Heretic + Hexen — Steam Gift

Heretic + Hexen: id Software's dark fantasy returns

Heretic + Hexen is Nightdive Studios' re-release of two legendary mid-90s shooters, made together with id Software and Bethesda. If you remember the era when id took its engine out of Doom's sci-fi and into grim gothic fantasy — magic, cursed cities and flying skulls — this is that very duology, except now it runs on modern displays with no DOSBox gymnastics. Buy from us and you get the whole pack at once as a Steam gift, straight into your library.

What's in the pack

This isn't a single game but a full collection. One gift contains:

• Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders — the expanded version of the first Heretic with extra episodes. A first-person shooter where you play a Sidhe elf taking revenge on the Serpent Riders using potions, staves and the legendary Tome of Power that turns your weapons into engines of destruction.
• Hexen: Beyond Heretic — the sequel that added class choice (Fighter, Mage, Cleric), non-linear hub levels with switches and puzzles, and a far darker mood.
• Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel — the official add-on with new hub campaigns for all three classes.
• Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur — two brand-new episodes built by id Software and Nightdive specifically for this re-release. So even veterans get something fresh to sink into.

How the re-release beats the original

Nightdive rebuilt everything on its KEX engine and brought it up to modern standards without breaking the original's spirit. Support for resolutions up to 4K and frame rates up to 120 fps, overhauled textures and lighting. The treat for audiophiles is a toggleable remixed soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult (the composer behind modern Doom projects): listen to the original MIDI themes, or switch to the punchy live version. Altogether there are 117 campaign maps and 120 maps for online battles.

Multiplayer and mods

This isn't a museum piece behind glass. There's online cross-platform deathmatch and co-op for up to 16 players, local split-screen on one screen, and a built-in community mod installer — classic Heretic/Hexen lived on mods for decades, and that's respected here. Add a "vault" of concept art and pre-release material for anyone who loves digging into development history.

The gift region matters

Note that the Steam gift is region-locked to an account. We offer three variants — CIS (Russia and CIS), MENA (Middle East & North Africa) and LATAM (Latin America). A gift can be accepted only on an account in the region it was issued for. If you're in Russia or the CIS, take the CIS variant. Before ordering, check your Steam account region (shown in your account settings under country information) and make sure you don't already own the game — otherwise the gift won't go through.

How to receive the gift

It mostly happens on its own. After payment an automatic our bot-friend adds you, sends Heretic + Hexen as a gift, and leaves your friends list once it's delivered. You don't have to manually approve the request, enter a code or hand over account details — you just accept the gift in Steam and the game appears in your library. Steam Guard isn't required for this. Delivery usually takes a couple of minutes, sometimes a little longer — that's normal. The game is yours forever, just like any Steam purchase.

Heretic vs Hexen — the difference

Both games run on a kindred engine, yet they play very differently, and the pack hands you both approaches. Heretic sticks closer to the classic formula: linear episodes, key-doors, secrets in the walls — but with a big novelty for its time, a full inventory. Healing potions, rings of invulnerability, torches and that famous Tome of Power, which briefly turns every weapon into something overpowered, are carried with you and used on demand. Hexen went bolder: instead of linear levels you get connected hubs, where a switch in one area opens a door in another, forcing you to hold the map in your head. Add three classes with distinct weapons and pacing — the Fighter brawls up close and tanks hits, the Mage works at range, the Cleric sits in between. That makes Hexen feel slower and more puzzle-driven, closer to a grim dungeon crawl.

Why buy it as a pack

This stuff used to be sold piecemeal: Heretic on its own, Hexen separately, the Deathkings add-on as a third item — and the originals also needed fiddling to run on modern systems. Here a single gift covers the whole line plus two new episodes that never appeared in any old version. No source port, no mods just to launch, no DOSBox — the game arrives straight in Steam and you play with widescreen support, gamepad and modern frame rates. For a collection of id's classics this is the cleanest option available today.

Who it's for

Fans of old-school shooters with fast movement and no cover systems, lovers of dark fantasy, id Software enthusiasts, and anyone wanting to explore the genre's roots in a convenient modern wrapper. If you enjoy other id and Bethesda re-releases and shooters, also check out DOOM, Quake and Wolfenstein — kindred atmosphere and the same classic-action spirit.

Heretic + Hexen is an honest way to grab the whole duology plus new episodes with a single Steam gift, with no mod-stacking or emulators. Pick your region and claim it.

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