History VideoGame / Hexen

** The Death Wyvern from the first game is a downplayed example, as you have all your weapons except your superweapon. He actually doesn't have much HP (640, or about 3 Centaurs worth), but does have a very dangerous BreathWeapon and a troublesome arena you'll need to collect in an in artifact back of the room to properly traverse it without dying quickly.

* AmmoUsingMeleeWeapon: Zig-zagged with the Fighter's arsenal. Timon's Axe is a straight example: it's solely a melee weapon, but is powered by Blue Mana which causes lightning to flash around it; it can still be used if you don't have any left, but for much less damage. Averted for two other weapons which look like melee weapons: the Hammer of Retribution has both melee and ranged attacks and only uses mana for the latter, while the Quietus, to all appearances a sword, has no melee capability at all.
* AncientGrome: ''Hexen II'''s fourth hub, Septimus.

* HubLevel: TropeCodifier, and an interesting gimmick at the time. To be reused two years later after its original release, by ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon''.

* AnAxeToGrind: Timon's Axe in ''Hexen'', the Paladin's axe in ''Hexen II''. The former's exclusively a melee weapon, the latter throws axe blades that pass through multiple enemies and ricochets off walls.

* BalefulPolymorph: The Porkalator item in ''Hexen'' transforms enemies into pigs, while the Seal of the Ovinomancer in ''Hexen II'' turns them into sheep. When used, several transforming projectiles are shot, so you can transform up to 5 enemies with one item. Like in ''Heretic'' with the Morph Ovum, transformed enemies are much slower and weaker.

** The Ettins were originally the human soldiers of the Legion before their Marshal, Zedek, sold them out to Korax, who [[BalefulPolymorph transformed them]] into the thuggish monsters you encounter throughout the game. They retain enough memory of who they were to hate what they have become... but they hate you more for still being human.

** The Dark Servant [[SummonMagic summons a Maulotaur (A boss in Heretic)]] to fight for you, but there are ''only two'' in the baseline game. Can serve as a handy diversion fighting the Heresiarch, but not much else.[[note]] ''[[ExpansionPack Deathkings]]'', on the other hand, has ''thirteen'' (although one of them is unreachable, as it's under a DescendingCeiling that crushes you when you try and get to it), plus an extra one that spawns partway through the final level.[[/note]]

''Hexen: Beyond Heretic'' (Stylized as ''[=HeXen=]'') is a FirstPersonShooter released in 1995 by Raven Software as a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}''. It, like ''Heretic'', takes place in a fantasy setting and utilizes the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' engine[[note]]id Tech 1[[/note]], incorporating the features of its predecessor (an inventory system, ambient sounds, translucency, freelook, etc.), as well as adding further improvements such as the ability to move sections of the level horizontally (as opposed to the strictly vertical movement of ''Doom'' and ''Heretic''), as well as a HubLevel system, allowing the player to move between levels.

* CanisLatinicus: A weird example in ''Hexen II'': all of the signs in [[AncientGrome Septimus]] have text that reads "mortis te manet cum magnis dentibus acutis". While this is real Latin, it translates to something like "Death will remain with the big sharp teeth", which doesn't really make much sense.[[labelnote:*]] It's meant to say "[[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Death Awaits You With Nasty Big Pointy Teeth]]".[[/labelnote]]

** The Cleric also has a magical SerpentStaff, which is supposedly balanced by its modest damage capability and low mana consumption, but the LifeDrain ability is also provides means that the player's health becomes virtually infinite in capable hands. Combined with the Wraithverge allowing you to hide from enemies while the ghosts tear them apart, the Cleric not being as durable as the Fighter is rendered largely moot.

In addition to various engine tweaks, it utilizes a class system that allows the player to choose between three different characters: [[LightningBruiser Baratus the Fighter]], [[SquishyWizard Daedolon the Mage]], and [[ChurchMilitant Parias]] [[MagicKnight the Cleric]], each with their own weapons, strengths, weaknesses and item functions.

In addition to various engine tweaks, it utilizes a class system that allows the player to choose between three different characters: [[LightningBruiser Baratus the Fighter]], [[SquishyWizard Daedolon the Mage]], and [[ChurchMilitant Parias the Cleric]], each with their own weapons, strengths, weaknesses and item functions.

