Path of Exile and Slay the Spire were small indie games when they came out, but their huge success made them cornerstones of their respective genres, and now a new RPG Steam game is combining their best features. Steam is one of the most-used platforms for new releases, and this is especially true for indie games that need to build momentum ahead of launch. Be it through early access, the wishlist feature, or the fact that millions of users access Steam daily, the platform is great for these needs.
Indie RPGs are often released to fill the gap left by massive AAA games that take years to release, such as fantasy open-world games on Steam taking advantage of The Elder Scrolls 6‘s absence. Action RPG fans have found some of the most solid titles in the industry in games like Path of Exile and Diablo from the AAA side, or titles like Grim Dawn from smaller studios. Similarly, deckbuilding and card game fans have found their go-tos in titles like Slay the Spire, Balatro, and even Magic: The Gathering Arena. Now, a new game is mixing Slay the Spire‘s deckbuilding with Path of Exile‘s RPG and build-making features.
RPG Deckbuilder Launches to Strong, 89% Very Positive Reviews on Steam
Check Out Shards of Order on the Official Steam Page
Shards of Order is a new RPG on Steam that blends the complexity of the best builds in Path of Exile 2 as well as the original with the deckbuilding and strategic fights of Slay the Spire. In Shards of Order, players lead a party of survivors through a world filled with cultists, undead enemies, dragons, and more, using a card-based combat system with a strong emphasis on deckbuilding. The game is a dark fantasy RPG at its core, but unlike typical deckbuilders, it doesn’t have turns or resources like mana to cast cards. Instead, it relies on a time-based system, with cards each costing time, and players being able to spend a certain amount of time before the enemies act.
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The game has three main heroes and their respective cards that can be used in the deck, but mixing these affects the odds of drawing cards for each hero, meaning that some may not act when players want them to. The game presents many choices to players, who have to decide whether to stack their deck in favor of one specific hero, have a balanced approach, focus on two while leaving the third behind, and so on. Yet, this is fundamentally a new RPG on Steam with classic RPG features, as players can level up, customize the heroes, choose how to handle distinct skill trees, obtain new equipment, make relevant dialogue choices, and even pass skill checks. Combined with deckbuilding, this creates a complexity worthy of Path of Exile builds.
Shards of Order Features at a Glance
- Character Progression: Character customization, skill trees, gear management, and dialogue choices are the bread and butter of Shards of Order.
- Exploration: While not an open-world game, Shards of Order features an explorable world with important decisions for players to make, such as where to go, which enemies to face, and so on.
- Time Counter System and Card-Based Combat: Card-based combat with a time counter in place of mana or turns that forces players to use cards strategically to make the most out of their hand before enemies act.
- Shared Deck: Deckbuilding challenges coming from a shared deck for three heroes, giving players infinite possibilities with how they want to play.
- Unlock New Gear and Cards: Players can obtain new equipment and cards to further customize their builds and combat styles, be it for one character or all three.
Still, players have to keep an eye on the time counter in every fight and optimize both the card selection in their deck and the way they play the cards. While this is not a roguelike game like Slay the Spire, fans of the latter will find many similarities in Shards of Order‘s gameplay.
Shards of Order has skill trees of its own that look like Path of Exile 2‘s Atlas Tree, and with very complex choices to make, this new Steam game will make PoE veterans feel at home. On top of that, the game comes with 89% Very Positive reviews, carrying over great popularity from the beta.
- Released
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July 28, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Fardust
- Publisher(s)
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Awaken Realms
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Playable
