Blood Welkin

What Is Blood Welkin?

Blood Welkin is a first-person roguelite shooter from solo developer DeviousGlizzy. You face endless waves of cultists and grotesque Ascended Abominations, building your kit from multiple weapon types and dozens of upgrades as you fight to survive.

What sets it apart:

• 3 weapon types — Each with distinct playstyles. Switch between them mid-combat to handle different enemy types.
• Kit-building depth — Dozens of upgrades stack and synergize. Your build by the end of a run can feel completely different from how you started.
• Ascended Abominations — Boss-level enemies with unique attack patterns. Each one demands a different approach.
• Gripping story — A narrative thread runs through the roguelite loop, revealed piece by piece as you progress.

Launched June 24, 2026 on Steam at $3.99. Windows only, single-player. Buy on Steam →

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How to Play Blood Welkin

The Roguelite Loop

Each run starts you in a procedurally assembled arena. Waves of cultists pour in. Between waves, you pick upgrades. Die and you restart — but meta-progression unlocks carry forward.

Run structure:

1. Arena phase — Clear cultist waves. Standard enemies drop resources.
2. Upgrade phase — Pick from a randomized selection of upgrades. Stack synergies.
3. Abomination phase — A boss-level Ascended Abomination spawns. Survive it to advance.
4. Restart or progress — Die, spend meta-currency on permanent unlocks, go again.

Weapon Types and When to Use Them

Blood Welkin gives you three weapon categories. You can carry one of each and swap on the fly.

Melee/close-range — High damage, high risk. Best against single tanky cultists or when an Abomination closes distance. Don't use this as your primary — it's a punish tool.

Mid-range rifle — Your workhorse. Decent damage, decent fire rate, handles most situations. Upgrade this first.

Special/heavy — Low ammo, massive impact. Save for Abomination fights or when you're cornered. Wasting heavy ammo on trash cultists is the #1 beginner mistake.

Kit-Building Strategy

Upgrades aren't just stat boosts — they change how your weapons behave. The key is building toward a coherent strategy, not grabbing every shiny upgrade.

Pick a lane early. If your first two upgrades boost your rifle, commit to a rifle-centric build. Spreading upgrades across all three weapons makes you mediocre at everything.

Synergy over numbers. A 10% damage boost is fine. An upgrade that makes your rifle shots chain to nearby enemies is game-changing. Prioritize mechanical changes over raw stats.

Defense matters. Don't neglect movement speed, dodge cooldown, and max health. The best damage build means nothing if you die in two hits.

Abomination Boss Fights

Ascended Abominations are the run-enders. Each has a unique moveset, but some principles apply to all:

Learn the wind-up. Every Abomination telegraphs its heavy attacks — a glow, a sound cue, a posture change. Recognize the signal and you can dodge consistently.

Clear cultists first. An Abomination alone is manageable. An Abomination with 6 cultists flanking you is not. Clean up adds before focusing the boss.

Heavy weapon discipline. Save your heavy/special weapon for the Abomination. That's what it's for. Using it on a wave of trash mobs leaves you empty-handed when the boss spawns.

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Controls

Movement is your best defense. Cultist projectiles are slow. Strafe constantly. Never stand still while shooting — even a gentle side-to-side rhythm cuts incoming damage by half.

Resources are per-run. Don't hoard upgrade currency. Spend it between every wave. Unspent resources when you die are wasted.

The first few runs are recon. Don't expect to beat an Abomination on your first attempt. Use early runs to learn enemy patterns and figure out which weapon type clicks with you.

Watch for environmental hazards. Some arenas have explosive barrels, collapsing structures, or trap zones. These hurt enemies too — bait cultists into them.

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FAQ

Q: Is there meta-progression? A: Yes. Permanent unlocks (new weapons, starting upgrades, difficulty modifiers) carry between runs.

Q: How long is a full run? A: 30-45 minutes if you clear all Abominations. Early runs usually end in 10-15 minutes.

Q: Are there difficulty options? A: Meta-progression unlocks higher difficulty tiers with better rewards. The base game starts accessible.

Q: Controller support? A: Keyboard and mouse recommended. Controller support not confirmed at launch.

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Tips

• Focus on one build/weapon type early instead of spreading upgrades.
• Spend resources between every wave — unspent currency on death is wasted.
• Use early runs as recon to learn enemy and mutator patterns.
• Movement is your best defense — never stand still during combat.
• Don't restart on a single mistake. Play until you are actually dead — you learn more.