Greetings, fellow Vampires!
Happy to report that the last few months have been our most productive yet. We’ve made major progress on the dungeons - one of the most complex systems in the game. We’ll be taking you on a full tour in the next update. Today, we’re focusing on character progression.
ːsteamthisː 90 skills across 6 classes (270 including upgrades)
ːsteamthisː 180 levels across 5 disciplines
ːsteamthisː 60 perks
There are two ways your character progresses in the game: a class-specific skill tree, and an XP-driven discipline system.
Every class has a set of 15 unique skills that can be assigned to skill slots. Today, we’re revealing the Darkstrider’s abilities and walking you through how the system works.
Unlike traditional XP-driven systems - where you improve simply by performing certain actions - we made a conscious decision to separate vampiric powers from that loop. We didn’t want to reward or penalize players for how they choose to engage with vampirism in BHH. A completely peaceful playthrough is a valid path - there are multiple ways for you to run your hotel without ever feeding on guests.
Instead, you’ll earn Wisdom Points by recovering artifacts from the depths of the dungeons and bringing them to the Lost and Found clerk in the underground train station. Each artifact is identified, revealing pieces of the game’s lore and granting a Wisdom Point.
These points are used to unlock and upgrade skills in your class-specific tree:
UI is still work in progress
Each skill has 3 upgrades, which we call Revelations. Skills are assigned to slots and activated in real time using hotkeys.
Early on, we experimented with using Blood as a resource for skills. Following community feedback, we moved to a cooldown-based system - and it turned out to be the right call. We want you to enjoy being a vampire. That means using your abilities freely, without feeling restricted or punished.
Skills can be used as often as you want, as long as they’re not on cooldown. Blood still plays a role, but in a different way. It depletes slowly over time and does not directly limit skill usage. Only when Blood reaches zero, you temporarily lose access to skills. Your bat form, however, remains available at all times, as it is a separate ability shared across all classes.
Here’s a first look at the Darkstrider’s skills:
Telepathy
Sense subtle cues in others. Reveals detailed guest information such as suspicion level and blood quality.
False Memory
Erase a recent moment from a guest’s perception. Removes suspicion gained in the last few seconds.
Throwing Dagger
Hurl a spectral blade guided by lethal intent. Flies in a straight line and deals moderate damage.
Sly Fingers
Move with unnatural precision and control. Enables pickpocketing guests without drawing attention.
Phantom Key
Slip through locks as if they were never there. Opens locked containers without lockpicks, up to a limited lock quality.
Cloak of Silence
Wrap yourself in a shroud that devours all sound. Suppresses noise generated, aiding stealth in the hotel.
Telekinesis
Seize a target with unseen vampiric force. Lifts most guests and weaker enemies into the air, while stronger foes may resist or break free.
Smoke Veil
Surround yourself with a swirling cloud of obscuring mist. Reduces enemy accuracy and allows disengagement.
Shadowstep
Slip through space in a blink, leaving no trace behind. Dashes a short distance instantly.
Invisibility
Vanish completely from sight. Blood is consumed while unseen, and the effect ends when interacting or moving too close to direct line of sight.
Caltrop Spread
Scatter a field of hidden, vicious spikes beneath your foes. Enemies stepping on them take light damage and are slowed for several seconds.
Piercing Darts
Unleash a fan of razor-sharp projectiles in a swift motion. Deals minor damage and slows enemies.
Thousand Cuts
Summon a relentless storm of spectral daggers. Strikes a single target repeatedly, dealing sustained damage that bypasses defenses.
Blood Mark
Mark a target with a lingering curse. Increases damage taken and makes attacks easier to evade in bat form.
Silent Requiem
Deliver a precise and final strike from the shadows. Instantly kills an unaware target, or deals heavy damage if the target is powerful.
Until recently, the game featured 4 disciplines: farming, cooking, smithing, and combat.
After sharing an early look at mining, the response made one thing clear - it deserved a place alongside them. Mining is now the 5th discipline, fully integrated into the progression system.
Each discipline spans 30 levels, with its own perks and unlocks.
Disciplines progress through XP earned by performing various tasks - harvesting for Farming, mining ore, cooking meals, and so on.
Instead of constantly tracking numbers, progress is surfaced through subtle, Skyrim-inspired pop-ups that appear periodically, showing your advancement toward the next level.
Here’s a look at the Disciplines screen:
UI is still work in progress
Each level unlocks rewards that expand the system - new blueprints, recipes, etc. Every 5 levels, you get to choose a perk that significantly changes how you play:
There are 60 perks in total. Here’s a glimpse of what you can unlock:
Bountiful Livestock
Animal products yield 20% more.
Moo-topia
Cow needs are always met.
Dark Harvest
Dead guests may yield meat.
Refined Palate
Complex recipes improve reviews.
Lasting Edge
Blades stay sharp longer.
Blood Surge
Restore some blood on kill.
Twin Pickaxes
Swing two pickaxes at once.
Gentle Mining
Hard rocks damage tools less.
You may have noticed a Mutations tab - we’re not ready to reveal it just yet, but it’s designed to introduce passive modifiers that can fundamentally reshape your playstyle.
Development is moving forward fast - we’ve accomplished a lot since the last update. After nearly 6 years in development, we’re getting closer - and at this stage, we care much more about getting it right than rushing it out the door.
We also know a lot of you are waiting for a full gameplay trailer. We want it to represent the game as accurately as possible, so we’re planning to release it closer to launch, when everything comes together. Q4 is looking realistic at the moment.
Thank you for your support - we’re getting close to putting BHH in your hands. And yes… it’s going to be worth it.