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July 26th, 2019
COTLI: Fourth Anniversary Bash Giveaway! 

It's our fourth anniversary! Well, next week on Jul 31st, but we're celebrating early. Crusaders of the Lost Idols is turning four (!!!) years old. It is totally time to do another Anniversary Bash Giveaway!

We'll be giving away three days of rewards to our players in the form of codes from our Facebook, Twitter and Newsletter with a special BONUS reward for players who redeem all three codes! Amazing!


Day One — Quadruple the loot!

Starting tomorrow Saturday, July 27th, we'll be giving away some special goodies to Crusaders of the Lost Idols players, starting with sharing a code through the Crusaders of the Lost Idols Facebook page!

Day Two — Legendary Power

On Sunday, July 28th, we will be posting a code through the Crusaders of the Lost Idols Twitter page. These rewards will be... 'legendary' ;)

Day Three — MOAR IDOLZ!

Finally, on Monday, July 29th, we will be sending out a Special Anniversary Newsletter, sure to be a big hit with any Idols fans.

BONUS — Master those Tasks!

If you find and redeem all three codes, you'll gain a new friend!
July 24th, 2019
COTLI: Mme. Finklebottom's Revenge, Tier 2! 

At last, Mme. Finklebottom's Revenge joins the rest of the campaign pack, with a slew of new objectives including the tier 1 and 2 11th-slot objectives. Beat them to unlock Arenvarr the Beheaded, and Bonus Idols for the campaign.

This update today sees the addition of eleven objectives for you to tackle on our most recent campaign Mme. Finklebottom's Revenge!

Remaining Tier 1 Objectives

  • Vertical Limits - Reach area 700 while avoiding frostbite.

  • Dead Snow - Reach area 750 while looking out for zombies, with a unique formation.

  • Everest - Reach area 800, if you can still breathe. This Tier 1 11th objective unlocks the Crusader Arenvarr, the Beheaded. Arenvarr's gear can be found in normal Silver and Jeweled chests.

Tier 2 Objectives

  • The Journey of the Ring The journey continues on to area 800, and a Wizard has joined his halfling-friends in your party.

  • Call in the Eagles! Suffer your avian companions for another 200 areas, to reach area 850.

  • Let's Dial In Reach area 850 not only with the pesky Astronomy Arch, but also with an alien influencer who disables the DPS of adjacent Crusaders.

  • It's the Climb Climb to area 900 this time, with your DPS spending more time at 0.

  • It's Getting Hot in Here The volcano is stepping up its game, as you escort it to area 900. Non-magical Crusaders adjacent to the volcano are disabled, and its starting to rain fire.

  • Vertical Limits - Reach area 900 while avoiding frostbite that builds up quicker than in Tier 1.

  • Dead Snow - Reach area 950 while avoiding the faster onslaught of zombies. Never fear though, the deathly chill empowers Zombie Winter, RoboQueen, and all Dragons, doubling the effects of their formation abilities.

  • Just So - Reach area 1000 with everything right where it ought to be. This Tier 2 11th objective unlocks Bonus Boss Idol drops for the Mme. Finklebottom's Revenge campaign and buffs all Bonus Boss Idol drops for all campaigns.


Enjoy!
July 24th, 2019
Idle Champions: Midsummer 2 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Every four years, a special leap year day follows Midsummer between Flamerule 30 and Eleasis 1. Known as Shieldmeet, this special day is celebrated across Faerûn.

In the city of Waterdeep, Shieldmeet also serves another important purpose. On this auspicious day every four years, the lords of Waterdeep meet with the Open Lord to reaffirm their rule.

As the Champions arrive in the City of Splendor on Midsummer, the day before Shieldmeet, they are summoned by The Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr. It seems that Open Lord Laeral Silverhand has gone missing...

Midsummer 2 introduces Shandie Freefoot, the Halfling Rogue and member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. Players will have until Monday, August 5th, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT, to unlock her!

New Champion: Shandie Freefoot

    Shandie grew up on the rough streets of the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. She quickly learned that if she wanted to survive, she needed to be fast on her feet and even faster with her wit and weaponry. The first time Shandie saw a bowmaster gracefully launch an arrow into a bull's-eye, she knew she had to master archery. With years of practice under her belt, any opponents underestimating this stealthy halfling will soon realize how dangerous she is as a volley of arrows bear down on them unexpectedly from shadowy corners.
Shandie is an agile Support Champion. Her Dash ability can increase formation speed, while Explosive Arrows and Agile Allies offer potent formation buffs. When you want to add Shandie to your formation, you can swap her with Asharra (Slot 6).

For more information about our latest Champion, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Shandie Freefoot dev blog!

Year One Champion: Xander Cesso

    Fascinated by magic at a young age when he lived in an orphanage, but lacking any ability or proficiency, Xander is not terribly good at much of anything, though something about his adorable clumsiness and childlike wonder anytime magic is being used nearby has been known to inspire those around him. Until recently, he was living on the streets of Waterdeep, scraping together just enough to survive. Now, he is a faithful member of your party, always ready to leap into the fray, even if he doesn't really seem to be able to hit much of anything.
Xander is a Support Champion. His Lucky Shot ability has a chance to double quest progress, and his Streetwise ability increases the damage of Champions behind him. When you want to add Xander to your formation, you can swap him with Calliope (Slot 5).

