Update v1.3 – Paladin Shield Counter, New Guide, Smarter Homunculi & Better Mobile Support
Hey Vanguard!
Your feedback keeps shaping the game, and today was a big day. Here’s everything that’s new:
🛡️ Paladin: Shield Counter
Werewolves used to leap right past the Paladin’s sword and bite before he could react. Not anymore:
- Every leaping enemy now crouches for a moment and shows a red line on the ground, so you can see the jump coming (with every hero).
- When a beast leaps into the Paladin’s reach, it bounces off his shield: it takes damage, gets knocked back and is stunned for 0.6 seconds.
⚗️ Alchemist: Homunculi throw flasks
The Alchemist’s little helpers now throw tiny flasks in an arc, just like their master, but smaller: small splashes and small fire, poison and ice puddles that slow and weaken enemies.
📖 New: Abilities & Upgrades Guide
Not sure what Q, E or the upgrade icons do? Open Guide in the main menu or pause menu to see every hero’s abilities and upgrades. New players on mobile get a hint pointing to it.
🎮 Snappier controls
- Q/E now show the cooldown, stamina cost and a refill bar, so you always know why an ability isn’t ready.
- Quick-buy reacts instantly on tap or key press, even while using the joystick.
- Smoother bars and lighter effects for weaker phones.
⚖️ Balance
- No more double gold after bosses: the reward is in the boss chest. Entering the new region now shows its name instead.
- Endless mode: event bosses now drop a chest worth 3× the gold plus a big healing potion (25% HP). They’re worth hunting down!
📱 Better mobile support
The game is now marked as mobile-friendly and launches in fullscreen landscape on phones. On iPhone, Safari doesn’t allow fullscreen for web games.
🧩 Unlock new heroes with Banner Shards
Did you know? The Archer and the Necromancer are free from the start, but two more champions are waiting:
- Collect purple banner shards (puzzle pieces). Every boss chest contains one, and elite enemies sometimes drop one too.
- 7 shards complete the first banner and unlock the Paladin 🛡️
- 14 shards complete the second banner and unlock the Alchemist ⚗️
- Shards are kept forever, even when you fall. Every run brings you closer!
🏆 Weekly Champion Contest
The weekly leaderboard resets every Monday at 00:00 UTC. The Champion of the Week gets their own TikTok & YouTube video!
▶️ Play free in your browser: https://bannerofthevanguard.itch.io/banner-of-the-vanguard
❤️ Support us on Kickstarter (until Nov 20): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1594375236/banner-of-the-vanguard?ref=1y5u9m
💬 Feedback & bug reports on Discord: https://discord.gg/Hba69xvzF
Thanks for playing, and keep holding the banner!
– Cannotplay
Banner of the Vanguard is a dark fantasy survivor you can play for free right in your browser – on PC and mobile.
🎮 Play here: https://bannerofthevanguard.itch.io/banner-of-the-vanguard
What is it?
The Vanguard has fallen and its banner lies shattered. Pick one of four heroes and fight your way through endless hordes across 10 regions:
- 🏹 Archer – longest range, up to 5 arrows per shot
- 💀 Necromancer – raises skeleton archers, soul nova
- 🛡️ Paladin – heavy armor, squires that charge and cripple
- ⚗️ Alchemist – fire, poison and ice with explosive reactions
Every 10 levels a regional boss builds its own arena around you – and at the end, the Dragon Lord awaits.
New in this update
- 🏆 World leaderboard – survival time, kills, level and bosses
- 📅 Weekly challenge – the #1 of the week gets featured on TikTok and in our Kickstarter update
- 📱 Mobile-optimized HUD – much cleaner in landscape and portrait
- 🔗 Share your run after game over
I need your feedback! This is an open beta, so I’d love to hear what you think about hero balance, the mobile experience, and any bugs you run into.
🐛 Found a bug? Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Hba69xvzF
⚔️ Support the project on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1594375236/banner-of-the-vanguard?ref=1y5u9m
Thanks for playing – can you take #1 this week? 🏳️🔥