Witchfire News

Preyers, welcome - this week it’s time to have a look at yet another feature of the game receiving a fresh coat of paint: Gnosis. Adrian will guide you through what is changing and how it will affect your experience with the game, and then let’s talk the release date.

[h2]Gnosis Update[/h2]

Gnosis is one of Witchfire’s unique features. However weird that sounds, it’s a mix of Bloodborne’s Insight, metroidvania mechanics, and dynamic difficulty.

Wait, what?

Well, the higher your Gnosis, the more areas you can unlock, the more hidden things you can see, and the tastier spoils become yours. On the other hand, the witch starts respecting you more, making things more difficult.

Gnosis is separate from your Level – which technically we call Ascension, but that’s not important here – which governs stats like HP, Stamina, Resistance to Madness, etc. Think of it this way: if you were a footballer, your Level would determine how fast you run or how well you kick the ball. Your Gnosis, however, would determine your deep understanding of the game, like knowing how to position yourself or exploiting a goalkeeper’s weakness.

Can you finish the game by just leveling up, without increasing Gnosis? No, you cannot. It’s expected that you’ll possess the highest esoteric understanding to even reach the witch’s lair, let alone face her.

However, it’s 100% your choice when to increase your Gnosis level. You can go as fast or as slow as you want. And when you feel ready, just open the Gnosis book and…



What are we changing about Gnosis with the Webgrave update?

Nothing related to the core idea. The Gnosis feature just works.

However, we are updating two things.

First, let’s talk difficulty. Bear with me for a second, as things are about to get complicated.

Originally, we imagined the final game would have ten Gnosis levels: two for each of the five major regions. But the game already has three such regions and only four Gnosis levels instead of six… and it seems fine? It didn’t feel like we needed more. Of course, you never know until you test it, so be aware that things might change in the future.

Also, these existing four Gnosis levels do not mean that – assuming we eventually have ten levels – reaching Gnosis IV puts you at about 40% of the final difficulty. No, we made Gnosis IV feel like a very late-game difficulty to ensure you’re sufficiently challenged. I’d say it’s equivalent to about Gnosis VIII in the full ten-level scenario.

With all that in mind, in the Webgrave update, we’re adding two more Gnosis levels and rebalancing the difficulty across all levels again. Long story short, the new Gnosis VI will feel roughly like the old Gnosis IV, perhaps with a slight difficulty bump.



Does this mean veteran players, for whom the current Gnosis IV is a piece of cake, won’t find any challenge in the Webgrave update?

Nah.

See, challenge isn’t just “enemies have more HP and hit harder.” Challenge is also the unknown. And the town is… something else. I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers. Rest assured, before you figure out how to deal with these new threats, the Velmorne town will not be a walk in the park even for the most hardened preyers.

Second, we’ve changed some Gnosis level-up objectives, added new ones, and redesigned parts of the UI. It’s more celebratory and informative now.

Back to you, Spajk.

[h2]Webgrave Release Date[/h2]

By now it’s quite evident that Webgrave is bringing a huge amount of new stuff to the table - we know that “the biggest update yet” is often overused and abused, but we really mean it. And there is even more stuff coming next week, but let’s just leave it at this teaser and concentrate on the important stuff: guns.

Gearpacks have been accompanying the updates for a while now and today we’re ready to reveal yet another piece of the puzzle: a new lever-action rifle, Nemesis. A weapon for those who love the thrill of the hunt.



It will join Oracle in the upcoming expansion of the armory. And there is a very good chance it won’t be the latest addition to the collection of boomsticks when Webgrave will be made available to you all on the 28th of July.

… Oh, hang on, did I just spill the beans on the launch of the update?

Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Let’s make it official:

[center][/center]

There, this seems like a more appropriate way to reveal the date.

And do not for one second think that it means we’re done - while the list of what’s coming has been revealed for the past few weeks, we still have more to share and we will be doing so over two upcoming Wednesdays. This update will really be packed and while you already can get a sense of how much it’s going to change the face of the game, it’s all part of the major plan.

Which should not come as a surprise, after all, we’re in Early Access and Witchfire is constantly evolving - a while ago, back in May, I mentioned on Twitter that the compilation number is based on how many changes there have been made behind the scenes. The build most of you have access to is 59896. As of the moment of writing, we’ve screamed past the 62555 mark.

We have 19 days until the launch of Webgrave, and more often than not, that means commits are going to come hard and fast, almost in rapid fire mode. So, 62555 is where we sit on the 9th of July. Keep that number in mind and when the update drops on the 28th, see by how much the number has changed - I am not willing to bet all of my hair that we will breach the 62750 mark, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we did.

