EpicDuel PVP Game Design Notes

April 09, 2021

An announcement echoes through the streets of Fortune City: Alydriah requests (demands) your participation in the ultimate test of might and will. Will you accept the challenge?

The Tyrant's Trial Tournament

EpicDuel's 2nd official tournament and first tournament of 2021 with the new and improved tournament system (praise Titan) launches today! The Tournament officially starts Friday April 16 at 12 P.M. and will last until the end of Sunday May 2nd. How do you participate? Just follow these steps:

• Visit the Tyrant Totem in Fortune City to purchase a ticket
• The ticket is available from the "View Tournament Status" button
• This ticket will give you an achievement that will track your progress
• Once the tournament officially begins, your PvP wins will be tracked and counted towards your tournament score
• The leaderboard will be visible from the Tournament Status interface
• You can view the rules from the Tyrant Totem
• Prizes will be awarded at the close of the tournament

Special thanks go to Titan for helping complete this highly-requested and anticipated feature! If this feature is successful, perhaps we can wrangle the demi-god to make even more progress on the vast EpicDuel feature wish-list!

Draconic Frost King's Avatar

The final Silver Secret package item will be delivered after today's update. This is a manual process so please allow about an hour to distribute them. This impressive new travel form utilizes both /boom and /fire commands.

Call for Tester Progress

Thank you everyone who applied to be an EpicDuel Tester. We received an astonishing amount of applications, but we were able to narrow the list down after rigorous review. The selected applicants will be contacted next week for a follow up to determine who will move on to the final interview. Thank you for your patience during this process! We appreciate all applications (Almost all. You know who you are.), as your interest in applying shows an exceptional dedication to the EpicDuel community.

EpicDuel 2021 Survey

Thank you all who were able to get to the end of this lengthy, but thorough, survey. The results have been reviewed and will help us prioritize feature and content development. We can't definitively promise anything, of course, but gaining a clear perspective of what you liked most of EpicDuel's history will help us craft a bright future for EpicDuel in 2021 and beyond.

Tags: Nightwraith

March 26, 2021

Happy Belated Birthday Dage! Visit the leader of the fearsome Undead Legion for an assortment of new 2021 weapons!

New Undead Arsenal!

Embrace your dark and broody side with a new assortment of Dage the Evil-themed gear, available from the man himself! These will be limited quantity and unsellable until the items leave the shop.

• Legion Operative Pistol P
• Legion Operative Pistol E
• Legion Hero Slayer P
• Legion Hero Slayer E
• Legion Hero Dagger P
• Legion Hero Dagger E
• Bonefire Warlord P
• Bonefire Warlord E
• Darkside Slayer P
• Darkside Slayer E
• Darkside Shredder P
• Darkside Shredder E
• Legion Leviathan Cutlass P
• Legion Leviathan Cutlass E
• Legion Leviathan Breaker P
• Legion Leviathan Breaker E
• Legion Wrath Scythe P
• Legion Wrath Scythe E
• Legion Skewer P
• Legion Skewer E
• Legion Hero Destroyer P
• Legion Hero Destroyer E

As a bonus reward for partaking of this awesome collection, you'll receive the Dage Collector 2021 achievement! This is also another opportunity to challenge Nightmare Dage for his rare drops! If you already have his full collection, help a friend tackle this infernal challenge!

As new items arrive in Dage's shop, many of his 2019 and 2020 Collection items have been retired and tagged Rare.

New Dage Styles

• Wrath Mask
• Horse Skull Mask
• Virgil Mask

New Dage Décor

Decorate your Underworld abode with new Dage-themed décor!

• Evolved Darkside Runes
• Evolved Darkside Altar
• Darkside Pillar Left
• Darkside Pillar Right
• Darkside Skull Left
• Darkside Skull Right
• Legion Hero Statue Right
• Legion Hero Statue Left
• Bonefire Sconce 1
• Bonefire Sconce 2
• Bonefire Sconce 1 Right
• Bonefire Sconce 1 Left
• Bonefire Sconce 2 Right
• Bonefire Sconce 2 Left
• Floating Skull Flame Right
• Floating Skull Flame Left
• Legion Hero Floating Right
• Legion Hero Floating Left
• Virgil Statue Right
• Virgil Statue Left
• Gluttony Statue Right
• Gluttony Statue Left
• Wrath Statue Right
• Wrath Statue Left
• Lust Statue Right
• Lust Statue Left
• Greed Statue Right
• Greed Statue Left
• Serpent Head Right
• Serpent Head Left
• Leviathan Serpent Right
• Leviathan Serpent Left
• Bonefire Wolf Right
• Bonefire Wolf Left
• Evolved Darkside Wolf R
• Evolved Darkside Wolf L
• Crossed Legion Skewers
• Legion Skewer Right
• Legion Skewer Left
• Crossed Legion Pistols
• Legion Operative Pistols R
• Legion Operative Pistols L
• Crossed Legion Wrath Scythes
• Legion Wrath Scythe R
• Legion Wrath Scythe L
• Underworld Scourge Crescent
• Undead Hero Emblem
• Undead Hero Banner

These home items will not count towards the Dage Collector 2021 achievement.

