There are 7 Essences you can gather inDeathboundover the course of the game, and each one hasa playstyle completely unique to them. However, there are still core systems that each Essence relies on. For example, both Therone and Mamdileutilize 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.
Understanding this system and figuring out how to utilize it is a big part of using these Essences inDeathbound, and thankfully the system is pretty simple overall. However, let’s go over the Heat system in its entirety so that anyone hopping intoDeathboundwho 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, ashe is a prodigy Essencemancerwho 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 inDeathbound, 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:
There arequite a few items in-gamethat 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 inDeathbound. 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.
