Prince Armory Academy 2025 Year In Review

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on everything that unfolded at Prince Armory Academy. This year wasn’t just about making armor or releasing videos. It was about pushing craftsmanship forward, experimenting with new techniques, growing our community, and opening the door for supporters to be part of the process from day one. From leather dragon scales to digital scans and pre-orders, this year marked a major evolution for PAA.

Crafting the Elven Lord Armor Series

One of the biggest highlights of the year was the continued development of the Elven Lord Armor project. This series became a cornerstone of our content and a clear favorite within the community. We explored individual components like Crafting the Elven Lord Armor – Arms and Crafting the Elven Lord Leather Pauldrons, showing detailed construction techniques and how fantasy armor is built piece by piece.

Earlier in the series, Crafting the Elven Lord Leather Breastplate stood out, blending storytelling, advanced leatherwork, and practical instruction into a single build. Together, the series reinforced what Prince Armory Academy is about: real craftsmanship, transparent process, and sharing knowledge.

All patterns for the Elven series are now available to buy, and a few tutorials are live. New narrated videos will now be for bundle owners only, while crafting content for everyone will continue to be uploaded to YouTube soon.

Next in Line: Our Most Advanced Armor

Beyond the Elven Lord series, our focus shifted toward what comes next and that’s Hydra. This project represents our most advanced armor work to date, pushing complexity in structure, layering, and overall design while building on everything we’ve learned so far. Hydra is designed as a flagship build, setting a new benchmark for what’s possible in leather armor construction.

Hydra is currently available for pre-order exclusively to Guild members, giving early access to those most invested in the craft and the future of Prince Armory Academy. This approach allows us to develop the project with direct input from our core community while delivering a more refined and ambitious armor system. Access is available through the Guild pre-order page.

Advancing the Craft Through Technology

This year wasn’t only about traditional armor builds, it was also about pushing efficiency and modernizing how we create and teach. Alongside refining leathercraft techniques that save time without sacrificing quality, we made meaningful progress in integrating technology into our workflow to support better production and learning outcomes.

We invested heavily in upgrading our technical infrastructure, including building a powerful, purpose-built editing PC designed to handle high-resolution video, complex timelines, and faster rendering. This significantly improved our ability to produce clearer, more detailed tutorials while reducing turnaround time and bottlenecks in post-production.

At the same time, we continued expanding our use of digital fabrication tools such as 3D printing and laser cutting. These technologies allowed us to test forms, create precise components, and experiment with hybrid workflows that combine handcrafted leatherwork with digital precision. By scanning physical pieces and translating them into digital formats, we explored new ways to preserve designs, iterate faster, and bridge the gap between traditional craftsmanship and modern manufacturing tools.

Launch of the Pre-Order Hub

One of the most important milestones this year was the launch of the Prince Armory Academy Pre-Order Hub. This was a big step forward in how we develop and release projects.

The Pre-Order Hub allows supporters to back upcoming armor patterns and resources before they’re finished, giving us the ability to build more ambitious projects while staying transparent about timelines and progress. It also gives the community early access, exclusive perks, and a direct role in shaping what gets made next.

This system represents a shift from passive content consumption to active participation, and it’s something we’re excited to continue expanding in the year ahead.

Community Giveaways and Engagement

Following the launch of the Pre-Order Hub, our focus shifted toward strengthening the community through more structured, long-term initiatives. The Guild continued to grow as a central space for dedicated makers, offering ongoing value, shared resources, and deeper access to what we’re building. Alongside it, the Herald Program expanded our reach by empowering community members to actively represent, support, and grow the craft together.

While we did run occasional giveaways as a small thank-you, the emphasis this year was on meaningful engagement rather than promotions. Feedback, questions, and discussions within the Guild and from Heralds directly influenced our direction, helping shape new builds, tools, and content aligned with what the community truly wanted to learn and create.

Looking Ahead

This year proved that Prince Armory Academy is more than a collection of tutorials. It’s a living workshop, a testing ground for new ideas, and a community-driven platform for armor craft education.

As we move into the new year, expect deeper builds, more advanced techniques, expanded pattern releases through the Pre-Order Hub, and continued exploration at the intersection of traditional armor making and modern technology. We’re also preparing to launch the Sanctum of Mastery, where artisans will be able to have their work evaluated directly by Samuel and book 1:1 consultation calls for focused guidance.

Alongside this, we’re introducing merchant licensing, giving makers the freedom to sell finished products based on our patterns with clear, worry-free usage rights.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you watched a single video or followed every build from start to finish, your support is what makes Prince Armory Academy possible. Here’s to another year of craft, creativity, and armor worth forging.