And since we’re done with the announcements for this week, it’s time to open the broad sheets of chatter and indulge ourselves between the pages of this week’s issue of



[h4]It’s all about balance[/h4]

In one of the previous posts we highlighted a reddit topic in which you could express why you dropped the game - the topic itself hasn’t been ignored and it was a subject of discussion inside the studio, with the feedback really having a potential to influence the future of the game and its shape. This week the pendulum was swung the other way (by the same user, no less - thanks Vortigon123) and you were discussing what you really liked about the game. Some things deserve being turned up to 11, we like going over the top from time to time, so… You know, let us know - maybe the stars will align and you will get what you wish for.

Click here to visit the thread.

[h4]Learn your mushrooms and mind your surroundings[/h4]

In Poland we have a sarcastic saying “Akcja wartka jak na grzybobraniu” (literally “The turn of events is as dynamic as if we’re gathering mushrooms”). I think we could drop the sarcasm for now or, like, you know, at least mind the surroundings a bit more.


(due to the inability of Steam client to handle external video, I'm afraid you have to watch this one on our website - hit this link to go there)

At least we can be certain that eating this mushroom could prove rather damaging to one's health..

Thanks to Weathertop for submitting the video to our Discord!

[h4]Other languages[/h4]



This is becoming more and more of a common sight and - make no mistake - it’s fantastic, we’re happy to see that you find Witchfire worthy of endorsing to your friends who are not as versed in English as you are. We know that the translations are important, but we need them done well - we have secured resources and cooperations required to make that happen, some of the work is already happening.

That said, we’re not one of these huge studios, with 250 people on board, a huge publisher behind them, and infinite money cheat set to “very enabled”. Paying top dollar to properly (and I mean properly - cultural context, all the nuances, etc.) translate a segment of the game to X languages only to decide later in development that the said segment is not going to be included in the game due to whatever reason would be an unwise investment. And we made it clear that we’re doing what we can not to waste time and money.

So, to put this subject to bed for a while - translating the game is one of our top priorities and we remain committed to doing it right and doing the target languages (list is TBA) and their native speakers justice. Growing up in the time and place we’ve grown up, we know the value of a good translation and we know it can make or break a product - I think to a surprise of no one, we’d rather have Witchfire succeed.

We will keep you posted on the progress.


That’s it for this now - we’ll bring you more news from the world of Witchfire next week, please stay tuned and see you around!

Some of you may have already noticed that the stat names in last week’s post about the Rosary feature were slightly different, so here we are with yet more information for you. Take it away, Adrian.

[h2]Stats 2.0[/h2]

Witchfire is an RPG shooter. With the Webgrave update, we’re giving you more things to shoot at and more things to shoot with, but we also want to keep improving the RPG side of things. Last week, I explained how the Rosary nudges you toward a particular playstyle (which, in a way, defines your “role”). Today, let’s dive into another piece of that puzzle: Stats 2.0.

Stats 2.0 aren’t merely an upgrade to the original system – they’ve been redesigned almost from scratch. The old stats are gone, replaced by these new core stats:

FLESH | BLOOD | MIND | WITCHERY | ARSENAL | FAITH

Even without detailed explanations, I bet you can already see the role-playing potential just from their names. Focusing on FLESH and BLOOD makes you a physical brute, right? WITCHERY plus FAITH creates a zealot. MIND and WITCHERY lead to a sorcerer, while BLOOD and ARSENAL can form a glass cannon.

However you envision your preyer, you can now define him clearly through these stats. Go all-in on one stat, mix and match a few, or create a balanced character – the choice is yours. And that’s exactly what role-playing means to us.

Stats 2.0 also introduce more layers to customize. Take a look:



Each main stat (e.g. FLESH) has three minor stats beneath it (e.g. Health, Elemental Resistance, and Melee Recharge). Enhancing a main stat will always improve at least one of its associated minor stats. Sometimes all three, sometimes just one, but always at least something.

But here’s where it gets interesting: leveling up one main stat can occasionally boost minor stats associated with another main stat. For instance, increasing FLESH can sometimes also enhance BLOOD’s Vigor…



…and it makes sense, right? The stronger your body, the better you handle pain.

Improving these cross-linked minor stats indirectly is naturally less efficient than leveling them up directly, but we feel this adds depth and logical coherence to the game world, and more meaningful choices for you.

By now, most stats probably seem self-explanatory, but if you’re ever unsure, we’ve implemented tooltips throughout the menus to explain each feature clearly. Like this:



Now here’s the really juicy and essential bit: forget maxing out a stat and suddenly feeling like you’re using cheat codes. We rebalanced stats to make them impactful without overpowering skill, manual or strategic. They’re definitely worth leveling up, but we want to ensure that player skill remains central. Witchfire will feel a bit different, so be ready for that shift.

What about the levels and stats you’ve already worked hard for?

