FAQ

Some of the most asked questions from our Discord server.

Is this game active?

Yes. It’s a preservation project for a fairly obscure game that was never truly mainstream, so please bear with us: there may not always be a crowd online. Matchmaking will place you into a match whenever there are enough players queued, and you can always rally people in our Discord.

How do I play the game?

Create an account, install the launcher, log in, and press Play. The full walkthrough is on the quick-start guide. Everything (download, updates, sign-in, and matchmaking) is handled for you now, so there’s no manual setup.

The launcher doesn’t seem to be working. What can I do?

Try the following:

Completely uninstall the launcher, then reinstall it. Running the installer as administrator can help.
Give it time on the first run. Downloading and setting up the game can take a while, so set some time aside and let it finish.
Make sure any old 1.0 (2024) launcher is fully removed, as it conflicts with the current one.

If errors keep appearing, try again or open a ticket in our Discord.

How do I find a match?

The client now has real matchmaking. Pick a mode from the in-game menu and press Play; you’ll be queued and dropped into a match automatically when enough players are ready. You no longer need to enter a server IP or coordinate in Discord, though the Discord is still the best place to rally players when it’s quiet.

What are the minimum specs to play?

Minimum

OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 (or Linux via a compatibility layer)
Processor: Intel Core i5-6400 @ 2.70GHz (4 CPUs) or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GT 640 or Radeon R7 (roughly 1 GB dedicated memory)

Recommended

Processor: Intel Core i5 2.8 GHz or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 960 or Radeon R9

Can I add the game to Steam?

The game isn’t on Steam and can’t be sold there (see below), but you can add the launcher to Steam as a non-Steam game if you’d like Steam’s overlay or controller support. In Steam: Games → Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library, then browse to the launcher’s executable.

How come I don’t see anything in our Discord?

You most likely haven’t verified yet. Run the /verify command in the Discord and follow the instructions. If you’ve done that and still can’t see the rest of the server, the verification may have failed, so try again, or reach out in the support forum / open a ticket.

I don’t like a particular ability. Can it be changed?

We’re open to suggestions. Join the discussion on proposed balance changes in our Discord.

Can I mod the game or make changes?

Balance patches are already part of Elemental Fracture, and the launcher installs and updates them for you automatically. Adding your own extra mods on top, however, will prevent you from playing on Elemental Fracture: the conflict between our servers and a modified client makes for an unplayable experience.

Will this game ever come to Steam, Epic, or console stores?

No. While Spellbreak® has been abandoned by its developers, the concept of “Abandonware” does not grant legal ownership or the right to republish proprietary intellectual property. Our efforts align with the principles of video game preservation and are supported by the 2018 federal ruling that provides exemptions for preserving online-only games under specific conditions. Publishing the game on a storefront would break the law and earn us a swift cease-and-desist for copyright infringement.

Can’t you just buy the rights to the game?

Lol, no. We’re flattered you think we have that kind of money.

Do you have plans to add new content (new modes, gauntlets, and so on)?

Not at the moment. Proletariat, as great as they were, never gave us the source code, so new content would mean reconstructing the game’s code from the “program database” (.pdb) files we do have. It’s technically possible for someone skilled in reverse engineering, but it’s a massive undertaking that the community doesn’t currently have the manpower or time for. We continue to fix, restore, and improve what we can.