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December 15th, 2023
Idle Champion Spotlight: Wyll 
Posted in Idle Champions.

"I've pledged my life to protecting the meek from monsters - but tonight, I was the rampaging beast."

Those who take action to defend and help anyone in need are often called heroes. However, the drive to save others can lead some to endanger themselves. That's how Wyll became the courageous Blade of Frontiers, and has sworn to use his fiendish powers for honorable goals.

I. Wyll



    From a scion of a famed Baldurian house to a life of adventure on the road, Wyll’s life as the monster hunter called the Blade of Frontiers has made him one of the beating hearts of the Sword Coast. While he has done great deeds for the Coast’s people, the source of his power remains secret. The cambion Mizora drew Wyll into a warlock’s pact in a moment with many lives at stake, and cursed him with the duty of hunting her enemies. Mizora only asks Wyll to sacrifice devilish creatures to her, but a cambion’s ambitions are ever fickle, and Wyll wishes to escape the pact before its price grows cruel.

Wyll is a Support Champion ready to help whoever he can, so he supports all heroes from the most represented race, class, or affiliation in the formation. He is also cursed with a mind flayer's tadpole, providing further boosts with all of the Absolute Adversaries. This Human Warlock can be found in Seat 12 opposite Arkhan.

II. Wyll's Stats

Race: Human Alignment: Neutral Good
Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 24 Affiliation: Absolute Adversaries Class: Warlock

STR: 9 DEX: 13 CON: 15
INT: 14 WIS: 11 CHA: 16

Role: Support

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Vajra, and Strahd

Slot: 12 (Arkhan)


Dungeons & Dragons Wyll Marketing Gif

III. Wyll's Design

He's been called selfless, heroic, the Protector, the Pride of the Coast and the Blade of Frontiers. All because Wyll is ready to sacrifice himself to bring others out of peril. Wyll's main goal is to support his allies, so he'll increase the damage of all Champions that belong to the most represented race, class, or affiliation. If there's a tie, all tied groups gain his buff, so Champions who multi-class or have multiple affiliations might get the buff multiple times! Every time an enemy or distraction is defeated, that buff increases until the area changes. And for every one of his fellow Champions in the formation infected with a tadpole, that bonus gets even bigger!

For many reasons fiends are Wyll's Favored Foes, so he'll help the whole formation do extra damage against those evil creatures. When it's time to attack, he'll use both his blade and his Eldritch Blast to damage and knock back enemies. And when his assault require more power, he can call upon his Patron Mizora to speed up his attacks and strike with Ultimate damage!

There is a choice of three pacts that Wyll can choose to Specialize in, each offering an increase in the effect of his damage boost. Pact of the Blade supports Champions with melee based attacks, while Pact of the Tome focuses on those who strike with magic. Or choosing Pact of the Chain boosts his support for every Familiar assigned to the party. Whichever path you choose, the Blade of Frontiers will stand by your side to help wherever he can!

IV. Wyll's Abilities

Basic Attack

  • Blade & Blast - Wyll moves up to the closest enemy and stabs it with his rapier for one hit, then blasts the most damaged enemy with an Eldritch Blast which deals one hit and knocks the target back a short distance.

Formation Abilities

  • Folk Hero - Wyll increases the damage of all Champions that belong to the most represented race, class, or affiliation(s) in the formation by 100%. If there is a tie, all tied groups gain the buff, and Champions who are part of multiple groups can gain the buff multiple times (up to a max of 4 stacks incoming per Champion), stacking multiplicatively.
  • Ceremorphosis - Your formation gains one Ceremorphosis stack due to the mind flayer tadpole in Wyll's brain. Wyll increases the effect of Folk Hero by 100% for each Ceremorphosis stack, stacking multiplicatively.
  • A Heartless Contract - Fiends are Wyll's Favored Foes. All Champions deal 400% more damage against Wyll's Favored Foes.
  • Bravado - Each time an enemy or distraction is defeated, Wyll increases the effect of Folk Hero by 25%, stacking multiplicatively up to 10 times, until the area changes.

Specializations

  • Pact of the Blade - Wyll increases the effect of Folk Hero by 200% on Champions with a Melee base attack.
  • Pact of the Chain - Wyll increases the effect of Folk Hero by 10% for each Familiar assigned to his party, stacking multiplicatively.
  • Pact of the Tome - Wyll increases the effect of Folk Hero by 25% for each Champion in the formation with a Magic base attack, stacking multiplicatively.

Ultimate Ability

  • Mizora - Wyll's Patron Mizora appears behind him, empowering him for 15 seconds. For the duration, Wyll's normal attack cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds, and his base attacks additionally deal ultimate damage.

V. Wyll's Epic Equipment



Slot 1: Global DPS
Slot 2: Folk Hero
Slot 3: Ceremorphosis
Slot 4: Bravado
Slot 5: Specializations
Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

Wyll is quick to help anyone in need, including everyone in your roster! Tell us how much you enjoy his support in your formations:
December 21st, 2022
Idle Champions: Wintershield 6 & Season 2 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Wintershield sees a celebration of maps in the Realms, symbolizing our paths through the new year. As part of this year's tradition, the Champions have purchased a map from a Waterdeep street vendor. Then it started talking...

