Five Things to Know to Prepare You For Empyreal

Discover the secrets at the heart of a mysterious Monolith in Empyreal, a single-player third-person action RPG from UK indie developer Silent Games. In Empyreal, you play as a lone mercenary who has made their way to a distant planet with the aim of helping the Expedition delving inside the Monolith, defeating the enemies within and uncovering the secrets of the universe. With level-changing items, unique weapon archetypes and multiple questlines, how you explore the Monolith is up to you ⁠– here are five things to know to prepare you for Empyreal.

CARTOGRAMS

Within the Monolith are four Quadrants, each housing a variety of crafted levels for you to explore. While the level layout of the Quadrants remain the same, the enemies, loot, boss and number of lives change depending on the Cartogram you select. At their core, Cartograms are level-altering items that are looted from enemies or given to you by NPCs ⁠– the random attributes they apply affect each level and dictate the loot players will find throughout the level, the number of lives they have (known as Reset Charges), enemy types and the enemy boss, as well as the loot the boss can drop once they’re defeated.

The randomised nature of Cartograms means players will experience a new adventure every time they enter the Monolith ⁠– and be sure to explore every inch of the level to find all the loot it offers, as Cartograms can’t be re-entered after completion or after losing your Reset Charges. Don’t worry about failing any story-essential ones though, those Cartograms can be entered no matter how many times you fail.

WEAPON ARCHETYPES

Inside the Monolith are fearsome automatons that stand in your way – how will you dispatch them? Well, that depends on your weapon. Empyreal features three weapon archetypes, and each one has its own unique move set and offers a variety of different ways to play. The Glaive is a fast-paced, acrobatic weapon that relies on deflecting and dodging. The Mace and Shield is the slower, more defensive option where you can absorb damage and send it back to enemies. Last up is the Cannon, a ranged weapon with three ammunition types ⁠– performing perfect reloads to switch between ammo is a skill you’ll have to master to mitigate being vulnerable in close-combat.

Empyreal doesn’t lock players into a specific class, so as you explore the Monolith and pick up new weapons and equipment you’re free to switch it up and try out a new archetype ⁠when you’re preparing between Cartograms. So while you’ll likely find a weapon that fits your playstyle, sometimes a weapon loot drop might be so good you have to try it out.

ABILITIES

Beyond weapons, abilities are the next essential tool in your arsenal to overcome the challenges posed by the Monolith. Abilities are designed to be used often and in combination with each other in fun and inventive ways. The number of abilities on hand at any one time is limited to four, plus one ultimate, so it’s best to strategise about what works well together. For example, Drain Essence is an ability that greatly reduces enemy HP for a short time, while Pommel Strike inflicts stunning damage ⁠– use both together, followed up by a ‘coup de grace’ finishing move, to make short work of an enemy.

Making an effective build with abilities that reflect your playstyle is possible due to Empyreal’s lack of skill tree ⁠– players aren’t locked into rigid progression, so feel free to mix and match abilities and discover what works best for you.

QUESTLINES

Just because you’re a lone mercenary doesn’t mean you’re alone. In between trips to the Monolith you’ll spend time in the Hub, a central area filled with members of the Expedition exploring the planet. ⁠Visit the merchants to pick up new items and upgrade gear and speak to NPCs to hear their stories and uncover more about the world of Empyreal. Each character has their own personal questline which you can follow and help with, with each of them having multiple endings depending on your actions ⁠– you can even fail them outright.

Help these members of the Expedition with their branching stories by speaking with them or bringing them gifts and not only will you uncover more about the origins of the Monolith, but you’ll be rewarded with passive abilities and gear sets which will help in combat.

ASYNCHRONOUS MULTIPLAYER

Empyreal is a single-player game, but the asynchronous multiplayer features mean you can feel like other players have got your back. After defeating an enemy boss, a tear in the aether will appear. Interacting with the tear will let players donate the highest-rarity piece of gear they’ve looted in the Cartogram, which is randomly gifted to another player once they complete their own Cartogram. It might leave you at a slight disadvantage, but the receiving player will see the gear’s stats massively increased and therefore be even more helpful to its recipient.

Players can also gift Reset Charges to defeated players, giving them another chance when they’re on the brink of death. You can also buy and sell Cartograms at the Trading Post in the Hub if you’re looking for particular loot drops, and help friends rather than strangers by directly sending items through the in-game mail.

Want to know more about Empyreal? There’s no better way than playing the game itself, which you can do when Empyreal launches on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on 8 May 2025.