Exalted: Essence is a new game prublished by Onyx Path Publishing. Today it is listed as the #2 selling game on DTRPG. It is a streamlined version of Exalted Third Edition, designed to welcome new players to the world of Creation. It contains all the mechanics and material that players and Storytellers need to run a complete games of Exalted: Essence.

Exalted Third Edition features a robust system of mechanics and rewards system mastery. It is a 650+ page role-playing corebook that has received positive reviews for its scope and execution. Players take on the roles of the Exalted, who are essentially fantasy superheroes blessed by the gods. The game has a distinct martial arts epic feel, and draws heavily from a variety of fantasy pop culture sources. The game system is innovative and encourages players to be as melodramatic and over the top as possible. It uses ten-sided dice (d10) to resolve actions. Players roll a pool of d10s and count the number of dice that meet or exceed a certain target number (usually 7) to determine the number of successes. The number of successes is then compared to a difficulty number to determine if the action is successful.

While Exalted Third Edition features a robust system of mechanics and rewards system mastery, Exalted: Essence shifts the focus to the characters and story. It provides a beginner-friendly and less mechanically dense system that is compatible with Exalted Third Edition, and comes in at under 400 pages.