What the game is
Heroes of Hammerwatch is a rogue-lite action-adventure set in the same universe as Hammerwatch. You fight through procedurally generated levels full of enemy hordes, traps, puzzles, secrets and loot, working your way up the Forsaken Spire. It plays from a top-down view with pixel graphics and a heavy emphasis on hacking through crowds, so expect dense fights where positioning and movement matter as much as raw damage. Runs are randomised, so each attempt lays out levels differently and asks for a fresh approach.
Playing it with your group
You can go through it alone or with up to 3 friends in online co-op. Everyone brings their own hero into the session, and your heroes are persistent across runs, so the character you have been levelling shows up in a friend's game exactly as you left them. Since seven classes are available, a group can spread across different stats, abilities and playstyles rather than everyone doing the same job. Loot is a shared part of the run, with over 100 unique items of varying rarity to find or buy, which gives each climb its own shape depending on what drops.
Progression between runs
A failed run is not wasted time. Heroes keep the experience they earned and get stronger as they level up, and the town of Outlook carries over too: you can construct and upgrade 10 different buildings that grant your heroes various enhancements. That means the group's shared town and each player's own hero both grow over many sessions, making later attempts noticeably easier to survive.
Before you start
Pick a class that suits how you want to play, since each of the seven has its own stats and abilities and they play quite differently. Understand that levels are generated fresh each run, so learning enemy patterns and traps pays off more than memorising layouts. Beating the game is not the end: New Game+ keeps raising the challenge, and the endless randomised content means there is always another climb to attempt with your friends.