The Guild – Europa 1410 was originally set to begin its Early Access journey on July 16. After a wave of player feedback, developer Ashborne Games and publisher THQ Nordic decided to push the launch back a few weeks to implement some of what players asked for — and one of the most frequently requested features was a proper tutorial to get your medieval tycoon career rolling.
That tutorial has arrived. The demo has been updated today with a brand-new tutorial town, and Early Access is now planned for September 2026. It’s a delay, but the kind that’s hard to be annoyed about: the team asked for feedback, got it, and rearranged their schedule to act on it.
The Real Town Behind the Tutorial
Here’s the genuinely charming part. The new tutorial town, Landsfort Herle, is based on a real place — and the developers are inviting a specific kind of recognition. If you’ve ever visited it, you might have your own version of the “Monkey Island’s Melee Island was inspired by Rothenburg ob der Tauber” moment. The difference is that the Monkey Island story remains an unconfirmed urban legend, while Landsfort Herle genuinely was the inspiration here, and the in-game map closely resembles how the town looked in the Middle Ages.
It’s a smart pick for a tutorial. A sprawling city is exactly the wrong place to learn a systems-heavy tycoon game, and a compact medieval town with real historical geography gives you somewhere small enough to understand while still feeling authentically of its period.
Building a Dynasty, Not Just a Business
The Guild – Europa 1410 takes the series back to its roots, drawing inspiration from the original Europa 1400: The Guild. You start at the head of a fledgling dynasty with only a modest business, and as the years pass you expand your family’s influence and secure a succession so your legacy endures beyond a single lifetime.
But trade alone won’t earn you a voice in the town hall. To truly steer the city’s fortunes — and make sure the law favours your ambitions — you have to engage with the political landscape, using popularity, bribes, or outright blackmail to climb toward the highest offices. Every criminal action risks leaving evidence behind, though, which can be used against you in court later.
Choose from professions like blacksmith, alchemist, or tailor and grow your business into the city’s most influential enterprise. Each profession plays differently.
Or take the criminal road: cart robberies, scouting buildings for loot, pickpocketing, even kidnapping for ransom. Alternatively, patrol as a guardsman and uphold the law.
Secure prestigious offices to advance your ambitions and impede rivals — with blackmail available when persuasion won’t do. Evidence of your crimes can resurface in court.
Compete, collaborate, and backstab with up to 12 players. Ambush friends’ carts, drag them to court, break into their houses, or challenge them to duels.
On the presentation side, the team is promising state-of-the-art graphics built to support a realistic historic city simulation — bustling marketplaces, busy workshops, the intricate architecture of the town hall — with new districts taking shape and the landscape transforming as the city grows around your actions.
What Happens Next
The updated demo is available on Steam now, and the developers say they’re eager for more feedback as they continue preparing for the Early Access launch in September 2026. A full changelog for today’s update is posted on Steam.
If you’ve been curious about the series — or you just want to see how closely a Dutch fortress church town translates into a medieval tycoon tutorial — Landsfort Herle is waiting.
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