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In his regular column, Vainglory Senior Editor BicycleSquid highlights interesting, confusing, complex or obscure aspects of Vainglory. If you’d like to see a topic covered, let him know here.

The roam position is evolving in Vainglory’s meta. Traditionally, roamers have been the utility player — both the tipping point for teamfights and the tank for jungle levelers. A good roamer would cut between the jungle and lane as necessary. While roamers did not necessarily score tons of kills, they were the point guards of battle — big on assists, making their teammates better and using clutch activatable items when it counts most. Their role on the team was clear, but limited. The roam changes in Update 1.19 and beyond open up more possibilities … if you think differently about the position.

ROAMER EVOLUTION

In Update 1.19, we altered experience and hero balance as well as added new items and tuned others, all to create more depth and variety — especially at the roam position.

But these changes earned a mixed response from the Vainglory Community. Instead of giving plenty of options to players, some felt even more restricted than before. This can be linked to the tuning of the new contract items as well as mainstay roam items. It’s definitely fair to say that the position underwent some growing pains, as Zekent has stated that he was chiefly concerned with not destroying the meta with new overwhelming and overpowered options, opting instead for an initially conservative approach.

Of course, the goal of roamer changes in 1.19 was not to kill the position but rather the stigma of how roamers should be played. A roamer is no longer just a tanky front-line support. And as Updates 1.20, 1.21 and soon 1.22 unfold, the new role of the roamer is crystallizing. There are now more layers to the possible compositions that teams are playing and more choices for roamers to make.

OPEN-ENDED ITEMS

Traditionally, the first-buy for every roamer was Ironguard Contract. Then, the roam player would purchase Fountain of Renewal and Crucible/Atlas Pauldron before Warhorn/Contraption. Roams were the “Swiss army knife of team defense.” But since they were a utility-support-tank with set item paths, decisions around item building for roamers was fairly limited.

With the 1.19 changes, there was no longer a requirement to eventually turn that Ironguard Contract into a Warhorn or Contraption, so many more possibilities unfolded. For example, roamers can buy carry items like their lane brethren in addition to support items.

Roamers also don’t have to be a tank front-liner. As Lyra has proved, roam heroes can be effective even as a squishy backline presence. Lyra’s impact, in fact, was so large that she rocketed to the top of many players’ “Must Ban” lists.

INFLUENCE OF UPDATE 1.21

In terms of roamers, Lyra and Phinn have had an extraordinary influence on the current meta. Picking one or the other not only defined your team comp; it defined your collective playstyle and moments of opportunity within the match ahead. Meanwhile, Lance turned from a stalwart roamer into a popular flex pick, getting played more and more as a weapon jungler as it was popularized by stars like Team Secret’s Palmatoro and Phoenix Reign’s Statusbaked during Evil Eight esports broadcasts.

On a broader level, recent updates also introduced a larger change: roamers taking last hits will no longer have a large negative impact on a team’s gold net worth. Instead, they still generate the same amount of gold since there will always be a 100%/75% distribution to two team members near each other. Teams may now more strategically decide where to funnel gold when they have multiple heroes reaching item breakpoints.

HOW TO ROAM (NOW)

Before we get into the minutiae of “how to roam as x character,” there are some basic strategies that all roamers still adhere to. Most roamers start alongside their jungler for the first rotation, although where they go afterward is much more variable than before. They should help the jungler clear the early camps while trying to absorb the brunt of the damage. (Just how much damage is dictated by the roamer’s first-buy.) Despite the changes to gold distribution, roamers should still let their ally last-hit.

After an initial run through the jungle, some roamers will accompany their junglers toward the backs while others will press into enemy territory. Others, still, will “babysit” their lane ally and bully the other laner. Roaming in the current meta is far less linear than in the past. Roam decision are largely contextual. Who is your laner? Does your laner need help? Can your jungler clear safely alone? How aggressive do we want to be? Roamers can strategically approach the early game and early purchases based on the team’s overall composition, rather than just going through the usual motions.

Instead of routine jungle clears, the roamer is shifting to play the mid-map more, travelling up and down from lane to jungle shop. The more multidirectional your play, the larger your influence on the game. And don’t assume the roamer is the automatic face-checker of all danger locations on the map. The introduction of squishy roamers changes the rules, and if Lyra is leading the way instead of playing passively, she may be dead before the fight begins in earnest.

WHAT TO PURCHASE

A roamer’s first buy has transformed from the most obvious moment in the game to an interesting choice point that says alot about your intent. Ironguard Contract is still very much an option, allowing you to tank damage, heal up and stay close to your carry. But more and more, roamers are opting for early-game damage before transitioning into traditional items. A start of one (or even two) weapon blades is commonplace now, speeding up jungle clear times and putting you in a position to pick a Level 1-2 fight at the jungle shop.

