Hello, preyers! Adrian here. Before I hand the mic back to Spajk and his Hermitorium Archives, let me introduce you to the Webgrave update’s new region and the revamped Workshop 2.0.
The Blighted Town
In my last post, I teased this cursed place with these words:
"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."
Now, it’s time for some visuals:
Please note this is still work-in-progress, so things can change, and most likely will.
We don’t want to spoil everything, so until the release, we’ll only share carefully selected glimpses of this region. I hope these shots give you a sense of what might be lurking in those streets. If you’re craving more, check out last week’s enemy teaser for a taste.
Workshop 2.0
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” perfectly captures the change coming to Witchfire’s Workshop — the hub where you research weapons, spells, and magical items. On the surface, it’s a subtle tweak, but dig deeper, and it transforms the entire Workshop vibe.
To understand this change, let’s step back. What inspired the Workshop? Syndicate, Bullfrog’s 1993 masterpiece.
When Syndicate dropped, I was hooked. I went full nerd, locked myself away, and played for seventeen hours straight until the credits rolled. To this day, it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Syndicate had many brilliant mechanics, with its Research system being one of them. You could commission research on weapons or gear, which took a fair bit of time to complete. You could speed it up with cash, but that money was also needed for other critical things. Ahh, the thrill of waiting for those higher tier cybernetic legs to finish...
Anyway, sounds familiar? That’s the core of Witchfire’s Workshop too, right? Through a magic mirror, you commune with the Vatican’s secret workshop, choosing a gear category to research and produce. You can play the game to pass the time until it’s done or spend resources to accelerate the process.
Personally, I love how it works. It often hooks me for “just one more run” while I wait for a new toy to drop. No surprise there — it’s merely our dark fantasy spin on a system that nailed it thirty-two years ago.
But for a long time, one key piece was missing.
Right now, in Witchfire, you pick a category (like Short Range Weapons), and the Workshop churns through projects in that category one by one. You don’t know what you’ll get, just that it’s from your chosen category. In Syndicate, though, you first unlock a category (say, Automatic Weapons) through research, then choose which specific project to tackle next. In other words, Syndicate gave you more control over your research.
Syndicate’s system is a bit more intricate — for example, you could find a weapon from a locked category during a mission and research it separately, bypassing the usual process. But that, along with the need to unlock categories first, doesn’t quite fit Witchfire’s world. We’re not here to clone Syndicate; we’re crafting our own system, inspired by it.
Still, it’s high time the Workshop gave our favorite witch hunter more choice. With the Webgrave update, you’ll be able to pick exactly which project to research within a category. Here’s a sneak peek:
Why the Change?
I might sound like a broken record, but to me, great game design rests on four pillars: Autonomy (giving players options to tackle challenges), Mastery (excelling at the core gameplay loop), Competence (knowing the game inside out), and Relatedness (human connection through multiplayer or a gripping story and characters).
Back then, I didn’t have the words for it, but Syndicate nailed all four. You had multiple ways to complete missions, could shine through skill or strategy, and its cyberpunk vibe made you question your morals. With Witchfire, we’re chasing the same magic, and giving you more control over research strengthens the Autonomy pillar.
Some of you might wonder: what’s stopping me from beelining to my dream gear right away? I’d love to say “nothing” — we trust you to play your way, even if that means beating Witchfire with one gun and one spell. But no, you won’t have access to every project from the start. Some unlock only when your Gnosis level is high enough or through other… events.
This isn’t about dangling carrots to keep you grinding. It’s about immersion. It makes sense that the Workshop keeps researching new tools to aid your mission, and it ties into the theme of gnosis — knowledge — that unveils the hidden truths of dark magic.
Here’s a look at the Workshop when some projects are locked due to missing requirements (like level or resources) or still in the experimental phase, with designs not yet fully clear:
Does This Change the Core Gameplay Loop?
Absolutely. The old Workshop was a bit like a slot machine — every project was a surprise, which had its charm. But it often led to researching just for the sake of it. We believe deliberate, purposeful research can be just as thrilling. If we do our job right, with varied challenges, you’ll want to research everything anyway — but you’ll carve your own path to get there.
Though its impact is strong, Workshop 2.0 is the lightest of the gameplay updates. If you’re hungry for meatier stuff, stay tuned. In the coming weeks, I’ll dive into the overhauled Stats, the Rosary, and new Gnosis levels.
And now, back to Spajk for the…
Hermitorium Archives
Let’s take a look at what’s been going on in the community over the past few days...
A Really Good Tip (and Discussion)
We know Witchfire can be a demanding experience, so it’s always great to see players sharing tips, tricks, or digging into tricky mechanics together.
TobyDaHuman recently reminded fellow preyers on Reddit about the importance of hitting the Soul Sigils hovering above enemies' heads, stunning them and letting you deal significantly more damage. While this is covered in the current tutorial, it’s a great opportunity to highlight that a new tutorial is in the works – and threads like this show exactly why it’s needed. Stay tuned for more info!
Reload hax
There are several schools of thought when it comes to reloading weapons in video games. We all know players who empty their mags before even thinking about reloading - my Mechromancer PTSD got slightly triggered just writing that. We also all know someone who reloads after every single bullet. Or players who don’t care about reloading at all (ah, the fond memories of Mass Effect – Frictionless Materials X forever in my heart). And, finally, the elite few who mastered active reloads in Gears of War nearly 20 years ago and whose muscle memory still kicks in today.
But did you know you can sprint reload in Witchfire? If not, there’s a handy video demonstrating the technique:
For more details, check out the original Reddit thread where RYO-kai explains what’s what and how to do it.
Not a lap record...
…but it definitely deserves recognition for how clean it was. Sure, Hypnosis Goblin still tops the imaginary leaderboard for deconstructing Dimacher in three seconds flat – and it’s unlikely anyone will beat that any time soon – but what has been achieved here is elegant, precise, and very time-efficient. If you wish to see it for yourself, please follow the link to the reddit thread.
Bravo, well done.
Do madmen dream of yoga classes?
Some enemies have reach. Others have flexibility. Striga seems capable of inspiring everyone around to bend over backwards – quite literally in some cases.
Townswoman blushes in the distance*
I’m genuinely worried about some of you. Maybe we should redesign the Witch before it’s too late…
* - She doesn’t, actually, for she’s long since lost the ability to blush. But if she could, she would.
*Plays John Preyer Theme*
I’m glad you see the potential for an epic saga. But let’s finish the current game first, shall we?
Still, who’s to say we won’t pull the classic trick of hiding another mask under the mask?
That's it for this week - we'll be back with more development updates soon. Very soon.
Have a good one!