When the Webgrave update launches, you’ll receive an item that lets you fully respec your character…



Your stats will reset, but you’ll retain all your earned levels, which you can freely redistribute into the new stats. You might want to experiment a bit first to get comfortable with the new system.

See you next week with another reveal, and now back to Spajk…

[h4]Heavy steps are heard around the corner[/h4]

Since we’re nearing the launch of Webgrave (and yes, I know I’ve been using this phrase rather freely - the date will be revealed soon), the time has come to introduce another new opponent: the Executioner.



I sincerely hope none of you will be fond of him in the same way some of you greeted the Townswoman – but who am I to judge? A certain kind of enthusiasm is welcome, but I strongly suspect it will morph into fear when you encounter him roaming the streets of the town.

This concludes the new information segment for this week – it’s time for…



[h4]The matter of Control[/h4]



DualSense support is something that I’m also looking forward to since I myself absolutely love this controller. Thing is, implementing the support for the adaptive triggers and haptics across all the platforms is not as straightforward as it would appear and will likely have to wait until later stages of development. Witchfire should, eventually, be able to use all the bells and whistles that come with Sony’s controller, but – sadly – there is no ETA on this one. Not yet, at least – we will keep you posted.



Vibrations are often mentioned alongside DualSense support – they’re easier to include and quite high on our list of priorities, but it’s unlikely that support for them will be part of the upcoming update. There’s simply a lot of more important stuff to tackle first. Rest assured, though, we’ll get them into the game eventually.

Plus, a bit of a confession – I honestly didn’t even notice vibrations were missing from the game until someone brought it to my attention back in April. Sometimes there’s enough happening on-screen that you forget about their absence – at least, that’s how it was for me.

[h4]Housing market in the town is on fire[/h4]



For sale: A spacious two-bedroom apartment with a glamorous view of the central town square, often warmly illuminated by the inviting glow of burning stakes. Security (or lack thereof) provided by Witch & Followers LLC.

Disclaimer: The town may be susceptible to abnormally frequent, seemingly natural disasters absolutely unrelated to the nearby strong presence of the forces of evil.

Price: 120,000 Gold or 1,200,000 Witchfire.

[h4]Worth its weight in gold[/h4]



As mentioned in previous entries of this series, we love reading your feedback. This past week, we received several smaller tidbits of information here and there, but we also saw another sizable thread written thoughtfully and comprehensively. While the shorter comments give us plenty to think about, threads like this one feel more like a full three-course meal. If you have the patience, the time, and a lot to share with us, don’t hesitate to write posts like these.

[h4]It would appear that you enjoy the game…[/h4]



I have no comment beyond the title of this section. We tried to wrap our heads around this number and decided that this particular player must have had the game running in the background while… well, living. But if this person has indeed been actively playing the entire time, they surely know the game inside and out by now. Either way, we salute you!

[h4]This section may be a teaser.[/h4]



… go nuts …

… flamethrower …

Got it. One day. Not for Webgrave, but one day. Let’s just hope I don’t mix anything up.

See you next week!

The gears of the machine are turning and we’re here for the third consecutive week with more information about the Webgrave update - we’re beginning by handing the mic to Adrian, who has something new to present…



Starting with the Webgrave update, your stats will matter more. Way more.

Here’s the problem we had to solve: Some people complained they didn’t feel any tangible change from leveling up stats. No real difference between, say, Witchery 14 and Witchery 15.

I was puzzled. In Soulsborne games, I was ecstatic about every level-up. The gains were minuscule, but they mattered. Ultimately, they made a difference. I remember grinding extra levels for Cainhurst Castle in Bloodborne just to finally be able to one-shot certain annoying virgins.

Meanwhile, in Witchfire, a game some consider difficult, our stats gave even greater benefits. With some upgraded to the max, you’re basically playing with cheats. Almost immortal. Yet, for some players, this wasn’t enough.

The whole thing got me thinking. But before I could pinpoint the real issue, a fan – whose name I’ve lost, so if this is you, ping me on Discord! – sent me a few pages of thoughts on stats and their role. Among all his insights, one fragment stood out clearly:



Originally, we wanted to have thresholds for stats. For example, something cool would unlock when reaching Witchery 25, 50, 75, and 100. But I felt this wasn’t enough and resembled a skill tree too closely, and I’m not a big fan of skill trees for several reasons.

Some of you, especially FromSoftware fans, already know where this is going. In their games, the world rewards specialization. Want that big-ass hammer? Great, but you’ll need Strength 27. Once achieved, the weapon’s damage scales with the stat, so it pays to keep investing. This effectively locks you out of using something like a sorcerer’s wand – but hey, you can swing a big-ass hammer!

Such an approach creates hard choices and forces you to live with their consequences. Yes, you can respec, but resources for that and weapon upgrades are scarce, requiring careful decisions.