Year Two Variants

  • Dreams of Grandeur — Jenks really wants to meet Vajra Blackstaff. From Area 12 onward, Jenks takes up a slot in your formation.

  • Stay Back — Only Champions that attack with ranged or magic-based attacks can be used.

  • Haunted Past — Only Neutral, Evil, or Champions with a Dexterity (DEX) score of 15 or higher can be used. Shandie beings the adventure in your formation and cannot be swapped out, moved, or removed. Strahd Vampires that can only be damaged by Shandie randomly spawn in non-boss Areas. Luckily, Shandie will prioritize Strahd Vampires over all others and attack twice as frequently when they are present.

Year One Variants

  • Waterdeep Escort — The Waterdeep City Watch Officer insists that he accompany you on your adventure. He fills one slot in the formation, and if he is killed, your DPS goes down by 33% every 10 seconds.

  • Drow Deception — The Drow said they were looking for a wizard, but the Champions seem like a more interesting quarry to chase! A Stealthy Drow Pickpocket appears on every level, and if they reach the formation, you fail the area and have to head back to the previous level.

  • Commander Xander — Xander takes the lead as his childhood wishes of becoming a Hero have come true! Champions not adjacent to Xander have a 50% chance to miss whenever they attack (Xander isn't great at command). Those that are adjacent to Xander attack normally. He does enough missing for everyone.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

July 23rd, 2019
Idle Champion Spotlight: Shandie Freefoot 
Posted in Idle Champions.

It's time for our newest Champion Spotlight! Today, we're previewing the release of Shandie Freefoot, a halfling rogue, and member of Heroes of Baldur's Gate! Read on to learn about this new and exciting Champion releasing later today in Midsummer Y2!

Who is Shandie?

    Shandie grew up on the rough streets of the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. She quickly learned that if she wanted to survive, she needed to be fast on her feet and even faster with her wit and weaponry. The first time Shandie saw a bowmaster gracefully launch an arrow into a bull's-eye, she knew she had to master archery. With years of practice under her belt, any opponents underestimating this stealthy halfling will soon realize how dangerous she is as a volley of arrows bear down on them unexpectedly from shadowy corners.
Shandie Freefoot is a member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate, created by Jim Zub and Max Dunbar for the Legends of Baldur's Gate series by IDW. She joins her comrades Boo, Minsc, Delina, and Nerys Kathon as the fifth and second-to-last member of the team to join Idle Champions.

Shandie's Stats


Race: Halfling Class: Rogue Alignment: Chaotic Good
Age: 63 Affiliation: Heroes of Baldur's Gate
STR: 10 DEX: 18 CON: 15
INT: 13 WIS: 12 CHA: 14

To add Shandie to your formation, you can swap her with Asharra (Slot 6).


Basic Attack

Shandie fires an arrow at a random enemy.

Formation Abilities

  • Agile Allies — Increase the damage of Champions within 2 slots of Shandie by 100% (multiplicative) for each Champion adjacent to Shandie with a DEX of 15 or higher.
    • For reference that list currently includes: Aila, Birdsong, Black Viper, Calliope, Catti-brie, Xander, Drizzt, Hitch, Ishi, Jarlaxle, K'thriss, Korth, Minsc, Nrakk, Paultin, Regis, Rosie, Qillek, Spurt, Stoki, Tyril, Walnut, Warden, and Zorbu!

  • Dash — Increases the game speed by 25% when the formation hasn't been under attack for 60 seconds. Early levels are quicker to get through with Shandie!

    Note: this will not increase speed beyond the current limit of 10x speed.

  • Explosive Arrow — When the formation is under attack, Shandie fires Alchemist Fire-equipped arrows that explode and increase the damage of Champions in the column in front of Shandie for each enemy hit. Put your DPS Champions in front of Shandie!

Specializations

Shandie's Specializations allow her to choose where to double-down her abilities
  • Ranger Training — Select Ranger Training to increase the effect of Dash by 100%. Zoom Zoom.

  • Alchemist's Fire Expertise — Select Alchemist's Fire Expertise to increase the effect of Explosive Arrow by 100%

  • Criminal Contacts — Select Criminal Contacts to increase the effect of Agile Allies by 50% for each Neutral or Evil Champion next to Shandie.

Ultimate Attack

    Survivalist — Shandie throws smoke grenades and caltrops onto the battlefield, causing enemies to bleed and miss 50% of their attacks for 10 seconds.

Equipment



Final Thoughts

Like Deekin from Founder's Day, Shandie is a go-to speed assistant, helping your Champions advance through the early areas quicker. Put her in the center of your formation, and surround her with dextrous friends (see the list above) to maximize her contribution to the formation!

As always, feel free to send us feedback on via the Idle Champions Subreddit, Steam forum, or the Idle Champions Discord!
July 19th, 2019
BW2: Summer Carnival Event 2019 Edition 
Posted in Bush Whacker 2.

Summer Carnival Event 2019

The Carnival has returned to town! Get ready to play some games, help some Bushwhackian residents and win carnival tokens which you can exchange for cool prizes at the Carnival Event Vendor!