December 21st, 2022 is the beginning of both Wintershield 6 and Season 2: The Flayer Hunters! Wintershield 6 introduces Imoen, a rogue/wizard and member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate, and brings back two of her fellow Baldur's Gate heroes: Viconia DeVir, Drow Cleric of Shar, and Baeloth the Entertainer, Drow Sorcerer and proprietor of The Black Pits! Players have until Monday, January 2nd, 2023 at 12 PM Pacific to complete their Wintershield 6 unlocks and objectives.

Season 2: The Flayer Hunters

Dungeons & Dragons Max Dunbar Flayer Hunters Art This is also the launch of Season 2, featuring five of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate, specifically Nerys, Shandie, Krydle, Jaheira, and Viconia. For our Season 2 skins, we were very excited to collaborate with Max Dunbar to create The Flayer Hunters! All of these Champions have received updates and buffs, and you can see an overview of the changes we have made in the video below and in the game.



Aside from the Champion balance updates, we've been listening to your feedback about the quests and rewards. The quests for this season have been tweaked to reduce some of the grind players experienced in Season 1. We outright removed some of the most disliked quests and added new ones in their place.

On the rewards side, we've added an entirely new reward slot for non-season pass players, providing ten more items to that reward track. Some of these items will even increase the Season Champions' item level. For tier 11, we've removed the requirement that you must purchase all the items from tiers 1-10. Instead, tier 11 now has the same unlock requirement for both season pass and non-season pass players: simply purchase 40 items from tiers 1-10 and you're good to go! We have made some other adjustments to tier 11, removing several items, adding two new ones, and tweaking the costs and reward counts for the remaining items.

A lot of these changes were in response to player feedback, so please keep that feedback coming on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!

Imoen's Design

Dungeons & Dragons Imoen Key Art
    Imoen is a surprisingly cheerful young woman, considering she eventually discovered that she was the child of a deadly murder god. As an orphan, she moved to Candlekeep at the age of 10 with her adoptive father and innkeeper, Winthrop. Soon she traveled to Baldur's Gate with a childhood friend, where she joined forces with powerful Champions like Minsc and Jaheria.


Imoen is a Support and Healing Champion who complements her thieving abilities with spells! She boosts her party's damage whenever a Favored Foe is defeated, and while not primarily a spellcaster, she doesn't mind stepping in with an occasional Polymorph or Stoneskin spell. Once unlocked, you can find this Human Rogue/Wizard in Slot 11 opposite Jamilah. You can find out more in Imoen's Full Champion Spotlight.

Year Six Variants


  • Adventure Variant 1: Heya! It's me, Imoen! - Help a poor map find its way home for the holidays with Imoen! Imoen joins the formation, and can't be moved or removed. Only Imoen and Champions next to her can deal damage.
    Complete Area 75.

  • Adventure Variant 2: Mutton Mongering Riff Raff - Help a poor map find its way home for the holidays fighting against a menagerie of beasts. Imoen joins the formation, and can't be moved or removed. 1-2 Beasts spawn with every wave, who don't drop gold nor count towards quest progress.
    Complete Area 125.

  • Adventure Variant 3: Gotta Go Fast To Cast Fast - Help a poor map find its way home while blasting monstrosities as quickly as you can. Imoen joins the formation and can be moved, but not removed. You may only use Champions with an INT of 12+ and/or Champions from the Heroes of Baldur's Gate affiliation. Imoen's base attack cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds for each Champion next to her. 1-2 Monstrosities spawn with every wave, but they don't drop gold nor count toward quest progress.
    Complete Area 175.

Remember that if you have feedback, let us know in a Community Q&A or Champion feedback post on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!
December 16th, 2022
Idle Champion Spotlight: Imoen 
Posted in Idle Champions.

"So, you ready to go? I'd prefer to travel with you, if I could."

With a lighthearted outlook and a care-free disposition, Imoen has managed to remain cheerful even in the face of deadly enemies and startling revelations. With her thieves tools in one hand and powerful magic in the other, she is ready to deal with any challenge the formation encounters when she joins the Champions during Wintershield!

I. Imoen

Dungeons & Dragons Imoen Key Art
    Imoen is a surprisingly cheerful young woman considering she eventually discovered that she was the child of a deadly murder god. As an orphan, she moved to Candlekeep at the age of 10 with her adoptive father and innkeeper, Winthrop. Soon she traveled to Baldur's Gate with a childhood friend, where she joined forces with powerful Champions like Minsc and Jaheria.


Imoen is a Support and Healing Champion who complements her thieving abilities with spells! She boosts her party's damage whenever a Favored Foe is defeated, and while not primarily a spellcaster, she doesn't mind stepping in with an occasional Polymorph or Stoneskin spell. Once unlocked, you can find this Human Rogue/Wizard in Slot 11 opposite Jamilah.