Ultimately, Fountain of Renewal is still the cornerstone roam item. It’s very difficult to win a mid-game fight if one team has that heal and the other doesn’t. Some things never change.

WHO SHOULD ROAM (HERO INTRODUCTIONS)

Advanced players may skip this section, but ask yourself, “How many of these roamers would I feel comfortable using in a competitive match?” Perhaps pick one or two more to practice to expand your playstyle options and possible team comps.

Six heroes are roam-primary in the current meta, with others used as off-meta roam picks. In general, most of these heroes feature one trait in common: the ability to control a teamfight. Roamers provide an advantage for the team that is initiating the fight or counter the other team’s strategy in a teamfight. In addition, the roamer usually provides another advantage for his/her team. Either they heal their teammates or provide a great deal of damage absorption as a “tank.”

ARDAN

Ardan is great at initiating fights and staying alive long enough to win them. He initiates with his ultimate, creating a zone that separates enemies and isolates targets. A great Ardan will also stun enemes against his Gauntlet wall, providing an even larger starting advantage. Ardan is perhaps the most “clutch” roamer, using Vanguard to keep squishier allies alive. But in the current meta, Ardan can also opt for more damage to make his Blood for Blood ability really sting.

Catherine

Catherine can counter heroes who do lots of burst damage in the game and is therefore a valuable asset in teamfights. Her reliable stun and silence are unparalleled, making her a safe and valuable pick to just about any team. To initiate a fight with Catherine, you should send Blast Tremor into the enemy team. She can also stun in two ways: by locking down a target or peeling for your carry. The other aspect of Catherine is that with her Stormguard bubble, she can bodyblock all the poke heroes in the current meta. It’s essential to put yourself in front of Kestrel or other skillshot hero. This not only protects your teammates, but can nullify the enemy carry or force them to waste valuble time repositioning.

Fortress

Fortress is unique among roamers, as he’s rightly classified as a Warrior. He’s not there to tank damage (usually); he’s there to start fights and then start more fights and on and on, even accelerating allies into battle. He is considered one of the highest DPS roamers in the game and his ultimate is one of the strongest initiations in the game. (And if you’re roaming against a Fortress, prioritize War Treads so you can disengage when he uses Attack of the Pack!)

Lance

Lance is one of the tankiest heroes in the game and a real force in crowd control. To be successful as Lance, you need to know how to combo your moves. Impale is his primary initiation move for teamfights while Gythian Wall is his main form of peel. This ability knocks the target away, but if they hit a wall, they’ll be stunned as well. Combat roll lets him move around the fight — either initiating a fight from a distance or get to an ally to peel or protect. Playing Lance is all about creating the necessary angles of attack to land your Impale, which damages and roots the enemy target. It’s a hero that requires practice and precision, but he’s incredibly rewarding when it all begins to click. Lance is also a terrific representation of the current expanded nature of roaming in Vainglory. He can tank up. He can build damage. He can duo jungle. He can camp lane. It’s not what you can do, it’s why you do it.

Lyra

Lyra is the least tanky but also the best healer in the group. She also initiates teamfights in the least obvious ways. She establishes zones of control, heals allies in an area as well as halting enemies from initiating or chasing your allies. She, more than any other roamer, benefits from rushing Crucible first. Her Bright Bulwark is a slow zone for enemies, allowing a team to peel certain enemies. Her ultimate is tricky to use but can be deployed as both an initiation move (by getting Lyra toward a specific target) or an escape route. Lyra has provide immense harass hanging out in lane, and she must anticipate perhaps more than any other roamer. If she sees (or senses) an impending gank, her use of Bright Bulwark will change the terms of the fight … or completely nullify the engagement.

Phinn

Phinn’s impact on engagements and teamfights is just as large as Lyra’s, but in completely different ways. His Forced Accord is the ultimate engagement tool, pulling poor enemies into fights they never asked for. And the Fortified Health he grants allies, makes fights last just long enough to come out on top. Phinn is also great in teamfights because he can’t be crowd controlled. He moves where he wants to, free of the effects of a stun. He is perhaps the best late-game support because he gains 15% on item stats, which means he’s one tough troll to kill with the proper items. His abilities punish enemies and aid his allies, which always feels great as a roamer.

OFF META: ADAGIO

Adagio is primarily a lane-bound crystal mage, but his healing and buff making roaming an option for the adventurous spirit. Adagio can initiate combat in multiple ways. He can boot into the enemy’s ranks before casting Gift of Fire onto himself or an ally. Then, Adagio would trigger Verse of Judgement, looking for multiple stuns. Adagio also can initiate combat by utilizing Agent of Wrath on the highest attack speed ally or on a hero who can throw from range. Adagio is able to amplify the damage of his allies and ensure they live longer.