The Carnival Games

A staple of any summer carnival or fair, are those devilish carnival games. There are four different games which will unlock over the course of the event and they include "Balloon Popper," "Whack-A-Mole," "Baseball Throw," and "Duck Shoot." Don't worry, there's no skill involved with these games, you play them automatically when you interact with them.

- It costs 4 carnival tickets to play each game, and you can whack those tickets out of the bushes, or purchase them from Timmy in the Event area for Bush Bucks (30 Salvaged Tickets for 30 Bush Bucks)

- You receive Carnival Tokens based on how well you do. Now, we're not saying they're rigged in the Carnival's favour or anything, but you'll definitely want to ask your friends to help you rig these games to help you! (Platforms without Friend functionality are balanced accordingly.)

To get started, the Balloon Popper game is unlocked! As well, it seems William needs your help to satisfy his sweet-tooth!

A Teleporter to Somewhere...

The Pandaclaw was wandering around here somewhere....build the teleporter and complete all the quests and get your very own!

The Dunk Tank

The dunk tank returns! Can you dunk all 8 helpless Bushwhackian residents? NPCs you haven't dunked yet will have a yellow exclamation mark above their heads, to let you know you still need to send them plunging into the icy waters of the tank! It'll help them all cool off. Plus, the tank is always in need of cleaning, so try to keep up with Katherine's daily Dunk Tank Cleaning quests!

Clowning Around

Peat Bog, Pete the Carney's brother has some tasks for you to help him put on a show!

Testing Your Power

And how are your Power collection skills? Are you strong enough to win all the bonus prizes? There are 7 strength settings to beat, unlocking as the event goes on as Strong-Whacker Sabine continuously tries to increase the difficulty of her Strong-Whacker Strength Machine Game.

New for 2019

Once you complete the teleporter quest line and capture a Pandaclaw, Taban the Teleporter Engineer will offer to change your Pandaclaw companion's appearance, with science! There are two Pandaclaw skins to choose from.

Event Achievements- POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!

There are up to TWENTY possible achievements that can be picked up during the Summer Carnival 2019 event, depending on your game history.

Achievements Returning in 2019:
Step Right Up - Win a Prize Token gaming at the Carnival!
We have a Winner - Win 8 Prize Tokens at once at the Carnival.
Carnival Ace - Win 8 Prize Tokens at all 4 Carnival Games.
Gotta Try 'Em All! - Play all four games offered at the Carnival!
Big Time Bonus Buyer - Purchase 10 Bonus Prize Packs from the Carnival!
Sweet Tooth - Help William satisfy his Sweet Tooth. Or not.
Nostalgic Whacker - Repair the teleporter and fulfill your duty…
Dunk-a-Thon! - Dunk all eight unique Carnival Event dunk-ees!
Scuba Dunk - Dunk yourself while wearing a hefty diving helmet. (Helmet is found from fishing in the Windy Crest fishing hole.)
Daredevil Darer - Make Peat Bog risk his life for entertainment 5 extra times. Dunking Devs! - Dunk the four developer Carnival Event dunk-ees!

Added/Changed for 2019
Prize Proprietor - Purchase all the 2019 Carnival Event items.*


* The Circus Elephant Mini Golf Piece is NOT included in the Prize Proprietor achievement, and therefore it is not required to purchase it.

We have 7 achievements from previous years, which may be earnable by spending some Bush Bucks, if a player was not present during the initial year:

Carnival Customization - Buy all 6 player items from the 2012 Carnival
Party at My Place - Buy all 6 house items from the 2012 Carnival!
Carnival Collector - Purchase all of the 2013 Carnival event items.
Carnival Connoisseur - Buy all the 2014 Carnival event items.
Carni-Value! - Purchase all the 2015 Carnival Event items.
Carnival Compulsion - Purchase all the 2016 Carnival Event items.
Cashed Carnival - Purchase all the 2017 Carnival Event items.
Prized Prizes - Purchase all the 2018 Carnival Event items.

Pet Packs

New 2019 Pet Packs (Coming Soon!)



Post your celebration plans on the forums!

The event will run until Friday August 2nd at Noon PDT!

New 2019 Mounts!

To kick off the event, we're having a sale! Get 30% more on purchase of 50 Bush Bucks or more! Plus, all new mounts are available this weekend, from July 19th to July 22nd!

The Giraffe mount comes free with your first purchase of 100 Bush Bucks or more!

The Rainbow Giraffe and Glow Giraffe are in packs containing 100 Bush Bucks, 10 Pristine Feed Vouchers, and a VIP Voucher! These two mounts produce their own unique sparkly particles when you ride them!



Frequently Asked Questions

  • When will the last quest unlock?
    All quests will be unlocked by the 10th day of the event.

  • Where can I buy Last Year's items?
    There are two vendors. The one in the tent has this year's items. The other is the one with the party hat and will have all previous year items for Bush Bucks.

  • What contributes to my 100% progress?
    You need 200 plays of any combo of the games to get 100%. Just whack up tickets to play the games, and turn in quests to get tickets as well.

  • Why do I want to ask friends for help?
    It helps you rig the game and improve your chances of getting 8 tokens.