This is exactly what players love about Soulsborne games. “A game is a series of interesting choices,” said Sid Meier, and choosing your path is among the most interesting ones there is.

The issue for me was, I didn’t want to bind our gear to specific stats. Witchfire is about failing and trying again with a new setup – not repeatedly hitting a wall with the one you’re stuck with. You can master one setup and beat the game, but if we do our job right, that’ll be for the most kinetically gifted players only.

The solution?

The Rosary.



For Bloodborne fans: beads are a bit like Caryll Runes, but tied to stats.

For everyone else: you’ll find magical beads that grant unique powers. Your Rosary has limited slots, so your first choice involves selecting beads that complement your build and playstyle from all the beads you discover or earn. Your second choice confirms whether the stats required by these beads align with your intended investment. Slotting a bead is free, but you must meet the bead’s stat requirement.

In short, we’re giving you awesome tools to do things otherwise impossible – at the cost of committing to a playstyle. You could grind every stat to max, but with Webgrave, that’ll be brutally tough, if not impossible, in a single playthrough. More on Stats 2.0 in next week’s post.



Wait, wait, wait… Didn’t I just say we want players juggling gear and builds to overcome challenges, but now I’m suggesting committing to certain stats for extra options?

Yes. The difference here is beads are designed to support your chosen playstyle, not individual pieces of gear. You’re committing to your role-played vision of the preyer rather than both playstyle and gear simultaneously. Plus, there’s still wiggle room to explore other directions, and of course, a respec option.

With Webgrave, we’re starting slow. Most beads you’ll initially find aren’t too wild, like extra health or an extended Dash. However, there are a few notable exceptions, such as immunity to all elemental ailments (yes, you can literally walk through fire unharmed) or an additional charge for your Light Spells (even for spells originally limited to a single charge). We’ll closely monitor your feedback and likely introduce more beads that push into unexpected territory – or perhaps not, because simplicity sometimes wins. Again, we’ll see!

Back to you, Spajk.



There’s one more thing that usually comes with Witchfire updates, something I have, in fact, written about not that long ago: guns. We’re not slowing down - this update will also include new weapons, and today we’d like to show you one of them:



How about a gun that can see and shoot enemies through walls?

How about this being just the first Mysterium, with more craziness added on top of that in the remaining ones?

How do you balance a gun like that?

Coming with the Webgrave update soon.

The name of the weapon is the Oracle. We teased it a while ago, in the discord announcement posted by Adrian back in May. We tried to conceal the weapon’s unique trait a bit, but you managed to see through it (pardon the pun) in no time.



It’s the weapon mentioned by Andrzej in one of the latest posts when we were discussing weapons (namely: railguns), so we have been teasing it here and there for a while now. Congrats to everyone who guessed (TaedetOmnia takes the proverbial cake) what the big secret is and… Rest assured that we have learned our lesson, and future guessing games are going to be harder.

Or so we think - someone will likely come along and guess it again in five minutes anyway, but such is the way of life.

And now for something (not) completely different…



A response to a response.

Last week’s post seems to have generated a mixed bag of reactions. Some of you pointed out that the seemingly random nature of research in its current form was somewhat exciting, and you expressed doubts about Workshop 2.0 being an improvement.





Well, the thing is… it was never random - the order of research is pre-determined, and you only perceived it as incidental because we hadn’t yet revealed our cards or the inner workings of the system. Additionally, very few people conducted the entire research cycle enough times to spot the pattern buried in the data, but it has always been there.

Hot Reddit topic is hot

Click here to visit the topic on Reddit

Every now and then, a topic surfaces that generates considerable attention. A recent addition is this one, asking why Witchfire hasn’t yet become part of the mainstream. To be frank, it’s flattering that people think we deserve a bigger audience and wider recognition, but - as many pointed out in the thread - we’re still in Early Access, and there’s a lot of work ahead of us before release. We’re doing our best to make Witchfire a game that could stand proudly among the greats. The upcoming update is going to be an important part of this journey, and right now we’re deep in the trenches, creating, tuning, and tinkering. We’re happy you’re along for the ride - thanks!

Your feedback matters

Click here to visit the topic on Reddit

The topic of War Priests being absolute menaces was raised a while ago when you discovered there is an optimal order for killing enemies: specifically, getting rid of War Priests before dealing with any other foes, since there’s virtually no limit to whom they can resurrect. That's going to change, because in the upcoming update, we’re going to make some adjustments to their behaviour. We want our game to provide a challenge, but this mechanic - in its current shape - is genuinely more of an annoyance, so we’ll address it. I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll say it again: we live and breathe Witchfire, and sometimes we lack the perspective that only you can provide. Keep that feedback coming!

