Pre-alpha no more, Champions Ascension moves into alpha with a pretty major change to their game. Gone is the open world aspect, replaced by a series of menus and static screens! However, we do have the launch of the in-game economy, as well as the beginnings of the Champion progression system!
Champions Ascension officially moves out of pre-alpha state with their alpha launch on January 18th, 2024. This launch brings some major changes to the game, primarily, the complete removal of the open world feature!
And certainly the core of their game has always been built around the arena combat, but having an open world on top of that gave the game so much more charm and a virtual presence. If they had just been patient and continued to add more to the world, even, just little points of interest, it could have been a really cool experience! This also removes any chance of their being significant social interactions in-game.
But, this latest update isn’t just about removing things. Champions Ascension does take a big step forward with the introduction of the very first bits of their game economy and Champion progression system.
New Game Economy – Crystals and Essence
The main currency in the game is Gold. Players can earn Gold by fighting and winning in the arena, and by owning and holding Prime Eternal NFTs. Players will use gold at the in-game marketplace, for summoning new Grunts from the Gate of Fools, creating Crystals, and for minting items to the blockchain
Essence is another essential commodity. Players acquire Raw Essence from fallen opponents, by completing quests, and through Chrono Imperium rewards. Raw Essence can be used to gain Champion XP, or Part XP. Champions can also convert the Raw Essence they hold into Essence Crystals, which not only are more effective at granting experience bonuses, but can also be traded between players. Players also need Essence Crystals to level up Grunt characters, granting them the Essence type of the Crystal used, and giving them Parts based on their Family type.
Leveling up Champions gives them extra health, while leveling up body Parts results in those attacks doing more damage.
Creating Crystals is a whole profession in of itself! You can read the official guide at https://champions.io/crystal-guide for full details. A official marketplace will soon launch for trading these Crystals and Champions.
What is Champions Ascension?
Champions Ascension is an arena-based, gladiatorial combat game where every fighter has their own unique set of visuals, stats, and special abilities. Players can compete in one on one combat, team fights, and the free for all Arena of Carnage!
Champions Ascension NFT collections include their original Prime Eternals, Elemental Eternals, Pets, and the Imperial Gallery (items that find use in an upcoming game featuring player generated challenges). Eternals are unique, generative, playable PFP characters. Each Champion has a House type, and various body Parts. House and Body Parts determine what abilities that Champion can use in combat.
Players themselves can gain Chrono Imperium experience by holding Eternals in their wallet. This can be collected daily, with various rewards for reaching certain milestones.
Future plans include more arena variety, crafting, and custom, player-made battlegrounds. Champions Ascension is free to play, no wallet or NFTs required.
To learn more about Champions Ascension, visit their website, join their Discord server, and follow them on Twitter. Champions Ascension is listed on Steam and also available on Epic Games.