Good Citizens, After a year of development, Archons: Arena has left Early Access. The full release includes:

• 30 unique opponents
• 77 items
• 111 skills
• 7 weapon types: Sword, Shield, Blunt, Dagger, Spear, Ranged, Throwing
• 6 magic schools: Conjuration, Elementalism, Ether, Mentalism, Blood Magic, Life Force
• 6 attributes: Constitution, Agility, Intelligence, Preparation, Charisma, Specialization
• 2 fully-voiced shopkeepers

The release also includes an in-game editor, allowing you to customize and extend the game to your liking. The modifications are saved in the %APPDATA% folder. There are 4 main categories that can be edited.

Items

• Value determines the cost of the item in shop
• Uses determines how many rounds the item can be used before it's worn out
• Probability determines the likelihood of the item appearing in the shop

Cards

• Cost determines the energy cost to play the card
• Probability determines the chance that the card will be played successfully
• Single Use determines if the card can only be played once per round
• In order for a card to be available to the player, a Skill needs to be created that will grant the card to the player

Skills

• Category determines under which weapon/magic/attribute category the skill will appear
• Cost determines the number of skills points required to unlock the skill
• Requires determines which other Skills must be unlocked before the current skill can be unlocked
• Cards determines the cards and number of copies granted to the player when the skill is unlocked
• Instant Effects and Permanent Effects provide bonuses to the player on unlock

Opponents

• Level determines when the opponent will start appearing in the arena, with higher level opponents only appearing in the later rounds
• HP determines the number of hit points
• Block determines the default block value at the start of each turn
• Cards determines the cards and number of copies in the opponent's deck
• Effects provide buffs/debuffs for the opponent
• When creating a new opponent, a single .png file may be provided for the Idle Images field. If multiple images are provided, then they will be rendered in a loop at 30fps.
  
  [ 2024-09-13 05:17:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, We are pleased to announce new additions to the arena. This is the last content update during Early Access before the full release in September.

Enhancements

A Conjurer is able to adapt to any situation, summoning the right weapons and bonuses at the right time.

• Conjure a Weapon - conjure a weapon of choice
• Conjure a Bonus - conjure a bonus of choice
• Polymorph - transform the target into something else
• Superior Weapons - receive a superior selection of weapons during conjuration
• Superior Bonuses - receive a superior selection of bonuses during conjuration

Items

• Conjurer Robes - armor item that reduces the energy cost of Conjuration cards.
• Staff of Conjuring - weapon item that adds a free Conjure a Bonus spell to the deck

Opponents

• Battlemage - performs strong magical attacks, occasionally conjures a permanent buff
• Sentinel - retains block between turn, deals damage equal to the block

[ 2024-08-04 22:28:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Welcome to Dragon's Hoard, a new welcoming establishment to give you respite between your battles. Haruna, the owner of this little shop, is a dedicated and resourceful alchemist who has carved her path through hard work and determination. Running the store can be overwhelming at times but Haruna always keeps a positive attitude and tries to pass it on to her customers. She loves spending time by herself in nature, on hikes and in her flower garden. And she has a cat named Kaito, who can be a handful. Visit Dragon's Hoard today and say hello to Haruna! You don't want to make her sad, do you?

[ 2024-07-13 23:00:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Welcome to Veteran's Valor, your supply store for the Arena. Oldben is the proprietor of this establishment. As a military veteran, Oldben has seen his fair share of battles and understands the challenges and risks that come with combat. This has fueled his desire to offer guidance and support to the arena combatants who frequent his shop. He considers his shop to not be just a place of commerce, but also a haven for camaraderie and encouragement. His loyal dog, Valor, provides comfort and companionship to both Oldben and his customers. Now as you purchase items, learn skills, and progress through the Arena, Oldben will share his wisdom and experience to encourage you on your journey. A fully-voiced character with 800+ lines.

[ 2024-03-30 17:59:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, We are pleased to announce new additions to the arena for the month of January.

Enhancements

A Life Force mage is a mystical practitioner attuned to the ebb and flow of vitality in the world. With a deep connection to the natural world, they possess the ability to mend wounds, dispel enchantments, and even draw sustenance from the life force of others. Their presence is a harmonious blend of healing warmth and enigmatic power, embodying the delicate balance between nurturing life and wielding the forces of arcane vitality.

