Some of you may have already noticed that the stat names in last week’s post about the Rosary feature were slightly different, so here we are with yet more information for you. Take it away, Adrian.
Stats 2.0
Witchfire is an RPG shooter. With the Webgrave update, we’re giving you more things to shoot at and more things to shoot with, but we also want to keep improving the RPG side of things. Last week, I explained how the Rosary nudges you toward a particular playstyle (which, in a way, defines your “role”). Today, let’s dive into another piece of that puzzle: Stats 2.0.
Stats 2.0 aren’t merely an upgrade to the original system – they’ve been redesigned almost from scratch. The old stats are gone, replaced by these new core stats:
FLESH | BLOOD | MIND | WITCHERY | ARSENAL | FAITH
Even without detailed explanations, I bet you can already see the role-playing potential just from their names. Focusing on FLESH and BLOOD makes you a physical brute, right? WITCHERY plus FAITH creates a zealot. MIND and WITCHERY lead to a sorcerer, while BLOOD and ARSENAL can form a glass cannon.
However you envision your preyer, you can now define him clearly through these stats. Go all-in on one stat, mix and match a few, or create a balanced character – the choice is yours. And that’s exactly what role-playing means to us.
Stats 2.0 also introduce more layers to customize. Take a look:
Each main stat (e.g. FLESH) has three minor stats beneath it (e.g. Health, Elemental Resistance, and Melee Recharge). Enhancing a main stat will always improve at least one of its associated minor stats. Sometimes all three, sometimes just one, but always at least something.
But here’s where it gets interesting: leveling up one main stat can occasionally boost minor stats associated with another main stat. For instance, increasing FLESH can sometimes also enhance BLOOD’s Vigor…
…and it makes sense, right? The stronger your body, the better you handle pain.
Improving these cross-linked minor stats indirectly is naturally less efficient than leveling them up directly, but we feel this adds depth and logical coherence to the game world, and more meaningful choices for you.
By now, most stats probably seem self-explanatory, but if you’re ever unsure, we’ve implemented tooltips throughout the menus to explain each feature clearly. Like this:
Now here’s the really juicy and essential bit: forget maxing out a stat and suddenly feeling like you’re using cheat codes. We rebalanced stats to make them impactful without overpowering skill, manual or strategic. They’re definitely worth leveling up, but we want to ensure that player skill remains central. Witchfire will feel a bit different, so be ready for that shift.
What about the levels and stats you’ve already worked hard for?
When the Webgrave update launches, you’ll receive an item that lets you fully respec your character…
Your stats will reset, but you’ll retain all your earned levels, which you can freely redistribute into the new stats. You might want to experiment a bit first to get comfortable with the new system.
See you next week with another reveal, and now back to Spajk…
Heavy steps are heard around the corner
Since we’re nearing the launch of Webgrave (and yes, I know I’ve been using this phrase rather freely - the date will be revealed soon), the time has come to introduce another new opponent: the Executioner.
I sincerely hope none of you will be fond of him in the same way some of you greeted the Townswoman – but who am I to judge? A certain kind of enthusiasm is welcome, but I strongly suspect it will morph into fear when you encounter him roaming the streets of the town.
This concludes the new information segment for this week – it’s time for…
Hermitorium Archives
The matter of Control
DualSense support is something that I’m also looking forward to since I myself absolutely love this controller. Thing is, implementing the support for the adaptive triggers and haptics across all the platforms is not as straightforward as it would appear and will likely have to wait until later stages of development. Witchfire should, eventually, be able to use all the bells and whistles that come with Sony’s controller, but – sadly – there is no ETA on this one. Not yet, at least – we will keep you posted.
Vibrations are often mentioned alongside DualSense support – they’re easier to include and quite high on our list of priorities, but it’s unlikely that support for them will be part of the upcoming update. There’s simply a lot of more important stuff to tackle first. Rest assured, though, we’ll get them into the game eventually.
Plus, a bit of a confession – I honestly didn’t even notice vibrations were missing from the game until someone brought it to my attention back in April. Sometimes there’s enough happening on-screen that you forget about their absence – at least, that’s how it was for me.
Housing market in the town is on fire
For sale: A spacious two-bedroom apartment with a glamorous view of the central town square, often warmly illuminated by the inviting glow of burning stakes. Security (or lack thereof) provided by Witch & Followers LLC.
Disclaimer: The town may be susceptible to abnormally frequent, seemingly natural disasters absolutely unrelated to the nearby strong presence of the forces of evil.
Price: 120,000 Gold or 1,200,000 Witchfire.
Worth its weight in gold
As mentioned in previous entries of this series, we love reading your feedback. This past week, we received several smaller tidbits of information here and there, but we also saw another sizable thread written thoughtfully and comprehensively. While the shorter comments give us plenty to think about, threads like this one feel more like a full three-course meal. If you have the patience, the time, and a lot to share with us, don’t hesitate to write posts like these.
It would appear that you enjoy the game…
I have no comment beyond the title of this section. We tried to wrap our heads around this number and decided that this particular player must have had the game running in the background while… well, living. But if this person has indeed been actively playing the entire time, they surely know the game inside and out by now. Either way, we salute you!
This section may be a teaser.
… go nuts …
… flamethrower …
Got it. One day. Not for Webgrave, but one day. Let’s just hope I don’t mix anything up.
See you next week!