Tournaments! (For Real This Time)

It's been over a year since Tournaments were "coming soon" to EpicDuel, and I'm happy to say that they're nearly ready to launch. Why the long wait? Titan and I were about halfway done with the feature last year, but his magic was needed on the AQ3D team. It happens! Finally, we were able to allocate dedicated time to finish the feature and deliver on a promise to EpicDuel players. Functionally, they will be similar to the Golden Yeti Tournament of yore, but much more robust to allow for placement ranges, achievements, prizes, and themes. Participation for the first Tournament will secured by purchasing a Ticket from the Tournament NPC (not yet in-game). The first tournament date will be announced soon and offer brand new prizes, achievements, and a PvP challenge not seen on Delta V in ages!

Call for Testers Continues

EpicDuel's call for testers is still underway. To date, we have received over 100 survey applications, and we're in the process of reviewing them to narrow the list down for follow-up interviews. If you haven't applied yet, it's not too late to apply!

Misc Changes

• Legendary Endless M4tr1x will no longer drop Omega Wolf Shards.

Tags: Nightwraith

March 18, 2021

We just rolled a small patch with fixes, graphical optimization, and structural updates for an exciting new feature!

New Features/Changes

• Database and game client updated in preparation for new feature launching soon!

Bug Fixes

• Skull Cracker was using the damage type of the primary weapon instead of sidearm
• Optimization of CC Celtic Hunter and Celtic Cleaver weapons to help reduce lag
• Adjusted skills for several NPCs that may have been causing battles to hang and turns to skip

Tags: Nightwraith

March 12, 2021

EpicDuel Tester Search 2021

It's been awhile since our last call for testers and a few aspects of the process have changed so please read the rules and requirements carefully. 

Think you have what it takes? We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced (this does NOT necessarily mean you have to have 5 level 40 Legendary characters)
• Knowledgeable (you should know how all the various parts of the game play)
• A good communicator (if you cannot explain the bug you've experienced, we cannot fix it)
• Available (if you'll only have time to pop in for an hour or two, this is not for you)
• Easy to work with (our testers work hard and have fun. Since this is a volunteer position, we want everyone to enjoy what they do and who they work with. Even if you are an amazing, reliable tester, you can and will be booted for having a bad attitude.)

We will be looking at your EpicDuel account history, AE account history, social networking and forum accounts if you have them, and arranging a Discord interview to talk individually with potential candidates. 

Want to apply? Here is what you need to do:

1. Follow this link to the EpicDuel Tester Google Form.
2. Fill all the required fields. 
3. You must be at least 18 years old to be considered for this position. No exceptions.
4. If you send an application via email or Twitter or anything else other than the Google form, your application will not be considered.

One application per person. We will read and consider applicants, but cannot reply to them all. If you are chosen to go through a further interview, we will contact you by e-mail. If we do not respond, we want to thank you for being awesome enough to volunteer! We are not obligated to explain why you were not accepted for the role. Applications will close Friday, April 2nd. We hope to accept around 5 testers but this can change based on quality of applications. We will begin contacting applicants we are interested in as soon as possible, but please understand it takes time to manually review and vet candidates. Contacting staff about your application status will not help your chances. 

Position Details

Please note that this is an unpaid position, but it does come with in-game perks and the opportunity to test game content as we develop it before release. Plus, most importantly, it is invaluable experience with a honest-to-goodness gaming company which will look good on ANY future resumes.

EpicDuel 2021 Survey

2020 ended on a high note for EpicDuel as the most dedicated fans from across the globe delivered the best gifting event yet! Help us make 2021 even better with your feedback! We wanted to have this survey out sooner, but this has been an exceedingly busy new year.

Please follow this link to the EpicDuel 2021 survey and help us make 2021 the best year yet!

New Celtic Content!

Visit Charfade for new CC variants of the Celtic Hunter Weapons!

• Blazing Celtic Destroyer CC
• Mystic Celtic Destroyer CC
• Blazing Celtic Pistol CC
• Mystic Celtic Pistol CC
• Blazing Celtic War Bow CC
• Mystic Celtic War Bow CC

Visit Naomi for new variants of the Celtic Cleaver!

• Dark Celtic Cleaver (suggested by Raxzer)
• Celtic Cleaver P CC
• Celtic Cleaver E CC

Tags: Nightwraith

February 26, 2021

Celtic Hunter Weapons Return

The coveted Celtic Hunter Weapons and cores have returned to Charfade! Visit her at Mirv's Shop in the Barrens to browse her inventory for new and returning gear!

• Blazing Celtic Hunter
• Mystic Celtic Hunter
• Blazing Celtic Destroyer
• Mystic Celtic Destroyer
• Blazing Celtic Pistol
• Mystic Celtic Pistol
• Blazing Celtic War Bow
• Mystic Celtic War Bow
• Blazing Celtic Hunter CC
•  Mystic Celtic Hunter CC
• Hunter's Mark
• Skull Cracker
• TrueShot (Auxiliary)

War Prize Update

For those of you who claimed the prize for the Barrens Outpost War, the Barrens Battlegear Blueprints will change to the Barrens Battlegear P, a mutating companion to the Barrens Buster sword.

