You remember the dog. That’s usually the first thing that hits you when you think about the Fate series. For many of us, it was the "pre-installed" game on our old Windows PCs that actually turned out to be good. But while the original game gets all the nostalgia points, Fate: The Traitor Soul is actually the weird, sprawling peak of that era. Released back in 2009 by WildTangent, it wasn't just another expansion; it was basically the "everything bagel" of the franchise. It tried to cram every mechanic, every character, and every dungeon from the previous games into one package while adding a three-headed dog and a bunch of new races.
It's charmingly janky.
If you go back and play it today, you'll notice how much it feels like a bridge between the old-school Diablo clones and the modern indie "roguelite" boom. It doesn't hold your hand. It just drops you in the Town of Grove—or the Temple of Fate, if you're playing the expansion content—and tells you to go deeper. The stakes are basically non-existent until you realize you've spent three hours fishing just to turn your cat into a legendary spider.
What Fate: The Traitor Soul actually is (and what it isn't)
People often confuse this with a standalone sequel. It’s not. It’s more like a massive content dump that lets you import your characters from Fate and Fate: Undiscovered Realms. If you didn't play those, no worries. You can start fresh. The game introduces the Chamber of Trials, which acts as a hub.
You’ve got choices now. Instead of just being "Human Hero #1," you can play as an Orc, a Cogger (steampunk vibes), or a Shadow Elf. These aren't just cosmetic. They have different starting stats, though, honestly, by level 40, those differences kind of blur into whatever gear you’ve managed to gamble for.
That’s the core of the game: gambling. Not just with the gold you give to the wandering vendors, but with the "Fate" system itself. When you die, and you will die if you get cornered by a pack of elite Gargoyles, the game offers you a choice. You can pay experience points, gold, or "fame" to respawn. Or you can just stay dead. It’s a soft-hardcore system that feels surprisingly modern for a game that’s over fifteen years old.
The Fishing Mechanic is the Secret Sauce
I’m serious. Fishing in Fate: The Traitor Soul is arguably more important than the combat for the first few hours. You find a fishing hole, you drop a line, and you hope for a magical fish that transforms your pet. In this game, your pet is your pack mule, your tank, and your best friend. Feeding it a specific fish might turn it into a Beholder or a Giant Crab for 500 seconds.
👉 See also: Nancy Drew Games for Mac: Why Everyone Thinks They're Broken (and How to Fix It)
It's weird. It’s a little tedious. Yet, it’s strangely addictive.
WildTangent knew what they were doing here. They created a feedback loop where the "boring" parts of the game directly empowered the "exciting" parts. You aren't just grinding for XP; you're grinding for the chance to see your Siamese cat tear through a dungeon as a Level 25 Wyvern.
The Grind: Why 50+ Levels of Dungeons Don't Get Old
The levels are procedurally generated. This means the layout changes every time you go down the stairs. By 2026 standards, the "tiles" feel a bit repetitive, sure. You'll see the same stone walls and lava pits a thousand times. But the pacing is what keeps people coming back. Travis Baldree, the lead designer (who later went on to work on Torchlight and Rebel Galaxy), nailed the "one more floor" feeling.
Combat is click-heavy. It’s a finger-workout.
You’re managing your mana, spamming your primary skill—maybe Fireball or a heavy melee swing—and keeping an eye on your pet’s health bar. The difficulty spikes in Fate: The Traitor Soul are legendary. You'll be breezing through Level 12, feeling like a god, and then you hit Level 13 and a single elite skeleton one-shots you because its "Electric" enchantment procs on every hit.
Gear, Enchanting, and the "Social" Aspect
There isn't any real multiplayer. Not in the way we think of it now with lobbies and raids. But there is a shared stash. You can pass items between your characters. This is huge because the loot drop rates in this game are chaotic. You might find a legendary bow on your Warrior character. Instead of selling it for a pittance, you chuck it in the trunk for your next Ranger run.
