The Road(map) to Final Release

[p]Preyers,[/p][p]The new roadmap is here and it’s a bit different this time, as it’s not just focusing on the future, but also the past. We felt that Witchfire’s development process deserves a look back, and showing in one handy image just how much has changed since the game launched into Early Access nearly two years ago.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Seven updates behind us, three more to go — with the third one being 1.0. It’s happening.[/p][p]The reason the next update is called The Reckoning is that our focus is now on finalizing most gameplay features and mechanics. We specifically highlight Melee Weapons (to clarify, these replace the fist, not the guns) and Banes (extreme optional challenges). However, the update will also include significant upgrades to Alchemy, the Sanity system, Arcana, Prophecies, and much more. All will be revealed in due time.[/p][p]Extraction 2.0 aims to increase tension at higher Gnosis levels and is currently in the prototyping phase. The paper design is complete, but naturally, we need to experience it in action first.[/p][p]Of course, there will also be new gear to earn, along with a few other surprises — like S????? — that must remain under wraps until we’re closer to December. First half of it, to be a bit more precise.[/p][p]Now, here comes the controversial part. I’m sure some of you have noticed that the dates for the final two updates are marked simply as “2026.” The reason is that, for this last stretch, we must be extremely careful with promises. Some team members have shipped over a dozen titles; others have yet to ship their first. And we want 1.0 to be spotless.[/p][p]Looking at this new roadmap, I see that we’re good (pardon the little brag), but we’re not fast. We need to verify whether The Reckoning update genuinely finalizes most features before fully understanding what remains.[/p][p]I can tell you, though, that something has shifted in the air. The team is now focused not on making Witchfire, but on finishing Witchfire. It’s scary, but also exciting.[/p][p]Oh, and the alternate name for The Reckoning update was Blood and Tears. We heard you wanted a challenge?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I wanted to begin this issue with a small thank-you note. In the previous post Adrian mentioned the spike in review count caused by the release of the Webgrave Update – I wanted to present a different number.[/p][p]Two weeks ago it was still August, so the numbers weren’t in yet, but they are here now and I can confidently say that last month was the biggest we’ve ever had on our Subreddit. The previous peak of 99,000 unique users & 1.03 million impressions was established in November 2024 – last month you beat it. 110,000 of you visited and it generated 1.25 million impressions.[/p][p]Our Discord also grew – a thousand of you joined the server in August, effectively doubling the number of new members we welcomed in July. The number of messages skyrocketed as well (circa 24,300 in July, 50,000 (!) in August), as did every other metric. Since this is not a corporate presentation, I won’t bore you with pie charts – I just wanted to thank you for all the engagement.[/p][p]And I know, “New content increases traffic, what a novel concept, wow.” It’s not that I’m surprised the numbers went up, but rather how much they went up. Thanks for tagging along for the journey and being here with us – it means a lot![/p][p]And now, let’s get down to having a look at what you’ve been up to in the past two weeks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Consensus Has Not Been Reached[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]…and I don’t think it ever will. Over the past few weeks I have been observing what has been brewing in the community and while there were a lot of threads and posts asking for an increase in difficulty, a more granular analysis of comments casts a different light on the subject. Namely, the opposite one. So, I guess, in a way, we reached balance – vocal minorities are expressing their (opposing) opinions, but for the most part people are just playing and managing to get through the minions of the witch just fine.[/p][p]That said, Gnosis is by no means in a final state, and there is some wiggle room and potential to unlock new challenges.[/p][p][/p][h3]Knowing the ins and outs pays handsomely[/h3][p][/p][p]To illustrate what I am on about, we have a couple of new videos posted to our Reddit:[/p][p]The power of Echo[/p][p]
Gnosis 6 Foul Stimulant Velmorne All Bosses Spells Only, No Guns No Melee [/p][p]Angelus + Ammo Preservation Bead + Crown of Fire[/p][p][/p][p]Not all of these are submissions in the Dimaher-bashing category, but they very clearly show that you’re finding new ways of tailoring the gameplay to your needs and playing your strong cards, which is awesome. It also shows that there is a lot of potential and that a challenge mode is something you would welcome rather happily. Since we have some more time until the release, I’d say the chances have just increased…[/p][p][/p][h3]Beauty of the Harsh World[/h3][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]The world of Witchfire may not be the most pleasant place, but it does have its moments. I was capturing the calm stillness for the Winding Down posts a while ago, but TinyNuubi decided to show a different shade of the game world. Not necessarily picturesque, but beautiful regardless – it’s a joy to see that people are appreciating the craftsmanship and the effort. Thank you![/p][p][/p][h3]Food for thought…[/h3][p]Click to visit the thread displayed on the screenshot above. [/p][p]There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes, but we’re reading your ideas and weighing them. While we already have quite a firm vision for the game, the benefit of Early Access is that we can always switch things up a bit. Keep these ideas coming – some are shockingly close to what we’ve come up with already (obviously, I cannot tell you which ones), some are very different from our own, but we really enjoy the conversations you’re having and the paths you’re charting.[/p][p]Well, not all of them… The mention of that thread about the design of the witch made me really concerned for some of you, but I digress.[/p][p]That’s it for now – since the roadmap has been presented, we may go into a state of slight hibernation and not post every single week, but we’re cordially inviting you to join the conversation on our Discord, Reddit and Steam forum. We’re active there and interacting with you on a regular basis.[/p][p]Cheers![/p]