  • Do I have to do the achievements?
    No. Completing the goals for the achievements is totally optional. You get either a large energy pack or a title for your character from them, no event progress.

  • Where can I see all the achievements available and how to get them?
    Either on the holiday dialog, the achievements dialog, or on the blog.

  • Where can I see progress on the Dunking Achievement?
    Click on the inventory icon and then click on the Achievements list (gold star). Look for the ones listed above in that list.

July 17th, 2019
Idle Champions: Year One Champion Update, Part 1 
Posted in Idle Champions.


Today we're introducing the first half of our year one Champion balance update. The purpose of this update is to give fresh life to some underappreciated and/or underutilized Champions from the first year of events and adventures. This update includes everything from small tweaks to complete reworks for Binwin, Bruenor, Catti-brie, Diath, Drizzt, Evelyn, Nrakk, Regis, Stoki, Wulfgar, and Zorbu. Read on to learn more about the Champion changes in this update.



Binwin

We wanted to give Binwin a major overhaul while retaining his ability to hit things a lot of times and smash through armor and hits-based health like butter. His new abilities give you many options for building a formation around Binwin, but shorter races will win out over taller ones for the biggest boosts. The new "Lingering Damage" ability also gives Binwin an interesting catch-up mechanic if he's playing the role of secondary DPS. Try him out!
  • Binwin's base attack cooldown is now 6 seconds, up from 4 seconds
  • Binwin's "Extra Attacks" ability now grants extra attacks based off of attacks by adjacent Champions, instead of doing so randomly. It still grants bonus damage for each successive hit, but is no longer buffed by any other upgrades or gear
  • Added a new ability "Extra Damage" at level 70 which grants additional bonus damage on Binwin's next attack(s) based on kills by adjacent Champions since his last attack, including kills via ultimate attacks
  • Added a new ability "Tallest in Faerun" at level 260 which buffs Binwin's damage based on the number of dwarves, gnomes, kobolds, and halflings in the formation
  • Added a new ability "Lingering Damage" at level 380 which causes "Extra Damage" to roll over a portion of its bonus damage to Binwin's next attack(s) if he doesn't kill anything with his current attacks
  • Removed Binwin's old specializations
  • Added a new specialization choice "More Minions" at level 200 which increases the range of "Extra Attacks" and "Extra Damage" so that all Champions within 2 slots of Binwin contribute hits and kills
  • Added a new specialization choice "Antisocial Dwarfing" at level 200 which changes "Extra Attacks" and "Extra Damage" to only trigger off of non-adjacent Champions, but which also boosts Binwin's base damage by a large amount
  • Binwins's upgrades and balance has been completely redone
  • Slot 3 gear now buffs Binwin's "Extra Damage" ability instead of global DPS
  • Slot 4 gear now buffs Binwin's "Tallest in Faerun" ability instead of increasing his "Extra Attacks" chance
  • Added the "barbarian" tag to Binwin, as we now have support for mutli-class Champions in the game that we didn't have when he was originally released



Bruenor

Not a major change, but we added an ability to Bruenor for synergy with the Companions of the Hall (Bruenor, Drizzt, Catti-brie, Regis, and Wulfgar). It's a small bump for Rally even if you can only sneak one other Companion into your formation, but the payoff could be huge if you're going to try out a full Companions combo.
  • Added a new upgrade for "Long Lost Companions" at level 1000 which synergizes with the other Companions of the Hall Champions, increasing your gold find by 100% and buffing "Rally" based on the number of Companions in the formation



Catti-brie

Catti-brie got some small buffs to increase both her buffing ability and her solo damage. Her design intent is to have her as a secondary DPS and support for Drizzt in a Companions of the Hall formation. She should now be able to support well in almost any formation, though, thanks to her "Death March" ability, which stacks multiplicatively (though buffs apply after the stacks, like normal).
  • Catti-brie's base attack cooldown decreased to 5.3 seconds from 5.4 seconds
  • Added a new ability "Death March" at level 135 which increases the damage of all Champions in front of Catti-brie based on the number of enemies affected by "Mark of Death"; the stacks apply multiplicatively, so the numbers get quite large when a lot of enemies are afflicted by "Mark of Death"
  • Added a new ability "Take Them Down" at level 375 which synergizes with the other Companions of the Hall Champions, increasing your gold find by 100% and increasing the damage enemies take in certain situations based on the number of Companions in the formation
  • Changed the specialization "In The Zone" to increase Catti-brie's attack speed after a critical hit
  • Catti-brie's upgrades and balance has been completely redone



Diath/Xander

Diath has been replaced by Xander. Xander's stats, formation abilities, and attacks are functionally identical to Diath's (with the exception of one affiliation-specific formation ability), although their names and appearances are different.
  • Replaced Diath with Xander
  • Converted all Diath chests into Xander chests
  • Updated Xander's ultimate attack to summon a stone giant
  • Updated some achievements to require Xander; existing progress is not lost
  • Updated some adventures/variants to require Xander
  • "Childlike Wonder" now buffs "Streetwise" for each sorcerer, warlock, and wizard adjacent to Xander
  • Updated Xander's tags
  • Note: Paultin's "Stronger Together" ability has had its base value increased



