How Heat Works in Deathbound

Deathbound offers seven diverse Essences, each with its playstyle. Though these Essences are relatively vastly different from one another in how they are played, there are some key mechanics shared between them. The foundation of Therone, Mamdile, and Iulia's combat rests in parrying and Perfect Blocking. Tehkri Haodai, Mamdile Ogate, and Olivia Heinz depend on the Heat system to fuel such overwhelming abilities. Understanding these systems is key to mastering your chosen essence. First off, we're going to go ahead and explain the Heat system so that anyone, regardless of experience, has a real good idea of how to confidently charge forward into Deathbound.

How Heat Works in Deathbound

In Deathbound, Heat is the lifeblood of magic. This is a resource upon which all Essence wielders draw in order to perform anything magical in nature. You'll be introduced to this mechanic through Tehkri Haodai, a rather powerful Essencemancer with a rather diverse spellbook. He deals devastating direct damage, has insidious Corruption effects, empowering weapon buffs, debilitating enemy debuffs—all in his repertoire. Each spell cast increases Tehkri's Heat level, culminating in a fiery crescendo. At maximum heat, any cast spell creates a powerful Heat Explosion, hurting foes near him.

Fear not this fiery state, for Heat will gradually dissipate on its own. This can be accelerated by strategic equipment choices and character progression. Put simply, Heat is what makes magical combat dynamic. It prevents the infinite casting of spells and rewards those who skillfully manage it. Provided that one strikes a good balance between spell selection and heat generation, they can ensure maximum damage output and unleash devastating Heat Explosions. Furthermore, certain abilities can further amplify the destructive potential of Heat, opening up exciting strategic possibilities in battle.

The Use of Character Heat: Tehkri Haodai, Olivia Heinz, & Mamdile Ogate

Now that we have delved into how Heat functions for the three magic-wielding characters, let us further discuss how each of them works. We have gone through how Tehkri Haodai uses spells based on Heat; what about Mamdile Ogate and Olivia Heinz?

Tehkri is thus a traditional spellcaster who, as a byproduct of his spellcasting, generates heat. Should he ever reach maximum Heat, he will explode in an Overheat Explosion, destroying everything around him. On the other hand, Mamdile is a Capoeira-inspired fast melee combatant who builds Heat through fighting. His damage output ramps up based on Heat, so it is good for him to be overheated. Unlike Tehkri, when he has an Overheat Explosion, he does not explode but continues at maximum Heat in combat.

Olivia Heinz does share a similar Heat mechanic with Tehkri, both relying on Heat for spellcasting, but their magic works in a lot of different ways. While Tehkri focuses on Corruption effects, Olivia harnesses the elements of lightning, ice, and fire. This more than serves to expand her ability to inflict status ailments.

In Deathbound, the Heat system is a linchpin of mage builds. Items could potentially have a high effect on in-game Heat management by increasing damage at specific levels or by accelerating decay. In contrast to melee builds, which are specifically oriented towards either damage, defense, or attack speed, mage builds are oriented towards either Spell Power or efficient Heat management. For efficiently applying magic while keeping minimum Heat, Tehkri, Mamdile, and Olivia should also put investment into Heat-related skills available through their respective trees.