It's another day in the swamp, and it's been a busy week since our last post, but in a very good way! Our amazing playtesters are either too busy having fun to send in bug reports, or there are simply fewer and fewer bugs left to find. And both are very good options!

And boy, have you testers been busy!

Well done playtesters, I feel safer already

We've been polishing and preparing for the launch on 5th of November, which means reaching out to media outlets, streamers, partners, and friends to make the release of Wielders of the Essence as good as we possibly can.

And that includes a rather epic launch trailer that I'm very excited to share with you in a couple of weeks. It really shows off just how chaotic this game can get, and I think you're going to like it! We are also happy to announce that the game, and soon the demo, will support quite a few languages. Polish, German, French, Korean, Ukrainian, Russian and Simplified Chinese.

But that's not why we're here! Language and behind-the-scenes talk about marketing is all fun and

games, but this post was supposed to be all about units, wasn't it? Well, let's get to the good stuff, units!

Last week we talked about magic, and this time I thought we'd give some attention to the unsung heroes of Wielders of the Essence, the troops. 

Because you're not alone in your adventures. As the game progresses, you'll be joined by fierce monsters, brave frogs, and clever shamans, each bringing something different to the fight.

Because troops aren't just there to fuel your Wielder with Essence. Some are quite capable fighters in their own right, while others focus more on buffs and debuffs, helping you survive against the hordes coming your way.

I asked our in-house artist Einar to pick three units for us to show off, and he picked three frog units, all connected to the Essence of Destruction. So let's get to it!

Hunters are the first units to join your ranks, and trust me, you'll be happy to have them. They fearlessly attack your enemies, keeping them at bay with their spears and giving you a bit of breathing room.

Now, they may not look like much, but they're aggressive little things, and they never come alone. They also supply your Wielder with double Destruction Essence, making them a perfect and reliable start to any run where you plan to throw a lot of lightning around.

These small green warriors hunt in packs, and with the right upgrades, they can get better equipment to improve their attacks and damage. Level up the right skill, and they'll also increase in number, eventually leaving you with quite the little army.

They are just happy to be here, relaxing in camp between runs

Small frogs riding giant spiders. An absolute nightmare, if you ask me, but they're very handy to have on your side! These useful beasts keep enemies away from you by stomping the ground, creating shockwaves that damage and push back anything unfortunate enough to be standing nearby.

Before I figured out that I should bring them along, the zombie hordes on our Loth map were really giving me trouble. Turns out that having a giant spider stomping zombies into the ground is a pretty good solution.

Just like all units, Tremors have their own mix of Essences, in this case Arcana and Destruction. And if you combine them with the Wielder P'cha, who has his own stomp attack, and level up the skill called Spread, well, you'll be clearing the swamp in no time.

It's hard not to stare. But curse steams 5mb gif limit

The fierce Ravager is another useful beast. It's fast and aggressive, rushing your enemies and attacking whatever it comes across with its sharp beak. With the right skill, there's also a chance for your Ravagers to get brave frog riders, making them even more dangerous.

Essence-wise, Ravagers provide Destruction and Creation. And if you want to focus heavily on Destruction Essence, you can upgrade your settlements and bring all three of these units into battle together.

Personally, one of my favourite things to do when bringing Ravagers into battle is to level up Firewalk, a Creation spell that leaves a trail of fire behind you as you move. And here's where things get particularly fun. If you have Ravagers with you, they'll help spread that fire, making sure there aren't many safe places left for the enemies of the swamp.

Now, some Wielders are better at working with troops than others, and Rasc is a perfect example. He doesn't focus all that much on spells, but with enough levels, he'll bring an entire army of allies along with him.

And with that, I'm done for today! We'll be back with another Steam post next week, and we'll keep them coming every week until launch.

/Anders and the rest of the frogs

What a great day in the swamp it is!

Those last weeks before any release really are something special. One would think that after a couple of releases under our belt, we'd be used to it by now, but no. We might be more experienced than we used to be, and we might have leveled up a couple of skills, but that feeling of excitement is still there. Like a fireball coming straight at you, but, you know, a good fireball?

I could ramble about fireballs all day, and in a way I will, because this Wielders devlog is all about spells! All right, maybe a few other things will be thrown in for good measure to keep you on your toes, but still, mostly spells.

But before talking about all the ways you can kill the hordes of enemies coming at you to see for themselves if frog legs are as delicious as people claim, I want to ask a favour. Please wishlist Wielders of the Essence! It really helps us with those mysterious Steam algorithms as we get closer to release.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3546610/Wielders_of_the_Essence/So, let's talk about spells!

This game is called Wielders of the Essence, and that is exactly what you do. You wield Essence and use it to cast powerful spells. At the very start, you don't really have much Essence to work with, since most of it comes from the units following you around.

But very early in the game, you're joined by Hunters, fierce frog warriors who give you access to Destruction Essence. And the very first Destruction spell you'll get your hands on is Cold Snap, a very useful tool that damages your foes and freezes them in place, giving you a way out if you're feeling a bit swamped. As a nice little bonus, anyone frozen also takes additional damage!

Now, Cold Snap is just the beginning. The utter devastation that Lightning Bolt, for example, can wreak on your foes is quite a sight to see.

Ultimate power!But Destruction isn't the only Essence out there. Different units provide different Essences, or sometimes even a combination of two!

The Crawlers, burrowing beasts from the swamp that, well, crawl after you, give you access to Creation. And with Creation Essence at your disposal, you can pummel your enemies with Meteor Strikes, burn them with Firewalk, or spew Caustic Exhale all around you, leaving poisonous puddles for the enemy swarms to slowly die in.

Caustic exhale is in there.. somewhere

There are three different Essences, each with three spells, and which spells you can cast depends on the troops you bring into battle with your Wielder. As you progress, you'll be able to bring more units and cast more spells, so even if you start out small, you'll eventually grow into quite the frog powerhouse. And believe me, you'll need every bit of magic and every unit you can get your hands on to deal with what awaits you later in the game.

Some Wielders are better at casting spells than others. Or, well, more specialized at least. Some focus more on their units, while others are quite the opposite. So finding the right approach is really up to you. Personally, I'm an Arcana guy, but you'll find your own favourite soon enough.

And to wrap things up, I want to thank the hundreds of you who have been fighting your way through the swamps, the icy tundra of Vanir, and the deserts of Barya. I'm talking about our playtesters, of course!

Your feedback and the data we've gathered have been incredibly useful in helping us improve the game, and we (and the swamp) want to thank you all.

We'll be back in a week with another Steam post, and next time it's all about units!

/Anders and the rest of the team!