Preyers,
A storm is gathering over the Witch's land. The Reckoning is near.
As we prepare the update for release, we’re launching a series of blog posts breaking down its biggest features, changes, and surprises. Think of it as your field guide to what’s coming.
For the first entry, Adrian discusses the meaning behind the update’s name -- and introduces a brand-new way to smash through the Witch’s ranks.
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People working on the trailer for the Reckoning update asked me a good question: why is it called the Reckoning?
Well, first, because we wanted to emphasize that with this update, Witchfire’s gameplay mechanics will be close to done. We’ll still keep a few surprises for 1.0, and some existing features will be expanded and updated -- but the majority of the gameplay work will be behind us.
Second, since release, you have been growing in power. Fallen Preyers, Prophecies, Alchemy, the Rosary, and more – an absurd arsenal at your disposal, and you haven’t exactly been shy about using it, slapping the Witch’s hordes around.
It’s time for the Witch to slap back.
It’s time for the Reckoning.
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In a future post I’ll explain exactly what I mean, but for now, let’s ...add another tool to your arsenal: melee weapons.
Witchfire is not competing with Dead Island or Dying Light. And truth be told, no one ever topped Condemned in that space anyway, fight me. Thus just so we’re clear: we’re not replacing guns with melee weapons.
Still, the idea that our hero cannot bash a skull with something heavy felt odd. So we’ve added melee weapons that are, essentially, replacements for your fist.
It’s a simple but beautiful thing. You press the Melee button and things happen. Slightly different things depending on the weapon. For example, your fist is fast and powerful. Your Morgenstern is even more powerful …but takes a bit longer to swing. Which do you choose? What fits your playstyle?
The real juice, though, is in the Melee Special. Every melee weapon has one, including your fist. Performing certain actions at the right moments will make the weapon sing in a different way. Assuming your Melee is charged, of course.
For example, pressing Crouch while jumping will make your Morgenstern go boom:
https://youtu.be/ff8nMiV0uzQ
With the Reckoning update, you’ll have four melee weapons at your disposal:
• Fist (already exists, now with its own Melee Special)
• Morgenstern
• Katar (punch dagger)
• Buckler
These weapons won’t just lie around waiting to be picked up. You’ll need to put in some effort to get them. More details soon.
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Now let’s talk spiders.
If you suffer from arachnophobia, good news – we’re adding Spider Calamity!
Kidding. We’re adding the Arachnophobia filter.
I was against it for a long time. My deep and profound reasoning was basically: “what the hell is this nonsense?” Like any normal person, I mildly fear and strongly dislike spiders, but squishing pixel spiders never felt like a problem.
Then I did some actual research and, not exaggerating, was shocked at how real and widespread the issue is. Arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias globally -- up to 6% of people suffer from it -- and the symptoms can be genuinely intense. Even when the spider is virtual.
Feel free to read more for yourself. Take your pick: Britannica, Wikipedia, Grokipedia.
So I gave the green light for the filter, under one condition: that we’re not softening the game. No spiders? Fine. But replace them with something at least equally unsettling. I think the team did a fine job -- the base is a spider with legs removed and other changes, but we've added some extras, too:
Filter off
Filter on
But also, I lied -- I wasn't kidding when I said we were adding the Spider Calamity.
It's happening.
No worries though – the Arachnophobia filter works with the Calamity too, of course.
The filter is just one small step toward a proper Accessibility section in the options. Accessibility matters. We’ll never add an option that makes the game easier, but we will add many that make the game better for people who need them.
A good example is another new option: font size. You can now make the text bigger, much bigger, or smaller – whatever works for you.
We’ve also replaced the cursive font with something that’s maybe 5% less atmospheric but 100% more readable.
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As with every big update, we’re adding new gear to the game. Here’s Fatum, a new machine pistol. Reloading spins the drums, and it’s time to pray they align.
Now back to Spajk…
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It’s time to walk down the Alley of Posts, cross the Bridge of Chatter, and run across the Avenue of Discord to arrive in the
Hermitorium Archives
I’d like to begin my section by saying that I’m really thankful for all the understanding and thumbs-up that came our way when we presented the latest roadmap and informed you about the reworked timeline for the game. We have a vision, and we want to do it justice – but it’s great to know that you trust us and that you’re willing to wait a tad longer to have it delivered in a polished form.
