Another update for Artifact 2.0 has rolled in. Valve released another blog post detailing even more mechanics about the upcoming rework and also confirmed that a single-player campaign will be designed for the game.
Some of the best things about Artifact were the stories and comics that came with it, filling in details about the expansive Dota 2 universe. The developer has confirmed that a single-player campaign will ship with Artifact 2.0, which will serve both as a tutorial for new players and further the story of Artifact.
Valve also promises a better progression system for the rework, such as rewarding players with cards and collectibles. The team is currently “still experimenting with different reward structures.”
Valve has also revealed even more details about the gameplay revamp for Artifact 2.0. The game will still play out across three lanes, but the game no longer progresses across each lane linearly.
Previously, each lane had its own mana pool. Now, the player has a shared mana pool and will have to decide where to spend the precious resource on the board. Mana will also be required to play any action. To help compensate for increased mana costs across the board, low-tier and mid-tier spell cards have had their cost reduced, while high-end cards remain powerful and expensive. This also means that initiative will now be round-based rather than turn-based, further smoothing out per-round gameplay.
Another source of RNG in the game has been changed as well. Arrows will now always point forward, rather than randomly determined at the start of each round, and certain effects and spells will allow you to change them as you see fit.
Artifact‘s keywords have also been changed. The powerful Armor mechanic will now function more like Hearthstone‘s, acting as an additional point of damage, and will refresh automatically at the start of each turn.
New effects such as Feeble have been added to the game, and Valve took the opportunity to show another hero rework: Debbi the Cunning, one of the first few Black hero cards players get to play with.
Valve has also cited a rewording of the cards to make it easier for most to read. The developer admitted that while the “technically-worded” cards were “very accurate”, the obtuse wording “felt like you needed to be a programmer to work out what actually was going to happen.”
It seems like Valve is putting concerted efforts in streamlining the game, and making it easier for new players to get into both by adjusting gameplay and introducing rewards and low-pressure situations for players to get their footing.
For more detailed explanations regarding the mechanics, you can read Valve’s full dev blog post here.
