Witchfire has finally made its way to Steam with six playable classes to choose from: Butcher, Hunter, Slayer, Shadow, Saint, and Penitent. The descriptions lay out what each class is capable of doing. Some even come with a warning sign that they are not beginner-friendly. The dark fantasy rogue-lite shooter takes a few pages from the Souls games, so players will likely want to try every class to see which best suits their playing style.
That is, of course, also a common expectation of every player in any role-playing game. Your first playthrough will likely leave you wondering how the other classes play. However, its Souls-like tendencies mean switching classes is not as simple as visiting an NPC or opening a particular menu. There are certain progression obstacles that players must understand. Here is what the game offers.
Witchfire: How to Get and Craft Healing Elixirs
Crafting healing elixirs is a vital part of surviving in Witchfire, so players will need to first unlock the ability, and then learn how to make them.
Can You Switch Classes in Witchfire?
The only way to change classes in Witchfire is to start a new character. You cannot switch classes for the same profile. For example, if you find the long-range rifle gameplay of the Shadow class too demanding, or want to try out any of the other classes, you must abandon your Shadow character and create a new profile.
Progression is not shared between profiles. The rogue-lite nature of Witchfire restricts you from carrying over anything unlocked from one character to another. Hence, creating a new class profile essentially means starting from zero.
However, the inability to switch classes is not all doom and gloom. Something new players should understand is that classes do not matter in Witchfire. They can all be leveled up to unlock every weapon, spell, upgrade, etc., in the game.
What’s the Point of Changing Classes in Witchfire?
Like the classes in Dark Souls, the classes in Witchfire only serve as a starting preset. Choosing a class in Witchfire means what weapons, spells, and stat distribution you start with.
Slayer and Shadow, for example, have the highest starting Witchery stat for your spells. Slayer starts with more Endurance though, which is an important stat in the game. Shadow, on the other hand, has more Metanoia to help you level up fast.
Penitent, as another example, starts with one of the best weapons in Witchfire, but none of his stats are boosted. However, you can use the Ascension Shrine to level him up a few times to achieve the same Endurance and Metanoia stats as the Slayer and Shadow classes. On the same note, both Slayer and Shadow can unlock Penitent's starting weapon.
Hence, it all comes down to what starting gear and stats you want in Witchfire. In the end, every class can unlock everything and max out every stat.
Researching new weapons and spells in Witchfire used to depend on RNG. There was no guarantee that the medium-range weapon you are researching would come out to be the Hangfire hand cannon. Following the Wailing Tower Update, though, every weapon and spell category has an order in research. Taking the same example, Hangfire is now the third medium-range weapon, meaning you are guaranteed to unlock the Hangfire on your third research. Similarly, Hailstorm, a popular sniper rifle, is now a guaranteed second unlock in the long-range category.
Witchfire
- Released
- September 20, 2023
