Häxeri

What Is Häxeri?

Häxeri (Swedish for "Witchery") is a grid-based first-person dungeon crawler DRPG with turn-based combat, coming to Steam in 2027. Developed by solo studio Tarpit Games, it's built for fans of Etrian Odyssey, Shin Megami Tensei, and Wizardry — the golden era of dungeon mapping and party-driven strategy.

You form a party of adventurers and descend into a labyrinthine dungeon beneath a kingdom. A cult is trying to resurrect an ancient evil monster sealed deep below. The king has called for heroes. You answer. What follows is grid-based exploration, random encounters, careful resource management, and turn-based battles where exploiting elemental weaknesses turns the tide.

What makes Häxeri stand out:

• 6 character classes with skill trees. Berserker, Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Priest, and Sorcerer each have unique tech trees. Attribute point distribution and gear choices matter.
• Turn-based combat with a twist. Exploit enemy weaknesses to gain extra turns. Hit a resistance and you lose turns instead. The same system applies to you — enemies can exploit your party's weaknesses.
• Old-school mapping. Draw your own map on a blank grid, or use the auto-mapping feature if that's not your style. The game supports both approaches.
• 5 distinct biomes. From damp catacombs to fiery depths, each biome has unique enemies, hazards, and loot tables.
• Inspired by the greats. The developer explicitly cites Etrian Odyssey (mapping, party building), Shin Megami Tensei (weakness exploitation, demon negotiation-lite), and Wizardry (brutal difficulty, permanent consequences).

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Character Classes

Berserker

• Role: Frontline damage dealer
• Stats: High STR and CON, low INT and WIS
• Skills: Rage (damage multiplier), Cleave (hit all enemies), War Cry (party ATK buff)
• Weakness: Low magic defense. Vulnerable to mind ailments.

Paladin

• Role: Tank / support
• Stats: High CON and WIS, moderate STR
• Skills: Shield Wall (party DEF buff), Holy Light (single-target heal), Taunt (force enemy aggro)
• Weakness: Low evasion. Heavy armor means slow initiative.

Rogue

• Role: Speed / utility
• Stats: High DEX and AGI, low CON
• Skills: Backstab (bonus damage from back row), Disarm Traps (field skill), Smoke Bomb (party evasion buff)
• Weakness: Fragile. Dies quickly if focused.

Bard

• Role: Buffer / debuffer
• Stats: High CHA and AGI, moderate INT
• Skills: Inspire Courage (party-wide ATK buff), Lullaby (sleep ailment), Countermelody (cleanse ailments)
• Weakness: Low damage output. Relies on party for kills.

Priest

• Role: Healer / support
• Stats: High WIS and INT, low STR
• Skills: Heal (single-target), Purify (cure ailments), Bless (party-wide regen)
• Weakness: Defenseless alone. Must be protected.

Sorcerer

• Role: Magic damage / elemental coverage
• Stats: High INT and WIS, low STR and CON
• Skills: Fireball (fire), Ice Lance (ice), Lightning Bolt (electric), Arcane Ward (magic shield)
• Weakness: Very low HP. Running out of mana leaves you useless.

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Core Mechanics

Party Building

You create a party of up to 4 characters at the start. Each character gets:

• Attribute points to distribute (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA, AGI)
• Class selection — which determines available skill trees
• Starting equipment — varies by class

You can respec attribute points at the inn for a gold fee. Respeccing gets more expensive each time.

Turn-Based Combat

Combat follows classic DRPG rules:

1. Initiative determines turn order. AGI stat plus equipment modifiers.
2. Front row vs back row. Melee attacks only reach front row. Ranged attacks and spells hit any row. Put squishy classes in the back.
3. Actions per turn: Attack, use skill, use item, defend, or attempt to flee.
4. Weakness system: Each enemy has elemental and physical weaknesses. Hitting a weakness grants an extra action to the entire party. Hitting a resistance (shown as "Resist!") costs you an action instead.
5. Ailments include Poison (damage over time), Sleep (skip turn), Paralyze (skip action), Confusion (random target), and Charm (attack allies).

Mapping

You start with a blank grid. As you move through the dungeon, you can:

• Auto-map — Toggle on to have the game fill in tiles you've visited.
• Manual mapping — Place custom markers for doors, traps, treasure, and notes.
• Reveal fog — Using a specific item or skill reveals a 3x3 area around you.

The game's map system is entirely optional. Auto-mapping works fine for casual play. Manual mapping is there for the purists who want the full Etrian Odyssey experience.

Equipment & Progression

• Weapons and armor are found as loot, bought from the hub town vendor, or crafted from monster drops.
• Skill points are earned on level-up. Each class has 3 skill trees with branching paths.
• Enchanting — A blacksmith NPC can add elemental damage or status effects to weapons using materials found in the dungeon.

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Beginner's Guide

Party Composition Recommendations

Balanced (recommended for first playthrough): Front row: Paladin, Berserker Back row: Priest, Sorcerer Covers tanking, damage, healing, and magic coverage.

Speed-focused: Front row: Rogue, Bard Back row: Sorcerer, Sorcerer High initiative, high damage, low survivability.

Survival: Front row: Paladin, Paladin Back row: Priest, Priest Nearly unkillable but slow. Good for learning enemy patterns.

General Tips

1. Save often. The dungeon has no auto-save. Losing a party wipe means losing progress since your last manual save.
2. Carry healing items. Don't rely solely on your Priest. Mana runs out. Healing herbs are cheap.
3. Map as you go. Even with auto-mapping, mark trap locations. Falling into the same spike trap twice feels bad.
4. Check enemy weaknesses. The first encounter with any new enemy type should be a scouting turn. Use Scan skill or try different elements to find weaknesses.
5. Don't overextend. If your party is at half HP and half mana, head back to town. The dungeon isn't going anywhere.
6. Row position matters. Put your squishy characters in the back row. Enemies that can hit the back row are rare in early biomes.
7. Elemental coverage. Make sure your Sorcerer has at least 3 different elements. You never know what you'll encounter.

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Dungeon Biomes

1. The Forgotten Catacombs — Starting area. Undead enemies (weak to Holy). Simple grid layout with few traps.
2. The Crystal Mines — Earth element enemies. Blocked paths require keys found in side rooms. Traps: falling crystals.
3. The Fungal Groves — Poison-themed. Enemies that inflict Poison ailment. Bring antidotes. Traps: spore clouds.
4. The Molten Depths — Fire element. High-damage enemies. Lava tiles damage you each step. Traps: geysers.
5. The Void Sanctum — Final area. Mixed enemy types. Boss rush gauntlet before the final boss.

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Controls

All controls are rebindable.

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System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i3-4130 / AMD FX-4300
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4600 / NVIDIA GeForce GT 630
• Storage: 1 GB available space

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 10 / 11
• Processor: Intel Core i5-7400 / AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 / AMD Radeon R7 260
• Storage: 1 GB available space

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Developer Background

Tarpit Games is a solo indie developer. Häxeri is their debut commercial title. The developer has been active in the DRPG community, sharing development updates on Steam and Itch.io since 2024. The game is built in Unity. The developer cites Etrian Odyssey V, SMT IV, and Wizardry 8 as primary inspirations.