Archons: Arena

Released: Sep 12, 2024
Platforms
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 07:07 GMT

Updates & announcements

14 posts

13 Sep 2024Developer post
Archons: Arena has left Early Access
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,
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.
Original post
04 Aug 2024Developer post
Conjuration Update
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. Co
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
Original post
13 Jul 2024Developer post
Shopkeeper Update #2
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
30 Mar 2024Developer post
Shopkeeper Update
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
17 Jan 2024Developer post
January Update
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
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
Original post
17 Dec 2023Developer post
December Update
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 shadow
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
Original post
16 Nov 2023Developer post
November Update
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
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
Original post
13 Oct 2023Developer post
October Update
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
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.
Original post
13 Sep 2023Developer post
Archons: Arena now available in Early Access
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 magi
08 Sep 2023Developer post
Skills Introduction
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
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.
Original post
04 Sep 2023Developer post
Combat Introduction
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 da
01 Sep 2023Developer post
Equipment Introduction
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
28 Aug 2023Developer post
Weapon Introduction
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 attack
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.
Original post
25 Aug 2023Developer post
Archons: Arena coming to Steam on September 13th
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 In the coming days, we will post articles explaining the main features of the game. Stay tuned!
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!
Original post

Updates & announcements

Items

Cards

Skills

Opponents

Enhancements

Items

Opponents

Enhancements

Items

Opponents

Enhancements

Opponents

Enhancements

Items

Opponents

Presentation

Enhancements

Skills

Items

Opponents

Presentation

Balance

Skills

Cards

Items

Weapons

Armor

Crystals

Potions

Weapons

Sword

Shield

Dagger

Ranged

Spear

Blunt

Thrown