New Achievement

In anticipation of EpicDuel's 12th anniversary, we're adding the Twelve Year Alpha achievement to the shops. It will be available for a limited time, so grab it while you can!

Item Stat Update

To increase build variety and give a power boost to lower levels, we've increased the amount of available stat points that can be added to Guns, Auxiliaries, and Armors.

Gun and Auxiliary Stats
Lvl 1 - 1
Lvl 2 - 2
Lvl 3 - 3
Lvl 4 - 3
Lvl 5 - 4
Lvl 6 - 4
Lvl 7 - 5
Lvl 8 - 5
Lvl 9 - 5
Lvl 10 - 6
Lvl 11 - 6
Lvl 12 - 7
Lvl 13 - 7
Lvl 14 - 8
Lvl 15 - 8
Lvl 16 - 9
Lvl 17 - 9
Lvl 18 -10
Lvl 19 -10
Lvl 20 -11
Lvl 21 -11
Lvl 22 -12
Lvl 23 -12
Lvl 24 -13
Lvl 25 -13
Lvl 26 -14
Lvl 27 -14
Lvl 28 -15
Lvl 29 - 15
Lvl 30 - 16
Lvl 31 - 16
Lvl 32 - 17
Lvl 33 - 17
Lvl 34 - 18
Lvl 35 - 18
Lvl 36 - 19
Lvl 37 - 19
Lvl 38 - 20
Lvl 39 - 20
Lvl 40 - 21

Armor Stats
Lvl 1 - 1
Lvl 2 - 2
Lvl 3 - 3
Lvl 4 - 4
Lvl 5 - 5
Lvl 6 - 6
Lvl 7 - 6
Lvl 8 - 7
Lvl 9 - 8
Lvl 10 - 9
Lvl 11 - 9
Lvl 12 - 10
Lvl 13 - 10
Lvl 14 - 11
Lvl 15 - 11
Lvl 16 - 12
Lvl 17 - 12
Lvl 18 - 13
Lvl 19 - 13
Lvl 20 - 14
Lvl 21 - 14
Lvl 22 - 15
Lvl 23 - 15
Lvl 24 - 16
Lvl 25 - 16
Lvl 26 - 17
Lvl 27 - 17
Lvl 28 - 18
Lvl 29 - 18
Lvl 30 - 19
Lvl 31 - 19
Lvl 32 - 20
Lvl 33 - 20
Lvl 34 - 21
Lvl 35 - 21
Lvl 36 - 22
Lvl 37 - 22
Lvl 38 - 23
Lvl 39 - 23
Lvl 40 - 24

Tags: Nightwraith

February 19, 2021

Poseidon's Wrath

As of this update, the top prize from the 2020 Gifting season has been complete: Poseidon's Bot. This custom creation will be awarded to Poseidon and the custom codes for the replica "Neptune" will be distributed shortly after servers reboot.

If you're still waiting on your prize, don't worry! Your gift is in progress! If you're a winner who wishes to sell replicas of your prize, please be patient as the top priority is finishing outstanding gifts before adding replica items in-game.

Draconic Frost King Variety

Some folks were not satisfied with some small parts of the final design for the Secret Package armor, so several new variants will be distributed to match your particular aesthetic tastes. You want non-CC flames? Covered. You want no flames at all? Covered. If your inventory is already filled beyond the brim and you're perfectly satisfied the current look of your armor, these new variants can be sold. 

• Draconic Frost King non CC
• Winged Frost King non CC
• Draconic Frost King no Flame
• Winged Frost King no Flame

Balance

A much-needed balance update has been implemented this week with some substantial changes to primary damage scaling and class skills. 

• Tech Mage:
  • Malfunction: +1 technology point every 4.3 support (was 3.8)
    Level 2: 8
    Level 3: 11
    Level 4: 13
    Level 5: 15
    Level 6: 17
    Level 7: 18
    Level 8: 19
    Level 9: 20
    Level 10: 21
• Tactical Mercenary:
  • Barbed Grenade: Improves with Technology .37 (was .40); Removed warm-up
  • Suppressing Fire: Level changes improve by .5 levels (was .25) above 20 and weakens by .5 (was 1) level below 20.
• Mercenary:
  • Berzerker: Level 1 30% increase by 10% to level 5, then increase by 5% to level 10 max 95%
  • Artillery Strike: Level changes improve by .5 levels (was .25) above 20 and weakens by .5 (was 1) level below 20.
• Cyber Hunter:
  • Precision Strike: Removed and replaced with Neural Scythe, mechanically the same, but unblockable; Increased energy cost 10 per level 

• Primary Weapon Damage Strength Divisors:
  • 0-55: 0.46
  • 56- 85: 0.58
  • 86-100: 0.60
  • 100+: 0.75

• Legendary Points:
  • Auxiliary and Robot changed to plus 3 instead of 4
  • NPC Crusher and Armor changed to plus 4 instead of 2

Tags: Nightwraith