OFF-META: PETAL

Similarly, Petal’s healing on Spontaneous Combustion makes her a crystal-roam possibility. After a brief period of stupidity, Petal’s munion AI seems to get smarter and smarter every update, so sky’s the limit on what players might pull off in the future.

Hope this helps increase your roaming comfort level and expand your roam thinking. If you’re still playing the roam position like the “old days” or resisting playing roam, now’s the time to try, playing with more depth and choices than ever before. Pick a roam hero and head into the Fold!

Coming in Update 1.22, special-edition ‘Moon Princess’ Celeste has saved the moon bunny! This Autumn seasonal skin comes with a brand-new look and an entire new suite of effects.

RELEASE-WEEK SALE

‘Moon Princess’ Celeste will be available for direct ICE purchase during Update 1.22. Act fast: This skin is 25% off during the first 10 days of the update! 

CHECK OUT HER IN-GAME FOOTAGE & 3D MODEL: 

https://youtu.be/9fKe9P2PxEo

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

MODEL CHANGES

• Glorious staff moon goes through blue and gold phases
• Glowing star on her back
• High-tech gravity boots

EFFECTS & ANIMATIONS CHANGES

• Basic attack: Golden projectile stars with a rainbow trail
• Heliogenesis: Drops a golden star surrounded by an aurora borealis
• Helio Supernova: Stars fly out!
• Core Collapse: Waxing moon that bursts when full
• Solar Storm: Spinning crescent moon followed by a trail of rainbow sparkles
• Staff leaves a trail of sparkles as Celeste moves
• New recall and Solar Storm animations

ALTERNATE FATE LORE

‘Celeste Saves the Moon Bunny’

Celeste was walking home after studying late at the Taizen High School library one night when she heard a snivel-y weepy sound coming from the park. She followed the bawling to the swing set, where she found a brown-spotted bunny. The bunny was swinging super high, so high that Celeste was afraid he would go all the way around, then he jumped out of the seat with his four legs and floppy ears spread wide only to faceplant in the grass. With slumped shoulders and hiccup-y sobs he climbed back up into the swing and began again.

“Excuse me, bunny,” said Celeste, “but why are you crying?”

“I fell off the moo-oo-oon,” wailed the bunny, swinging higher and higher.

Celeste looked up and sure enough, there was the moon, big and fat and full and bright. “And you’re trying to jump back up?”

“Ye-e-e-es,” the bunny stutter-whimpered. Again the bunny leaped from the swing, its soft spotted belly open to the moon, but it fell again with a fluffy oof. With its whiskers in the grass he said, “I’m in charge of making all the peanut butter mooncakes for the world, and if I don’t get back soon, there won’t be any peanut butter mooncakes ever again.”

“Bunnies make mooncakes on the moon?”

“All mooncakes are made by bunnies on the moon,” wept the bunny.

“Then I need to get you back up to the moon,” said Celeste. She picked up the bunny and craned her neck to look up, squinted one eye shut to gauge the distance. Sometimes stars came down from the sky to play with her; it made sense that she could go up to play with the moon. It wasn’t so far away as a star, after all. So she stared up at the moon and spun in a circle, spun and spun, faster and faster, her long braids whipping into a whirlwind, and soon her feet weren’t on the ground anymore, and then if she’d looked down she’d have seen the swing set far below, and the tops of roofs, and then Taizen Gate turned into a sprinkling of pretty lights in the distance past the clouds, and then it became very quiet, and then they were on the moon.

They landed at the edge of the sparkling moondust falls where the bunny had tumbled off and were surrounded all at once by rabbits of all colors, even some striped like peppermint sticks, others polka-dotted like party dresses. The spotted bunny leaped from Celeste’s arms into his mother’s paws and the rest led Celeste off to the mooncake village, where all of the buildings were made of different flavors of mooncakes. The bunnies gave her super-tech moonwalking boots and a magical moon staff and made her the princess of the moon. Her most important princess duty was to taste all of the mooncake flavors, and she took to the task with great seriousness.

After a whole night of mooncake eating, she told the rabbits that she had to return home. The rabbits were sad and tried to make her stay. Celeste explained that her brother Vox would get into trouble without her there to care for him, but to show her dedication to her duties, she returned every week thereafter to be Moon Princess, and to teach the rabbits a little magic, and for the official mooncake taste-testing (even though peanut butter was always her favorite).

