Stonewards Beginner Guide: Classes, Mining & Waves
New to Stonewards? Learn the core loop, starting classes, how mining and forging work, and how to survive your first enemy waves in Early Access.
Last verified: September 24, 2026 — Game version: Stonewards Early Access 0.2.2 hotfix on top of 0.2.0 “Later Summer” (current). Facts come from official Steam sources and verified player reports.
Stonewards is a 1-4 player co-op first-person roguelite defense game. Each mission sends your squad to a dwarven kingdom under attack. Your job is to mine resources between waves, forge upgrades at your base, and hold the walls until the threat is over. This guide covers the core loop, the classes you will meet, and the basics of surviving your first runs.
The Core Mission Loop
Every run follows the same rhythm. First, you defend the stronghold from a wave of monsters. Once the wave ends, the horn stops and the mine opens. You have limited time to dig for metals, rare materials, and loot before the next horn signals the next attack. Return to the forge, craft arrows, repair walls, and buy upgrades. Repeat until you win or the kingdom falls.
Starting Classes
Each dwarf has a unique ability and a preferred tool. The official developer updates have named or shown several classes:
| Class | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Frontline melee | Strong basic attacks and good survivability |
| Miner | Resource gathering | Excels at breaking rocks and hauling ore |
| Archer | Ranged physical | Uses charged bow shots from the walls |
| Mage | Ranged magic | Casts charged spells; currently feels slower solo |
| Hunter | Pet/summon | Has a companion; the pet was buffed in 0.1.4 and 0.1.7, and since 0.2.2 its kills can crit and drop Gold |
Some classes may need to be unlocked. The “Toggler” is referenced in patch notes as an unlockable character whose requirement can sometimes fail to trigger until the game is restarted.
Mining and Inventory Basics
Mining is not optional. Walls, arrows, repairs, and upgrades all consume resources found underground. The mine is procedural, so tunnel layouts change each run. Platinum Ore had a missing icon bug that was fixed in an earlier hotfix, so expect the resource list to keep growing as Early Access evolves.
Your pickaxe and horn are treated like default tools. One community suggestion calls them class-agnostic slots, similar to how every dwarf carries a pickaxe and horn regardless of class.
Forging and Upgrades
Between waves, use the blacksmith and crafter to:
- Craft arrows and ammunition.
- Repair damaged walls and gates.
- Buy randomized roguelite upgrades such as attack, health, jump height, knockback, and wall toughness.
The Blacksmith maximum level was raised from 101 to 999 in Hotfix 0.1.5, so long-term progression has much more room than it first appeared.
Defending the Kingdom
Monsters have one goal: breach the stronghold. Your team needs to cover gates, watch walls, and fall back when defenses break. If the kingdom health hits zero, the mission ends. Communicate with your team about who repairs walls and who mines, or you will run out of resources mid-wave.
What Changed Since Hotfix 0.1.5
Several updates since this guide was written make the opening hours friendlier:
- Mercenaries (0.2.0). You can hire Mercenaries in the Hub to help during your next run, which is aimed at solo players who want backup; since 0.2.2 their kills, and kills by Ballistas, drop Gold for everyone.
- Daily Quests (0.2.0). A new set of objectives is available each day and shows on the Quest screen with a refresh timer, so there is always a small goal beyond surviving the next wave.
- You can join a run already in progress (0.2.0). New joiners start at Level 1, and if you disconnect you can reconnect to the same run with your inventory, Health and run upgrades restored; 0.2.2 tightened that so rejoining also restores Ring Rerolls and Skips, Team Tome bonuses, bonus Max Health and Run Score.
- Multiplayer waves wait for you (0.1.8). After everyone picks their End-of-Wave upgrade, the game stays paused until any player presses Continue, and 0.1.7’s 60-second auto-select keeps one AFK player from blocking the run.
- Quality-of-life wins (0.2.0). Press Tab in the Hub to see your class stats, hold the craft button to raise the quantity instead of clicking, and expect clearer multiplayer information since Healers can see teammates’ Health above their characters and connect/disconnect notifications now appear.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Staying in the mine too long and missing the start of the next wave.
- Ignoring wall repairs to chase kills.
- Spending all resources on damage upgrades while neglecting ammo and repairs.
- Trying to play ranged classes solo before you understand charge timing.
For more detail on class balance, read our solo guide. For upgrade priorities, see best upgrades and builds.
From Community Gameplay
- Co-op groups naturally split the work: miners haul resources while warriors hold the walls. One group put it as, “you guys do mining and get resources to upgrade our defenses and we fight” (The Boys are Dwarves, 01:32).
- A wave timer at the top of the screen shows when monsters are about to reach the castle, so the audio cue is not your only warning (The Boys are Dwarves, 01:16).
- Blacksmith upgrades are chosen by team vote. Everyone sees the same options, votes, and the winning bonus applies to the whole squad—not just one dwarf (The Boys are Dwarves, 02:57; 05:31).
- The ballista upgrade defends automatically once built. You do not need to stand on it for it to fire (The Boys are Dwarves, 09:37).
- Avoid digging straight down at the mine entrance. Side shafts and staircases make it much easier to climb back out before the wave starts (The Boys are Dwarves, 01:39; 12:03).
- Normal pickaxe swings do not drain stamina—only charged heavy attacks do. That means you can keep mining steadily while saving stamina for big swings (The Boys are Dwarves, 12:02).
- Treasure chests can be heard through nearby rock as a faint jingling or glittering sound; lowering the music can make them easier to locate (The Boys are Dwarves, 02:05; 02:26).
- You do not have to save every wall. If a gate has already bought you time, fall back and protect the kingdom rather than pouring resources into a lost position (The Boys are Dwarves, 06:55; 07:17).
Sources
- Official Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4502710/
- Official Steam announcements hub: https://steamcommunity.com/games/4502710/announcements/
- Steam Community discussions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4502710/discussions/
- The Boys are Dwarves gameplay video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-XuIMMYeW8
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