''Hexen: Beyond Heretic'' (Stylized as ''HeXen'') is a FirstPersonShooter released in 1995 by Raven Software as a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}''. It, like ''Heretic'', takes place in a fantasy setting and utilizes the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' engine[[note]]id Tech 1[[/note]], incorporating the features of its predecessor (an inventory system, ambient sounds, translucency, freelook, etc.), as well as adding further improvements such as the ability to move sections of the level horizontally (as opposed to the strictly vertical movement of ''Doom'' and ''Heretic''), as well as a HubLevel system, allowing the player to move between levels.

''Hexen'' is a FirstPersonShooter released in 1995 by Raven Software as a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}''. It, like ''Heretic'', takes place in a fantasy setting and utilizes the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' engine[[note]]id Tech 1[[/note]], incorporating the features of its predecessor (an inventory system, ambient sounds, translucency, freelook, etc.), as well as adding further improvements such as the ability to move sections of the level horizontally (as opposed to the strictly vertical movement of ''Doom'' and ''Heretic''), as well as a HubLevel system, allowing the player to move between levels.

* UnwinnableByDesign: The shareware version omitted two levels (Guardian of Steel and Bright Crucible), making it impossible to reach the end of the hub (without cheating at any rate).
** Which is rather noticeable compared to the shareware versions of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', as their shareware versions each gave one the entire first episode.

** The last level of hub 5 is an epilogue; you can't go back, and once in Korax' hall you can't return to the start of the level (except by using a Chaos Device, which however [[UnwinnableByInsanity locks you out of the hall]]). Once into the main part of the hall, you can't return to the entrance lobby, so use those mana dispensers while you can.

* UnwinnableByDesign: The shareware version omitted two levels (Guardian of Steel and Bright Crucible), making it impossible to reach the end of the hub (without cheating at any rate).
** Which is rather noticeable compared to the shareware versions of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', as their shareware versions each gave one the entire first episode.
* UnwinnableByMistake: The second Heresiarch at the end of Episode 4 sometimes declines to appear, leaving the player trapped as it's killing the Heresiarch that unlocks the exit portal. Similarly, killing Korax prematurely by using the [[spoiler:BUTCHER]] cheat code on the last level, before he's opened the doors to the rear chamber where the final portal appears, makes the game Unwinnable (this is also possible without cheating, by using a melée attack with certain weapons). Another good way to ruin your chances is to get a considerable way into an episode, then reset the level you're on with the [[spoiler:INIT]] cheat (which resets it to the start-of-episode state, not the state it was in when you most recently entered it as your dying does), which throws that level out of sync with the rest of the episode.

* ArmorPoints: In ''Hexen'', the implementation is mostly identical to that in ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', but rather than the raw value, it's displayed as an abstract AC that increases in different amounts depending on the pickup and the class of the player. In ''Hexen II'', armor points are tracked on a per-piece basis and is shown in the status window.

** The Cleric's Serpent Staff is a passable ranged weapon -- like a [[StandardFPSGuns plasma gun]] -- but up close it can be used to [[LifeDrain steal heath]] and save on health items, and only costs one blue mana per two shots.

** The Assassin as well, though they're less grandiose. She just really likes killing people, and figures that Eidolon will be more of a challenge – and thus more entertaining – than her usual targets.

* ArmorPoints: In ''Hexen'', the implementation is mostly identical to that in ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', but is displayed as an abstract AC rather than the raw value. In Hexen II, armor points are tracked on a per-piece basis and is shown in the status window.

* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: ''Hexen'' follows a similar armor system as Doom, where some damage is absorbed by armor. AC ranges from 1-20. Internally, this corresponds to 5-100 armor hit points, which also counts as the percent of damage taken by said armor. The difference from Doom is that character always have a minimum armor class (Mage has AC 1 for 5% reduction, Fighter has AC 3 for 15% reduction).

* SchrodingersPlayerCharacter: Three characters to choose from. There are minor differences depending on your choice - for example, a mage (playing on medium or hard) will see an Afrit in front of the door, while the cleric and fighter do not.
** Only CoopMultiplayer allows all characters to see each other, and that has its own item set as well.

* ShoutOut: The "Dark Servant" (see below) is the Maulotaur from ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'', but this time (for the 30 seconds he lasts) he's fighting ''for'' you - [[ArtificialStupidity well, most of the time anyway]]. [[AwesomeButImpractical Considering he IS extremely rare to find...]]

* ArtifactTitle: {{Defied}} in the game's full title. ''Hexen: Beyond Heretic'' indicates that the game ties into the ''Heretic'' lore, but follows a different set of protagonists pursuing another Serpent Rider, Korax and Ediolon rather than the journey of Corvus in the ''Heretic'' series.