Dev Blog #1 What is Guild Encounters?

As we get closer to the release of Guild Encounters on November 4th, 2025, I’d like to introduce more about the game and what you can expect when playing it.

Concept and Background

Guild Encounters is what I like to call an “Arcade JRPG.” What do I mean by that? Imagine the game loop of a fighting game, where you select your character(s) and face a series of opponents one after another until you either defeat the final boss or run out of continues. That, in a nutshell, is Guild Encounters —but through the lens of a JRPG battle system.

I wanted to focus purely on the battle mechanics and gameplay systems of a JRPG. There’s no grand quest to save the world, no sweeping adventure across continents. Instead, it’s about you and the party members you recruit, persevering through a gauntlet of challenging encounters to ultimately slay a goddess who will grant a wish to anyone strong enough to defeat her.

The core gameplay loop revolves around taking a low-level party and leveling up through the Normal and Veteran ranks until you’re ready to challenge the Expert rank. That’s where you’ll face the goddess herself — and be pushed to your limits.

The Enhancement Shop

Before every battle during a run, you’ll visit the Enhancement Shop — a crucial stop where strategy takes center stage. Each character in your party has Enhancement Slots; you’ll start with one by default, but more can be unlocked by purchasing an Enhancer’s Codex from the Guild Shop.

Every encounter pits your party not only against a group of enemies but also against Battle Conditions that bolster enemies and hinder your team in various ways. The Enhancement Shop serves as your great equalizer.

• Facing a group of Elementals? Equip an Absorb Element enhancement to heal from their magic attacks.

• About to fight under a condition that drains all MP at the start? Try the Conserve MP enhancement to nullify the effect and halve ability costs.

Enhancements aren’t free — they cost Enhancement Points (EP). Your starting EP balance varies depending on the difficulty of your run. Removing an enhancement fully refunds its cost, so you’re encouraged to experiment freely. You’ll also earn additional EP after each battle.

Certain Guild Shop items can even increase EP gains or reduce enhancement costs, giving you more flexibility as your run progresses.

The Guild Shop

So what exactly is the Guild Shop? It’s where you spend your hard-earned Guild Points (GP), which are earned after every battle. Bosses reward large amounts of GP, and completing a run grants a hefty bonus.

The Guild Shop offers rare items with special effects (like the ones mentioned above), valuable consumables useful in battle, and even ultimate weapons and armor for your party members. It also serves as your hub for recruiting new adventurers.

After you select your starting party, the cost to recruit each remaining adventurer varies based on their abilities. Each has unique strengths, weaknesses, and roles to fill — choosing the right combination is key to success.

Wrapping Up

I hope this gives you some insight into what Guild Encounters is and what you can expect when playing. I want to be transparent about the experience — it’s a game that focuses primarily on battles, refined mechanics, and strategic encounters.

There’s more to come! Future dev blogs will introduce the battle system, and explore status ailments, buffs, and debuffs in detail.

Signing off for now,

Gyudon