What the distant future holds…

Click here to visit the topic on Reddit

Questions about post-launch support have already been raised in the past, so we thought it’d be a good idea to address them for the very first time. And the honest truth is… it remains to be seen. Right now, our focus is on making the fattest Witchfire possible. Releasing version 1.0 doesn’t necessarily mean we’re done - more content may follow. We might also decide “this is it, this is the game,” similar to what Supergiant did with Hades, and begin work on our next project. It all depends on about a million different factors, so we’ll have to wait and see. For now, our priority remains firmly set on version 1.0, with each update serving as a milestone into which we’re pouring our hearts and souls.

That’s it for this week - expect a fresh post in about seven days, we’re steaming ahead towards the release and there is more to share.

Cheers!

Hello, preyers! Adrian here. Before I hand the mic back to Spajk and his Hermitorium Archives, let me introduce you to the Webgrave update’s new region and the revamped Workshop 2.0.

[h2]The Blighted Town[/h2]

In my last post, I teased this cursed place with these words:

"When the witch’s curse first fell upon the place, no one saw it for what it was. They mistook it for yet another plague, cruel but familiar. The twisted shapes of the afflicted were dismissed as grotesque symptoms. They burned bodies. Quarantined entire districts. Nothing helped. Only when the changes grew undeniable — when bone split skin, when limbs took unnatural forms while hearts still beat — did they grasp the truth. But by then, it was far too late."

Now, it’s time for some visuals:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Please note this is still work-in-progress, so things can change, and most likely will.

We don’t want to spoil everything, so until the release, we’ll only share carefully selected glimpses of this region. I hope these shots give you a sense of what might be lurking in those streets. If you’re craving more, check out last week’s enemy teaser for a taste.



“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” perfectly captures the change coming to Witchfire’s Workshop — the hub where you research weapons, spells, and magical items. On the surface, it’s a subtle tweak, but dig deeper, and it transforms the entire Workshop vibe.

To understand this change, let’s step back. What inspired the Workshop? Syndicate, Bullfrog’s 1993 masterpiece.

When Syndicate dropped, I was hooked. I went full nerd, locked myself away, and played for seventeen hours straight until the credits rolled. To this day, it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.

Syndicate had many brilliant mechanics, with its Research system being one of them. You could commission research on weapons or gear, which took a fair bit of time to complete. You could speed it up with cash, but that money was also needed for other critical things. Ahh, the thrill of waiting for those higher tier cybernetic legs to finish...



Anyway, sounds familiar? That’s the core of Witchfire’s Workshop too, right? Through a magic mirror, you commune with the Vatican’s secret workshop, choosing a gear category to research and produce. You can play the game to pass the time until it’s done or spend resources to accelerate the process.

Personally, I love how it works. It often hooks me for “just one more run” while I wait for a new toy to drop. No surprise there — it’s merely our dark fantasy spin on a system that nailed it thirty-two years ago.

But for a long time, one key piece was missing.

Right now, in Witchfire, you pick a category (like Short Range Weapons), and the Workshop churns through projects in that category one by one. You don’t know what you’ll get, just that it’s from your chosen category. In Syndicate, though, you first unlock a category (say, Automatic Weapons) through research, then choose which specific project to tackle next. In other words, Syndicate gave you more control over your research.

Syndicate’s system is a bit more intricate — for example, you could find a weapon from a locked category during a mission and research it separately, bypassing the usual process. But that, along with the need to unlock categories first, doesn’t quite fit Witchfire’s world. We’re not here to clone Syndicate; we’re crafting our own system, inspired by it.

Still, it’s high time the Workshop gave our favorite witch hunter more choice. With the Webgrave update, you’ll be able to pick exactly which project to research within a category. Here’s a sneak peek:





[h5]Why the Change?[/h5]

I might sound like a broken record, but to me, great game design rests on four pillars: Autonomy (giving players options to tackle challenges), Mastery (excelling at the core gameplay loop), Competence (knowing the game inside out), and Relatedness (human connection through multiplayer or a gripping story and characters).

Back then, I didn’t have the words for it, but Syndicate nailed all four. You had multiple ways to complete missions, could shine through skill or strategy, and its cyberpunk vibe made you question your morals. With Witchfire, we’re chasing the same magic, and giving you more control over research strengthens the Autonomy pillar.

Some of you might wonder: what’s stopping me from beelining to my dream gear right away? I’d love to say “nothing” — we trust you to play your way, even if that means beating Witchfire with one gun and one spell. But no, you won’t have access to every project from the start. Some unlock only when your Gnosis level is high enough or through other… events.

This isn’t about dangling carrots to keep you grinding. It’s about immersion. It makes sense that the Workshop keeps researching new tools to aid your mission, and it ties into the theme of gnosis — knowledge — that unveils the hidden truths of dark magic.

