Vaultbreakers PvE gives players a dedicated cooperative experience centered on exploring corrupted biomes, battling mob camps, defeating multi-phase bosses, and extracting safely to upgrade their Haven. Developed by BetaDwarf and published alongside Square Enix, the top-down action RPG lets players choose between dedicated PvE difficulties and high-stakes PvPvE matches while maintaining shared character progression.
PvE Modes and Difficulty Settings
Following early playtest feedback regarding forced PvP encounters and harsh onboarding, developer BetaDwarf introduced distinct difficulty options. Players select their difficulty in the Haven hub prior to entering an expedition, though settings cannot be changed mid-run.
| Mode | Match Type | Risk & Penalty | Loot & Progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventure | PvE Co-op | Low risk; friendly monsters and introductory damage scaling | Entry-level gear, materials, baseline progression |
| Core | PvE Co-op | Moderate to high risk; deadlier enemy attack patterns | Unlocks Core Challenges, higher XP, Supreme and Legendary drops |
| Breaker | PvPvE Co-op | Maximum risk; rival players present in lobby | 200% XP rate, fastest progression, exclusive Breaker Challenges |
Co-Op Rules and Party Scaling
Expeditions support solo queueing or parties of up to three players. When playing solo, the game grants a Lone Wolf bonus that provides defensive stat increases, bonus maximum health (roughly 500 extra HP in tests), and bonus item power to balance enemy scaling.
Parties can consist of mixed difficulty preferences. A player queued on Adventure mode can group directly with a friend set to Core. However, the game requires every member in the squad to run on Core difficulty for Supreme or Legendary gear to drop during that expedition. Gear obtained in Adventure and Core can be taken directly into Breaker (PvPvE) mode. Because Breaker features no-risk offline competitors, progression through PvE modes requires more XP per level than playing Breaker, where the base 200% XP modifier applies.
PvE Combat and Boss Encounters
Combat in Vaultbreakers uses WASD movement and top-down MOBA-style ability kits rather than traditional click-to-move ARPG mechanics. Mobs and bosses feature telegraphed skillshots, charge indicators, and area-of-effect zones that demand active dodging and cooldown timing.
Health regeneration in combat is heavily restricted. Damage taken often converts into "wounds" (represented by dark green segments on health bars) that require specific consumables, abilities, or out-of-combat downtime to mend.
Playtest Bosses and Mechanics
Boss fights take place in designated arenas or open patrol routes across the maps. Many feature specific arena mechanics:
- Wreckytitan (Desert Sigil Boss): Encountered in the arid regions, this automaton uses ground slams, wide arm sweeps, and spawns glowing blue explosive devices around the arena. Players can pick up and throw these explosive orbs back at the boss to deal burst stagger damage.
- Bahra: A roaming boss that patrols active zones, forcing squads to clear surrounding trash mobs before triggering the encounter to avoid being cornered.
- Flameclaw Mech: Features directed flamethrower channels and area denial fire mechanics that force squads to rotate around arena vents.
- Additional Named Encounters: Playtests and speedrun leaderboards have featured the Soul Devourer, the Shardspine Muncher, and the Bandit King.
Equipping specialized gear tailored to PvE enhances performance. Equipment rolls can feature specific modifiers, such as bonus armor against minion types or damage boosts exceeding 20% to 50% against bosses and werewolves.
Maps, POIs, and Dynamic Events
Vaultbreakers features hand-designed maps loaded with interactive points of interest (POIs), resource nodes, and environmental hazards.
Wolfswood (Starter Region)
Wolfswood is a dense forest map structured around winding wooded corridors and open farmland:
- Venomweb Hollow: A large subterranean cavern infested with Spiderlings and Elite Poison Spiders, covered in poisonous mushrooms that burst when approached.
- Pinecrest Farm & Fields: Farmlands populated by humanoids that transform into aggressive werewolves when their health drops below a certain threshold.
- Stone Circles (Northern, Southern, Eastern): World event altars. Bringing an unpurified Moonstone shard to an altar initiates a timed survival ritual, spawning waves of enemies that award high-tier materials upon defense.
- Roaming Lightning Storms: Atmospheric weather hazards that move across Wolfswood, knocking back characters caught inside. At the center of the storm sits a wandering wind elemental vendor selling unique items.
Artifact Refinery (High-Tier Region)
Unlocked after progressing the Haven's Leyline energy, the Artifact Refinery presents an arid, industrial landscape. The map features harsher environmental threats, including track-bound trains that deal lethal damage, laser-emitting turrets, expanding toxic gas fields, hidden landmines, and tar pits that drastically slow movement. Higher tier resources (green and blue rarity materials) drop far more frequently here.
Future zones shown on the world map include the Titan Factory, Blood Swamp, and Emberwing within the Dragonvault.
Locked POIs and Runes of Breaking
The outer perimeters of maps contain fortified sectors—such as the Scrat Invasion camp and the Elemental Cave—sealed behind runic gates. Accessing these high-density areas requires crafting or purchasing a single-use consumable key known as a Rune of Breaking. These zones house elite encounters, rare treasure chests, and dedicated bosses.
Haven Progression and Crafting
Between expeditions, players return to the Haven, a hub base that expands as you complete main and side quests. Materials extracted from runs are used to upgrade specialized vendor stalls:
- Gondrakc (The Blacksmith): Crafts weapons, physical armor, tools, and the Rune of Breaking.
- Vexi (The Alchemist): Brews restorative health draughts, shield elixirs, and utility potions.
- Barrett Hollowfang (Hunter's Lodge): Provides beast-hunting bonuses, including passive damage reduction against minions and wildlife.
- Silverhook Sam: Increases stash capacity for gold and stored crafting materials.
- Loral: Unlocks additional equipment slots for rings, artifacts, and trinkets.
- The Leyline Crystal: Upgrades account-wide passives, granting perks such as starting missions with bonus healing potions, accelerating solo extraction portal timers, and retaining 50% of gathered materials upon defeat.
Gathering tools, specifically the Pickaxe and Herb Sickle, are mandatory for harvesting high-tier ore and regional plants. Players can craft these at the Forge or purchase them directly for gold from the General Goods vendor, Goldbelly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Vaultbreakers entirely in PvE?
Yes. Vaultbreakers features dedicated PvE modes (Adventure and Core) where you only face AI enemies and environmental hazards without rival players in the session.
What do I lose if I die during a PvE run?
Dying on an expedition causes you to drop equipped gear and a portion of your backpack inventory. However, upgrading your Haven Leyline Crystal unlocks permanent perks that let you keep up as much as 50% of your gathered crafting materials upon death.
How do I extract from a PvE match?
You must locate an active extraction portal marked on your map before the mission timer expires. Interacting with the portal triggers a channeling countdown (typically around 30 seconds) where you must defend the immediate zone from surrounding mobs until the evacuation portal activates.
Does progress carry over between PvE and PvPvE?
Yes. Character levels, perk unlocks, Haven buildings, and gear earned in Adventure and Core PvE transfer directly to Breaker mode, though Breaker mode offers faster base experience rates (200% XP) to reward its higher risk.