CANON CELESTE LORE:

• Ardan Lore: ‘Impossible Decision’
• Celeste Lore: ‘Above Boiling Bay’
• Celeste Lore: ‘The Masker Rage’
• Ardan Lore: ‘Vanguard Up!’
• Vox Lore: ‘Escape to the Fold Part I’
• Vox Lore: ‘Escape to the Fold Part II’

What did Lyra want to be when she grew up? ‘Dear Diary’ Lyra gives you a secret glimpse into the early dreams of Vainglory’s dangerous Gythian mage.

CHECK OUT HER IN-GAME FOOTAGE & 3D MODEL: 

https://youtu.be/A_XDJEK75X4

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

MODEL CHANGES

• Super-rare unicorn horn!
• Pink party dress with red roses and ribbons

EFFECTS CHANGES

• Magic runes transformed into hearts for allies, broken hearts for enemies
• Arcane missiles look like hearts and arrows
• Ultra-pretty rainbow bridge portals

ALTERNATE FATE LORE

Dear Diary,

Everything is AMAZING because it’s my tenth birthday! I’m sad that my horn hasn’t grown out yet. Most of my family have antlers so they say I will also grow antlers but I think when I grow up I’ll have one of the super-rare unicorn horns because I am the very best in my family at magic.

I got to wear my party dress today, the pink one with the satin roses and ribbons. Every other day, I have to wear the mage academy uniform. I like the academy but the uniform is plain black. Today I had a party and cake and I even danced once with Titus, the cutest boy at the academy.

When I grow up, I’ll wear my party dresses every day, except they’ll have real roses instead of satin ones, and pretty shoes for dancing. I’ll be the best Battlemage in the Mage Guild, maybe the world! I’ll defeat Gythia’s enemies with rainbows and love magic because Titus will be my husband. He acts like he doesn’t like me just because I’m not Mageborn and he is but when we’re grownups and in love that won’t matter at all.

When I grow up, I’m going to have the best life, and I promise I’ll never go anywhere without you, Dear Diary.

Love,

Lyra

CANON LYRA LORE:

The Consequence and The Inception
The First Mistake

Are you new to Vainglory? Or, are you perhaps struggling to keep up with your allies and enemies? This series will bring new players up to speed and help those 0-10 players break the slump and start consistently succeeding.

• Part I: Blue (Crystal) Items

AN INTRODUCTION TO ‘RED’ (WEAPON) ITEMS

Red items enhance your basic attacks. A “basic attack” is the standard attack that all heroes have. To initiate a basic attack, you simply need to tap on a minion or enemy hero.

Red items are not just about making your basic attacks do more damage. There are three different types of weapon items. First, there’s the traditional “weapon damage” item. An item that enhances weapon damage impacts how hard you hit. Let’s look at new hero Gwen, for example. Gwen starts with her basic attacks doing 65 damage. If she were to purchase a Weapon Blade (+15 weapon damage), her basic attacks would now do 80 damage every time she hit something.

Some items impact your weapon attack speed. Attack speed determines how often you hit. If Gwen bought a Swift Shooter instead of a Weapon Blade, her attacks would still do the base 65 damage with a basic attack. But her attack speed would be +20%. In practical terms, she would do six attacks in the same amount of time she would normally do five.

There’s a third type of weapon item designed to inflict “critical strikes,” which are depicted in-game with a red (!) mark. These strikes deal 50% more damage than a usual basic attack. Items of this type come with two stats: critical chance and critical damage. One increases the likelihood you’ll get a critical strike and the other further increases the amount of damage such a critical strike will do.

Let’s look at Gwen again. Normally, she doesn’t have much of a chance to cause critical strikes. But with a Lucky Strike, she now has a 20% chance for her basic attack to become a critical strike. Lucky Strike also includes +12% critical damage, which means a critical strike will now do 62% more damage than a usual basic attack!

Generally, if you’re playing a hero buying weapon items, you’ll want to focus on at least two of the three types. High weapon damage items such as Sorrowblade pair very well with high attack speed items such as Breaking Point or high critical strike items such as Tyrant’s Monocle. But the balance of the three categories is highly dependent on the character. Experiment to find out what works best for your playstyle, and explore the item stats on guide/resource websites such as VaingloryFire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOtF7grEGsU&feature=youtu.be

UNDERSTANDING THE TIER SYSTEM

As discussed in the Blue Item guide, Vainglory has some truly powerful items. Each of these items has ingredients that need to be purchased first in order to complete their recipe. So, if you want to purchase that Sorrowblade — a powerful item for increasing your damage — you’ll first need to purchase a bunch of lesser items including Weapon Blade and a Heavy Steel. Think of purchasing items as purchasing ingredients; you want to have a powerful Tier III item in mind and then see what you have to buy first in order to get it. Occasionally, you’ll have so much gold that you can buy both the ingredients and the final powerful item at once, but that’s probably an indication that you should have spent your gold a while ago! Better to increase your power in small steps than be weak for a long time and then have a massive power spike.

