In Deepwoken, boons and flaws are unique attributes that players must choose when creating their character. These modifiers significantly affect gameplay, impacting vital core mechanics such as ether, hunger, and reputation. Understanding these attributes is crucial for building an effective character. This guide delves into the specifics of boons and flaws, providing detailed descriptions and strategies for optimal selection.
What are Boons and Flaws
Boons are positive and helpful effects that enhance your character’s abilities. Flaws, on the other hand, are negative and harmful effects that introduce challenges. The number of boons a player can pick depends on the number of flaws they choose. More selected flaws mean more boons can be equipped, balancing positive and negative impacts on gameplay.
Boons in Deepwoken
Boons offer positive effects, enhancing various aspects of gameplay. While they generally have less impact than flaws, they provide valuable advantages.
| Name | Description | Explanation/Comments | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gourmet | Foods are much more nutritional. | Increase Hunger/Thirst gain from food and drinks by an unknown amount. | 1 |
| Autodidact | You get a free attribute to invest in every level. | Gain 3 free points every Power up, consuming an investment each use. Stacks with the bonus from Adrets. Cannot be used if you have 0 investment points. | 1 |
| Maverick | Doing things alone yields greater experience. | Increases stat EXP gain by possibly 10% if no players aid you in taking down an NPC. | 1 |
| Survivalist | You are resistant to environmental effects. | Grants immunity to acid rain. Parasites also accumulate on you ~33% slower. | 1 |
| Steadfast | Your armor retains more durability when attacked. | Reduces the amount of armor durability lost from being damaged by 25%. | 1 |
| Scrapper | You gain an extra ace every other Whisper roll. | Every other (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) card roll, you are able to gain an extra ace. | 1 |
| Packmule | You have a much higher max. carry load. | Carry load is increased by 50, item stack limits are increased by 25% (rounded), and food max quantity is slightly increased. | 1 |
| SIy | You sweet talk your way out of trouble, gaining less bad reputation from committing crimes. | Reduces amount of negative rep gained and makes it so Guards won鈥檛 kill you when they get you downed. This only works if you are not an enemy. Unlocked from paying off your negative reputation with any faction. | 1 |
Flaws in Deepwoken
Flaws introduce negative effects, often having a more significant impact than boons. Picking more flaws allows more boons to be selected.
| Name | Description | Explanation/Comments | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetarian | You can’t eat the flesh of animals. | You can only eat plant-based foods, and cannot obtain the Carnivore Talent, but allows you to get the Herbivore and Iron Gut Talents at 10 FTD. | 1 |
| Squeamish | Having to physically take the life of another makes you lose stomach. | Lose a tiny amount of hunger (2-3%) when gripping NPCs or other players. | 1 |
| Obvious | Enemies detect you more easily. | Stationary Enemies/Monsters can spot you from a further distance, and with less difficulty when not crouching. | 1 |
| Haemophilia | You bleed more. | Blood loss from all sources is increased by an unknown amount. | 1 |
| Deficient | You regenerate Ether more slowly. | Reduced Ether regeneration. The reduced regeneration is a flat number, meaning this flaw is more damaging at low Tempo and less at high Tempo. | 1 |
| Blind | You cannot see. | You have a less extreme version of the Blinded Talent, with things further away than a short distance being very hard to see. | 1 |
| Fugitive | All factions hate you. | Start with low reputation toward all factions. | 1 |
| Manic | All sanity gained from attacks is heavily amplified. | All incoming insanity and insanity damage is increased greatly. | 1 |
| Glutton | Your hunger and thirst is depleted faster. | Hunger and thirst depletion is increased to ~150-200%. | 1 |
| Simple | You learn things at a slower rate than others. | Sharply increase the EXP curve, making leveling slower, especially on later levels. | 2 |
| Restless | Something haunts your past. | You regenerate slightly less at campfires. | 0 |
| Tarnished | Your Resonance is harder to call forth. | Increases Resonance Startup by 1 second, along with a varying unique debuff, depending on the Resonance. | 0 |
| Vacant | Something’s missing. | You lose your soul, which prevents you from doing any actions that require a soul like: Entering Castle Light, Partaking in The Vow of Mastery. | 0 |
| Wishbound | Isn’t this what you wanted? | Gain insanity during the night. | 0 |
| Disgraced | A stain upon your honour. | Lowers both HP and Ether regeneration. | 0 |
Strategies for Choosing Boons and Flaws
Optimal Boons
- Autodidact: Useful for leveling up certain stats quickly or leveling up stats that are annoying to do manually. It becomes useless at power 20.
- Gourmet: A well-rounded boon that stacks with its Talent variant. Spend less time making food, ideal for extended adventures with limited supplies.
- Survivalist: Immunity to acid rain is useful in Upper Erisia and reduces parasite accumulation in the Second Layer.
- Steadfast: Reduces armor durability loss by 25%, helping you maintain your gear longer.
Manageable Flaws
- Manic: Increased insanity gain is minimal and can even benefit some builds.
- Glutton: Forces you to handle provisions more smartly, requiring more food for extended sessions.
- Vegetarian: Can be easily managed by consuming plant-based foods, though it prevents obtaining the useful Carnivore Talent.
- Haemophilia: Increased blood loss is barely noticeable and is a manageable flaw.
- Fugitive: Can be mitigated by gaining reputation with most factions.
Managing Flaws
Flaws can be rerolled by talking to Yun’Shul and selecting the second option, “My flaws weigh me down too much, I wish for relief.” This dialogue appears only once, even if you bargain with Mis茅rables for another wish. Alternatively, the Shrine of Blasphemy will reroll a flaw of your choice for 5 knowledge, provided you are above power 17. This is a better alternative to wasting a wish with Yun’Shul.
