Ascendant Dawn is a grand strategy game where you lead a nomadic tribe in a brutal bronze age world. Choose how to play from peaceful herders to blood thirsty raiders. The fate of your tribe lies in your hands; will you lead them to glory or fall victim to your foes. Ascendant Dawn is a fresh take on the grand strategy genre where instead of growing a nation you grow a nomadic tribe. Improve your tribe with technology and traditions over time.

Pick from dozens of cultures to play as each with their own unique modifiers and traditions. Additionally choose from five different starts of varying difficulty.

Enact and remove traditions to influence your culture and enable different mechanics and play styles.

The world of Ascendant Dawn is based on the bronze age and features a variety of environments. Tundra, steppe, forest, mountains and desert all have their own unique impacts. There are many existing empires to avoid and upstart powers to compete with. Seasons change the world, once prosperous lands freeze and any tribe there can starve.

A diverse array of unit types with cultures having additional unique units. Building armies requires the right resources, population and even livestock. Command your armies on 2D battlefields where terrain heavily impacts your success. Use diplomacy and trade to ensure victory before the war even starts by cutting enemies off from vital resources like tin and war horses.

As a tribe found or conquer a settlement to start your journey to being an empire. Settlement management adds a whole new dimension to Ascendant Dawn. Focus on building up while avoiding pitfalls such as disease and famine. As settlements grow and new buildings are built this is reflected on the map. 

Advance technologically along an extensive tech tree. Go from the early bronze age to the height of the iron age. Technologies unlock new abilities, structures and units.

Your population is your most valuable resource. The population system forces you to think long term problems like demographic collapse are an ever present threat and if you force your farmers to be soldiers then no food will be produced. As well as human population you also control herds of livestock which can be domesticated providing more benefits 

Gather notables from amongst your population and use them to grow your dynasty, a strong dynasty is crucial for survival but be aware of those plotting against you.