Introducing BATTLERISE: Kingdom of Champions
I was one of the lucky few who got the chance to look at the WhitePaper for the BattleRise: Kingdom of Champions project and I feel like it is my duty to share some of the findings I got from it with anyone who is interested. If this is you, then you have come to the right place, my friend! I will try and explain my understanding of things to the best of my abilities in the article below.
Quick Overview
BattleRise: Kingdom of Champions is a role-playing game that combines clenching turn-based battles with several different gameplay modes that get players immersed in a unique fantasy world. The game in its current structure runs with the Free to Play mechanics to ensure the lowest entry barrier possible for anyone to start playing as soon as it is released to the public.
Although the game in its current form would work perfectly fine as a standalone product, the teams at Sodigital and Triumph Games who are the creators of this project want to step it up a notch… or shall I say a few actually. The idea is to bridge the best trends of the now traditional Web 2.0 and F2P (Free to Play) game mechanics with the exciting blockchain & NFT technology allowing PaE (Play and Earn) NFT collectible game mechanics in the rapidly growing Web 3.0 ecosystem.
This will be done by collaborating with Moxy.io which is THE platform or shall I say middleware layer that will power the next generation of Proof of Play and Play and Earn revolution. BattleRise will be featured as one of the main products on their official launch. With the Proof of Play mechanics, players will be able to earn Moxy Tokens (and possibly BattleRise native coins in the near future as well).
The mobile version of the game which is currently in the beta-testing phase will serve as an introduction to what’s to come in the future as a much grander idea of a whole BattleRise Metaverse-like (MMORP) game structure will be created around it.
BUT, not to get ahead of ourselves, let’s start at the beginning…
STORY
The story takes place in Eos, a fantasy world divided into multiple realms full of adventures and remarkable stories. As the main story goes these realms are generally accepted as lands filled with peace and harmony, but a disturbing event took the free folk of the Kingdom of Champions by surprise. The gates to the Dungeons have been shattered, a place that for millennia concealed the great sources of eternal power. Now, the free folk have to face the immeasurably powerful lord Tiamat, the so-called “God of Death”, and his minions, as they plan to annihilate everything standing in their way of gaining total control over Eos.
Your quest as a player is to assemble the bravest, foolhardiest, and most battle-hardened squad of Champions you can, fight these ancient evil forces, and send them back to the underground where they belong! Although beware, Tiamat and his heralds who lead his foul army of the Undead are not to be underestimated. They will come at you with great numbers, mighty allies, and clever squad formations to catch you off guard. Until you are powerful enough to slay them with sheer strength you will need to devise sneaky strategies and buff combinations to mess up their plans.
Throughout the gameplay, you will experience a world teeming with evil and adventure. You will need to collect and team up your Champions to face enemy hordes and mythical bosses in an effort to turn the tide of the wide-spreading conflict. You will fight in arenas and scour dungeons for legendary loot ancient Artifacts which you can give to your Champions to enhance their abilities.
GAMEPLAY MODES
As mentioned already the game features several different gameplay modes. For now, there are three players can choose from:
- Campaign Mode
- The Dungeon Run (the game’s main mode)
- Arena (PvP)
I. CAMPAIGN / STORY MODE
By choosing to play the Campaign, the game will take you through scene-by-scene pre-scripted gameplay that conveys the story and the game lore. Battles interlaced with narration and dialogue introduce the battle gameplay, skill sets, loot drops, and the unlocking of new heroes/enemies.
You will have to battle your way through three waves of enemy attacks at each level you want to conquer. There are different stages of difficulty available for players to complete. The first one is “Normal” which consists of seven levels in total. After you have successfully prevailed in all seven, you’ll be able to advance to the “Hard” mode which consists of four more levels.
At the moment, you can play the campaign called “Righteous Alliance”, but it will not be the only one available. Developers have already given us some hints that more campaigns, mysterious places, and characters with extraordinary stories are being created as I write this and you read it. We can expect these awesome new features with the upcoming expansions and updates in the near future.
II. DUNGEON RUN (Main Mode)
After a short time in Story mode, players are introduced to the Dungeon Run. This is where things really start to get fun in my opinion. Unlike in Campaign mode where you play either on the side of the “good” or the “bad”, in Dungeon Run mode, you can cherry-pick your favorites from both camps and assemble an all-star squad with which you will tackle whatever enemies you may encounter down in the halls of Tiamat’s Dungeons.
After you have picked your squad and decided which Artifacts you want each of your Champions to bring along to battle, you will begin your “Dungeon Run”.
The run will lead you to epic battles in different stages (increasing in difficulty) and give you a chance to scour abandoned chests and legendary loot on your way to face Tiamat’s heralds (bosses) who are in control of the treacherous dungeons. It will allow you to visit holy shrines and get blessings from Gods (Nan-Madol, Zizu, Anu, and more) who will bless your Champions with divine interventions (special abilities/buffs). On your journey, you may also meet strangers you can decide to bring along with you and you may find secret pathways leading to halls where mysterious characters and special challenges await.
- Make alliances with Gods
- Add Champions to your squad you meet along the way
- Check abandoned chests and holy shrines
- Find secret pathways
- Be prepared for the consequences of your choices
Which route you will choose to follow, which shrines you will want to visit, and what challenges you will want to accept or not is up to you. But you should be aware that your choices will have a real influence on how the story and the sequence of events in it unfold!