Drizzt

Drizzt has been completely refactored from his scimitars up. His panther summon has moved from his ultimate to an innate ability, and he is now built around bursts of damage and speed when Guenhwyvar is active. As with other Companions of the Hall, he also synergizes in a very powerful fashion when more of them are active in the formation.
  • Drizzt's attacks have been refactored; he now attacks in sequence, similar to Delina, striking first with his scimitar Icingdeath, then his other scimitar Twinkle, then both at once
  • Added a new ability "Guenhwyvar" at level 20 which causes Drizzt to randomly summon Guenhwyvar to aid him in combat for 30 seconds. Guenhwyvar attacks two enemies just before Drizzt and deals Drizzt's damage plus a 20 second bleed; Some of Drizzt's other abilities are triggered off of attacking enemies who have this bleed on them
  • Changed "Icingdeath" to cause Drizzt to deal more damage and reduce his cooldown when he attacks an enemy bled by Guenhwyvar with his scimitar Icingdeath
  • Changed "Twinkle" to cause Drizzt to deal AOE damage and increase the target's chance to miss when he attacks an enemy bled by Guenhwyvar with his scimitar Twinkle
  • Note the effects of both "Icingdeath" and "Twinkle" proc when Drizzt attacks Guenhwyvar-bled enemies with both scimitars at once
  • Changed "Companions of the Hall" to synergize with the other Companions of the Hall Champions, increasing your gold find by 100% and increasing the damage Drizzt does based on the number of Companions in the formation
  • Replaced the "Whirl of Steel" specialization with "Leader of the Companions" which boosts the gold find synergy of the "Companions of the Hall" ability
  • Changed the "Drow Stalker" specialization to increase Drizzt's base damage
  • Drizzt's upgrades and balance has been completely redone
  • Drizzt's ultimate attack has been replaced by "Whirl of Steel", which attacks enemies for massive damage one after another until a hit doesn't kill an enemy (similar to Jalaxle's base attack, but with ultimate level damage)
  • Slot 3 gear now buffs Drizzt's new "Icingdeath" ability instead of Global DPS
  • Added a Champion achievement for Drizzt



Evelyn

Evelyn didn't need much work this round, since she was recently a part of the Shielding, Healing, and Tanking update. We did give her some health gear to give her a bit more scalability, but the price to pay was a small decrease in the power of her specializations.
  • Slot 4 gear now increases max health instead of specialization abilities
  • Evelyn's specialization have had their base values increased to compensate for the lost gear. They now increase Divine Prayer by 300% when active, up from 100%



Nrakk

We've rebuilt Nrakk from the ground up to focus on a unique "Ki Points" mechanic. Nrakk generates Ki Points from his attacks and abilities and uses those Ki Points to increase his damage, decreasing his attack cooldown, and stun enemies. Each specialization choice results in a unique attack rotation with predictable stuns, cleaves, and big bursts of damage. Oh, and did we mention he can buff adjacent support Champions to be even more supportive, so even if you're not using him for DPS there may be some super unique and effective formations he can fit in. Super interesting!
  • Added a new ability "Ki Master" at level 20 which causes Nrakk's base attack to grant Ki Points whenever he attacks. Ki points increase Nrakk's damage and decrease his base attack cooldown for each one he has. He can have up to 8 Ki Points at once
  • Changed "Stunning Strike" to trigger when Nrakk has 4 or more Ki Points. Guaranteed stun instead of a change to stun, and consumed 4 Ki Points
  • Changed "Deft Strike" to grant an additional Ki Point (for a total of 2 per Deft Strike attack)
  • Added a new ability "Githzerai Focus" at level 185 which increases the effectiveness of adjacent Champions' formation abilities if their WIS score is 14 or higher
  • Changed Nrakk's "Kensei Advantage" specialization to grant 3 Ki Points (for a total of 4, or 5 with a Deft Strike) whenever "Kensei Cleave" hits more than one enemy
  • Renamed Nrakk's "Unerring Accuracy" specialization to "Unerring Precision" and changed it to make "Deft Strike" grant 2 extra Ki Points per hit instead of 1 (for a total of 3 Ki Points per Deft Strike), and also grant a moderate damage increase
  • Nrakk's upgrades and balance has been completely redone
  • Nrakk's base attack has been renamed Naginata, and the base cooldown has been increased to 5.5 seconds from 5 seconds
  • Slot 3 gear now buffs "Ki Master" instead of global DPS
  • Moved Nrakk's old achievement to the "Legacy" category; it is no longer attainable
  • Added a new achievement for Nrakk



Regis

We wanted to bump up the power of Regis to give him a shot in some formations. His new ability increases the effectiveness of his buffing, potentially by a lot if you can structure your formation properly. We also gave him a Companions of the Hall synergy ability which grants a big one-time heal when your formation comes under attack. It has a pretty hefty cooldown, but if you're constantly coming under attack and then wiping out your attackers, it could be useful.
  • Added a new ability "Ruby Amplification" at level 320. This ability increases the effect of "Ruby Encouragement" for each Champion being affected by it
  • Added a new ability "Ruby Invigoration" at level 450 which synergizes with the other Companions of the Hall Champions, increasing your gold find by 100% and causing Regis to heal the formation when it comes under attack for an amount based on the number of Companions in the formation. The heal is large, but has a 15 second cooldown and only triggers when the formation becomes under attack, not while it is already under attack
  • Regis' ultimate attack now deals damage and slows all enemies. Enemies slowed by his ultimate take additional damage. His ultimate is now classified as a magical ranged attack, instead of melee
  • Slot 1 gear now buffs global DPS instead of self DPS
  • Added the "healing" tag to Regis since he now has an ability that can heal the formation