Here’s a look at the Workshop when some projects are locked due to missing requirements (like level or resources) or still in the experimental phase, with designs not yet fully clear:







[h5]Does This Change the Core Gameplay Loop?[/h5]

Absolutely. The old Workshop was a bit like a slot machine — every project was a surprise, which had its charm. But it often led to researching just for the sake of it. We believe deliberate, purposeful research can be just as thrilling. If we do our job right, with varied challenges, you’ll want to research everything anyway — but you’ll carve your own path to get there.

Though its impact is strong, Workshop 2.0 is the lightest of the gameplay updates. If you’re hungry for meatier stuff, stay tuned. In the coming weeks, I’ll dive into the overhauled Stats, the Rosary, and new Gnosis levels.

And now, back to Spajk for the…



Let’s take a look at what’s been going on in the community over the past few days...

[h4]A Really Good Tip (and Discussion)[/h4]

We know Witchfire can be a demanding experience, so it’s always great to see players sharing tips, tricks, or digging into tricky mechanics together.

TobyDaHuman recently reminded fellow preyers on Reddit about the importance of hitting the Soul Sigils hovering above enemies' heads, stunning them and letting you deal significantly more damage. While this is covered in the current tutorial, it’s a great opportunity to highlight that a new tutorial is in the works – and threads like this show exactly why it’s needed. Stay tuned for more info!

[h4]Reload hax[/h4]

There are several schools of thought when it comes to reloading weapons in video games. We all know players who empty their mags before even thinking about reloading - my Mechromancer PTSD got slightly triggered just writing that. We also all know someone who reloads after every single bullet. Or players who don’t care about reloading at all (ah, the fond memories of Mass Effect – Frictionless Materials X forever in my heart). And, finally, the elite few who mastered active reloads in Gears of War nearly 20 years ago and whose muscle memory still kicks in today.

But did you know you can sprint reload in Witchfire? If not, there’s a handy video demonstrating the technique:



For more details, check out the original Reddit thread where RYO-kai explains what’s what and how to do it.

[h4]Not a lap record...[/h4]

…but it definitely deserves recognition for how clean it was. Sure, Hypnosis Goblin still tops the imaginary leaderboard for deconstructing Dimacher in three seconds flat – and it’s unlikely anyone will beat that any time soon – but what has been achieved here is elegant, precise, and very time-efficient. If you wish to see it for yourself, please follow the link to the reddit thread.



Bravo, well done.

[h4]Do madmen dream of yoga classes?[/h4]

Some enemies have reach. Others have flexibility. Striga seems capable of inspiring everyone around to bend over backwards – quite literally in some cases.



[h4]Townswoman blushes in the distance*[/h4]

I’m genuinely worried about some of you. Maybe we should redesign the Witch before it’s too late…



* - She doesn’t, actually, for she’s long since lost the ability to blush. But if she could, she would.

[h4]*Plays John Preyer Theme*[/h4]

I’m glad you see the potential for an epic saga. But let’s finish the current game first, shall we?



Still, who’s to say we won’t pull the classic trick of hiding another mask under the mask?

That's it for this week - we'll be back with more development updates soon. Very soon.

Have a good one!

This one’s big and juicy – here’s what’s inside.

First, we chat with one of our designers about how weapons are crafted in Witchfire.

Then, we begin to pull back the curtain on the next major update called Webgrave.

And finally, a fresh installment of the Hermitorium Archives, where we highlight the coolest things the community’s been up to, along with a few bonus insights from the team.



Witchfire is – to quote our storefront – a first-person dark fantasy RPG shooter. It’s a lot of words, sure, but even a brief look at the game makes one thing obvious: weapons matter. They’re with you when you run, when you pause, when you pick a loadout, when you research. We’re big on our guns – some might even say we’re all-in.

But have you ever wondered how these death-dealing instruments come to be? What’s the story behind their design? I managed to pry Andrzej Sugier — @Sugar on our Discord — our very own Gunsmith-in-Chief, away from his work to talk about shaping the past, present and future armory of the Vatican’s finest killer.



Q: So, Sugar... A Witchfire weapon. Where do you begin?

A: There are two answers. The first is kind of mundane – we’ve had a pool of 3D weapon models prepared years ago. For each archetype – shotguns, ARs, machine pistols – there were three base models. We still haven’t used them all, honestly. So most of the time, a new weapon starts with one of those assets.

But every now and then, we step outside that structure. Sometimes it’s because we want to do something different, sometimes it’s because the community wants something weird. That’s how Striga came to be – a nod to Painkiller and an homage to our dev team’s pedigree. A love letter. There are two other weapons following that “off the books” path, but we can’t talk about them yet. Rest assured, they’re coming, and they’re not the last.

Q: Striga is one of the fan favorites, and it’s a love that I personally share, too. But it's not just fun to use, it's genuinely useful. How do you balance the two? Fun versus function, I mean.

