Colhen

Overview

Colhen is a small village that serves as the game's central hub. Players arrive here at the start of the story to join the Kalbram Mercenaries, and it remains the primary base of operations throughout the game. Most NPCs, services, and story-advancing conversations are concentrated here.

The town has a history of conflict. A Fomor invasion once destroyed much of it, but the villagers rebuilt. Now Colhen sits near the front lines separating human and Fomor territories, which explains both why it needs mercenaries and why the Royal Army should be more involved than it actually is. War and peace coexist here. The village functions as a normal settlement even as the Gnolls mass at its borders.

Services

Mercenary Headquarters

The mission board and center of operations for the Kalbram Mercenaries. This is where players pick up story missions and Special Missions, interact with Captain Aodhan and Vice-Captain Marrec, and advance the main narrative. The mission board is also the gateway to multiplayer matchmaking.

Blacksmith (Graham)

Weapon crafting and enhancement. Players bring blueprints (obtained from boss kills and Special Missions) and materials (Hanner currency, Charcoal, Findium) to Graham to create new weapons or upgrade existing ones. Blueprints are account-wide. Once unlocked, any character can use them. Enhancement increases a weapon's attack, critical rate, and precision stats. See progression system for full crafting details.

Boutique (Clodagh)

Cosmetic customization through the Fitting Room. Players change outfits (head, top, bottom, shoes, gloves), apply dyes, equip weapon skins, and preview appearance changes here. Clodagh is lively and charismatic. A childhood friend of both Marrec and Tieve.

Magic Laboratory (Brynn)

The village mage's workspace, used for summoning magic research and creating magical prototypes. Brynn is distant and absorbed in his work, preferring written feedback over conversation.

Inn (Ernmass and Tieve)

Rest area and the AP shop, where players purchase temporary buffs, upgrade materials, and dyes. Ernmass is the kind old innkeeper. Tieve, the Oracle of Morrighan, performs ancestral rituals (memorial rites, christenings) here and guides players toward key NPCs during the story.

Traveler's Shop (Kirstie)

General supplies and combat insights from a hunter who knows the surrounding wilderness. Kirstie is fiercely independent and sharp-tongued, and she was one of the first non-mercenary residents to help defend Colhen in the field. She teaches enemy-reading tactics alongside selling gear.

Key residents

Most NPCs are returning characters from the original Vindictus, now presented with full voice acting and cinematic cutscenes. Captain Aodhan leads the mercenaries with quiet authority. Marrec, his hot-headed vice-captain, feuds with Dame Gwynn (the Royal Army's Knight Delegate) over priorities and protocol. Ellis, a junior Royal Army cadet, acts as a go-between for the military and the mercenaries.

A newer NPC, Shayla, was singled out during the November 2025 AMA as the most popular character among the community. She's a treasure hunter found at the Inn. The NPC Ceara is original to Defying Fate. She guides new recruits through the mercenary structure and mediates between stronger personalities.

Role in gameplay

Colhen is where you return between expeditions to upgrade gear, restock supplies, advance storylines, and manage your roster. All weapon crafting happens at Graham's forge, all cosmetics at Clodagh's boutique, and all follower management at campsites or the inn. The mission board at Headquarters is the gateway to both story content and repeatable Special Missions.

Unlike some RPGs where the hub becomes irrelevant after the opening hours, Colhen stays central because the progression system's weapon crafting, the AP shop, and NPC relationship progression are all anchored here. You will be coming back regularly.