Oaken Tower FAQ: Solo, Duos & Current Updates Oaken Tower Game Walkthrough Wiki

1. What does asynchronous PvP mean here?

The current store describes a tower of items fighting other players in an asynchronous auto-battler. Your strategic work involves buying, combining and positioning items, choosing perks and leveling, rather than manually aiming every attack during combat. That does not make item text or encounter decisions unimportant. Begin by reading how a current item triggers and which types it interacts with. The game is still in Early Access, so a guide needs to name its balance version before presenting a particular interaction as settled.

Sources: Current Steam listing

2. Are Duos only a future Early Access promise?

No. The July announcement releases Duos officially, with friend pairing or a random partner, a separate ranked leaderboard and a Duos-specific encounter. Later Q3 updates and September hotfixes continue to change that released mode. The store Early Access FAQ also mentions planned Live Lobbies, but that old future-facing wording should not erase the later Duos release. Separate the mode you can currently join from broader 1.0 plans, and use the latest lobby and coordination notes when setting up a game.

Sources: Official Duos release notes / Current Steam listing / Duos timer and synchronization hotfix

3. How do Casual and Ranked differ?

The developer describes Casual as a place to experiment without competitive leaderboard pressure, while Ranked uses the rating system and seasonal competition. The July release reworks rating to make higher ranks more demanding. It is therefore misleading to transfer an old rank expectation directly to a later season. In Duos, the lobby selection now synchronizes between players. Confirm the chosen mode before committing to a session; joining a co-op partner does not by itself prove that the match is Casual.

Sources: Current Steam listing / Official Duos release notes / Duos timer and synchronization hotfix

4. Do I need an online service account or special software?

The Steam listing identifies online PvP, online co-op, Cloud saves and an anti-cheat label. It does not identify the technical implementation behind the generic Anti Cheat name. Do not assume from that label that a particular kernel component or third-party account is required. The current US regular price is $9.99, separate from any future full-release price change or regional sale. Use the actual Steam store and game prompts for your purchase and connection setup rather than inventing requirements absent from the listing.

Sources: Current Steam listing

5. Why does Lifesteal not activate a Heal interaction?

Patch 0.6.5 explicitly distinguishes the two mechanics: Lifesteal restores HP but does not trigger effects that specifically interact with Heal. The tooltip was revised to make that distinction clearer. When assembling a synergy, read the condition actually named by the receiving item instead of assuming every increase in HP satisfies the same event. This rule is more useful than a generic claim that a health-based pack supports every healing combo. Check later applied notes if the mechanic is revised again.

Sources: Keyword and Lifesteal update

6. Why is an item behaving differently from an old build guide?

Recent changes include the Q3 cooldown-reduction rework, item balance changes and a rapid reversal of the Elvish Orb charge change in 0.6.5.1. A build written for 0.6.5 can therefore be stale even shortly after publication. Record the patch and read the current tooltip before reproducing it. The collection and match-history features can help inspect a build, but neither guarantees that its old costs, types or trigger wording are still correct on your installed version.

Sources: Released Q3 systems update / Keyword and Lifesteal update / Item wording and stack-selection hotfix

7. What should Steam Deck players check?

Hotfix 0.6.5.2 fixes touchscreen dragging that could stop working, and 0.6.5.3 corrects dragging individual items from a stack. These are specific applied input fixes. If a stack still behaves unexpectedly, check the build and identify the item selected by its infobox before making a purchase or moving it. The 0.6.5.1 inventory change selects the item closest to the pointer and displays only one infobox at a time. Update before treating an older dragging problem as a permanent restriction of the platform.

Sources: Duos timer and synchronization hotfix / Current 0.6.5.3 hotfix / Item wording and stack-selection hotfix

8. Is the coming 1.0 content already part of this guide?

No. The October 11 hotfix discusses further balance work and an upcoming reveal for a 1.0 feature. Those statements are development plans rather than an applied feature list. This guide covers the Q3 content and the published fixes through 0.6.5.3. Check the release notice when a new mode or system actually arrives. The game includes fantasy combat and damage-status mechanics; the guide describes their rules without graphic depictions or treating every advertised future feature as available today.

Sources: Current 0.6.5.3 hotfix / Released Q3 systems update

Related guides

Sources checked October 13, 2026. Published facts are linked beside their explanations. Planning and practice suggestions are editorial advice rather than verified optimal builds.