Pathfinder Duels
Rules elements should be stated in in-world terms and integrated into the body of the article. |
This 09:54, 16 December 2018 (UTC) might require cleanup. |
Pathfinder Duels, a free-to-play mobile customizable card game (CCG) developed by 37Games, was released on December 11, 2017 for Android devices,1 and on January 4, 2018 for Apple devices.2
On March 28, 2018, an in-game message informed players that the game would be shut down on April 6, the following week. The only reason given as to why the game shuttered so quickly after launch was that "goblins have taken over the office." 37games did not announce or acknowledge the cancellation on its social media accounts.
Gameplay
In Pathfinder Duels, players use a customizable deck of cards to duel other players or the game's AI. A match pits a character's adventurer and his or her associated deck against an opponent, both of whom play each round simultaneously. The goal of both players is to reduce the enemy adventurer's hit points (HP) to zero. In PVP matches, both adventurers have 25 HP, while the bosses in story duels typically have 20 HP.
Both players spend Arcana to play cards onto a 2x3 grid. Arcana refreshes at the start of each round, increasing by 1 each subsequent turn to a total of 10 at the start of the 10th round and beyond. A player may play as many cards as he or she can afford with the Arcana available to her that round. Placing a card in an occupied space shifts the existing card to the next adjacent empty space (player's choice).
Once both players have indicated that they are done playing cards, cards activate in order from left to right, top to bottom, such that both players' cards activate at the same time as their opponent's card in the mirrored position on the board. A newly summoned creature generally cannot act on its first round of play, unless the creature has Haste. Creatures attack any opposing creatures in front of them, or if no blockers are present, attack the rival adventurer. Spell cards take effect when their position on the grid is activated and have a variety of effects, targeting allied or enemy cards, either player's hand of available cards, or either adventurer.
Deck construction
Each deck contains 50 cards and one iconic hero, who can in turn be equipped with gear that grants additional mechanical effects. Each card has one or more Alignment (Destruction, Dread, Holy, Mystery, Nature, or Universal), which determines how it interacts with other game effects. Each iconic hero can use cards from two specific alignments, while all decks may contain Universal cards. A deck may have up to three copies of each Common, Rare, Epic, or Mythic card of an appropriate alignment, and up to one copy of any Legendary cards. In addition to cards' alignment restrictions, some cards may only be used by a specific class.
Acquiring cards
While some cards are granted to the player as part of the tutorial and as part of the iconic characters' starter decks, most cards need to be unlocked before the player can add them to his or her deck(s). The primary methods of unlocking new cards are
- Story Mode Rewards
- Upon completing a new level in Story Mode, the player receives a free card. This is a non-random reward.
- Random Packs
- Players may spend the in-game currency to open randomized packs of cards in the store. A single card draw costs 500 gold, while a 5-card pack costs 150 crystals. Free packs may also be earned as rewards for completing specific goals within the game. In addition to standard packs, players may also open rare Spirit Board packs, which are guaranteed to contain a Legendary card. Spirit Boards can only be earned as rewards or as part of special promotions, and cannot be bought with either in-game currency.
- Crafting
- Players can craft specific cards using resources derived from broken-down duplicate cards from their collection. When a player gets a card that would put his or her collection over the limit for that specific card (three copies for Common, Rare, Epic, or Mythic, or one copy for Legendary cards), the overflow card is converted into a number of crafting components depending on its rarity and alignment. These components may be spent to craft new cards to fill gaps in the player's collection or within a specific deck, with rarer cards costing greater quantities of materials.
Released material
Upon initial release, Pathfinder Duels offered a full story mode, encompassing the entire Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, ten unlockable iconic heroes, weekly challenges, and real-time player-vs.-player duels.
Iconic heroes
The following iconic heroes are available in Pathfinder Duels. Each is a 5-cost 2/2 card drawn on the first round of any match in which the hero is the player's adventurer. These stats may be altered by equipped gear.
In order to unlock an iconic hero, the player must defeat the desired iconic in a duel (except Seltyiel, who is given to all players during the tutorial). Unlike a normal duel, the iconic to be unlocked has only 15 HP,
The game suggests two "Quick Set" decks for each hero, the contents of which are listed in their respective articles (note that many of the cards in each Quick Set still need to be unlocked, as the sets are simply card lists, not freely granted cards).
Name | Class | Alignment | Quick Sets |
---|---|---|---|
Amiri | Barbarian | Nature, Destruction | Tireless Rage, Reckless Abandon |
Harsk | Ranger | Holy, Nature | Hunter's Tricks, Master Hunter |
Kyra | Cleric | Holy, Mystery | Breath of Life, Righteous Might |
Lini | Druid | Mystery, Nature | Nature Bond, Elemental Swarm |
Linxia | Hellknight | Holy, Dread | Hand of the Law, Subjugate |
Merisiel | Rogue | Mystery, Dread | Deadly Sneak, Bravado's Blade |
Quinn | Investigator | Nature, Dread | Inspiration]], Studied Strike |
Seelah | Paladin | Holy, Destruction | Divine Grace]], Smite Evil |
Seltyiel | Magus | Destruction, Dread | Bane Blade]], Spellbreaker |
Seoni | Sorcerer | Mystery, Destruction | Arcane Eye, Gate |
Gear
Each iconic has slots for four pieces of gear, which can be customized during deck building, with the same alignment restrictions as cards. The effects of the equipped gear are added to the iconic hero's card in the player's deck. Upon unlocking an iconic hero, the player receives four accessories for free (based on the character's alignment), and a universal weapon, armor, and ring. Additional pieces of gear can be purchased in the shop.