We know you’ve been waiting for a while now, and we’re really excited to show you more in the coming weeks and months. Thanks for sticking around – the finish line is in sight, and we still have some surprises in store. Stay tuned!
“I know what I’m doing”
It’s always a pleasure to observe someone who clearly knows how to handle incoming waves of enemies – there’s a certain rhythm and theatre to reducing opponents to nothing, especially in dangerous situations.
In past posts, we’ve featured videos showcasing people deleting bosses like they were papier-mâché versions of themselves, but this one’s a bit different. It’s not just a boss fight, but a complete walkthrough – a descent – of the Wailing Tower, one of the levels firmly placed on the tall end of the difficulty scale.
youtu.be/c0so1XzEZXo
It’s a pleasure to watch an expert at work. Bravo.
A new application for existing technology (/magic)
Early Access is a fantastic tool. It’s hard to quantify how many bugs we’ve fixed thanks to your input – but no matter how many times we patch something, it seems there’s always another way around it.
Quite literally, in this case. The Gnosis barriers guarding some locations have been redone numerous times over the past months, and now it appears yet another way to circumvent them has been discovered: the blighted cyst.
We’re, of course, going to fix it in an upcoming update – but if any of you have an itch to go against Dimacher way too soon, here’s yet another way of doing it. Just make sure to record your efforts – these exploits can sometimes bear unexpected fruit and are a real testament to your determination.
Speaking of which…
No ammo, no problem.
I’m mainly showing you this because it’s living proof of how resourceful and stubborn our community can be.
Krex found themselves in a bit of a pickle when they ran out of ammo while clashing with the Prophet. While most players would just let it go, Preyers are not like most people. An ingenious (and persistent) use of the Ring of Excreta proved to be the ticket out of a tight spot – and a means to ultimately send the boss into the nether realm.
youtu.be/xqWfjcXHdxQ
It also triggered a bit of internal discussion regarding ammo economy in late-game situations.
Look, ma, I’m a Preyer.
There’s been a surge in queries about the 3D models of equipment used in the game lately – people wanting to print their favourite weapon to display on a shelf – but we didn’t quite expect a cosplay to make a return with an update.
That’s right: the very first Preyer cosplayer is back, this time rocking a melee weapon. These will be part of the upcoming update, so some might say we have to update the game just to stay up to date with cosplay. What a crazy world we live in.
And while we’re on the subject – we have a lot of ideas for melee weapons, but we’re still very interested in hearing your takes. Don’t hesitate to tell us what you’d like to see!
Over the past weeks, we’ve seen several threads popping up – if you feel like sharing your thoughts, jump into the discussion on steam and/or Reddit.
And before someone comments "give us a pan", we're prototyping a lot of different weapons and Hafling's Ironcast (name by any means not final) may just make it to the game.
Immersion is immersive.
A couple of topics resurface regularly, and we’re thinking of inviting them to the party – one of the most discussed being an immersive mode.
The idea came up in a recent Reddit thread:
I’m not sure we’ll allow that level of UI customisation, but I’d like to make the case for playing with the UI turned off completely. It takes some getting used to, but it really elevates the intensity – especially when the red tint appears, and you know the end may be nigh.
I’d recommend giving it a go if you want to feel more connected to the world and less… computer-game-ey. It works for me – I started doing it while recording gameplay and now it’s my default way to play. And it appears that there are some like-minded people in our community.
It comes with a built-in mushroom atlas.
One more topic that resurfaces now and then: mushrooms.
The ones you see in the game are representations of real fungi you can find in Central and Eastern Europe. So, this is one element of the world we didn’t make up.
I don’t suggest you go out into the woods and see if your health bar shrinks after consuming one (I strongly advise against it – though if you already see your health bar, it may be too late). I just wanted to note that the flora in Witchfire isn’t entirely fictional.
It also gives me the perfect excuse to bring up one of my favorite reviews of the game – one that, frankly, should be quoted on the box if we ever get a physical edition:
That’s Witchfire in a nutshell for you. Can confirm.
We’ll be back soon with another post and more news from the world of Witchfire. In the meantime, keep an eye on our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram) for more content from the game.
Cheers!