Esoteric Ebb Gameplay Guide

Esoteric Ebb is an isometric, Disco-like, TTRPG-turned-CRPG set in a bizarre post-Arcanepunk fantasy setting. You are The Cleric, an expert in esoteric events, and a glorified government goon. Inspired by classic CRPG games, Esoteric Ebb features deep and branching dialogs with a staggering amount of choices.

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Introduction

In the developer’s own words “Esoteric Ebb is based on the 5e ruleset. This system is built on layers of fantasy tropes and decades of common understanding among players and DMs.” The 5E ruleset refers to the 5^th edition of Dungeons and Dragons. A lot of you might not be familiar with the rules of D&D.

So, to begin with, the build screen. There are six ability stats in the game, with 27 points that you can distribute among the stats and two points of proficiencies you can allot to any of the stats. The maximum number of points you can allocate to an ability is 15 with an added point of proficiency adding +2 on top of that.

Below these you can find the Background focus for your cleric. There are 18 background focus(es).

Each stat has its own Uses and Role in the grand scheme of things and you do not necessarily need to stick to them.

Let’s take a deeper look at them.

Ability Stats

Strength

You start with 6 Strength and a -2 debuff in proficiency in strength.

The benefits of higher strength are that you can equip extra items, be violent in encounters, be a religious zealot, and have high nationalism. These manifest as dialogue options.

A high-strength cleric is confident and straightforward; he supports the Party of Norvik with his vote, prays to his dead god without irony, brute-forces puzzles instead of overthinking them, and isn’t afraid to punch the big evil villain in the face. He wants to be a hero, loves questing, and likes things simple.

On the other hand, a low-strength cleric is timid, insecure, weak, always yielding to stronger personalities, bad at banter, gives up easily when things get tough, even awkward around women. He doesn’t really care about quests and doesn’t have that hero mentality. So, strength not only changes the cleric’s combat potential; it completely changes who he is as a character. This is true for all stats.

Dexterity

Dexterity too starts with 6 base points and -2 in proficiency.

Dexterity allows you steal or pickpocket anything. You can play as a rogue essentially, by picking locks, sneaking around and dodging traps. You can roll initiative and react quickly to situations. You can become quite rich through dexterity.

A high dexterity cleric appears to be smooth, quick, and a little slick. He supports the Revolutionary Freestriders, collects shiny objects wherever he can find them, and acts first in any situation that occurs. He notices a problem before it really develops and evades it with no problems at all. He has a clever reply at the ready, looks after his own interests, and seems to take huge risks that he actually pulls off every time he tries.

A low dexterity cleric, however, appears to be the exact opposite. He tries the same huge risks that the high dexterity cleric makes, but he ends up crashing and burning instead. He does not notice anything that occurs until after it is too late, trips over his own feet, and literally and figuratively makes a mess of things. He is slow physically and intellectually, a step behind everyone else at all times, and even ends up dirt poor because nothing ever seems to go his way. Dexterity appears to be more than just a measure of physical agility. It appears to determine how smooth and capable the cleric appears to be, as opposed to how awkward he appears to be.

Constitution

Constitution starts at 7 base points and a -2 in proficiency.

Constitution is basically directly proportional to your hit points. It allows you to control your body and its mystical connection to the universe. Your political views are irrelevant.

A high constitution cleric is almost drifting on a sea of chaos. He forgets there is even an election occurring and is only focused on the good things in life. He is described as being tougher than entropy itself, remaining steady while those around him are unglued, remaining in control of his neuroses. He listens to his gut feelings, which somehow seem to be working for him. He also talks to the spirits within the walls as if it were a normal thing to do. There is a weird running joke within this story about how he is already dead, making him feel invincible.

The low constitution cleric is his opposite. He is simply going to die. He is worried about everything, listens to his gut feelings, which are not working for him, and is unable to control his own body. He is consumed by pain. Unlike his sturdier counterpart, he has no special connection to the walls at all.

It is apparent from these two characters that constitution is not simply a matter of health. It is a matter of whether or not a cleric feels invincible and at peace with the world, versus worried, breakable, and doomed to fail.

Intelligence

Intelligence starts with 8 base points and a -1 one to proficiency, meaning a point in proficiency makes the number positive, which isn’t the case for any other stat.

Intelligence lets you equip more spells. It helps create and execute a plan. Your political view is to vote for yourself.

A high-intelligence cleric is the one person who will always have your back, as if you are the greatest wizard of all time. They secretly, however, resent the gods and perhaps even envy them a little, wishing they could outshine them. Every mystery that arises is solved in five minutes or less. Arcana is second nature to them. They can prattle on endlessly about random pieces of history, whether you asked for it or not. They look down on anyone they think is not as smart as they are. To be honest, they act like they know it all.

A low-intelligence cleric has no idea what is going on. They are, however, strangely confident in their ignorance, which makes it even more annoying. When they do not know something, they simply make something up and hope it sounds intelligent. Half the time, you wonder if they are even aware of what is going on around them. Mysteries remain unsolved because they cannot connect the dots. They are, quite simply, not the brightest bulb in the box.

Wisdom

Wisdom starts with 6 base points and -2 in proficiency.

Wisdom works hand in hand with intelligence. It strengthens any spell that you have equipped. You will be kind and see the good in people. You support the Azgallian Working Class.

A high wisdom cleric is the one who votes for the Azgalian Worker’s Party, and they actually believe in it. They don’t really hate anybody, unless you consider the hierarchy thing. They are okay with their soft side, and they don’t find anything weird about it either. They live by their heart, even if it is a little dramatic at times. Primal magic is something that comes naturally to them. They can read people’s body language as if it is written in bold letters. And they manage to pick up every little detail that everybody else is missing.

