--- title: "Wartales Knights of Fardensa: Release Date, Price and Free Mounted Combat" description: "Wartales: Knights of Fardensa launches December 9, 2026 for $19.99. Horses, the Horseman class and horse breeding come free to every player in a major update." url: https://after-strategy.com/en/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-release-date-mounted-combat-2026/ lang: en published: 2026-11-07 author: "Simon Dougnac" author_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/auteur/simon/ game: "Wartales" game_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/wartales/ categories: [tour-par-tour] tags: [wartales, shiro-games, dlc, tactical-rpg] translations: fr: https://after-strategy.com/fr/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-chevaux-gratuits-9-decembre-2026/ es: https://after-strategy.com/es/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-fecha-caballos-gratis-2026/ publisher: "After Strategy" --- # Wartales Knights of Fardensa: Release Date, Price and Free Mounted Combat > Wartales: Knights of Fardensa launches December 9, 2026 for $19.99. Horses, the Horseman class and horse breeding come free to every player in a major update. Wartales has always marched its mercenaries on foot. Now that horses are finally coming, Shiro Games has decided not to charge for them. Announced on November 4, 2026, horses, the Horseman class and horse breeding will arrive in a **free major update**, launching alongside the paid **Knights of Fardensa** expansion on **December 9, 2026**. This piece is based on [Shiro Games' official Steam announcement](https://steamcommunity.com/games/1527950/announcements/detail/690898727962935707), the expansion's Steam page and press coverage. Nobody outside the studio has played the Fardensa region yet. ## Knights of Fardensa release date, price and platforms The expansion launches on December 9, 2026 on PC, through Steam and GOG. It is priced at **$19.99**, with a 10% discount during its first two weeks. Regional prices were not yet showing on the Steam page at announcement. For context, Wartales first released on April 12, 2023. Knights of Fardensa follows the [Fires in the Capital](https://after-strategy.com/en/wartales-fires-in-the-capital-dlc-urban-combat-2026/) contract and moves up a gear: a whole region, with its own campaign. ## Free for everyone: horses, Horseman and breeding The free half is the part that matters most to an existing company. It breaks down into four pieces. - **The Horseman class.** It is a Mastery class that sits on top of a companion's existing class. Once mounted, the unit fights with a lance and builds Momentum by moving during combat. - **Dismounting.** Some enemies can knock a rider off their horse. The companion then falls back on their original class. - **Horse progression.** Each mount gets its own specialisation, and challenges unlock new Horseman skills. - **Breeding.** At Trading Posts, you can cross horses to combine their inherited traits, raise their stats and pick their coat. ![Wartales Knights of Fardensa, an armoured rider charging through a melee of mercenaries in a grassy field](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-chevaux-gratuits-9-decembre-2026/screenshot-1.webp) The key detail is the class stacking. An archer or a swordsman does not become a different character: they keep their role and gain a mounted option. In a game where you grind the same mercenaries for dozens of hours, that is good news for veteran companies. Dismounting is where the real tactical question sits. If enemies able to unhorse riders are common, the lance becomes a gamble; if they are rare, the Horseman could end up dominating skirmishes. ## What the paid expansion adds With the horses taken out of the equation, the $19.99 mostly pays for story content. Fardensa is a region inspired by Renaissance Florence, full of orchards, vineyards and sprawling estates. The **Ald Hertogg** family controls the horse and trade monopolies there, and rival noble families want them gone. You pick who to back, and your contracts shape how the regional story ends. ![Wartales Knights of Fardensa, a Renaissance estate surrounded by orchards, lavender fields and crops](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-chevaux-gratuits-9-decembre-2026/screenshot-2.webp) The expansion includes: - A two-act campaign that ends with the title of Knight. - Five legendary horses, found in Fardensa and in other regions. - Armour sets bearing the colours of the noble families. - A legendary character to summon and recruit. - A regional boss and an arena champion. Selling only the region is a healthy choice. It avoids splitting the player base in two, and it forces the expansion to stand on its writing. The risk is length. Two acts can mean a dense campaign or a short detour, and Shiro Games has not given an estimate. ## The open beta runs until November 18 An open beta of the major update is already live on Steam and will stay up until November 18, 2026. You opt in from the game's Properties, under the Betas tab. It covers the Horseman class and breeding, but **neither the Fardensa region nor the expansion storyline**. ![Wartales Knights of Fardensa, a stable where a character questions the mercenaries about stolen horses](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-chevaux-gratuits-9-decembre-2026/screenshot-3.webp) Shiro Games recommends backing up your saves before switching and not overwriting your main playthrough. For players who follow the community updates, it is a chance to shape Horseman balance before the final release. ## What to watch before December 9 First, regional pricing, which was missing from the Steam page at announcement. Second, how mounted combat is balanced after the beta: how often enemies can dismount riders will decide whether the lance becomes a tool or a default. Third, the actual length of the Fardensa campaign. Worth keeping an eye on if you have a late-game company that has run out of things to do: horses alone may be enough to revive that save. Worth waiting on if you only buy expansions for a long campaign: read the first impressions in December before paying. ## Going further - [All our Wartales coverage](https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/wartales/) - [Wartales Community Update 7: The Lair Criminal Hub and Prisoner Rework Land September 7](https://after-strategy.com/en/wartales-community-update-7-lair-prisoner-rework-september-2026/) ## Sources - - - - - Source : [Wartales Knights of Fardensa: Release Date, Price and Free Mounted Combat](https://after-strategy.com/en/wartales-knights-of-fardensa-release-date-mounted-combat-2026/) — After Strategy