A: There’s actually the perfect way to think about the issue: “toy vs tool.” And while of course we care about both, we start with the "tool". The first step is always to look at the sandbox. What’s missing? Where's a gap in functionality? Which type of players we are not servicing yet?

So yeah, function matters. A weapon should allow you to change your playstyle, because if everything behaves the same, it’s boring. So we figure out what’s missing – something for long range, something aggressive, something that makes you play differently – and once we have that function in mind, we design around it.

Q: But when you find a free slot, that weapon might be perfectly functional, but not fun. For example if it's something powerful but slow, heavy, and clunky -- how do you make it fun?

A: Exactly, right? That was the challenge, for example, with Judgment. We wanted a proper boomstick – an atomic slap to the face. But it needed to have a downside, too, like maybe a slow reload, abysmal rate of fire, heavy recoil -- things like that. And still somehow be satisfying to use.



We’re gamers ourselves, we pay attention to what’s fun, what feels good. I like to imagine I have this “fun bucket” – full of mechanics and ideas I’ve collected. When designing, I dip into that bucket and see what fits. For Judgment, it was about building a weapon around a charge mechanic, making you time your shots and feel that power surge when it lands. So this is what we focused on, tweaking the knobs and even redesigning some Mysteria until it felt good to use while maintaining its own identity.

Q: Speaking of Mysteria. How do you approach those? I mean, do you design the base version then more stuff add to it, or do you design the end version and subtract?

A: The former. Sure, first, they need to be functional. They guide or reinforce a certain playstyle – or counter abuse. But usually we start with M1, then think of how we can make a cool gun cooler. Higher Mysteria need to multiply the fun.

Take Hypnosis. You can charge the shot (M1) for extra damage, which is already a fun action -- but if you release right when the gem lights up (M2), it gets an additional boost. That makes the player pay attention. They’re not just spamming – they’re engaged, present in the moment. That’s the goal.

Q: Are all weapons designed like that – by identifying needs and building from there?

A: Not always. Sometimes an idea is just fun. Like Rotweaver – I wanted to make a weapon that feels like spraying enemies with a garden hose full of acid. Weird, gross fun — pure power fantasy.

On the flip side, you have Hailstorm – very utilitarian. A tool with functional mysteria which gets the job done. It’s kind of a relic from early Witchfire, and there’s a chance it’ll get a revamp. But it still has its own niche – not everything has to be flashy. As long as it feels good and unique, we're happy.



Q: "Feels good". Players often talk about the “weapon feel”, be it Witchfire or any other shooter. What does it mean to you as a designer?

A: Hot take – it’s all about interaction. Sound, animation, model, responsiveness, hook, core idea — all important. But if the world doesn’t react, none of that matters.

If you unload five shotgun shells into an enemy and they just walk forward like nothing happened, the gun feels weak, even if the HP bar goes down. But if a shot makes them stumble, react realistically – now that’s satisfying. Humans love seeing the world react, we’re wired for it – as kids, we dig in sand because there’s a hole left when we’re done. We toss rocks in water, watch the ripples – same thing.

Q: Is that hard to balance, especially with bigger enemies that cannot be slapped around that easily?

A: Definitely. We want enemies to be responsive, but not ridiculous – Dimacher shouldn’t fly across the throne room just because you shot him in the chest.

Tech-wise, I’d love to go deeper – tear clothes, rip tissue, that kind of thing. Right now, it’s a pipe dream, but we're constantly looking into new ways of making the world react to your actions.

Q: What about weapon stats? Do they matter for the "weapon feel"?

A: It starts with core characteristics; if Judgment is slow and heavy, it damn well better hit like a truck. All secondary stats – reload, recoil, spread – must orbit the primary concept; otherwise, it feels “off.”

Even then, it’s not foolproof. Some guns look great on paper, but suck in practice. If testing shows that firing it is a chore, we scrap that config. Adjust it, tweak it, try again. Game development is all about iterating.



Q: So once you have the design, the gun with animations and effects, the Mysteria implemented – what’s left?

A: Literally just playing with it – a day or two of testing, fine-tuning, checking and double-checking if it feels right. That’s the final step, the somewhat spiritual human touch. You can’t overstate how important that is. It’s what gives Witchfire its handcrafted feel — it’s not “this’ll do” — it’s passion.

Q: Has this passion ever gone too far? I mean, what's the longest you've spent on a weapon?

A: Well – Striga had three iterations, and the current record holder, Duelist, had eight. To be clear, that doesn’t mean they’re “better,” it just means we had to fight harder to get them to feel right.

But "too far"?.. We try to be sane ...most of the time. Leonardo Da Vinci said that art’s never finished, just abandoned, and at some point you do have to say “stop.” Sure, you could always improve something 1% more – but it might take 100 hours to do it, and that’s just counterproductive.

