Tools of Destruction + News from the Town
This one’s big and juicy – here’s what’s inside.
First, we chat with one of our designers about how weapons are crafted in Witchfire.
Then, we begin to pull back the curtain on the next major update called Webgrave.
And finally, a fresh installment of the Hermitorium Archives, where we highlight the coolest things the community’s been up to, along with a few bonus insights from the team.
Sugar-coating the weapons
Witchfire is – to quote our storefront – a first-person dark fantasy RPG shooter. It’s a lot of words, sure, but even a brief look at the game makes one thing obvious: weapons matter. They’re with you when you run, when you pause, when you pick a loadout, when you research. We’re big on our guns – some might even say we’re all-in.
But have you ever wondered how these death-dealing instruments come to be? What’s the story behind their design? I managed to pry Andrzej Sugier — @Sugar on our Discord — our very own Gunsmith-in-Chief, away from his work to talk about shaping the past, present and future armory of the Vatican’s finest killer.
Q: So, Sugar... A Witchfire weapon. Where do you begin?
A: There are two answers. The first is kind of mundane – we’ve had a pool of 3D weapon models prepared years ago. For each archetype – shotguns, ARs, machine pistols – there were three base models. We still haven’t used them all, honestly. So most of the time, a new weapon starts with one of those assets.
But every now and then, we step outside that structure. Sometimes it’s because we want to do something different, sometimes it’s because the community wants something weird. That’s how Striga came to be – a nod to Painkiller and an homage to our dev team’s pedigree. A love letter. There are two other weapons following that “off the books” path, but we can’t talk about them yet. Rest assured, they’re coming, and they’re not the last.
Q: Striga is one of the fan favorites, and it’s a love that I personally share, too. But it's not just fun to use, it's genuinely useful. How do you balance the two? Fun versus function, I mean.
A: There’s actually the perfect way to think about the issue: “toy vs tool.” And while of course we care about both, we start with the "tool". The first step is always to look at the sandbox. What’s missing? Where's a gap in functionality? Which type of players we are not servicing yet?
So yeah, function matters. A weapon should allow you to change your playstyle, because if everything behaves the same, it’s boring. So we figure out what’s missing – something for long range, something aggressive, something that makes you play differently – and once we have that function in mind, we design around it.
Q: But when you find a free slot, that weapon might be perfectly functional, but not fun. For example if it's something powerful but slow, heavy, and clunky -- how do you make it fun?
A: Exactly, right? That was the challenge, for example, with Judgment. We wanted a proper boomstick – an atomic slap to the face. But it needed to have a downside, too, like maybe a slow reload, abysmal rate of fire, heavy recoil -- things like that. And still somehow be satisfying to use.
We’re gamers ourselves, we pay attention to what’s fun, what feels good. I like to imagine I have this “fun bucket” – full of mechanics and ideas I’ve collected. When designing, I dip into that bucket and see what fits. For Judgment, it was about building a weapon around a charge mechanic, making you time your shots and feel that power surge when it lands. So this is what we focused on, tweaking the knobs and even redesigning some Mysteria until it felt good to use while maintaining its own identity.
Q: Speaking of Mysteria. How do you approach those? I mean, do you design the base version then more stuff add to it, or do you design the end version and subtract?
A: The former. Sure, first, they need to be functional. They guide or reinforce a certain playstyle – or counter abuse. But usually we start with M1, then think of how we can make a cool gun cooler. Higher Mysteria need to multiply the fun.
Take Hypnosis. You can charge the shot (M1) for extra damage, which is already a fun action -- but if you release right when the gem lights up (M2), it gets an additional boost. That makes the player pay attention. They’re not just spamming – they’re engaged, present in the moment. That’s the goal.
Q: Are all weapons designed like that – by identifying needs and building from there?
A: Not always. Sometimes an idea is just fun. Like Rotweaver – I wanted to make a weapon that feels like spraying enemies with a garden hose full of acid. Weird, gross fun — pure power fantasy.
On the flip side, you have Hailstorm – very utilitarian. A tool with functional mysteria which gets the job done. It’s kind of a relic from early Witchfire, and there’s a chance it’ll get a revamp. But it still has its own niche – not everything has to be flashy. As long as it feels good and unique, we're happy.
Q: "Feels good". Players often talk about the “weapon feel”, be it Witchfire or any other shooter. What does it mean to you as a designer?
A: Hot take – it’s all about interaction. Sound, animation, model, responsiveness, hook, core idea — all important. But if the world doesn’t react, none of that matters.
If you unload five shotgun shells into an enemy and they just walk forward like nothing happened, the gun feels weak, even if the HP bar goes down. But if a shot makes them stumble, react realistically – now that’s satisfying. Humans love seeing the world react, we’re wired for it – as kids, we dig in sand because there’s a hole left when we’re done. We toss rocks in water, watch the ripples – same thing.
Q: Is that hard to balance, especially with bigger enemies that cannot be slapped around that easily?
A: Definitely. We want enemies to be responsive, but not ridiculous – Dimacher shouldn’t fly across the throne room just because you shot him in the chest.
Tech-wise, I’d love to go deeper – tear clothes, rip tissue, that kind of thing. Right now, it’s a pipe dream, but we're constantly looking into new ways of making the world react to your actions.
Q: What about weapon stats? Do they matter for the "weapon feel"?
A: It starts with core characteristics; if Judgment is slow and heavy, it damn well better hit like a truck. All secondary stats – reload, recoil, spread – must orbit the primary concept; otherwise, it feels “off.”
Even then, it’s not foolproof. Some guns look great on paper, but suck in practice. If testing shows that firing it is a chore, we scrap that config. Adjust it, tweak it, try again. Game development is all about iterating.
