Frequently asked questions

A dark fantasy MMORPG for PC, set in the world of Ethea. You aim every spell yourself, build each spell from one to three of the four elements, and put Class Points into the classes you unlock. The story starts with one missing person.

Aim and cast. Spells go where the centre of your screen points, and you can miss. Before a fight you choose which elements each spell carries; during it you decide when to use a three-element cast and when to fall back on cheap one-element casts. There is no block, parry or dodge button: you survive through positioning, your build, and the wards your own casts create.

No date yet. The game is in its prototype stage, with online playtests. The Roadmap page shows which stage it is in. Newsletter subscribers hear about each step first.

PC (Windows). Today you play through the Timefather launcher, downloaded from this site. A Steam release comes later. There are no console or mobile plans.

Parties are five players at launch. One tank, one healer and three damage is a guideline, not a requirement: content is built to work with any five. How much of the game can be played solo is still being designed.

Open PvP is planned for launch alongside PvE. Its rules are not designed yet, and PvE comes first in development.

No. Gear never increases your damage or healing, and never rolls critical chance. Gems give defensive and utility stats: resistances, bigger resource pools, regeneration, movement speed, cooldown recovery and penetration. The loot that does add damage is skill books, which permanently rank up a spell.

Eight are designed: Warrior, Mage, Ranger, Paladin, Priest, Warlock, Druid and Tracker. The first five are in testing now; the other three come at Beta. You put Class Points into the classes you unlock, and any two form a named combination with its own passive. The class with more points leads the pair, so Mage + Warrior and Warrior + Mage are different.

Every spell carries one, two or three of the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Elements do not recolour a spell, they change what it does. Energy Ball with Fire and Water becomes Steam Burst, which strips magic resistance; with Water and Earth it becomes Piercing Beam, which goes through a line of enemies. More elements means more damage and more effects, at a higher cost and a longer cooldown. A three-element cast also spends your stacks of one element to put a ward on you.

Yes. In playtests you can change your build anywhere outside combat. From Beta, only in safe zones.

Not in the magic system, which has four: Fire, Water, Earth and Air. The city of Xylos claims a fifth, Nature, in its politics.

Not decided yet. It will be announced here and in the devlog before anyone is asked to pay.

Assume yes. Characters made in testing can be wiped. A test where progress carries forward will say so before you make a character. Every playtest you join earns a cosmetic tied to your account, and it stays with you through the wipe into launch.

Subscribe to the newsletter. Playtest invitations go out there, earliest sign-ups first.

Not formally. Timefather is made by one developer, with a small group of friends playtesting. If you want to help with something specific, say so on the Contact page.

Yes. Timefather is made by one developer, and AI helps with code, art and text. I design the game, direct the work and put every piece together.

Yes. The Press page has logos. For playtest access or an interview, use the Contact page with "Press" in the subject.