How troops determine your spells
Your troop choices shape your spell options. Most Essence comes from the units following your Wielder, and different units provide different types. Some units can provide two types at once.
The October 16 spell preview describes three Essence types, each with three spells. It names five examples across Destruction and Creation, and also mentions Arcana.
Hunters and Destruction
Hunters are frog warriors that give you access to Destruction Essence. The preview introduces Cold Snap as the first Destruction spell you encounter: it damages enemies and freezes them in place. Frozen enemies also take additional damage.
Lightning Bolt is another named Destruction spell. The preview describes its destructive power without giving damage values or a detailed effect breakdown.
| Spell | Essence | Effect described in the preview |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Snap | Destruction | Damages and freezes enemies; frozen targets take additional damage |
| Lightning Bolt | Destruction | A destructive attack; no damage figures are given |
Crawlers and Creation
Crawlers are burrowing swamp beasts that provide Creation Essence. The preview gives three spell examples:
| Spell | Essence | Effect described in the preview |
|---|---|---|
| Meteor Strikes | Creation | Pummels enemies with meteors |
| Firewalk | Creation | Burns enemies |
| Caustic Exhale | Creation | Spreads poisonous puddles around you |
These names help you connect a troop choice to the kinds of attacks it makes available. The preview does not give damage multipliers, cooldowns or building requirements for these spells.
Arcana and more spell slots
Arcana is the third Essence type mentioned in the preview. Its spells are not named there, so the five examples above are not the full nine-spell roster.
Progression lets you bring more units and cast more spells. Wielders also differ in emphasis: some specialize more in spellcasting, while others focus on their troops.
For the Settlement upgrade shown unlocking two troop slots and two spell slots in Demo builds 0.29.0 and 0.32.0, open the Essence and Settlement upgrades guide. For Demo access and progress carryover, see Demo and Playtest saves.