How Heat Works in Deathbound

There are 7 Essences you can gather in Deathbound over the course of the game, and each one has a playstyle completely unique to them. However, there are still core systems that each Essence relies on. For example, both Therone and Mamdile utilize the Parry system, while Therone, Iulia, and Agharos utilize the Perfect Blocking system. And lastly, there's the Heat system, which is what Tehkri Haodai, Mamdile Ogate, and Olivia Heinz all rely on for their spellcasting or core damage.

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By Maddie Fisher

Understanding this system and figuring out how to utilize it is a big part of using these Essences in Deathbound, and thankfully the system is pretty simple overall. However, let's go over the Heat system in its entirety so that anyone hopping into Deathbound who doesn't have much experience with similar systems will be able to instantly comprehend how Heat works.

Heat System Overview

How it Works & How to Keep Track of It

Heat in Deathbound is a core mechanic that any of the Essences who use magic rely on and it basically functions as their MP. Tehkri Haodai will be your first chance to experience the Heat System, as he is a prodigy Essencemancer who has a direct damage spell (that inflicts Corruption), a spell that puts a puddle of poisonous Corruption on the ground, a spell that buffs his allies melee weapons with Corruption and a damage/debuffing Spell he can inflict on enemies. Each spell will generate different amounts of Heat, and once Tehkri reaches Max Heat, which is where his hands glow a bright red/orange and his Essence Icon is filled with red, any Spell he casts, while it's in the red, will cause a Heat Explosion (this can also deal damage to nearby enemies).

If you manage to get Tehkri into the red, you aren't stuck there until he explodes, if you wait a bit this Heat will start to naturally Decay. This Decay can also be enhanced by certain equipped Artefacts, Rings, Level Upgrades, and Talents. And that's the core of how Heat works in Deathbound, it's a resource by which the games' mages cast their spells so that they aren't able to attack any enemy from afar for as long as they want. Additionally, there are Talents and more in the game that can even increase the damage you'll do with higher Heat or give you additional buffs once you trigger the Heat Explosion.

The Characters That Use Heat

Tehkri Haodai, Olivia Heinz, & Mamdile Ogate

Now, let's go over how exactly Heat works for the three Essences you'll gather in-game that utilize this resource. We've already gone over (for the most part) how Tehkri interacts with the Heat system, but what about Mamdile Ogate and even Olivia Heinz? Here's how this system is built into their core attacks:

Tehkri Haodai: Basic spellcaster, as he casts spells, his Heat grows, and causes an Overheat Explosion if spells are cast at Max Heat.
Mamdile Ogate: Melee attacker who generates heat as he fights with his Capoeria-influenced fighting style. The higher his Heat, the more damage he'll deal, so you'll want to keep Mamdile's Heat in the red whenever you can. Additionally, Mamdile doesn't ever trigger an Overheat Explosion, and will instead just maintain his red Heat Level for as long as he attacks.
Olivia Heinz: Olivia Heinz is very similar to Tehkri in how she uses Heat. In fact, they use it the exact same way, with the only difference being the amount of Heat generated from Olivia's spells and the intention behind her spells. While Tehkri is a basic spellcaster who only inflicts Corruption, Olivia is an Elemental Spellcaster who utilizes Lightning, Ice, and Fire and as such can inflict more Status Ailments than Tehkri can.

There are quite a few items in-game that interact with the Heat System, either by buffing the damage done at different levels of Heat or by making it easier for Heat to Decay, and this makes up the 'core' of a mage build in Deathbound. Whereas melee builds work when building around damage, defenses, or even Attack Weight, mage builds really only seem to be built around either Spell Power or Heat Decay. Lastly, if you want to use as much magic as possible for as little Heat as possible, pay attention to Tehkri, Mamdile, and Olivia's sections of the Leveling Skill Tree, as they each have parts of their sections that influence Heat Decay.

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