✨ Don't miss: Magic Thread: What Most People Get Wrong in Fisch
The enchanting system is where the real heartbreak happens.
You find a Great Sword. It has +10 Fire Damage. You take it to the enchanter in town. You pay 5,000 gold. He has a chance to make it better, or... he has a chance to wipe every single enchantment off the item, leaving you with a basic piece of scrap metal. It’s brutal. It’s "old school" in the sense that the game doesn't care about your feelings.
Technical Reality Check: Playing in 2026
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. The game looks its age. The textures are blurry, and the UI is built for 800x600 resolutions. However, the Steam version and the WildTangent Orb versions have been patched enough to run on modern systems. You might need to fiddle with the compatibility settings, but it works.
There is a community of modders still active. They’ve added new items, new pets, and even adjusted the drop rates to make the late-game grind less of a slog. If you're going to dive back in, looking at some of the "Fate Fansite" archives is a must. They have spreadsheets—actual, manual spreadsheets—of item prefixes and suffixes that are more accurate than any modern wiki.
Common Misconceptions
- "It’s just a Diablo clone." Sorta, but it’s much lighter. It doesn't have the dark, oppressive atmosphere of Diablo II. It feels more like a Saturday morning cartoon.
- "The Traitor Soul is a separate story." Not really. It’s an endgame expansion. The "Traitor Soul" refers to the questline involving the Temple of Fate, but the narrative is very thin. You’re there to kill monsters and get hats.
- "You need to play the first two games first." Definitely not. The Traitor Soul includes the content from the previous games. It’s the "Definitive Edition" before that was a common marketing term.
Practical Steps for New Players
If you’re loading this up for the first time in years, or for the very first time ever, don't just rush into the dungeon.
First, pick your pet wisely. The dog is the classic, but the cat has slightly different movement. In The Traitor Soul, the newer pets often have better starting stats for specific builds.
🔗 Read more: Is the PlayStation 5 Slim Console Digital Edition Actually Worth It?
Second, respect the "Retire" system. Once you reach a high enough level, you can retire your character. This sounds like a bad thing, but it allows you to pass down one "Ancestral Item" to a new character. This item gets a massive stat boost. This is how you eventually create "God-tier" gear that can handle the deepest levels of the infinite dungeon.
Third, don't ignore Fame. You get Fame by completing quests and killing bosses. Fame allows you to wear higher-level gear even if your base stats aren't there yet. It’s arguably more important than your actual level.
Finally, watch your resistances. By the time you hit the Temple of Fate areas, enemies will start hitting you with elemental damage that bypasses your armor. If your Fire Resistance is at 0%, a dragon-kin will melt you in two seconds. Keep a secondary set of rings and amulets specifically for resistance swapping.
Fate: The Traitor Soul represents a specific moment in gaming history. It’s from a time when games weren't trying to be "services." It’s a complete, offline experience that values your time by giving you exactly what it promised: a bottomless pit of monsters and a dog that can turn into a spider.
Your Action Plan for Fate: The Traitor Soul
- Check your resolution settings immediately. The game might default to a tiny window. Go into the internal options menu and crank it to the max allowed, then use your GPU’s scaling to make it fit your monitor.
- Focus on Strength or Dexterity early. Hybrid builds are tempting but usually end up being too weak to survive the first boss, The Boar Avatar. Pick a lane and stay in it for at least the first 10 levels.
- Hoard your gems. Don't socket your best gems into "okay" gear. Wait until you find an "Excellent" or "Elite" base item. You can’t get the gems back easily once they’re in.
- Complete every "Fate" quest. The NPCs in town will give you specific tasks. These are the fastest way to gain Fame, which is the key to unlocking the best shop inventory.
The beauty of this game is its simplicity. You don't need a 40-minute YouTube tutorial to understand it. You just need a mouse, a bit of patience, and a willingness to spend way too much time fishing in a digital pond. It’s an relic of 2009 that still manages to feel fun because the core loop—kill, loot, upgrade—is perfected here.