Stoki

Stoki has been refactored in order to excel as a formation buffer and gold finder at your wall or during challenging encounters with lots of enemies. Her abilities now buff people directly instead of her Marks of Ki debuffing enemies, but she still marks enemies to power those buffs.
  • Stoki's base attack now hits random enemies instead of the front-most
  • Stoki's base attack cooldown is now 5.75 seconds instead of 3.75
  • Changed "Ki Strike" to be a base ability (no specialization required); instead of debuffing enemies to take more damage, Stoki now buffs Champions on the edge of the formation based on how many Marks of Ki are active on enemies
  • Changed "Golden Palm" to buff gold dropped when Champions adjacent to Stoki kill enemies. The amount of bonus gold is again based on the number of Marks of Ki active on enemies
  • Added a new ability "Ki Infusion" at level 190 which makes it so each enemy can have up to five Marks of Ki at once. Stoki adds one Mark of Ki each time she attacks an enemy, and can add multiple Marks of Ki per attack if she attacks the same enemy multiple times
  • Added a new specialization option "Ki Overflow" at level 275 which causes enemies with five Marks of Ki to have a chance of being stunned when struck by Stoki
  • Added a new specialization option "Ki Explosion" at level 275 which causes enemies with five Marks of Ki to have a chance to explode when struck by Stoki, doing damage and spreading additional Marks of Ki to other nearby enemies
  • Stoki's upgrades and balance has been completely redone
  • Slot 1 gear now buffs global DPS instead of self DPS
  • Removed the "dps" tag from Stoki - she is now intended to be a full support Champion
  • Moved Stoki's old achievement to the "Legacy" category; it is no longer attainable
  • Added a new achievement for Stoki



Wulfgar

Wulfgar has been turned into the Companions of the Hall go-to tanking Champion, with multiple abilities that synergize powerfully with other Companion Champions. He's still a stunning machine, with bursts of power when he stuns multiple enemies multiple times in a row.
  • Removed Wulfgar's existing specializations, but the names are being used for the new formation abilities, just to be confusing
  • Added a new ability "Clangeddin's Will" at level 20 which provides powerful formation buffs when Wulfgar stuns 3 or more enemies at once (more likely when he's tanking a cluster of enemies)
  • Added a new ability "Dumathoin's Will" at level 70 which provides a powerful damage shield for Wulfgar when he stuns a boss creature. The size of the shield is relative to the remaining health of the boss monster he stunned
  • Added a new ability "King of the Elk Tribe" at level 110 which increases the health of all Champions by a percentage of Wulfgar's max health
  • Added a new ability "Moradin's Will" at level 130 which increases the damage of Companions of the Hall Champions based on the number of enemies Wulfgar is tanking
  • Added a new ability "Empowered Warhammer" at level 180 which synergizes with the other Companions of the Hall Champions, increasing your gold find by 100% and increasing the chance of Wulgar's base attack stun based on the number of Companions in the formation
  • Updated the "Smash 'n Grab" ability to temporarily buff the damage of the whole party when Wulfgar attacks an armored enemy but doesn't break a piece of armor
  • Added a new specialization choice "Heavy Blows" at level 265 that increases Wulfgar's base attack stun chance
  • Added a new specialization choice "Flag Bearer" at level 265 that gives Wulfgar an additional chance to stun boss enemies, and causes stuns against bosses to trigger Clangeddin's Will with a higher damage buff than normal enemies
  • Added a number of upgrades that increase Wulfgar's max health
  • Wulfgar's upgrades and balance has been completely redone
  • Removed the "dps" tag and added the "tanking" tag, since Wulfgar has been rebalanced as a tank intended for Companions of the Hall formations
  • Slot 1 gear now buffs global DPS instead of self DPS
  • Slot 2 gear now buffs max health instead of self DPS



