Spells and blessings

In our game, we have created a complex spell system designed to provide players with strategic choices, customization, and an immersive gameplay experience. At the same time, we want players to be able to experiment and discover what works on their own, without having to rely on online guides. This is why we give players more control over the difficulty of the game, so that those who want a more relaxed experience can get it without feeling like they are missing out on important parts of the game. Once you are familiar with how the spells work and in which situations they are most effective, you can challenge yourself and try to complete the campaign as quickly as possible with only a limited number of upgrades to your arsenal.

Below, you will find an overview of the core features of the spell system:

[h2]Elemental gods and starting spells[/h2]

Four primary gods represent different elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. Each god has a different playstyle and core power which you can base your build on (or go a different route entirely).
Players choose one god at the beginning, receiving a basic spell aligned with that element and a second spell from the same element to start the game.
Core powers can also be upgraded - if your build relies on them, be sure to get these upgrades whenever you can, as they are immensely powerful.

[h2]Spell progression[/h2]

Players get additional spells as rewards throughout the game after conquering particular number of regions (1, 4, 7...)
Initially, spells from the chosen element have a higher chance of being offered.
Later stages allow players to access spells from any element with equal chance.
Spell upgrades can also be found among rewards. Furthermore, these upgrades can increase the power of a spell property by more than one level and work regardless of the current level. Keep an eye out for such upgrades, as they can save you a large amount of power shards and dramatically increase the power of a spell!

Choose a spell that best complements your build!

[h2]3. Spell customization[/h2]

Each spell has core properties like mana cost and cooldown, and spell-specific attributes like damage, effect radius, frequency of attacks, number of summoned minions and their strength etc.
To upgrade properties of spells, players use power shards. These are obtained mainly by conquering regions and hunting down enemy evacuation drones.
Spells can be augmented with additional effects, such as piercing shields, granting temporary blessings or even summoning additional minions or casting other spells. These upgrades can only be obtained as rewards after conquering a region.
All these properties can usually be upgraded multiple times, with each consecutive level costing more power shards. Upgrading the right properties of a spell can dramatically increase their power or even change the way they are used in the game.

Void beam with the "Mirror" upgrade, casting itself repeatedly on a random nearby target.

[h2]Expanding spell limit and earning power shards[/h2]

Players initially can have up to five spells but can find ways to increase this limit.
For every conquered region players get a predetermined amount of power shards.
The amount of power shards granted depends on the level difference between the previously conquered region and the current one. For example, if the player conquered a region 2 levels above his previously conquered region, he will get 4 power shards. If the level difference is 4 the reward is increased to 11 power shards.
This mechanic makes it so that players who want a challenge can try to skip as many regions as possible, thus always fighting an uphill battle, but receiving a lot more rewards for their trouble.

Upgrade the right properties to optimize your build. If you are running low on mana often, perhaps it is a good idea to reduce mana cost of expensive spells?

[h2]Blessings System[/h2]

"Blessings" are passive perks found as rewards for conquering regions.
They provide classic benefits like increased damage or unique abilities like casting spells for free
Similarly to spell properties, most blessings can be upgraded multiple times. This increases their level and thus also the benefit they give.
Since the player has limited control over which blessings will be upgraded the upgrades are much more powerful than in case of spell properties.
Each region has a temporary blessing that is active only in that region. This "blessing" can also be a curse - for example water spells don't work very well in a desert so they have reduced damage!

Blessings are always benefitial, but you might also be affected by curses that will make your life a bit harder!

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]

The spell system in Gods Against Machines reflects our commitment to providing a strategic and engaging gameplay experience. The combination of elements, spell progression, customization, and the integration of Blessings offers a variety of tactical possibilities.

We believe that both seasoned strategists and newcomers to the RTS genre will find this system rich and rewarding. We invite you to explore the magical universe of Gods Against Machines, where strategic planning and mastery of magical elements will lead you to victory.

We hope you found this short article interesting. Keep an eye out for more articles like this one - there is a lot to cover:

Azzinoth, god of fire and destruction Nadea, goddes of water and life Urus, god of earth and spirits
Zafira, goddes of wind and fate

We are also preparing a few posts about the mechanics of the game:

Resources & Corruption Spells & Blessings
Campaign & Regions
Machines & Spirits

Thanks for reading,
Peter from Silver Eye Studios