How to Carry Over Your Demo Save in Arcadie II: A Complete Guide

Yes, you can absolutely carry over your demo save in Arcadie II: Cold Lands, and for most players on Steam, the process is completely automatic. When you launch the full game for the first time, it will detect the demo's save data and offer to continue your journey from right where you left off after the Siege of Whitebridge. No need to replay the entire prologue.

However, the system isn't foolproof. Depending on your platform, cloud save settings, or if you've moved files around, you might need to perform a quick manual transfer. This guide covers every scenario, from the seamless automatic import to the manual file copy, and details exactly what progress comes with you into the full, unforgiving world of the Cold Lands.

01

What Actually Transfers From the Demo?tag

Understanding what comes with you is key to managing expectations. The demo covers the prologue and the first chapter, ending after the climactic defense of the Whitebridge garrison. The developers have been generous with what's preserved, but some elements are reset to ensure a balanced experience in the full game.

Here’s the exact breakdown of what you keep and what you lose:

What Carries Over:

• Character Level & Experience: Whatever level you reached in the demo, typically around 7-9, will be your starting level in the full game.
• Skills & Abilities: All unlocked skills and ability points you've assigned are preserved. You won't have to rebuild your character's combat style.
• Inventory & Equipment: All weapons, armor, consumables, and crafting materials you collected will be in your inventory. This includes any rare gear you might have found, like the Sentinel's Greaves in the Frostpeak Caverns.
• Key Story Decisions: Your choices matter. The critical decision during the prologue—whether you chose to save the Elder Sage or retrieve the Sunstone—will be flagged in your save and referenced in later chapters.
• World Exploration: Any optional areas you discovered and cleared will remain cleared, and your world map will reflect your exploration progress.

What Does NOT Carry Over:

• Quest-Specific Items: Key items that are only relevant to the demo's questline, like the initial Makeshift Key, are removed. The full game has its own progression locks.
• Demo-Specific Tutorial Gear: The “Trialist’s Blade” and “Recruit’s Armor” set, which have slightly inflated stats for the demo, are automatically replaced with their standard, balanced versions.
• Achievement Progress: Any achievements earned in the demo will need to be re-earned in the full version of Arcadie II. The system resets so you can earn them properly on your platform profile.
• Temporary Buffs: Any shrine blessings or temporary stat boosts active when you finished the demo will be cleared.

02

How to Transfer Your Save Datatag

Depending on your setup, this will either be a one-click process or a simple two-minute file copy. We'll start with the most common scenario for Steam users.

The Automatic Method (Steam)tag

For 99% of Steam players, this is all you'll need to do. The client is designed to handle the transition seamlessly as long as you follow one crucial rule: do not uninstall the demo before installing and launching the full game.

1. Purchase and Install Arcadie II: Buy the full game on the same Steam account you used for the demo. Let it fully install.
2. Launch the Full Game: Run Arcadie II: Cold Lands from your Steam library.
3. Check the Main Menu: The game will automatically check for demo save files upon its first launch. You should see a new menu option: "Continue from Demo."
4. Confirm and Play: Selecting this option will load your character exactly as you left them, standing victorious at Whitebridge. The game will create a new, permanent save file in the full game's directory, and you can save normally from this point forward. Your demo save file remains untouched in its original folder.

If that option doesn't appear, don't panic. Move on to the manual method.

The Manual Method (PC/Steam Deck)tag

This method is for players who uninstalled the demo first, use a different game launcher, or have their games installed on different hard drives, which can sometimes confuse the automatic detection. It's a simple drag-and-drop process.

