while grind-heavy, does offer a strong sense of payoff. Unlocking new cards, heroes, and upgrades gradually transforms the game from brutally overwhelming into strategically manageable. The variety of cards and viable builds encourages experimentation, and the excellent in-game Gamepedia makes learning these systems far more approachable than they otherwise would be. Combined with a charming art style and solid performance on PC and Steam Deck, the game delivers a compelling — if demanding — strategy experience.

Cons

Despite its strengths, Warlords Under Siege struggles significantly with onboarding and balance. The game does a poor job explaining its systems, often throwing players into the deep end with little guidance. Key mechanics — especially deckbuilding and progression — can be easily missed if you don’t already know what to look for, which makes the early hours unnecessarily confusing.

Unit control is another major pain point. Managing multiple units is awkward, with limited options for group commands or queued actions. The lack of features common to RTS games, such as shift-queueing commands or flexible formation controls, makes micromanagement more frustrating than it needs to be. Performance issues, including occasional freezes and targeting bugs, further compound these frustrations.

The difficulty curve is arguably the game’s biggest flaw. Early runs are punishingly hard due to underpowered starting cards, and there are no difficulty settings to accommodate different player preferences. Progression often demands excessive grinding on the first level, which can feel tedious and unrewarding. Additionally, the complete lack of narrative or story context leaves the experience feeling mechanically strong but emotionally hollow.

Overall / Should You Play It?

Warlords Under Siege is a rough, ambitious, and undeniably addictive strategy game. Its blend of roguelike progression, RTS combat, base building, and deckbuilding is genuinely compelling, and when everything clicks, it delivers moments of intense satisfaction that few games in the genre can match.

That said, its steep difficulty, poor tutorials, heavy grind, and control issues make it a tough recommendation for casual strategy fans. This is not a cozy strategy game, nor one that eases you in gently. You either learn, adapt, and push through the frustration — or you bounce off hard.

If you’re a hardcore strategy fan looking for something challenging to sink your teeth into while waiting for bigger releases, Warlords Under Siege is worth your time. Just don’t expect it to hit the genre’s all-time highs. It’s a flawed but fascinating game that almost reaches greatness — and sometimes, that’s enough.