Ancients Rising
In May we are starting monthly card releases, and with them a brand new season – Ancients Rising.
The world of Asperia was inhabited by the magical spirits of the lands, the skies, and the seas, long before the sentient races as we currently know them came to live. Alongside those magical spirits strode the Guardians, ancient protectors of Asperia. These majestic beings were powered by the energy of Asperia’s magical field, which penetrated the entire realm in its early ages of glory.
But with time, Asperia’s magical field waned, until it shrank to a point now known as the Astral Flux. The Guardians retreated through the Flux to the outer realms where magic was still plentiful, and with no one left to protect Asperia, it was only a matter of time before something sinister tried to sneak and take it over.
The one we know as Aamon is a trans-realm creature with an insatiable appetite for power, and while a fearless hero named Amalric managed to banish it from the lands for the time being, Aamon will one day come back. The Ancients are returning to Aspecia, aware that they only have limited time to rally the entire realm before Aamon returns – undoubtedly a lot better prepared – for his revenge.
Release Schedule
Each month, we are going to release 6-15 new cards from the new Ancients Rising season, with two pauses in July and January to account for summer and winter team vacations.
The cards from each card release will be nicely packaged and easily obtainable in the form of a one-time purchase, available for both Gold and Crystals. The exact price tag will be announced on the release date and will depend on the number and rarity of cards. Please check the FAQ below for more ways to get ahold of the new cards.
The next release is scheduled for the week starting on May 7th, and will include 7 new cards, including a brand new hero. We bet that you can guess what that hero might represent!
Cards and Seasons, Oh My!
Soon enough we will have cards from two separate seasons in the game. What does this mean about packs? What kind of cards should we expect in there?
We put a lot of thought about the best thing we can do about packs and rewards, plus the impact this would have on rewards and the entire gameplay experience. So, if you have questions about the information below, please have a look at the FAQ section at the end of the article.
- Small, Normal, Good and Evil packs will only contain cards from the “Core Set”, which is currently the old Valiant Dawn season.
- Premium and Foil packs will contain both cards from Valiant Dawn and Ancients Rising.
- We are introducing Novelty Packs, which will contain 4 cards from Ancients Rising only, and will be available for both Gold and Crystals.
Drafts will add one Novelty Pack instead of one Small Pack to each Normal Pack used. Thus, in draft you will pick from 14 cards, 10 of which will be from Valiant Dawn, and 4 from Ancients Rising.
FAQ
Will purchasing the card release package provide me with the full number of cards I need?
Yes, each card release package will include a full playset of every card from that card release.
Why are you releasing the new set/season in small pieces rather than a monolithic expansion?
This is the best way we have to keep the game new and exciting. If we had to release a big expansion, that would mean a long time without new content. Nobody wants to wait 4+ months without anything new in the game, provided that we haven’t had a lot of new content lately already.
Small card releases allows us to have regular new content and also keep that content easier to obtain.
Can we expect a large expansion later on?
For now, the plans are to complete the Ancients Rising season with monthly card releases only. Depending on how well these releases are accepted, and our own experience with them, we might change plans, in which case you will be promptly notified.
Why aren’t the new cards included in all packs?
There are a currently 342 different cards you can get from a Normal Pack, including over 100 different Rare cards. If we add the new cards to the already large number of cards we have in Valiant Dawn, the odds of getting a newly released card from a Normal Pack would be quite small. Also it would become increasingly difficult to get a specific card you need from an opened pack. We certainly don’t want that.
Keeping the cards from Ancients Rising separate helps us keep everything simple, and the number of different cards you can get from a pack under control. It prevents us from having too many different kinds of packs in the Marketplace, and also lets us keep the same packs as the means to obtain cards from the current “Core Set” after we start doing card rotations.
How can I obtain the new cards without spending money?
To get all new cards at once, you can purchase the corresponding card release package with Gold you get from games and quests. Of course there are also other ways to obtain the new cards. Quests will occasionally give you new cards and Novelty Packs as rewards. Novelty Packs contain only cards from Ancients Rising and you will be able to purchase Novelty Packs with Gold too.
The crafting system will also allow you to craft any card you want using Shrines.