Name | Slot | Alignment | Price | Effects |
---|---|---|---|---|
Belt of Furious Strength | Accessory | Barbarian | 1,500 | When a creature is attacked, +2 ATK. |
Belt of Teeth | Accessory | Hellknight | 1,500 | When your adventurer is healed, your opponent takes damage of the same amount. |
Boots of Swiftness | Accessory | Paladin | 1,500 | Give other friendly creatures Haste. |
Bracers of Falcon's Aim | Accessory | Rogue | 1,500 | When your opponent is attacked, put a copy of a random card from his hand into your hand. |
Buckler | Armor | Universal | — | HP +1 |
Cloak of the Night | Armor | Dread | 3,500 | HP +1, Stealth 3 |
Crown of Heaven | Accessory | Holy | — | Your hero gains +1/+1, other Holy creatures gain +1/+1. |
Crystal of Healing Hands | Accessory | Holy | — | End Phase: Your hero revives one of your creatures that has 2 or lower HP. |
Dagger | Weapon | Universal | — | ATK +1 |
Demon Lord Armor | Accessory | Destruction | — | When your hero attacks, draw a Waves of Blood. |
Dragonhide Plate | Armor | Destruction | 3,500 | ATK -1, Crit Hit |
Eldritch Figure | Accessory | Investigator | 1,500 | When a creature is destroyed, your hero gains +1/+1. |
Everwake Amulet | Accessory | Nature | — | When your adventurer is attacked, restore 2 HP 2 all friendly characters. |
Fist of the Conjurer | Accessory | Cleric | 1,500 | Fury: Draw cards until you have the same number of cards as your opponent. |
Gauntlet | Armor | Holy | 3,500 | HP +1, Lifesteal |
Gravewatch Pendant | Accessory | Dread | — | When your hero is destroyed, give all creatures -3/-3. |
Guarding Blade | Weapon | Holy | 5,000 | Crit Hit |
Headband of Aerial Agility | Accessory | Magus | 1,500 | When your adventurer is attacked, +2/+1. |
Helm of Fearsome Mien | Accessory | Destruction | — | Your hero gains +1/+1, other Destruction creatures gain +1/+1. |
Last Leaves of Autumn | Accessory | Ranger | 1,500 | End Phase: Restore 1 HP first and then restore 2 HP to all friendly characters. |
Lifedrinking Blade | Weapon | Dread | 5,000 | ATK +1, Venom |
Magician's Hat | Accessory | Mystery | — | Your hero gains +1/+1, other Mystery creatures gain +1/+1. |
Mantle of Spell Resistance | Armor | Mystery | 3,500 | Magic Resistance 3 |
Mask of a Thousand Tomes | Accessory | Dread | — | Your hero gains +1/+1, other Dread creatures gain +1/+1. |
Mirror of Imprisonment | Accessory | Sorcerer | 1,500 | When you cast a spell, deal 4 magic damage that randomly split among enemies. |
Moon Circlet | Accessory | Nature | — | Your hero gains +1/+1, other Nature creatures gain +1/+1. |
Ring of Arcana | Ring | Universal | — | Arcana +1. |
Ring of Climbing | Ring | Mystery | 2,500 | Stealth 2, Arcana +1 |
Ring of Counterspells | Ring | Holy | 2,500 | Magic Resistance 2, Arcana +1 |
Ring of Force Fangs | Ring | Dread | 2,500 | Lifesteal 1, Arcana +1 |
Ring of Friend Shield | Ring | Nature | 2,500 | Regen 2, Arcana +1 |
Ring of Retribution | Ring | Destruction | 2,500 | Ignite Hit, Arcana +1 |
Robe of Arcana | Accessory | Druid | 1,500 | When your hero attacks, every card in your hand costs 1 Arcana less. |
Rod of Mayhem | Weapon | Mystery | 5,000 | ATK +2, Freeze Hit |
Shield Splitter Lance | Weapon | Destruction | 5,000 | ATK +3 |
Spirit Blade | Weapon | Nature | 5,000 | ATK +1, Dispel Hit |
Staff of Revelation | Accessory | Mystery | — | Your hero gives all your creatures Magic Resistance 4. |
Tower Shield | Armor | Nature | 3,500 | HP +2 |
Cards
There are currently nearly 300 cards available in Pathfinder Duels, all part of the initial Rise of the Runelords set. For a complete list of cards, see Pathfinder Duels card list.
Story Mode
The entire Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path is available in Pathfinder Duels's Story Mode. For a complete list of available levels, their rewards, and the associated bosses, see Pathfinder Duels story levels.
Gallery
References
- ↑ 37Games. (December 11, 2017). Pathfinder Duels, Google Play store.
- ↑ 37Games. (December 19, 2017). Pathfinder Duels - 37Games, Facebook.