Hey everyone,
I’m a big fan of ARPGs and also a game developer working on a project somewhat similar in spirit to No Rest for the Wicked. I love a good challenge and I see huge potential in this game. After playing the Breach update and watching the Zizaran interview with Thomas Mahler, I wanted to share some structured feedback and suggestions that I hope the devs find helpful.
I also would like to praise the developers for the changes in The Breach update, particularly the change to the Fallen Embers, which make the game a lot more enjoyable.
1. Combat
Combat has improved, but a few core issues still remain:
Poise and Interrupt Balance Needs Fine-Tuning – Right now, both players and enemies get pushed around too easily, even by light attacks. Ideally, lighter attacks should only interrupt or stagger if the target has low poise, while heavier attacks should require more significant poise investment (via mesh or plate armor) to resist. Super-heavy attacks should always interrupt, but the knockdown severity could scale based on poise. It would also help to have clearer visual or audio cues to differentiate these attack types in combat.
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Knockdown state feels bad. Once you’re knocked down, enemies often just stomp you, locking you into a frustrating stun loop. Suggestion: Allow players to roll out of knockdown at a high stamina cost after a brief delay—unless stamina is depleted.
Heck, playing devils advocate, there’s even very few moves that knock the player down. I say add more ways to knock the player down even, but make it fair and reactionable. -
Blocking feels punishing. Many players dislike that blocking still damages health—especially with how limited healing is. A better approach might be:
- Blocking prevents health damage but instead builds up stagger damage.
- If the stagger bar fills up, the player gets stunned or knocked down, with a stamina penalty.
- Different shields would have varying stagger resistance, while enemies would deal different amounts of stagger damage per hit.
This would make shield play more viable, skill-based, and less punishing without removing risk.
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We need animation cancelling - Currently, committing to an action at the wrong moment is heavily punished, often leaving players stuck in animations and vulnerable—especially during fast, punishing boss fights. Animation cancelling would let skilled players recover more fluidly by spending stamina to cancel out of actions and reset momentum. Here’s why it’s a strong addition:
- It requires skill and timing to use effectively.
- It can cost stamina or deal no damage if cancelled early, preserving balance.
- The reward is situational control, not damage or unfair advantage.
- It simply feels good to use and gives the player responsive control in tense situations.
It’s a feature seen in many polished action games and would greatly enhance the feel of combat without compromising difficulty.
I have a hunch that the developers will sooner or later realize this is something that should be included in the game.
Enemy Elemental Weakness
Please add elemental weaknesses to certain types of enemies, it will simply enrich the combat a lot. Im sure this has been discussed internally plenty but just wanted to add on that the players want this.
2. Build Variety
This one might be controversial, but I feel that No Rest for the Wicked doesn’t really allow for creative build-crafting yet.
- Most of what we call a “build” is just a choice of weapon and trying to find enchantments that benefit it.
- Core stats like STR, DEX, INT, and FAI feel like stat-checks for weapon scaling, not ways to shape your playstyle.
Suggestion:
- Rethink stat functionality:
- Strength → Increases weapon damage
- Dexterity → Increases attack speed
- Intelligence → Enhances Rune Power
- Faith → Reduces Focus cost
This would open up more freedom in weapon choice and allow players to develop actual builds rather than meet preset scaling gates.
[ Side Note: It also reduces this feeling of being terrified to put points into attributes because you don’t know which weapon you’re going to like next and you might not meet the requirements. Very impactful to newer players and first few playthroughs. ]
3. Gear
Gear and enchantments are clearly tied together, but base gear stats could be more meaningful:
- Armor categories currently only differ in Poise and Defense.
- Poise itself, as mentioned earlier, needs to be more impactful.
Detach Weapons from Stat Requirements:
One of the biggest issues with build variety is that weapons are locked behind strict stat requirements. Instead, let players use any weapon but scale its performance based on their stats. As mentioned before:
- Strength: increases raw weapon damage
- Dexterity: increases attack speed
- Intelligence: empowers rune usage
- Faith: reduces focus costs
This change would massively increase freedom and build creativity.
Imagine a fast-swinging, high-dex 2H mace build—trading raw damage for stagger output and mobility.
or
A Strength dagger build that uses a rune that does an acrobatic move that can easily stagger the opponent and go for that high strength backstab.
It rewards imagination instead of punishing players for not following rigid stat prerequisites. Possibilities open up profoundly, while keeping things concise and comprehensive.
Suggestions for Armor:
Add passive bonuses based on armor type to support playstyles. Two models could work:
Model A: Stamina Utility
- Cloth → -5% dodge stamina cost per piece
- Leather → -5% sprint stamina cost
- Mesh → -5% charge attack stamina cost
- Plate → -5% parry stamina cost
Model B: Elemental Resistance
- Cloth → -5% plague build-up
- Leather → -5% shock build-up
- Mesh → -5% cold build-up
- Plate → -5% fire build-up
This would add build identity and let players mix and match gear based on how they want to play or what content they’re facing.
Some suggestions for Weapons:
- Axes → Ignore 25% Armor
- Daggers → +30% Backstab Damage
- Swords → Reduced Stamina cost on Rune Skills
- Maces → Ignore Stagger Resistances
- Staffs → Increase Focus Buildup by 25%
- Wands → Increase Any Buildup by 25%
ALSO dream-case-scenario, make these type of “innate” bonuses also be random choosing between a pool of 4-5 making these not-craftable and not-modifiable which additionally give white items more value instantly.
A really really cool thing could also be that some of these “innate” bonuses get better if your gear is “masterwork” level and not enchanted.
4. Enchantments
Enchantments have improved post-Breach, and it’s nice to see more meaningful effects. However:
- Most enchantments still boil down to small cost reductions or conditional bonuses. They’re helpful but not exciting.
- Elemental infusions are currently the standout—far more impactful than most others.
Suggestions:
- Add enchantments that unlock new actions or mechanics:
- Example: “Parrying throws a dagger dealing X damage”
- This could then synergize with another enchantment: “+X% throwable damage,” encouraging a parry/throw build.
- Create interlocking systems between enchantments, weapons, and items to make real builds viable and creative.
- Aim for enchantments that change how you play, not just how much stamina or damage you deal.
Conclusion
I’m still getting through all the new content, and I appreciate the hard work the devs are putting into No Rest for the Wicked. It’s clear the team is listening, and I believe the foundation is strong. I also saw mention that loot and builds are going to get more attention in the future, so I hope some of these suggestions help influence that direction.
I understand that a lot of these ideas would require quite a bit of work to implement and of course I’m only playing to be heard and would be very surprised and excited to see some of these ideas implemented in the game. However, I really think it could make the game go from a good game to a great game.
Thanks for reading, and keep up the great work.