Hi everyone,
I just finished the full campaign in No Rest for the Wicked with a strength-based, greatsword character. I wanted to share some honest feedback based on my experience, along with a few ideas that I think could really improve the game.
Feedback
I played one character all the way through. Early and midgame exploration was enjoyable, and the boss fights around the middle of the game were definitely the highlight. There was one moment where I stripped down to just pants, gloves, a pigskin hat, and a sawtooth greatsword to keep my dodge speed up. That section felt like a real test of skill and was incredibly fun.
However, by the end of the campaign, several issues became very clear. Combat balance and build variety started to fall apart. The Dropkick move was simply the best option in almost every situation, regardless of weapon type. It carried me through the last quarter of the game, which felt more like exploiting a loophole than building a playstyle.
Progression also felt off. The character power curve did not scale in a satisfying way. Crafting, while an interesting concept, became tedious quickly. It often felt like a time sink rather than a meaningful system. The resource collection for upgrading the town was particularly repetitive and not engaging.
If I had to give the game a score based on my experience so far, I would say 4.5 out of 10. Lots of promise, but important systems need work.
Suggestions for Improvement
My suggestions are a bit ambitious, but I think they could fit well within the current structure of the game as it stands today.
First, I would recommend reworking how runes work. Make them stat-gated skills that can be freely equipped or removed. Players would still acquire runes as they do now, but each rune would have stats and could be enchanted like a piece of gear. This would make build creation more flexible and open up new ways to use the crafting and enchantment systems.
Second, the system for collecting resources and upgrading the town needs a complete overhaul. I think this part of the game has huge potential. It could evolve into something unique that sets this game apart from other ARPGs.
Here is a basic idea. Turn the teleport points in each zone into campsites. When visiting a campsite, the player would see a map of the zone with objectives and bounties. Completing those would trigger NPC villagers to spawn and begin gathering local resources. These resources could then be used to upgrade the town or the campsite itself. Each zone could be leveled up individually, unlocking new content and activities.
Campsites would also serve as hubs for gear refinement, cooking, rune swapping, and other meta systems. The idea is that you do runs through the zone, gather resources, then use those to upgrade the region and unlock more gameplay.
This expands the pestilence zone difficulty scaling, but extend the idea across the entire game world. It would give purpose to exploration and add structure to progression.
Finally, I would love to see a companion or support system. This could be based on a leadership stat. Investing in leadership could allow players to summon NPC allies in combat. These could range from a single scout or squire to a full mercenary team, depending on how much you invest. It adds a new build archetype and could help develop the story of the player leading an expedition into a dangerous region. Games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age use this type of narrative well, but it is rare in ARPGs.
Closing Thoughts
No Rest for the Wicked has a strong foundation and real potential to become something special. It just needs stronger systems for build diversity, progression, and world interaction. I hope some of these suggestions can help spark ideas for future updates. Looking forward to seeing where the game goes next.
Thanks for reading. Would love to hear your thoughts.