Gameplay
Gameplay Mechanics
Main article: Gameplay Mechanics Descendants of Darkness offers several ways to play:
- Immersive roleplay to explore the quirks of each species.
- Build or join families to create lasting bonds.
- Lean into PvP combat for strategy and rivalry.
Combat
Main article: Combat
Combat uses the Main HUD's species-specific attack button. Attack animations and names differ by species, while damage and attack rate remain consistent within the same age group.
Basics
- Be within 1.5 metres of the target.
- Click the main HUD button and choose your attack strength.
- Expect counterattacks and stay mobile.
Both players may enter species-specific combat animations when their personal animation settings are enabled.
Followers and speed boosters
- Followers stick to targets; attaching one to someone makes them trail you.
- If they attach one to you, they will stay close—use speed boosters to break away.
- Collisions from two followers can force close-quarters brawls.
Tips
- Open with a quick hit, then reposition.
- Use speed boosts after landing a hit to control distance.
- Assume your opponent can mirror your moves; plan escapes before you engage.
Related combat systems
Safe Zones
Main article: Safe Zones Within designated Safe Zones, the HUD blocks combat.
- Current Safe Zone: A&D (Angels and Demons) sims.
- No Safe Zones for private homes or other venues.
Feeding and Blood Levels
Main article: Feeding and Blood Levels
Feeding uses the Main HUD's Attack and Feed Button. Clicking the button near an avatar who is not a registered player begins an interaction with that regular human.
Player Blood
In the first age group, a player using Blood starts with 5.000 litres and loses 0.500 litres nightly, giving about 10 days before death without feeding.
Hunters and Witches use Energy in place of Blood on their player scans; see Hunters and Witches for their species-specific interactions with regular humans.
How to feed
- Move within 1.5 metres of the target.
- Click the main HUD button and choose your attack.
- Hold the first five seconds to start healing; after that you can move back to five metres and continue feeding.
- After the first five seconds, feeding works from any angle.
Human Blood
A new regular human normally begins with 5.000 litres of blood. Feeding reduces that amount. A human reduced to zero is dead and cannot be fed on again while depleted. A human who is not killed gradually regenerates blood over time.
Human recovery and revival items are covered under Elixirs.
Human scan states
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Novus Sanguis | New blood with a full 5 litres. |
| Sanguis Plenus | At least 4 litres remain. |
| Sanguis Medius | Between 2 and 4 litres remain. |
| Sanguis Exiguus | Less than 2 litres remain. |
| Sanguis Nullus | No blood remains; the human is dead or fully depleted. |
| Ignotus | The human's blood status could not be classified. |
Sanguis Nullus is the current term for a regular human with no blood. It does not mean merely that the avatar is unregistered.
The Human Scan guide explains the full result, including applicable Hunter Protection and Witch Resurrection states.
Player Age Groups
Main article: Player Age Groups Each species follows its own progression path, with early ranks gained quickly and later ranks marking mastery, leadership, and legacy. See Player Age Groups for the full Witch, Vampire, and Lycan age tables.
Abominations
Main article: Abominations
Once they were human. Now they are corrupted echoes that bleed deeper and leave scars on the ledger.
Quick facts
- Abominations are rare spawns among regular humans.
- They carry more blood than ordinary humans.
- Each has its own Essence reward.
- Every Abomination kill is permanent and also counts as a human kill.
- Some Abominations return after death; if one rises again, the hunt resumes.
Identifying an Abomination
Each Abomination carries an individual echo or description. A Blighted Abomination Scan may show its status, current blood, Essence reward, and echo or backstory.
Abomination scans deliberately omit:
- Hunter Protection progress
- Witch Resurrection progress
- Revival scheduling or cooldown details
Hunter Protection and Witch Resurrection do not apply to Abominations. Any Abomination-specific return behavior is separate from Witch Resurrection.
Rewards and tracking
- Abominations have larger blood stores than ordinary humans.
- The Essence reward varies by Abomination and is claimed by the killing blow.
- The kill is written to the ledger permanently and also counts toward human kills.
- Qualifying combat against an Abomination can restore Hunter Energy.
Leaderboards and ledger
The login-required Abomination Kills page includes the current Abomination list and kill leaderboard.
See also
Species-Specific Attacks
Main article: Species-Specific Attacks Each species has different attacks for roleplay purposes, but attack damage and rate remain consistent within the same age group.