When you first start a game of Vainglory, you’ll start out with just enough gold to buy a Weapon Blade. A Weapon Blade is a Tier I item, meaning you can get it immediately without purchasing anything else. You’ll also notice that it’s an ingredient for virtually every Tier III weapon item in the game. After purchasing it, you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade it to a Tier II item if you have sufficient gold. In order to get more gold, you’ll need to kill minions, monsters and enemy heroes. The great thing about buying any lower-tiered item is that you’ll get the next tiered item in that progression at a discount — so there’s no downside in buying that Weapon Blade while you save up for that Tier II Heavy Steel. Again, it’s always good idea to spend your gold.

So let’s say you’ve bought that Heavy Steel. You’re doing a lot more damage now! Let’s look at Gwen’s basic attacks again. As mentioned before, Gwen’s basic attack would normally do 65 weapon damage at Level 1. With a Heavy Steel, it would do 55 points more of damage. So now she’s doing 65 + 55 damage.

Next, you’ll want to purchase your first Tier III item. While any weapon-focused hero will usually buy the same Tier I and Tier II items, purchasing Tier III items depends a great deal on your hero. Since each Tier III items does something slightly different, all of these options can be especially daunting to new players.

WHICH HEROES BENEFIT FROM RED ITEMS?

Typically, the heroes that benefit the most from weapon damage items are snipers, warriors and sometimes assassins. More specifically, red items benefit:

• Snipers: Gwen, Vox, Skye, Baron, Kestrel, SAW and Ringo
• Warriors: Glaive, Alpha, Joule, Krul, Ozo and Rona
• Assassins: Taka and Blackfeather.

You can buy weapon items for other heroes — such as roamers Fortress and Lance — but for now it’s best to focus on heroes that most clearly benefit from weapon items.

WHAT TIER III ITEMS TO BUY?

Sorrowblade: Gives you the highest amount of weapon damage in one item. You hit people, they hurt. Commonly the first item you buy. Everyone benefits from this.

Bonesaw: Will shred the enemy’s armor, so it’s great against tank heroes or heroes who buy armor like Atlas Pauldron or Metal Jacket. If you’re facing a really tough enemy that you just can’t seem to hurt enough, this will help bring them down. Great on any hero benefiting from attack speed, like Krul.

Tornado Trigger: Grants a hero the highest amount of attack speed and increases critical chance. If you want to hit someone a lot with your basic attacks, such as Joule and Glaive, this is a great option. Hit more often!

Breaking Point: The longer the fight goes on, the more powerful Breaking Point becomes. So it’s great for sustained fights and heroes who can stay in the fight for a while. If you can stay alive, you can do a huge amount of damage, but assassins generally don’t live long enough to properly use this. Kestrel and Rona benefit greatly from this.

Tyrant’s Monocle: Highest amount of critical chance and weapon damage. Good for anyone who wants to increase their likelihood for a big hit. Usually purchased after other items. Instead of hitting someone more often, your single strikes are more likely to do a lot of damage — great for heroes like Ringo.

Tension Bow: Good early-game item that gives you a big spike of damage every 6 seconds. Perfect for anyone who wants to do the bulk of their damage in quick bursts, like the assassin Taka. Note: It is not recommended to purchase this item in the late game; it’s impact is severely lessened. 

Serpent’s Mask: Grants lifesteal, so it’s great for sustaining yourself in a teamfight. Great for warriors like Rona or Blackfeather who can survive long enough to take advantage of its benefits. Differs from Breaking Point in that it focuses on making you live longer rather than making them die faster.

PROPOSED ITEM BUILD FOR GWEN

When players talk about “builds,” they’re usually talking about the final Tier III items that a hero will purchase during a match. These builds vary in strategy: Some emphasize damage or attack speed and even crystal damage instead of weapon damage. For more proposed builds, check out VaingloryFire.com. If you’re eager to try out the new hero Gwen, start by following the “Recommended” weapon build in-game, presented below:

Early-game: Heavy Steel, Swift Shooter, Sprint Boots

Buying Heavy Steel and Swift Shooter (both mid-tier items) instead of Sorrowblade, for example, is a better idea early game because it gives you weapon damage and attack speed whereas Sorrowblade only gives you the former. Sprint boots grants you a speed boost to get out of tough situations.  

Mid-game: Sorrowblade, Heavy Steel, Reflex Block, Breaking Point, Travel Boots

Now you’re buying your first Tier III items: Sorrowblade and Breaking Point. You’ll notice that it’s also recommended you purchase another “Heavy Steel,” and that’s because, again, weapon damage builds on itself. The Travel Boots are a strong Tier II item to give Gwen speed while Reflex Block helps give her defense.