Step 1: Find Your Demo Save File

First, you need to locate where the demo stored your progress. The file is usually named something like AUTOSAVE_DEMO_END.sav. Here are the default locations:

• Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Steambound\ArcadieIIDemo\Saves
  • (You can paste %APPDATA%\Steambound\ArcadieIIDemo\Saves into your File Explorer address bar to jump there directly.)
• Steam Deck / Linux: ~/.local/share/Steambound/ArcadieIIDemo/Saves

Step 2: Locate the Full Game's Save Folder

Next, find the corresponding folder for the full game. You must launch the full game at least once for it to create this folder structure. After you've launched it and quit from the main menu, the folder will be here:

• Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Steambound\ArcadieII\Saves
• Steam Deck / Linux: ~/.local/share/Steambound/ArcadieII/Saves

Notice the only difference is ArcadieIIDemo vs. ArcadieII.

Step 3: Copy, Paste, and Launch

1. Navigate to the demo save folder from Step 1.
2. Copy (do not cut) your save file (e.g., AUTOSAVE_DEMO_END.sav).
3. Navigate to the full game's save folder from Step 2.
4. Paste the save file into this new folder.
5. Launch the full version of Arcadie II. Your save should now appear in the "Load Game" screen.

03

Troubleshooting Common Save Transfer Issuestag

Even with a clear process, things can go wrong. Here are the most common snags and how to fix them.

• "My save file isn't showing up after a manual transfer!" The most common cause is that you didn't launch the full game at least once before copying the file. The game needs to initialize the save directory and its configuration files first. Launch the game, start a new game, save immediately, then quit. Now, try copying your demo save into the folder again, overwriting the new save you just made.

• "The game says my save is corrupted!" This can happen if your demo version is out of date. Before the full game's launch, the developers pushed a final patch to the demo to ensure save compatibility. Right-click the demo in Steam, go to Properties > Updates, and make sure it's fully updated. If it is, and the file is still seen as corrupt, it's possible the file was damaged. Unfortunately, in this rare case, you may have to start over.

• "I already uninstalled the demo, is my save gone forever?" Maybe not. First, check your PC's Recycle Bin. If you're lucky, the uninstaller just deleted the folder and you can restore it. Second, if you had Steam Cloud enabled for the demo, the save might still be in the cloud. Reinstalling the demo could potentially restore it. If neither of those options works, then yes, the local save file is likely gone permanently.

04

But Should You Even Bother?tag

Here’s a take you might not expect from a guide about transferring saves: you might have a better experience starting fresh.

While carrying your progress over is efficient, the full version of Arcadie II subtly rebalances the opening hours. Enemy placements are slightly different, some early-game loot tables have been tweaked, and most importantly, new dialogue and lore entries have been added to the prologue that weren't present in the original demo.

The demo was a vertical slice designed to showcase the combat. The full game's opening is paced slightly differently, with more world-building. By starting over, you get to experience the game exactly as the developers intended, with the final polish and narrative context in place. Replaying the first 3-4 hours might feel like a chore, but it can provide a richer foundation for the 50+ hour journey ahead.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you're eager to see new content immediately, transfer your save. If you want the definitive narrative experience, consider a fresh start.

05

Frequently Asked Questionstag

• Can I transfer my demo save from one platform to another (e.g., PC to console)? No. Save files are platform-specific. A Steam demo save can only be transferred to the Steam full version of the game. There is no cross-platform save functionality.

• How much gameplay does carrying over a save actually skip? The demo covers the prologue and first chapter, which amounts to roughly 3-4 hours of gameplay for an average player. You'll be skipping the initial tutorials and the defense of Whitebridge.

• Will my choices from the demo lock me out of any major endings? No. While your prologue decision (saving the Sage vs. the Sunstone) will have narrative repercussions and change some dialogue, the primary requirements for the game's multiple major endings are all found in chapters well beyond the scope of the demo.

06

Final Checktag

Transferring your progress from the Arcadie II: Cold Lands demo is a straightforward process designed to get you back into the action quickly. For most, Steam's automatic detection will handle everything. For everyone else, a quick manual file copy is all it takes to bring your hardened warrior into the vast, hostile world that awaits. Gear up, check your save file, and get ready to push beyond the walls of Whitebridge.