Opponents, NPCs you meet, and your Champions all react to your decisions, and the sum of them will affect how you’ll have to deal with the final Boss. With that being said, be sure to try different scenarios to get to know the depth of the lore… All your battle hardship will be well compensated with loot and bonus rewards you can acquire by getting into the nooks and crannies of dungeons.
III. ARENA (PvP)
The third game mode players can choose from is the Arena mode. It’s the first online PvP (Player vs. Player) multiplayer mode BattleRise has to offer.
Whatever squad, skill, or Artifact combination you have developed in the previous two game modes, the Arena now gives you the option to showcase it for the world wide web to see. This is where players can battle each other for hefty gold rewards, Bounty Coins, and most importantly bragging rights!
Any player can enter an Arena fight by using one of their Contracts. Each day you will receive a set amount of contracts you can use to fuel the fun journey to eternal fame and glory among your BattleRise peers. Every night the set amount of contracts is reset, so make sure to use them all to maximize the opportunity! If you run out of contracts at any given point during the day, don’t worry, you can buy more in the Arena Store. You can purchase them with Bounty Coins which you get as a reward for winning fights in the Arena.
During fights in the Arena, players can also use special emoticons to express themselves in real-time. To use them as part of your strategy, perhaps as a tool of intimidation, or to compliment your opponent for outsmarting you if that proves to be the case. It’s up to each individual player to use this fun little extra feature how they want.
CHAMPIONS AND ARTIFACTS
There is a number of Champions to collect and choose from in the game at this moment in time and there are many more to come with updates. Each Champion is unique in their own right and behind each of them stand extraordinary stories, motives, and values that are reflected in their look and skills.
There are The Seraphim, Verdant Offsprings, Void Lords, Avalonians, Undead, Mercenaries, and The Infernal.
Your job as a player is to collect as many Champions as you can to ensure having the maneuvering space to adjust to any situation you are facing in battles. The more Champions you unlock and experiment with, the better fighting strategy you’ll be able to devise. Oh, and not to mention that you will be able to customize and mint them as NFTs when the time is due.
Ok, so how do you get to unlocking these Champs you may ask? Here is where Shards come into play. You can win them in battles, find them in chests or buy them with Magic Crystals/Gold in Shaxa’s Shop or with Bounty Coins in the Arena Shop. By collecting the required amount which can be different for different Champions (due to their rarity) you can unlock them or promote them to a higher rank, and by doing this boost their abilities.
To get a feel of who these heroes are, let’s have a look at Invictus, a knight from the Seraphim clan who is one of the first Champions you get when starting your BattleRise journey. He is regarded as “the Sword of Justice”, a courageous leader blessed by the power of light. His armor can block devastating hits hence why he has been categorized as one of the “tanks” in the game.
Not only is he able to withstand a storm of attacks due to his impressive defense, but he can increase other heroes’ defenses, taunt his enemies, heal himself when needed, and strike down any opponent with his brute Leap Strike attack. He has become one of my personal favorites and a crucial piece of my battle squad. For a good reason if I may add! Give the man some extra Artifacts and he will take you to another league.
By customizing your Champions with different Artifacts you will be able to tap into the deeper layers of strategy devising and overall collection building this game has to offer. To get a better understanding of this let’s explore it a bit further in the next chapter of this article.
ARTIFACTS
I’ve mentioned these “Artifacts” a couple of times now, but what are they actually? They are collectible items you can snatch from enemies when defeating them. They can be legendary weapons like the Infernal Reaper or the Skullcrusher or they can be very useful ancient items like the Hemwick’s coin or the Vitality Emblem. Some are even laced with magic like the Necromancer’s Veil or the Heart of Etherstone
Each Artifact boosts different stats of a Champion, so it is imperative to give these items to the ones best suited for them. Not all Champions can hold all items due to their characteristics, so keep that in mind when coming up with your perfect combination.
Example: You might want to keep your healers alive as long as possible to ensure they can help heal your squad when the situation is dire. You can do that by giving them Artifacts that boost their overall health and defense, such as the Dragon Sallet or the Belt of Endurance let’s say…
Each of your Champions can carry up to six of these Artifacts at once going into battle. This allows you to come up with a variety of cool combinations to complement their natural attributes and your battle strategy. The combinations are endless and you truly have to experiment to find the perfect setup for your playing style.
Artifacts vary in rarity and how powerful they are depending on how strong the opponents you snatch them from are, or how lucky you are when looting abandoned chests.
The rarer the Artifact, the fewer such items you can equip your Champion with. For example, you can only equip one Legendary item, two Epic ones, and so on.
Every Artifact will eventually be its own NFT (Non-Fungible-Token) when the project gets to the point of implementing the needed mechanisms to support that. You will be able to combine two of these items and “craft”/mint a completely new unique one that you’ll be able to sell on different marketplaces in the future, making it a dream place for any digital asset collector and gamer at the same time.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Since this article is getting quite long and we all have places to be and things to do, I will wrap it up here and save us all. We‘ve covered most of the basic topics for this let’s say “introduction phase” of the whole BattleRise: Kingdom of Champions project.
As the BattleRise team says, the mobile game will soon be available to the public, so it’s time to get excited! The game is currently in the beta-testing phase, and I alongside a selected few people have had the privilege to play it and test it out. For those keen on being part of the next wave of live beta-testers, sign up to moxy.io for free and wait for instructions on how to join the next live beta.
The game is strangely addictive in my opinion, but I will leave you to decide for yourself when the game finally drops and everybody can start getting in on the fun. Thank you for taking your time to read this article and stay tuned for more information!
Don’t forget to follow BattleRise on their official website and social media:
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Cheers!