Late Game: Tyrants Monocle, Halcyon Chargers, Aegis, Metal Jacket

Tyrant’s Monocle gives Gwen some major critical damage while the rest of the build helps keep her alive: Halcyon Chargers for speed, Aegis to counter crystal damage and Metal Jacket to counter weapon damage.

REMEMBER: BRONZE COUNTERS RED

All the items in Vainglory fall into categories based on their color. There’s a huge amount of strategy that goes into “counterbuilding,” which means buying items based on the enemy’s purchases. We’re not going to go into all that now, but there is one thing you can keep in mind: Bronze (armor) items protect against red (weapon) items. So, if you see the enemy building a ton of red, you can build bronze items. If you’re suddenly doing a lot less damage with your abilities than earlier in the match, chances are that enemy bought a lot of bronze items like Atlas Pauldron or Metal Jacket to protect themselves from you.

We’ll go into defense items in Part III of our guide.

IN SUMMARY

• Weapon items improve your hero’s basic attacks.
• Snipers, warriors and some assassins benefit the most from weapon items.
• To buy red items, kill enemies and collect gold so you can afford stuff.
• The more gold you have, the more powerful the items you can buy.
• Tier III items are powerful but varied. Try them out to see what works for your hero and playstyle!

As informative as any guide may be, there is nothing better than hands-on experience. Play a game with bots to try out the different weapon items in real-time. Maybe you’ll find success playing Gwen and focusing on maximum damage with Sorrowblades, or maybe you prefer the frenetic pace and high damage upside of a Tornado Trigger and Tyrant’s Monocle. The combinations are endless, and learning what works best for you is part of the fun!

Check back next week for our guide to defense items — the ways to counter red and blue items.

Lance turned against Samuel in the end … but what if he hadn’t? ‘Netherknight’ Lance explores this possibility with Alternate Fates lore and a frightening new look straight from the Netherworld.

CHECK OUT HIS IN-GAME FOOTAGE & 3D MODEL: 

https://youtu.be/Z7ONhZPZM18

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nether-forged armor
• Death’s Head sallet
• Wing-hilted zweihander
• Netherwyrm pauldrons

ALTERNATE FATE LORE

For the canon origins of this tale, read ‘The Trial.’

Consumed by the Dark

A shadow fled from Verdict and landed in Samuel’s periphery a split moment before pain flooded his belly. He whirled to face his aggressor and stared into his own face, at Malice pointed at his own torso. There was no time to register this ultimate betrayal before his shadow double flanked and shot again.

Lance lunged forward only to slam full-force into a shimmering green wall.

“For every action, there is a consequence,” said Lyra.

Through the magic wall, Lance watched Samuel fight his shadow double, unable to move, his teeth grinding. With all his might he stepped away from the grip of the wall and turned to face her. “He is my ward,” he said, raising his long blade. “You raised him like a son.”

Lyra flinched back then spun, her robes swirling, to run, but the knight lunged and his weapon found easy purchase in her back. She crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around Lance’s greaves; the magic bulwark dissolved and faded along with its maker.

Lance stood over the body of his first kill for five gulping breaths, marveling at how fragile and small she appeared in death.

“Kenaz!” cried Samuel behind him, and the curtain between worlds parted, and the Netherdark clouded the hall. Lance watched in horror as the greedy dead poured over the soul that hovered still near Lyra’s body. She struggled against the hands that gripped her by the arms and legs and hair but could not resist them, for she belonged no more with the living.

Lance stood on the precipice of his choice, the boy he’d sworn to protect behind him, the woman he’d murdered before him; beyond, the ice mage looked on, his bushy brows knitted, his face ashen, his knuckles white around his staff.

“I’ll handle the kid,” said Reim.

Lance rolled into the center of the dark cloud, allowed it to swallow him into its dark belly, and chased after the soul of his victim as she was spirited away –

– and then there was nothing.

There was no hall, no Samuel or Reim or Lyra. There was no Gythia; indeed there was no sun or ground. It was not dark: it was a complete lack of light. In that deep nothing Lance spun and touched nothing. He called out and the nothing swallowed his voice, and he realized that never before in his life had he been alone. He had, also, never been afraid, but of the Netherworld he was terrified.

And then, from farther away than he should have been able to see, he spied a light. There was no hope in the light as it grew brighter, only dread. It seemed to take ages to come close enough to make out its shape: an enormous three-headed armored dire wolf made of molten flame.

An armory grew up around them, illuminated by the flames, full of suits of armor, weapons of all kinds, shields and helms. In the firelight Lance himself took shape. His Gythian armor was gone; he knelt in a subarmalis in bare feet, unarmed.