• Heal - +1 HP
• Dispel - clear random effect from target
• Absorb - deal 1 unblockable, leeching damage to target
• Health Bind - absorb 1 HP from target for X turns
• Rejuvenation - restore all hp and heal all injuries, +3 block

Items

• Vitamancer Robes - armor item that reduces the energy cost of Life Force cards.
• Staff of Healing - weapon item that adds a free Heal spell to the deck

Opponents

• Soulthirst - performs strong magical attacks that absorb health from the player
• Vitamancer - performs moderate magical attacks that absorb health from the player, may heal self and other opponents

[ 2024-01-17 02:27:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, We are pleased to announce new additions to the arena for the month of December.

Enhancements

Blood Mages harness the power of their own life force to unleash devastating abilities upon their foes. It only takes a mere flick of the wrist to summon a burst of shadowy energy that damages all opponents within range, while the mage's connection to the arcane allows them to bend fate itself, granting them access to powerful abilities.

• Splatter - deal 1 damage to all opponents, -1HP
• Divination - draw 3 cards, -1HP
• Drain Vitality - deal 1 wounding damage to target, -1HP
• Haze - stun target, -2HP
• Burst - deal 1 unblockable damage to all opponents, -2 HP

Opponents

• Crossbowman - performs ranged attacks that have a chance to miss but will inflict an injury when hitting the mark
• Cultist - takes damage every turn but deals double damage every 2 turns

[ 2023-12-17 17:12:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, We are pleased to announce new additions to the arena for the month of November.

Enhancements

Those attuned to the Ether can harness its energy to gain a strategic advantage without directly damaging the opponent. Skilled etherists assert their dominance by weaving spells that grant substantial protection from attacks, swiftly teleporting to unleash devastating strikes, stripping away the defenses of their foes, conjuring reflective wards, and even assuming an ethereal form to evade incoming assaults.

• Barrier - gain 4 block
• Flanking Teleport - +1 damage this turn
• Remove Block - remove all block from target
• Ethereal Form - 50% chance to dodge attacks
• Reflect Ward - 50% chance to reflect damage

Items

• Etherist Robe - armor item that reduces the energy cost of Ether cards.
• Reflect Crystal - crystal item that provides 15% chance to reflect attacks.
• Staff of Disorientation - weapon item that adds a free Disorient spell to the deck
• Staff of Reflection - weapon item that adds a free Reflect Ward spell to the deck

Opponents

• Spellsword - deals and blocks a moderate amount of damage, may reflect damage
• Etherist - deals and blocks a moderate amount of damage, may reflect damage, may disintegrate items
• Scorpion - poisonous, may perform unblockable attacks

Presentation

• 4 new backgrounds
• 15 new sound effects
• 4 new visual effects

[ 2023-11-16 01:37:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, We are pleased to announce new additions to the Arena for this month.

Enhancements

Skills

We have added the first school of magic, Mentalism. These abilities are focused on playing games with your opponent's mind rather than dealing direct damage. Magic abilities cannot be used if two weapons are equipped unless you have unlocked Deft Magic, a new skill under the Agility attribute.

• Intuition - Choose 1 card to draw
• Confuse - Add 1 Confusion card to target's deck
• Disorient - 30% chance target will damage self when attacking
• Alter Intent - Change target's intent
• Psy Op - Deal damage equal to number of cards in hand

Charisma is a new attribute that likewise will allow fighters to play mind games with an opponent.

• Demoralize - Reduce number of attacks by 1
• Shout - Remove block from target
• Taunt - +1 damage to target, -30% success chance
• Denigrate - Clear random effect from target
• Crowd Favorite - +1 energy

Items

• Mentalist Robe - armor item that reduces the energy cost of Mentalism cards.
• Lucky Coat - armor item that adds a random effect at the start of each round
• Cursed Crystal - crystal item that adds a random negative effect at the start of each round, +25 gold at the end of the round
• Endurance Potion - potion item that provides immunity to injury for 50 turns
• Discernment Potion - potion item that provides discernment for 50 turns

Opponents

• Mentalist - will apply negative effects, may steal cards, and perform other unconventional actions
• Ninja - will apply negative effects, use poisonous attacks
• Novice Mage - will do moderate attacks but has a chance to damage self

Presentation

• Crowd sound effects have been added
• 10 new background music tracks
• vfx for Block card

Balance

Skills

• Rage - cost increased from 3 to 5. Adds 2 Confusion cards instead of 1.
• Composure - cost increased from 3 to 5. Adds 2 Confusion cards instead of 1.

Cards

• Crush - inflicts injury in addition to previous effects

Items

• Swift Dagger - cost increased from 150 to 200

We are working on adding Ether magic in November's update.