A low wisdom cleric is basically clueless most of the time. They don’t pick up the obvious, and then they are surprised when things go wrong. Thinking about the lower class or anybody outside of their little world doesn’t even cross their mind. They just don’t get people, okay? Traps? They walk straight into them. Half the time, they are standing there, looking around, like, wait, where am I, and what is even happening right now?

Charisma

Charisma has 6 base points and a -2 in proficiency.

Charisma gets you nice discounts in certain stores. You are great at conversations and saying the right things. But that leads you to have no political stance whatsoever.

A high charisma cleric is the type of person who will support whatever keeps them popular. They have learned how to do this early on, and it shows. They always seem to know exactly what to say to get what they want. They have no problem with flirting, either, and, well, they actually can make it work for them. They sort of love being able to influence people, maybe even a little too much. The truth is flexible if it needs to be.

A low charisma cleric, on the other hand, is the type of person who just doesn’t click with people. They are awkward, even when they don’t want to be. They put someone they like in front of them, and they completely flub it. It’s not fun; it’s scary when they have to talk to people. Public speaking is basically their nightmare. And, well, style is not exactly their forte, either.

Background Focus

I will just list the advantages each of these brings to the table (pun not intended)

Punching Bag	+2 Constitution, +1 Charisma
Troll Killer	+3 Strength
Kiosk Kid	+2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma
Lore Enthusiast	+2 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom
Crowd Pleaser	+2 Charisma, +1 Intelligence
Little Weirdo	+3 Charisma
Azgalist Activist	+2 Wisdom, +1 Charisma
Urthguard Recruit	+2 Strength, +1 Dexterity
One Friend	+2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
Acolyte	+2 Strength, +1 Wisdom
Tower Apprentice	+2 Intelligence, +1 Constitution
Arcane Prodigy	+2 Intelligence, +1 Strength
Palace Pawn	+2 Charisma, + 1 Strength
Faithful Harbinger	+2 Constitution, +1 Strength
Esoteric Expert	+2 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
Revolutionary Scribe	+2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence
Abject Apostate	+2 Constitution, +1 Dexterity
Dead Cleric	+3 Wisdom

The Quest Tree

Ebb doesn’t have a standard RPG-style quest log. Instead, you get: The Questing Tree. A big visual tree of your quests, spreading out from the center. Each of these nodes is called a “Quest Branch.” Clever.

It’s also a skill tree. Each of your Quest Branches can have multiple outcomes, and it all needs to be visually represented to you. So, the “Questing Tree” isn’t really one thing. It’s doing three jobs at once. We’re going to break them all down, one by one.

1. Your Quest Log

There is a quest journal.

It contains:

• A map (I would have liked a more detailed map but we work with what we have)
• Your last dialogue text
• The Glossary (this can get overwhelming)
• Spellbook (you need to prepare spells at Shrines)

In most RPGs, your journal will keep track of your quests—where you are, where you’re going, and what you’ve done (good or bad) to the people in the world. That’s what the Questing Tree does for you.

Functionally speaking, it’s still just a quest log:

• Minor goals – It tracks your progress on each Quest Branch by assigning metrics to your stats.
• Steps – It tracks the steps you’ve completed (and how)
• Morality – It tracks the choices you’ve made (good/bad)
• Choices – It tracks the paths you’ve skipped (but doesn’t tell you which ones you skipped, they simply dont show up)

2. Your Choices Actually Matter

There are two types of Quest Branches you will encounter in this game:

Minor Quest Branches

These have only one outcome. There’s nothing complex here. Mostly, fetch quests and meet quests. Example – meet Darrow at his house after Midnight.

Major Quest Branches

Major branches have multiple outcomes. Some outcomes may be hidden depending on what you do, but there are always multiple ways to complete them. When you complete a Major Quest Branch, you let it “Take Root.” This initiates a dialogue with your stats where: You think about your quest. You think about your decisions with the Chimes. And then you get a Feat (or a choice between two feats)

And then, once all that is complete, the branch is colored according to your Feat. You can have 4 active feats at any time and you can turn off any feat and keep any feat active as you see fit.

For example:

Yellow = Dexterity = Crown Coins (which gets you more Crowns when you pick up coins.)

Green = Wisdom = Democratic Herald (which gets you better rolls when dealing with certain factions)

Now, this tree isn’t just tracking your actions, but also your character development.

3. Your Feats

You complete a quest. You get one final dialogue. You reflect. And then you choose a Feat from multiple options.

It works because:

• It’s a meaningful mechanical reward for finishing a quest. The calculations are done based on the hundreds of dialogue choices you made.
• It cleanly connects your narrative choices to gameplay mechanics.
• It keeps everything streamlined and in continuity.
• And most importantly — the Feats you unlock aren’t random. Every feat is usable because you chose it.
• They’re designed specifically around the quest you completed.

For example:

If you worked with the Azgals, you’d unlock a Wisdom-based Feat, likely tied to being kind and helpful. If you walk around Tolstad telling everyone you’re a powerful Wizard, you’ll eventually unlock an Intelligence-based feat for more spell slots. If you pickpocket continuously, you will get a Dexterity-based Feat, where you will get a higher bonus to your dice check when pickpocketing.

Your story decisions directly shape your mechanical growth.

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While there are many other overlapping systems, these are the basic and some of the more confusing systems. Please check out our walkthrough for more guidance.