“Rise, Knight, and choose,” said the middle head of the wolf. “Your charge awaits.”

To be continued…

Read about ‘Netherworld’ Fortress

CANON LANCE LORE:

The Archelions
Gythian Lance

Samuel is a dark mage who specializes in not only controlling zones, but advancing and breaking them. He is able to create a large creeping field of darkness that both augments his powers and damages foes. As a high damage-per-second hero, he wields two wands with gunslinger-like speed. He also has area of effect, draining and sleep abilities that round out his fearsome arsenal.

Corrupted Genius (Heroic Perk)

After 6 seconds, Samuel’s next basic attack fires a bolt of dark power at the target, dealing bonus crystal damage. This attack restores some health and energy.

Malice & Verdict (A)

Samuel fires two quick shots from his wands at a target location that impact on the first enemy hit. Samuel can move between the shots. If Samuel is standing inside the field from Drifting Dark, this ability is empowered. While empowered, the shots move faster, travel farther, deal additional damage and burst upon impact dealing damage in a small area. In addition, the cooldown for this ability is significantly reduced.

Drifting Dark (B)

Samuel creates a large field of darkness that slowly drifts forward, damaging enemies who stand inside it. If Samuel also stands inside, he heals for a small amount for each affected target.

Oblivion (C)

After a short delay, Samuel summons a phantasm at the target location, which puts nearby enemies to sleep. Enemies inflicted are unable to move or act. Dealing direct damage to a sleeping enemy with an attack or ability will wake them up.

Samuel is best suited for teamfights and crowd control. He is at a disadvantage one-on-one against high-mobility targets (such as Skye or Vox) who can dodge his Malice & Verdict. He is also susceptible against anyone who can displace him outside his Drifting Dark (ex. Catherine, Glaive, Lance). Like most mages, he is vulnerable to burst damage.

That said, he does have several attributes that make him deadly to take on one-on-one. His Malice & Verdict, especially when augmented by Broken Myth or Shatterglass, can burst down enemies very quickly. While his ganks are telegraphed by Drifting Dark, Samuel is also a capable kiter who can easily distance himself from melee characters — even gap-closing ones.

Unlike other mages, Samuel isn’t best played from the back line. He has to balance staying on the edge of fights while getting closer and closer to opponents as Drifting Dark creeps across the map. When Samuel uses Drifting Dark, his Malice & Verdict attacks become much more potent and do splash damage as well. A smart Samuel player will understand in what direction to send Drifting Dark — whether to advance on the enemy or retreat and use it as cover. Sometimes, the right move is even to send Drifting Dark to the side and continue the fight from the flank. The more enemies in the cloud, the more health you’ll recover but also the more danger you’re in. Due to the long cooldown of the ability, players have to weigh these concerns carefully.

Vision and preparation are essential for Samuel to be effective in teamfights. One powerful strategy is to unleash Oblivion on the enemy team and then isolate one enemy hero — typically the carry. Since the enemy roamer is asleep, no help will come in the form of Fountain or Reflex Block.

Shatterglass: With Samuel’s basic attacks and Malice & Verdict, it’s critical to pump out as much damage as possible.

Eve of Harvest: The lifesteal aspects of Drifting Dark are understated but greatly enhanced by Eve of Harvest.

Broken Myth: Multiplies your damage. ‘Nuff said.

Clockwork: Since Samuel is energy hungry, Clockwork helps him recover and use his abilities more frequently in the late game.

Frostburn: Frostburn is also a great purchase because anyone who is affected by Samuel’s Drifting Dark will be slowed!

RONA

While Rona may be able to burst Samuel down, Samuel has mobility and range to stay out of range of Rona’s ultimate.

VOX
In the early game especially, Samuel should have an advantage over Vox. Samuel has both longer range and is a better kiter, making him a hard target.

KRUL
Samuel can outrun Krul and anyone who can outrun Krul, usually can beat Krul. In general, Samuel does well against characters who have to chase him directly.

GLAIVE
Samuel is susceptible to burst damage, and a good Glaive player can not only displace Samuel, but delete him.

TAKA
If he gets the jump on Samuel, Samuel is unlikely to have enough time to recover and flee.

CATHERINE
With her abilities to silence and stun, she combats Drifting Dark. She also easily counters Malice & Verdict with her Stormguard bubble.

Others to be wary of: Petal and Lance

• Don’t forget to utilize your basic attacks. Not only are they exceptionally powerful thanks to the Corrupted Genius perk, but they also helps Samuel recover energy.
• Drifting Dark placement is key. It’s important for both damage and health recovery to spend as much time in the cloud as possible while also ensuring that chasing the cloud won’t leave Samuel in too vulnerable a position after its end.
• Use Samuel’s surprising mobility to your advantage. But beware: He’s still squishy.
• If you see an enemy Samuel, try to bait out his Drifting Dark. Don’t overcommit to a fight until he’s used it.