Zorbu

We removed Zorbu's Favored Enemies idea and replaced it with Lifelong Enemies, our second ability whose stacks persist through resets. Zorbu gains damage buffs against certain enemies for each enemy of that type that he kills, and the rest of his abilities receive buffs based on those totals, meaning if you focus on Zorbu as your DPS, the scaling potential is massive. We haven't forgotten that Zorbu can also play a big support role, so we've bumped up his global DPS buffs by quite a bit (more than making up for a small gear swap)
  • Removed the "Favored Enemy" specialization choices
  • Removed the "Colossus Slayer/Horde Breaker" specialization choices
  • Added a new ability "Lifelong Enemies" at level 30 that increases Zorbu's damage against humanoid, beast, undead, drow enemies based on the total number of those enemies he has killed. Persists through resets
  • Added a new ability "Seething Hatred" at level 50 which increases Zorbu's damage by a portion of the aggregate "Lifelong Enemies" buff
  • Added a new specialization choice "Lead The Pack" at level 90 which increases Hunter's Pack by the same amount as Seething Hatred increases Zorbu's damage
  • Added a new specialization choice "Favored Enemies" at level 90 which increases Zorbu's "Lifelong Enemies" damage bonus
  • Added a new specialization choice "Focused Anger" at level 90 which increases the rate at which stacks are earned with "Lifelong Enemies"
  • Zorbu's upgrades and balance has been completely redone
  • Slot 2 gear now buffs self DPS instead of global DPS
  • Slot 3 gear now buffs his new "Seething Hatred" ability instead of "Favored Enemy"
July 12th, 2019
COTLI: Crusader Skins Dev Blog 

Wrena’s Skin

While we share some of our upcoming plans for the game, we like to keep some things as surprises. We generally do not announce upcoming weekend promo Golden loot, and we felt this skin fell into the same category, though we appreciate that some players feel the skin is a more major change than we did. In hindsight, we should have handled the release of this skin in a more open fashion.

We also realize that players would have liked to hear from us sooner than the Q&A on Tuesday. We have been discussing the community's reaction to the skin internally and wanted to make sure our follow-up plans were solidified before we made any announcements.

Skins in General

A previous Q&A response had suggested that skins would not affect gameplay. We didn’t mean to imply that the decision had been finalized, and we’re sorry that people feel misled. Going forward, we expect most skins to have an effect on the game, whether via tags or something else entirely. We hope to keep these fair to all players.

Skins in the Challenge Shop

To start, in early August, we will be adding a new rotating item to the Challenge shop, exclusively for skins. As with Golden loot, a different skin will be offered every 2 weeks, as long as there are any you do not own. Initially it will contain 3 all-new skins, with more down the line.

Wrena’s Skin in the Challenge Shop

Until December 2019, Wrena's “The Foul” skin will remain exclusive to those who received it with the weekend chests. Then, it will be added to the pool of skins that can be offered in the Challenge shop.

Future Premium Skins

Future premium skins, except those sold as part of DLC packs, will follow the same model. They will become available in the Challenge shop 5 months after their initial sale.

Regarding Skin Tags

Generally, a Crusader’s new set of tags from an equipped skin count as their real tags (unlike tags applied by formation abilities.) This means they affect mission success, and can allow the use of these Crusaders in objectives where they would not otherwise be available. Note that Crusaders’ skins cannot be changed while they are on a mission.

Thank you for your patience and understanding on this matter.

Here's a code to redeem for 24 hours of 50% Idols buff: WEEK-ENDO-FIDL-INGS

Expires Dec 31st 2019 23:59:59
July 11th, 2019
COTLI: The Hidden Temple 4 

In ages long past, Kebos was a Goddess. As the world changed and her era came to an end, she was wrapped in ceremonial linens and preserved through mummification. It is the greatest honor her people could bestow upon their goddess, hoping to bring her a peaceful rest for all time.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever — not even death.

Her tomb unearthed and her rest interrupted, Kebos, The Mummy has arisen to join the Crusaders for their latest journey to The Hidden Temple...

The Hidden Temple 4 introduces Kebos, The Mummy and brings back Montana James, Serpent King Draco, Danni the Daring Damsel, Polly the Parrot, and The Holy Guardian. The trek comes to a conclusion on Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 at 12:00PM PDT!

New Tier 4 Crusader: Kebos, The Mummy

Kebos is an ancient goddess, preserved through mummification. Now known as Kebos, The Mummy, this undead goddess brings her supernatural power to the formation in the form of massive DPS buffs (Show Them Some Teeth, Defend the Innocent). She grows stronger with each DPS Crusader in the formation (This is a Knife!), growing stronger still as you level her up (Better with Age) and earn Trinkets (Lady of the Dead). She is also a righteous DPS Crusader, growing more powerful for each Good Crusader in the formation (The Power of Good).

When the dead start to rise, it usually means the end of days is nigh — but in this case, the Crusaders may have instead found one of their strongest allies...

Crusaders Return

If you haven't collected them already, you can unlock previous Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 Crusaders by completing their respective objectives. Montana James, Serpent King Draco, Danni the Daring Damsel, Polly the Parrot, and The Holy Guardian are all once again available to unlock!

New Tier 4 Objectives

  • Recruit Kebos, the Mummy | Kebos, The Mummy takes up a slot in the formation. Only Undead and Good Crusaders can do DPS. Fossilized Crocodile monsters attack the formation; when killed, Kebos transforms another random Crusader into a crocodile, disabling their DPS and Formation Abilities. Reach area 600.

  • Uncanny Valley | Only Supernatural and Alien Crusaders may be used in the new formation. Two Alien ships also patrol the formation, wreaking havoc. Reach area 700.

  • Tomb of Kings | Only Royal and Healer Crusaders may be used. Reach area 750.

  • Pilgrimage | Only Good, DPS, or Undead Crusaders may be used. Every so often an Altar Monster appears, taking all your gold on hand and reducing Gold Find to 0 while you pay your respects. Reach area 800.

