How the combat and town loop works
In Wielders of the Essence, you control a Wielder, bring troops into combat and cast spells against enemy hordes. Runs earn resources for the Settlement. Building up the town unlocks options for later runs, including troops, spells and skills.
A defeat can still lead back into town progression. Returning to the Settlement and investing in buildings is part of the loop, rather than a reward reserved only for a winning run.
Troops, Essence and spell speed
Troops provide Essence. More Essence makes spells cast faster. Essence is connected to spell schools, so your troop choices influence the spells your build can support.
Hunters provide Destruction Essence. This makes them a concrete example of the link between troops and spellcasting: troops do more than attack enemies themselves.
| System | Its role |
|---|---|
| Wielder | The character you control |
| Troops | Fight alongside you and provide Essence |
| Essence | Supports spell schools and casting speed |
| Spells | Add magical attacks and effects to your run |
| Settlement | Unlocks and improves options between runs |
| The Dormant One / Egg | Grows through experience |
Unlock two troop and two spell slots
In Demo builds 0.29.0 and 0.32.0, the upgrade from I Settlement costs:
| Resource | Cost |
|---|---|
| Gold | 500 |
| Wood | 10 |
| Stone | 10 |
For a town that has this upgrade available:
- Approach the Settlement building and select its upgrade option.
- Check that the panel is labelled I Settlement, then spend 500 gold, 10 wood and 10 stone.
- Continue through The Dormant One’s dialogue.
- The New slots unlocked! message confirms that you can bring two troops and two spells into battle and purchase stronger troop and spell upgrades.
The Settlement upgrade uses gold, wood and stone. Egg growth uses experience. You need access to this building upgrade in your town before following these steps.
Egg experience
The Dormant One explains that experience feeds the Egg’s strength. In the 0.32.0 Demo, the Tier 1 — Restored Egg panel shows 100 for the next tier, with zero stashed in that state.
Treat the Egg’s experience requirement and the Settlement’s building resources as separate progression costs. The 100 shown on that panel is the next-tier value for that state, not a cost for every Egg level.
Eth’dra synergies
A troop and a compatible skill or spell can unlock a synergy. Two examples are Diligent Study and Borrowed Edge.
Diligent Study — Learning
In Demo 0.29.0, taking Tier 2 Learning with Eth’dra triggers Diligent Study. Its effect lets Eth’dra periodically drop XP as they fight.
The Learning choice is a skill card with a +20% XP Multiplier. That card bonus and the synergy’s periodic XP drops are different effects.
Borrowed Edge — Arcane Spear
In Demo 0.32.0, taking Tier 2 Arcane Spear with Eth’dra triggers Borrowed Edge. Eth’dra’s projectiles gain extra Pierce.
The character is Level 5 during this choice, while the spell card is Tier 2. Character level and card tier are different measures. Older mentions of a level-3 Arcane Spear should not replace the Tier 2 choice shown in this build.
| Synergy | Combination shown | Effect | Demo build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diligent Study | Eth’dra + Tier 2 Learning | Periodic XP drops while fighting | 0.29.0 |
| Borrowed Edge | Eth’dra + Tier 2 Arcane Spear | Extra Pierce for Eth’dra projectiles | 0.32.0 |
These are two combinations to look for when choosing upgrades. The tier conditions above apply to the Demo builds listed in the table; the descriptions do not give an XP-drop interval or a numerical Pierce bonus.