Make your own Samuel guides at VaingloryFire upon the hero’s Update 1.21 release. Until then, check out Samuel’s lore.

In this new regular column, Vainglory Senior Editor BicycleSquid highlights interesting, confusing, complex or obscure aspects of Vainglory. If you’d like to see a topic covered, let him know here.

Ever have a game with someone who just didn’t belong? Yeah, I’m sure you have. And I don’t just mean you weren’t on the same page during the match; I mean their Visual Skill Tier (VST) was waaaay below yours. Why would the Matchmaker place a “Pinnacle of Awesome” player, for example, in a match with someone “Just Beginning”?! Well, there’s actually a very specific reason why this might happen, in the context of the seasonal skill resets.

During a three-month season, you play Ranked matches. When you win, you’ll make Visual Skill Tier progress and climb from “Just Beginning” toward “Vainglorious.” When you lose, your progress bar or tier may decline, depending on the difficulty of your opponent. Throughout the season, you do the best you can, win as often as you can, and ultimately score a trophy at season’s end immortalizing your highest rank. Then, your visual skill tier resets all the way to “Unranked,” and you begin the climb again when the next season starts. This part, players understand pretty well.

But while playing Ranked, your wins and losses also impact your Matchmaking Rating (MMR) — a hidden statistic we track that has never reset. And this MMR, not your Visual Skill Tier, determines the allies and opponents the Matchmaker places you with in Ranked matches.

This explains why you sometimes could match against a player in a significantly lower (or higher) visual skill tier. What you see is that they have a VST that isn’t on the same level as yours. However, the MMR for both you and that player are nearly identical and definitely worthy of a competitive match.

So, why would a player have a high MMR but a low current VST? That player may have poured their heart and soul into Ranked in a prior season, all the way to Simply Amazing or Pinnacle or Vainglorious, but for whatever reason (work, school, vacation) hasn’t put in the Ranked time this season to match prior achievements.

The potential variation between Visual Skill Tier and Matchmaking Rating is the biggest source of matchmaking confusion for players. If you don’t realize matches are based on MMR, then when you see allies or enemies at higher or lower visual ranks, you’ll assume the Matchmaker did a poor job.

MMR is by no means perfect for determining how good a match will be. We can adjust the matchmaker’s behavior, but ultimately we can’t account for human behavior. If you end up with a team with two players who want only to play as lane snipers — or with a player who refuses to rotate or juggle aggro — then that will affect your rate of success. Similarly, if you’re drafted onto a hero you’re still getting comfortable with, that will affect your likelihood of victory. But, win or lose, that will give us more data and that, hopefully, will make our matchmaking that much better over time.

And sometimes, the Matchmaker simply gets it wrong. It isn’t about VST vs MMR; you simply deserved better. We will never hide behind VST as an excuse for poor matchmaking, and there’s a major initiative going on right now spearheaded by SurpriseBirthday to analyze matchmaking quality, test new algorithms and significantly improve matchmaking overall. We’re constantly evaluating matchmaking quality, and we’re not married to any system or formula, including seasonal resets. If we find something that we like better and you tell us it’s better, we’ll go with that.

We know this matters a lot to you, which means it matters just as much to us. But I hope that after reading this, you’ll understand a little better why some match pairings might appear wrong but are actually right on, from a matchmaking perspective.

‘Supersonic’ Skye Tier III is here, featuring new effects and animations.

IT’S THE ‘SUPERSONIC’ SKYE AVIATION SHOW!

WATCH THE IN-GAME FOOTAGE: 

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

• Mech weapons upgraded to proton cannons
• Armored exo boots
• Formal military dress whites
• Brand-new recall animation with aviator pose and anime thumbs-up action
• Dramatic spin-crash death animation

 CHECK OUT ‘SUPERSONIC’ SKYE TIERS I & II!

Collect the whole supersonic airshow!

CANON SKYE LORE:

• Skye’s Promise
• The Choosing
• For Baron

INTERVIEW WITH ANIMATOR MIGHTYCAMEL

Skye is a strict military fighter pilot, not known for her sense of humor or fangirl attitude, but Supersonic Skye has lightened up a bit. I created a conscious contrast between the badass mech and the cute girl. It’s difficult to give Skye an acrobatic feel without slowing her down, but we gave her the movie poster thumbs-up and, when she recalls, she hops off the mech and gives a cute-ified double thumbs-up. In her new death animation she gets thrown off the mech while it crashes and burns.

Keep an eye on the NEWS section for more reveals!