Shadows of Beginnings

Sixty years ago, the Great Eclipse swallowed the sun for three days.
Novum never recovered.
You arrive at its gates as an Outsider with no gear, no standing, and no place inside. The town survives behind failing walls. The Guild has diminished. Beyond the gates, creatures spread through lands that were abandoned long ago.
If you want a place in Novum, you will have to earn it.

PROVE YOURSELF
You begin as an Outsider.
Take on work others cannot. Clear the roads beyond the walls. Hunt the creatures pressing closer to town. Help restore what Novum has lost.
Your standing grows through what you accomplish.
Rise through seven Guild ranks, from Outsider to Stranger, Journeyman, and eventually Legendary Grand Master.
Nothing is handed to you.

SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Shadows of Beginnings does not lock you into a single ARPG perspective. Pull back into a traditional isometric view, then rotate seamlessly into an over-the-shoulder perspective and step closer into Novum. The perspective changes continuously during gameplay, there are no hard camera transitions separating the two.

REBUILD NOVUM
Novum has spent decades falling apart.
You can change that.
Gather resources from the lands beyond the gates and restore the Blacksmith, Guild Hall, Infirmary, Inn, and other ruined structures throughout town.
Each restoration changes Novum both visually and functionally. Buildings return to use. Services become available. The streets begin to feel inhabited again.
At the center of that recovery stands the Aegis Hearth, a sanctuary against what waits beyond the walls.
Novum grows as you do.

MASTER YOUR CLASS
Choose how you face the dark.
The Warrior holds the line through armor, stamina, blocking, and close-range force. Stand your ground, turn aside incoming blows, and punish anything that stays within reach.
The Mage controls distance through destructive elemental power. Keep enemies where you want them, manage your positioning, and strike before they can close the gap.
The Ranger controls the battlefield from afar. Set traps, poison targets, and punish enemies with carefully placed shots before they reach you.
The Rogue fights through speed, precision, and sudden bursts of damage. Close the distance, eliminate priority targets, and escape before the enemy can answer.
Four classes. Four different ways to survive what Novum has become.

FACE WHAT LIVES BEYOND THE WALLS
The Verdant Rot Swamp is among the first lands waiting beyond Novum.
The Bramblekin have consumed much of it. Thorn, root, and parasitic growth spread outward from a corrupted hive, overtaking what little remains of the settlements that once stood there.
At the heart of the swamp waits the Thorn Matriarch.
Ancient. Rooted deep beneath the Heartroot Clearing. Still growing.
And she is only one of the things waiting beyond Novum.

FORGE WHAT YOU NEED
The weapons and armor you find are only the beginning.
Gather materials throughout the world and bring them back to Novum to strengthen your equipment through multiple upgrade tiers.
At Tier 3, elemental modifiers open another path of specialization. Choose between Fire, Void, and Nature, altering how your equipment performs and allowing you to prepare for the threats ahead.
What you carry into the wilds matters.

FEATURES
Timing-driven real-time combat built around positioning, stamina, dodging, blocking, and class abilities

Four distinct classes with their own abilities, strengths, and combat styles

Seven Guild ranks earned through quests, combat, exploration, and your contributions to Novum

Town restoration that changes Novum visually and unlocks new services

Resource gathering tied directly to restoration and equipment progression

Multiple hostile biomes with their own creatures, environments, and major encounters

Weapons and armor that can be strengthened through upgrade tiers and elemental modifiers

Single quests, quest chains, progression quests, and repeatable activities

The Aegis Hearth, Novum's sanctuary and a central part of restoring what remains

Rise from the shadows of your beginnings.
Built in Unreal Engine 5