Having said that, Striga took over two weeks to get working properly, and I am just talking the prototype. The ragdoll simulation was complex – no other weapon uses it, but it had to be right.



Q: If it's this hard and time-consuming, have there been any cool ideas that just didn’t work out?

A: Railguns. We tried, but the combat rarely lines up enemies the way you need for that payoff. Frostbite M3 is kind of a twist on it, but… it doesn’t hit right. Still, one upcoming weapon is flirting with that design. It probably just needs a bit more time.

Q: So, nothing’s been scrapped forever?

A: Not just yet, at least. We’re still in Early Access, still working, so nothing’s off the table. And once the core of the game is done, who knows — we might go absolutely bonkers.

If the code lets us, of course, as it sometimes works in mysterious ways. We’ve had bugs where Striga’s projectiles became as big as tree trunks. Reloads were performed by a hand of god. Vulture’s bolts demanded input from the player before connecting with the enemies. New weapons mean new bugs — that’s just how it is.

We’re observing, thinking, working. But we’re also trying not to make Witchfire forever – it has to be released one day.

Q: Good one! Thanks, Sugar, and on that note...



Ladies and gentlemen, it is time.

There’s still much work ahead, but we now feel confident enough in the upcoming Webgrave update to begin revealing it. Starting next week, we’ll kick off a weekly series of posts showcasing new content and walking you through the redesigned systems and features. There's a lot to cover, and these updates will continue until release. In just a few weeks, we’ll share the exact launch date.

Today, a small taste of what’s to come. One of the inhabitants of that accursed town…

When the witch’s curse first fell upon the place, no one saw it for what it was. They mistook it for yet another plague, cruel but familiar. The twisted shapes of the afflicted were dismissed as grotesque symptoms. They burned bodies. Quarantined entire districts. Nothing helped. Only when the changes grew undeniable -- when bone split skin, when limbs took unnatural forms while hearts still beat -- did they grasp the truth. But by then, it was far too late

This is Townswoman. Forever caught between forms. Forever not one of us. Not one of them.



This is just the first teaser of what’s coming – we’re excited to share more in the coming weeks, and we’re super happy that you, the community, the gamers, are interested in what we’re cooking. Stay tuned for news from the world of Witchfire starting next week – we hope you’ll like it.

As it’s been a while since the previous post, it’s also time to look at what you’ve been doing – it’s yet another instalment of…



[h2]What Do Your Dev Eyes See?[/h2]

One of the key advantages of having a game in Early Access is the ability to gather feedback from players before the final release. We’re reading a lot of what you share, and honestly, it often makes us scratch our heads – in a good way. Some feedback makes us rethink decisions we’ve made; some points us in directions we might not have otherwise considered.



One such topic resurfaced on Steam just last week, and after reading through it, we decided to address a few of the issues raised. You can read the full thread here.

[h2]Feelings Inc.[/h2]

Then there are moments when you remind us of things we already know – just not consciously, in the moment. A recent Reddit thread was a great example of that. Some of you shared how Witchfire makes your heart race, how extraction brings a genuine sense of relief. A reminder that mood matters.



Emotions are invaluable, and often underappreciated. We’re thrilled to read that the game gets your pulse going, because that means something’s clicking. And, to be honest, we’re a bit desensitised ourselves – we live and breathe Witchfire every day. That adrenaline rush you feel when you’re sprinting to the portal, praying the Warden doesn’t show up? We miss that. So, thanks for reminding us.

[h2]This Used to Mean Something…[/h2]

The arrival of level 541 players – the current max – was inevitable. But we didn’t expect so many of you to get there so quickly. And apparently, we have a new record-holder in town. It's unverified, but - if true - seriously impressive: Garlick popped onto our Discord to announce they hit level cap in under 108 hours. Witchfire’s own Lightning McQueen?



Maybe.

That said, we’re already working under the hood to restructure stat system in a big way – so don’t get too attached to the current cap or how points are distributed. And no worries: all the time and effort you’ve invested won’t be wasted; you’ll be able to redistribute your stats within the new system. We respect your time far too much to just hit reset and walk away.

[h2]Follow the Galley Slave[/h2]

Seriously – if I got a penny every time someone admitted they were too afraid to jump into the green mist, I could probably afford to buy a prime property on the Scarlet Coast.



It’s not a bug, you just have to follow him into the opening. Remember: you’ve been sent by the Pope on a mission to expire a witch. There are chemicals dancing through your veins. You wield weapons capable of levelling armies.

Fear no crevice.

(Yes, we know. But still.)

[h2]No Roomies?[/h2]

This one made me seriously question things.



Maybe we should have a few of them around… or at least a plushie chilling in a secluded corner of the Hermitorium?

Food for thought.

That’s it for this post. Take care, and stay tuned for more Webgrave news – they are coming.

…

Maybe even crawling.