The Hearthwild rulebook

Elements, evolution
& the art of discovery.

A small set of shared rules connects every creature in the archipelago. Learn what an element changes, how a bond grows, and why even the most familiar WildKin can belong on your team.

Version 1 · prototype balance

The elemental language

Eight ways to belong to the wild.

Choose an element to try its moves in the calculator below.

Try a matchup

One move. One or two defenses.

Compare the move with each defending element, then multiply. Primary and secondary elements count equally.

Attacking moveDefender’s primaryDefender’s secondary

Element damage multiplier1×Normal damage

1.25× against Ember × 0.8× against Spark = 1× damage

The Fire + lightning example is Pyrocrest: Water deals 1.25× against Fire and 0.8× against Lightning, giving 1× overall. Neutral moves always give 1×.

The complete reference

Element matchup matrix

Read the attacking move down the left and the defender across the top.

Values apply to one defending element. Multiply both columns for a dual-element defender.
Move ↓ / Defense →	Ember	Tide	Grove	Stone	Gale	Spark	Iron	Shade
Ember	1×	0.8×	1.25×	1×	0.8×	1×	1.25×	1×
Tide	1.25×	1×	0.8×	1.25×	1×	0.8×	1×	1×
Grove	0.8×	1.25×	1×	1×	0.8×	1×	1×	1.25×
Stone	1×	0.8×	1×	1×	1×	1.25×	1.25×	0.8×
Gale	1.25×	1×	1.25×	1×	1×	0.8×	0.8×	1×
Spark	1×	1.25×	1×	0.8×	1.25×	1×	1×	0.8×
Iron	0.8×	1×	1×	0.8×	1.25×	1×	1×	1.25×
Shade	1×	1×	0.8×	1.25×	1×	1.25×	0.8×	1×

1.25× advantage 1× neutral 0.8× disadvantage

A few foundations

Two elements. One clear identity.

A maximum of two. Every monster has a primary element and may gain one different secondary. The species and stage determine them; they cannot be freely switched during battle.
Equal defenses. Primary and secondary contribute equally. Their order describes the creature’s identity, with no extra defensive weight for the primary.
One element per move. Each move uses a single element or Neutral. Physical attacks can be elemental. A permitted off-element move leaves the user’s own elements unchanged.
Four equipped moves. Gaining a second element opens possibilities within a species’ learnset and keeps the same four move slots.
Multiply the two matchups. Double advantage gives 1.5625×; double disadvantage gives 0.64×. One advantage and one disadvantage cancel to 1×.
No immunities or same-element attack bonus. Identical elements count as 1×. An attack’s element stays fixed even when its animation shows more than one kind of energy.
Damage only. Element multipliers leave healing, shield amounts, status duration, and status application chances unchanged.

Growing together

Four forms, one continuing bond.

Each evolution requires its minimum level and a meaningful species milestone. Players may postpone evolution. The next chapter is earned through the creature’s story as well as its experience.

Level 1
Origin
The bond begins. A creature carries its primary element and the first signs of its species’ identity.
Level 15
Wild
A more confident companion. The primary element remains its only defensive element.
Level 35
Prime
All 50 Atlas lines gain their prescribed secondary element, opening a new set of strengths and weaknesses.
Level 60
Apex
The mature expression of the species. Both elements remain, and its original rarity stays unchanged.

Pyrocrest, for example, gains Fire + Lightning at Prime. Stone + Shadow gives Monolithar 0.64× damage from Lightning, while Water, Nature, and Shadow still deal 1.25×. New elements create tradeoffs throughout the same shared matrix.

The pleasure of finding

Rarity belongs to discovery.

Rarity is fixed for the entire species line. An Apex Grovewarden remains Common; an Origin Pebblit is already Epic. Rarity shapes where a creature lives, how it is found, and the story around meeting it.

The 50-species Atlas, alongside proposed ordinary regional encounter weights.
Rarity	Species	Encounter weight
Common	15	60
Uncommon	13	28
Rare	11	10
Epic	7	2
Legendary	4	Story & discovery

Every rarity can contribute. Rarity grants no automatic stat increase, damage bonus, additional elements, extra move slots, or immunity. Unusual abilities still need a fair power budget and counterplay.
Local conditions come first. Determine eligible species for the location, conditions, and progression. Roll among their available rarity tiers, then choose a species and suitable local form.
Weights are not capture odds. Renormalize when an ordinary tier is absent. A species’ four evolutions do not create extra entries in the rarity lottery.
Legends follow a story. Legendary species are excluded from random encounters and discovered through authored story or exploration quests. Missing ordinary tiers never make a Legendary the random fallback.
The same growth rules. Every rarity follows the same level 1 / 15 / 35 / 60 thresholds and its species milestones.