The Reckoning Update has just landed - it’s yet another, and second-to-last Early-Access milestone on our road to release, and we’re excited to share another major building block of our vision for Witchfire. It’s also a great time to jump in: the game is currently on sale, with a 20% discount - our biggest price cut yet, with the most complete version so far.
https://youtu.be/khq5gOtoIvY
As usual, the full changelist lives in the sticky post on our blog. If you want the complete picture and all the juicy details (including minor spoilers), that’s the place to go.
If, however, you’re just looking for a handy overview of what The Reckoning brings to the table, read on. We’ve condensed the recent dev diaries into one compact package, highlighting the most important additions. Starting with…
Melee Weapons
One of the features that got you genuinely excited when we first announced it - though there was a bit of a misunderstanding. This does not mean we’re swapping firearms for longswords and katanas, as tempting as that might be for some of you.
Instead, we’re upgrading the melee you already know - the punch is now a proper one-two action, with the second strike being a delightful uppercut. You can also swap it out for a Morgenstern, a Katar, or a Buckler. Each has unique properties and more than one use, but we’ll leave most of that for you to discover.
The exception is the ground smash, which we’ve already showcased - because it looks absolutely diabolical and feels just as good.
https://youtu.be/ff8nMiV0uzQ
World Corruption (née Extraction 2.0)
The idea behind Extraction 2.0 has been brewing for a long time. As we started working on it in earnest (with some development happening way before the Webgrave release), it evolved into something much bigger.
We’ll likely dedicate a separate post to it in the future, because the process deserves a deeper dive, but in short: as you rob the world of witchfire - that unstable ether - the world pushes back. Expect more foes, tougher skirmishes, and even natural phenomena that make expeditions increasingly dangerous, testing your skill and attempting to temper your greed.
It sounds ominous, and we don’t want to spoil too much, but trust us - you won’t miss it. The Golem is just one of the new additions, and one of the subtler ones at that. Go on an expedition and see for yourself how the world tries to snuff out your fire.
Torments
Torments are pages from the Codex Maleficarum, a compendium of known witches lost to time. Some pages are gone forever; others may appear during your expeditions.
Bring them to a new location - the Profane Study - to take a closer look. You will discover that sets of pages unlock optional, very dangerous challenges, but the rewards are definitely worth it… assuming you survive, that is.
Surges
Another mechanic we’ve had our eyes on for a while - and this one isn’t here to crank up the difficulty. It’s here for you to have some wicked fun.
As you collect orbs - found in the world or dropped by certain enemies - you’ll experience a Surge: a sudden burst of power that temporarily boosts your abilities and gives you a serious edge. There are multiple types of Surges, each with different bonuses, and they’re yours to discover. Explore enough, and you’ll learn all the new flavours of violence.
Velmorne Vault
The original plan (as some of you roadmap-watchers may recall) was for The Reckoning to come with two new vaults. In the end, we had to shelve one so that Velmorne Vault - our biggest and most expansive vault yet - could shine as it deserves.
It’s a serious challenge, you’ll need Gnosis III and a hefty stash of witchfire just to enter. Head toward the upper town limits (where a certain cleaver-wielding miniboss resides), and prepare to face something new.
Oh, and the second vault is not shelved forever - it will make an appearance in game, it’s merely a bit delayed.
Shooting Range & Bestiary
The tutorial level introduced in Webgrave was one step toward easing players into Witchfire. The new shooting range is another.
We didn’t just repaint the room where the resident revenant (lovingly dubbed Ron by the community), well, resided. The space has been remodelled entirely; instead of a single opponent, there are now three summoning circles, which you can populate with enemies you’ve encountered - and killed - enough times.
Unlocking an enemy for summoning purposes also unlocks its lore entry in the Bestiary, allowing you to learn more about it. Not all entries are ready yet; we’ll be adding them gradually through patches and updates.
The summoned enemies are yours to shoot: test weapons, practice techniques, experiment freely - there’s a station nearby that replenishes ammo and spells.
Because this is a brand-new system, past kills don’t count - newcomers and veterans alike start from zero with the Reckoning Update, but we’re sure you will be able to put the circles to good use very soon.
And no, this isn’t a loophole for effortless weapon levelling, we closed that exploit already. Sorry.
New Fallen Preyers
The Fallen Preyers roster has expanded, three new ones join the crusade and can be selected at the Vestal Flame. The limits remain unchanged, so you’ll need to choose carefully.
Accessibility Options
Over the past months, we’ve received a lot of feedback, and with this update we’re adding three highly requested accessibility features.
The first is an arachnophobia filter, which replaces spiders with something… different, but no less unsettling, at least for some minds. The second option allows you to disable screen shake, and the third lets you adjust font size. This last change is also part of what allowed the game to earn…
Steam Deck Verification
That’s right - Witchfire now comes with the green tick. The changes go beyond font scaling: we’ve added a dedicated Steam Deck performance profile, which activates automatically when the game is launched on Valve’s handheld for the first time.
Spider Calamity
We’re also introducing a new Calamity, centered around spiders (yes, the arachnophobia filter will be useful here). It can occur on all maps where calamities are available.
The Gear
Finally, some new hardware - quite literally, as there are no new spells this time, but three new firearms are joining the arsenal:
Fatum - A machine pistol with three spinning barrels. If they align, things can get… spicier. In more than one way.
Martyr - An impaler (we re-christened the class the new weapon shares with Striga) with a homing obsession. It believes in second chances.
Tribunal - A three-barrel shotgun that hits like a train; dashes and slides are rewarded with thunderous applause.
These weapons are complemented by two new pieces of gear:
Static Ring - Sliding leaves ball lightning in your wake, damaging nearby enemies. M2 and M3 take the effect even further.
Biting Tongue - A relic that causes barrier (for example, barriers granted by fetish) to shatter in an icy explosion. M2 and M3 further increase the effect and add an additional charge.
This post is spoiler-free - if you want to learn what’s hiding inside the Velmorne Vault, and how the world will now rebel against you, you’ll have to give the game a bash. The update is available to all owners of Witchfire on Steam and the Epic Games Store. And if you’re yet to join this band of brothers (/preyers), now is a very good time - as mentioned earlier, the game is currently on sale on both platforms, with the price slashed by 20%.
Thank you for all the positive reactions to the dev diaries - it means the world to us to be creating something you’re waiting for so eagerly. And thank you as well for your understanding regarding the slight delay with which the update went live. We’ve been working tirelessly over the past weeks, with the dial turned all the way up to 11 in the final days and hours. What you’re receiving with this update is very hot and very new, and it will surely require further balancing - but that’s exactly what Early Access is for. Bug squashing and gameplay tweaks will follow as soon as possible.
Keep the feedback coming. Whether it’s on our Discord server, subreddit, or Steam forums, we’re present on all three and we’re reading your posts and comments.
The Reckoning is here.
Face it.