Q: So once you have the design, the gun with animations and effects, the Mysteria implemented – what’s left?
A: Literally just playing with it – a day or two of testing, fine-tuning, checking and double-checking if it feels right. That’s the final step, the somewhat spiritual human touch. You can’t overstate how important that is. It’s what gives Witchfire its handcrafted feel — it’s not “this’ll do” — it’s passion.
Q: Has this passion ever gone too far? I mean, what's the longest you've spent on a weapon?
A: Well – Striga had three iterations, and the current record holder, Duelist, had eight. To be clear, that doesn’t mean they’re “better,” it just means we had to fight harder to get them to feel right.
But "too far"?.. We try to be sane ...most of the time. Leonardo Da Vinci said that art’s never finished, just abandoned, and at some point you do have to say “stop.” Sure, you could always improve something 1% more – but it might take 100 hours to do it, and that’s just counterproductive.
Having said that, Striga took over two weeks to get working properly, and I am just talking the prototype. The ragdoll simulation was complex – no other weapon uses it, but it had to be right.
Q: If it's this hard and time-consuming, have there been any cool ideas that just didn’t work out?
A: Railguns. We tried, but the combat rarely lines up enemies the way you need for that payoff. Frostbite M3 is kind of a twist on it, but… it doesn’t hit right. Still, one upcoming weapon is flirting with that design. It probably just needs a bit more time.
Q: So, nothing’s been scrapped forever?
A: Not just yet, at least. We’re still in Early Access, still working, so nothing’s off the table. And once the core of the game is done, who knows — we might go absolutely bonkers.
If the code lets us, of course, as it sometimes works in mysterious ways. We’ve had bugs where Striga’s projectiles became as big as tree trunks. Reloads were performed by a hand of god. Vulture’s bolts demanded input from the player before connecting with the enemies. New weapons mean new bugs — that’s just how it is.
We’re observing, thinking, working. But we’re also trying not to make Witchfire forever – it has to be released one day.
Q: Good one! Thanks, Sugar, and on that note...
Webgrave Update Zero
Ladies and gentlemen, it is time.
There’s still much work ahead, but we now feel confident enough in the upcoming Webgrave update to begin revealing it. Starting next week, we’ll kick off a weekly series of posts showcasing new content and walking you through the redesigned systems and features. There's a lot to cover, and these updates will continue until release. In just a few weeks, we’ll share the exact launch date.
Today, a small taste of what’s to come. One of the inhabitants of that accursed town…
When the witch’s curse first fell upon the place, no one saw it for what it was. They mistook it for yet another plague, cruel but familiar. The twisted shapes of the afflicted were dismissed as grotesque symptoms. They burned bodies. Quarantined entire districts. Nothing helped. Only when the changes grew undeniable -- when bone split skin, when limbs took unnatural forms while hearts still beat -- did they grasp the truth. But by then, it was far too late
This is Townswoman. Forever caught between forms. Forever not one of us. Not one of them.
This is just the first teaser of what’s coming – we’re excited to share more in the coming weeks, and we’re super happy that you, the community, the gamers, are interested in what we’re cooking. Stay tuned for news from the world of Witchfire starting next week – we hope you’ll like it.
As it’s been a while since the previous post, it’s also time to look at what you’ve been doing – it’s yet another instalment of…
Hermitorium Archives
What Do Your Dev Eyes See?
One of the key advantages of having a game in Early Access is the ability to gather feedback from players before the final release. We’re reading a lot of what you share, and honestly, it often makes us scratch our heads – in a good way. Some feedback makes us rethink decisions we’ve made; some points us in directions we might not have otherwise considered.
One such topic resurfaced on Steam just last week, and after reading through it, we decided to address a few of the issues raised. You can read the full thread here.
Feelings Inc.
Then there are moments when you remind us of things we already know – just not consciously, in the moment. A recent Reddit thread was a great example of that. Some of you shared how Witchfire makes your heart race, how extraction brings a genuine sense of relief. A reminder that mood matters.
Emotions are invaluable, and often underappreciated. We’re thrilled to read that the game gets your pulse going, because that means something’s clicking. And, to be honest, we’re a bit desensitised ourselves – we live and breathe Witchfire every day. That adrenaline rush you feel when you’re sprinting to the portal, praying the Warden doesn’t show up? We miss that. So, thanks for reminding us.
This Used to Mean Something…
The arrival of level 541 players – the current max – was inevitable. But we didn’t expect so many of you to get there so quickly. And apparently, we have a new record-holder in town. It's unverified, but - if true - seriously impressive: Garlick popped onto our Discord to announce they hit level cap in under 108 hours. Witchfire’s own Lightning McQueen?
Maybe.
That said, we’re already working under the hood to restructure stat system in a big way – so don’t get too attached to the current cap or how points are distributed. And no worries: all the time and effort you’ve invested won’t be wasted; you’ll be able to redistribute your stats within the new system. We respect your time far too much to just hit reset and walk away.
Follow the Galley Slave
Seriously – if I got a penny every time someone admitted they were too afraid to jump into the green mist, I could probably afford to buy a prime property on the Scarlet Coast.
It’s not a bug, you just have to follow him into the opening. Remember: you’ve been sent by the Pope on a mission to expire a witch. There are chemicals dancing through your veins. You wield weapons capable of levelling armies.
Fear no crevice.
(Yes, we know. But still.)
No Roomies?
This one made me seriously question things.
Maybe we should have a few of them around… or at least a plushie chilling in a secluded corner of the Hermitorium?
Food for thought.
That’s it for this post. Take care, and stay tuned for more Webgrave news – they are coming.
…
Maybe even crawling.