[ 2023-10-13 22:03:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, We are pleased to announce that Archons: Arena is now available. To celebrate the occasion, the price of admission is discounted by 10% for the first week.
We plan to release the first content update next month. It will introduce Mentalism, the first of seven magic schools.

[ 2023-09-13 23:11:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Today we want to take a look at skills fighter are able to learn as they gain more experience. As mentioned in one of the previous articles, each weapon has its own skill tree. Fighters may choose to focus on mastering a single weapon or experiment with several to better adapt to each opponent. In addition to weapon skills, fighter may choose to develop their attributes:

• Constitution - generally will help you survive more hits in a fight
• Agility - for those looking to avoid getting hit
• Intelligence - increases choices and options during a fight
• Preparation - allows you to fine-tune your deck

Finally, fighters may also choose to learn a Specialization, or even a couple. Specializations provide a permanent boost to the fighter but also come with a drawback. For example, Patient fighters are able to retain unused energy between turns but also have a lower base energy pool.

[ 2023-09-08 21:51:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Today we want to take a look at the basics of combat. When deciding which cards to play, it's important to consider the opponent's intent and status. This is information is displayed below each opponent.
In the example image above, the opponent intends to deal 1 damage 3 times. The icon in the top left corner indicates a modifier, in this case the damage is unblockable. We also see that the opponent has 7 HP and 2 Block. You will have to reduce the opponent's block to 0 before your attacks will damage HP. Finally, note that there is a hidden effect indicated by the ??? icon. If you have the Discernment skill then you'll be able to see the details of the hidden effects.
In the next article, we will touch on the skills available to improve your character.

[ 2023-09-04 23:09:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Today we want to take a look at the equipment available to the fighters of the arena.

Weapons

Your equipped weapons determine which cards are available to you during the fight. If you are a trained marksman but do not have a bow equipped, those cards will not be in your deck. Up to 2 weapons can be equipped at the same time. Check the previous article for a more detailed overview of various weapon types.

Armor

Armor provides extra block each turn but at the expense of energy loss. Heavier armor provides more block but also has a greater energy penalty. Fighters can negate the energy loss by improving their Armor Mastery skill. Fighters that choose not to wear armor may want to unlock Light-footed specialization that increases your energy pool when not wearing armor.

Crystals

Crystals provide persistent buffs as long as they are equipped. Energy Crystal is always a favorite since it provides +1 energy to the user. Up to two crystals can be equipped at the same time.

Potions

Potions provide temporary effects that will last the first few turns of a fight. Potions must be used prior to entering the arena and cannot be used during the fight. Draw Potion will increase the number of cards drawn per turn for 5 turns, giving you more options during the opening moments. Next time we will take a look at the fundamental aspects of fighting an opponent.

[ 2023-09-01 21:09:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Today we want to take a look at the weapons available to you in the arena. But first, a quick intro to the characters stats.

• HP - number of hit points. By default, you will start with 5 HP. If the number falls to 0, the game is over.
• Block - when an opponent attacks, the attack will first reduce your block points before damaging HP. Block resets to 0 at the start of each turn.
• Energy - energy determines how many cards can be played per turn. By default, you will start with 2 energy.

Weapons

Sword

The sword is a great choice for those looking to protect themselves and deal some damage. This is perhaps best exemplified by the first card in the skill tree, Slash. It only costs 1 point of energy while providing 1 point of attack and block.

Shield

The shield is the obvious choice for increasing your defense. The skill tree also includes cards to stun the opponent or even to use your block as offensive damage.

Dagger

Fighters equipped with the dagger are able to deal a lot of damage with little energy expenditure but have no way to defend themselves.

Ranged

Ranged weapons, like a bow, offer opportunity to deal high amount of damage but at the cost of possibility of missing the attack entirely.

Spear

Spear users are able to take advantage of the longer reach to dodge incoming attacks or damage the attacker in return.

Blunt

Maces and hammers allow dealing damage against even the most armored opponents, ignoring the block and damaging HP directly.

Thrown

Thrown weapons offer low cost utility, allowing the fighter to quickly turn the odds in their favor, but can only be used once per round.
In case you were worried, each of the weapons of course includes more than just 1 card that's been shown here. In the next article, we will take a look at other types of gear available to the fighters.

[ 2023-08-28 21:38:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Citizens, Archons: Arena is coming to Steam Early Access on September 13th. The first release will include:

• 14 unique opponents
• 60 items
• 75 skills

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321900 In the coming days, we will post articles explaining the main features of the game. Stay tuned!

[ 2023-08-25 21:18:12 CET ] [ Original post ]