  • Secret Torch Society | Only Crusaders next to the Torchbearer do DPS. Another Torchbearer joins the formation every 150 areas. Reach area 850.


Help! Where’s the Loot?

Equipment for event Crusaders can be found in Silver and Jeweled Hidden Temple Chests, which you can earn from objectives and the free play or buy in the shop. Each non-recruitment objective will drop a chest for its given tier of Crusaders, and free play will drop all-tier chests. Gear for Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 Crusaders will only appear in all-tier chests once you've unlocked the respective Crusaders. You can select the tier of chest you buy in the shop.

You'll have until Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 at 12:00PM PDT to complete The Hidden Temple 4!
July 3rd, 2019
Idle Champions: Founders' Day 2 
Posted in Idle Champions.

It's a time of celebrations and festivities for Waterdeep. Founders' Day is a time of legendary displays of martial and arcane prowess from the notable Champions who call the City of Splendor home, where visitors and locals alike gather and share stories of Waterdeep's history.

Unfortunately, these festivities have also attracted the attention of one of the Lords of the Nine Hells, who has come to collect souls for the Blood War...

Founders' Day 2 introduces the Wild Elf Druid, Walnut Dankgrass, and brings back Deekin Scalesinger, the Kobold Bard. Players will have until Monday, July 15th, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT, to unlock them!

New Champion: Walnut Dankgrass

    Walnut is a child of the Enclave Panax Anima, an all-female clan of woodland defenders within the Kryptgarden Forest. Not only a frighteningly enthusiastic member of Acquisitions Incorporated, she also strives to protect the natural world by any means necessary. Did we mention she also has the goddess Mielikki living inside her? That seems important.
Walnut is a versatile Tank and Support Champion. Her Documancer ability can be customized for your formation needs through multiple specializations. When you want to add Walnut to your formation, you can swap her with Delina (Slot 8).

For more information about our latest Champion, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Walnut Dankgrass dev blog!

Returning Champion: Deekin Scalesinger

    A former member of the Dripping Fang clan, Deekin was once a Skald for a White Dragon named Tymofarrar. Once he was released from Tymofarrar's service, he set out to become the most amazing storyteller in all of FaerÈ—n. He yearns to sing and tell stories of heroic deeds, but his songs often devolve into "tales" of the doom that is coming to him or his companions.
Deekin is a Support Champion. He helps the party by buffing DPS and by attracting enemies (to help clear areas more quickly) with his Song of Doom. When you want to add Deekin to your formation, you can swap him with Bruenor (Slot 1).

Year Two Variants

  • Rain of Fire — Fireballs occasionally rain from the sky, damaging a random Champion. These Fireballs become more frequent the further you progress.

  • Close Quarters Combat — Only Champions with melee Base Attacks may be used.

  • Aww, Hells Nuts — Enemies become much more powerful over the course of the adventure. Walnut starts the adventure in your formation and cannot be moved, removed, or swapped out. Demonic Squirrels occasionally spawn. When killed, these squirrels drop Hell-Nuts, which increase the effectiveness of Walnut's Documancer ability and last until the end of the adventure, stacking additively.

Year One Variants

  • Spectator Sport — Three local farmers have joined in on the Founders' Day tussle, and won't take the hint that they should probably take a seat. It might be because they are pretty drunk. They take up a slot in your formation and change positions every 25 areas.

  • Doom is Coming to Waterdeep — Deekin must sing a song so everyone in Waterdeep knows that doom is coming. I know. We tried talking to him. However, he doesn't know which spot will give him the best acoustics. Deekin is always in your formation and will change positions every 10 areas. Deekin cannot be moved because, well, Deekin is singing a song.

  • The Blood War — Whenever you kill a demon, devils get stronger and demons get weaker, and vice-versa.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

July 3rd, 2019
COTLI: New Tier 6 Talents 

Greetings, Crusaders!

My, you're a talented bunch, pushing your way through endless hordes of monsters, beating all the objectives we can throw at you. But you know what? You could be even more talented than you are now! All you have to do is unlock some of these powerful new Tier 6 Talents, and the digital world is your oyster. We can't wait to see how far you'll go now...

NEW TALENTS

Active Tree

Phase Skip



Free Plays start with the first 5 areas completed. Max level: 20.





Passive Tree

Big Earner



Increase the cap of the Free Play bonus by 5%. Max level: 10.

Idolatry



Increases Global DPS by 10% per power of 10 Idols owned, multiplicative. Eg 10 Idols 1 stack, 100 Idols 2 stacks, and so on. Max level: 20.

Utility Tree

Montage Training



Increases the max Crusader level by 25. Max level: 120

Marathon Sprint



Increases your maximum Sprint level by 25 areas. Note: If you've completed the From the Ashes objective, then each level of this Talent increases your maximum Sprint level by 50 areas instead. Max level: 20.

Arithmagician



Increases the maximum number by a factor of 1e25. Max level: 8.

Cash in Hand



Instantly gain 5 Challenge Tokens when starting a weekly challenge. Max level: 10.

Changes

  • Increased the max level of the Synergy Talent from 15 to 20.

  • Increased the max level of the Bonus Training Talent, to accommodate the 31st bench seat.