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Spellbreak Chapter 1: Spellstorm release date and new content

What you can expect from the next major Spellbreak update

Proletariat’s high-flying battle royale game has won over millions of spell-slinging mages – and for good reason. The free PC game offers a unique take on the BR formula: instead of looting guns, you pick up magical Spellbreak gauntlets – each with their own elemental spells, which combine to create devastating Spellbreak combos.

As you traverse the fantastical ‘Hollow Lands’ – leaping and hovering through castles, villages, and forests – the spellstorm slowly closes in around you until only one team remains. But the exact nature of that spellstorm is something players – known as ‘breakers’ – are going to examine and discover over the course of Chapter 1.

The first major Spellbreak update introduced the ‘chapter’ system with the aptly named ‘Prologue’, which adds the first new game mode – a nine vs nine team deathmatch called Clash – and the opportunity to complete missions within Spellbreak matches to unlock various rewards. Now we’re awaiting for the launch of Spellbreak Chapter 1: The Spellstorm – here’s what you can expect from the update, and when it’s due to release. There’s also a spoiler for story content, so only read on if you’re happy knowing.

Spellbreak Chapter 1 release date

Spellbreak Chapter 1: The Spellstorm release date is December 15, 2020 – and also sees the official release of Spellbreak on Steam. The game supports cross-platform play, and you can use the same Spellbreak account on each platform.

Spellbreak Chapter 1 chapter pass

Proletariat is focusing on bringing more plot and lore into Spellbreak with the upcoming Chapter 1. Over the 12 weeks of The Spellstorm, there will be three story quests every week for you to complete during matches. The story quests focus on investigating the nature of the Spellstorm, and are free for all players to complete – but once the week concludes, the story will move on and the quests from that week will no longer be available.

There will also be combat-focused honour quests each week, which you’ll need the chapter pass to access (for a fee of 1,000 gold). These don’t expire at the end of the week, so you can catch up on any you’ve not been able to finish later on. The chapter pass gives you access to chapter rewards, including rare emotes, skins, and cosmetics.

Spellbreak Spellstorm rifts

One of the new features in Chapter 1 is the presence of mysterious triangular ‘Spellstorm rifts’ within the Spellstorm itself – one of your first tasks will be investigating what it is that they do. If you’d rather be prepared, here’s a spoiler: they spit you out far above the map’s safe zone, sending you diving towards the ground, like when you first drop at the start of each match. Each rift is single-use, so don’t expect to share one with your squad – and they transport you to a random point on the map, potentially miles away from your buddies. It’s great news for players who often find themselves at the mercy of the storm as it closes in; it could also stir up the mid-to-late game a little more, as squads fight over rifts or deliberately seek them out in order to survive longer.