Emberward characters & flames: every unlock
Updated September 23, 2026 — Emberward 1.0 (8 characters, 6 flames at launch)
Progression in Emberward runs on three tracks: characters (picked before a run, each with unique perks), flames (your fire source's behavior, which changes the rules of battle) and talents (permanent XP purchases). Everything below is unlockable in 1.0 — plus the two characters and three flames already datamined as "coming in a future patch".
All character unlocks
| Character | Unlock requirement | Playstyle perks |
|---|---|---|
| Feri the Novice | Available from start | Novice's Perseverance: fire source gets +5 HP. The training-wheels pick. |
| Chunk the Builder | Build 100 towers with a 2×2 footprint | XL Blueprint (starting hand always has a 2×2 tower) · Mega Collection (two starting cards carry the Mega Rune; Mega always offered) · Craftsmanship (starts with the Blessed Chisel relic). |
| Silas the Merchant | Spend 15,000 gold coins total | Resourceful (three starting cards carry the Gold Rune) · Master Merchant (saves 10% of coins as interest between rounds, up to 150) · starts with Golden Roulette relic. |
| Belloc the Pyroguard | Complete a run without taking any damage | Guardian (fire source −5 HP but +3 armor per level start) · Royal Barrier replaces Overcharge: permanent +50% damage & malfunction immunity on a tower, reflects malfunction attempts as stuns (5s CD, not vs bosses) · starts with Royal Command relic. |
| Tiny the Bot | Place 500 blocks | Mini Builder (all cards ≤3 squares but each has a rune slot) · Block Specialization (every starting card pre-runned) · starts with Tome of Endless (card draw cost doubled). |
| Chrono Traveler | Clear Misty Forest on Heroic difficulty | Time Travel (30s prep round 1, only 5s after — and no 0.5× speed) · Acceleration: Overcharge usable 2×/round · Chrono Bubble replaces Focus Fire: −90% monster speed in an area, 2×/round. |
| Tana the Sorcerer | Open 50 chests | Magic Apprentice (tower costs +50%, but 2 random Buff Cards each round start) · Enchanter (buffs on towers last forever) · Mana Retraction converts a tower's buff back into a card. |
| Estelle the Scholar | Coming in a future patch | Not yet available. |
| Astra the Corruptweaver | Coming in a future patch | Not yet available. |
Fastest unlock order for new players: Feri (free) → Chunk (just build 2×2s — naturally happens by mid-Adventure) → Silas (gold flows constantly) → Tiny (blocks accumulate every run) → Tana (chests from stage rewards) → Belloc (requires a perfect run — practice no-leak mazes) → Chrono Traveler (needs Heroic Misty Forest).
All flame unlocks
Flames aren't cosmetic — each one rewrites battle rules for your fire source.
| Flame | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Forge Fire | Default | Plain flame, no special abilities. Learn the game here. |
| Sacred Fire | Clear Misty Forest (Normal) | All battle stages become Corrupted Stages: corrupted tiles shift position randomly at the end of every wave. Unpredictable ground — avoid committing permanent towers to volatile cells. |
| Demon Flame | Clear Bone Desert (Normal) | High-risk scaler: Ember Spark gains +1 attack per level when it kills enough monsters — but taking monster damage lowers the level by 1 and randomly destroys three of your towers. Feast or famine. |
| Frost Flame | Clear Frost Ruins (Normal) | Ember Spark deals AoE Ice with Chill; at each wave's end, its range grows +2 tiles and it freezes all blocks in range. Growing control aura — design your maze knowing walls can freeze. |
| Ancient Flame | Future patch | — |
| Ghost Flame | Future patch | — |
| Candle Flame | Future patch | — |
Talents: what we know so far
Every battle pays experience into a shared talent tree. Two facts to orient you:
- Learning every talent costs 2175 exp total (there's a "Learn All" button).
- The tree fully resets — a circular-arrow button refunds all spent exp, so respeccing is free and encouraged.
| Talent | Tiers | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Efficiency | 3 (10/20/30 exp) | +10 / +20 / +30 seconds of preparation time before each wave. First pick for players who feel rushed in the build phase. |
| Gambler's Gambit | 3 (15/30/50 exp) | Start the adventure with 1 / 2 / 3 Gambler's Tokens. |
The tree is deeper than these two — the community wiki screenshots the full grid but documents tiers gradually. If a talent matters to your strategy and isn't listed, check back after patch 1.x, or read the in-tree tooltips (hover for exact numbers).