II. Imoen's Stats

Race: Human Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Rogue/Wizard Gender: Female Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 20 Affiliation: Heroes of Baldur's Gate

STR: 9 DEX: 18 CON: 16
INT: 17 WIS: 11 CHA: 16

Role: Support, Healing
Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Vajra, and Strahd
Slot: 11 (Jamilah)


Dungeons & Dragons Imoen Gif

III. Imoen's Design

As a recurring character in the Baldur's Gate series of video games, Imoen has proven herself as a valuable party member to join you on your quests. She also appears in several Baldur's Gate novels and even appears on a Magic: the Gathering card! When things are bleak, Imoen will be there with a joke to try and lighten spirits, and is excited to use her unique mixture of roguish and wizarding talents for good uses.

Imoen is focused on supporting the formation against her Favored Foe. She helps keep Optimism high by increasing the damage of adjacent Champions. With Perseverance she'll increase Optimism's damage boost every time any Champion's Favored Foe either appears or is defeated. For monsters that are not on her special list, Imoen can magically Polymorph them into an enemy that is the same type as her Favored Foe. Since the front-most column of the formation takes the brunt of attacks, she'll help them out by casting Stoneskin to give them a temporary hit point boost.

There are four Specializations that Imoen can choose from, making her regular attack do more damage against a specific type of enemy. She can focus on beasts, dragons, monstrosities, or aberrations, making them her Favored Foe and turning her ammo into Slaying Arrows for that specific type of creature. Usually Imoen attacks at range with her Short Bow, but if it's time to get up close and personal with her Ultimate, she'll pull out her short sword and lockpicks to leap into the fray! She'll Disarm Traps and strike multiple times dealing extra damage against hits-based enemies, proving as deadly with thieves' tools as she is with a weapon.

IV. Imoen's Abilities

Basic Attack

  • Short Bow - Imoen makes a ranged attack against a random enemy, dealing one hit. Once her specialization is unlocked, Imoen prioritizes attacking Favored Foes, and she deals an additional 5 seconds of BUD-based damage with every hit to these enemies.

Formation Abilities

  • Optimism - Imoen increases the damage of adjacent Champions by 100%.
  • Perseverance - Any time any Champion's Favored Foe appears or is defeated, Imoen increases the effect of Optimism by 50%, stacking multiplicatively and then applying multiplicatively. Stacks up to 50 times. Stacks are reset each time the Champions change areas.
  • Polymorph - Before every third attack, Imoen polymorphs a random non-boss non-static enemy into a monster with the same type as her Favored Foe, but only 10% of its original health. She can not polymorph enemies that are already polymorphed by this ability a second time.
  • Stoneskin - Before every eighth attack, or upon entering a new area, Imoen casts Stoneskin on all Champions in the front-most column of the formation, granting them 300 temporary hit points. The amount is increased by 5% (additively) for each Favored Foe that is alive.

Specializations

  • Beast Slaying Arrows - Beast enemies become Imoen's Favored Foe. Her Short Bow attacks against Beast enemies deal an additional BUD-based damage with each hit.
  • Dragon Slaying Arrows - Dragon enemies become Imoen's Favored Foe. Her Short Bow attacks against Dragon enemies deal an additional BUD-based damage with each hit.
  • Monstrosity Slaying Arrows - Monstrosity enemies become Imoen's Favored Foe. Her Short Bow attacks against Monstrosity enemies deal an additional BUD-based damage with each hit.
  • Aberration Slaying Arrows - Aberration enemies become Imoen's Favored Foe. Her Short Bow attacks against Aberration enemies deal an additional BUD-based damage with each hit.

Ultimate Ability

  • Disarm Traps - Imoen leaps out into the fray, attacking five enemies in sequence with her short sword in one hand and her lockpicks in the other. She prioritizes enemies with hits-based health and deals 5 hits per attack. If no hits-based enemies are available she deals normal ultimate damage to enemies she attacks.

V. Imoen's Epic Equipment



Slot 1: Global DPS
Slot 2: Optimism
Slot 3: Perseverance
Slot 4: Stoneskin
Slot 5: Ultimate Attack Damage
Slot 6: Ultimate Attack Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

The Heroes of Baldur's Gate have gained another ally! Let us know how much you enjoy Imoen in your formations in a Community Q&A or Champion feedback post on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!
December 22nd, 2021
Idle Champions: Wintershield 5 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Wintershield sees a celebration of maps in the Realms, symbolizing our paths through the new year. As part of this year's tradition, the Champions have purchased a map from a Waterdeep street vendor. And then it started talking...

Wintershield 5 introduces Viconia DeVir, Drow Cleric of Shar from Baldur's Gate and Siege of Dragonspear. Wintershield also brings back Baeloth the Entertainer, Drow Sorcerer, and proprietor of The Black Pits also hailing from the Baldur's Gate games, and Artemis Entreri, the Human Assassin who first appeared in RA Salvatore's 1988 novel The Crystal Shard. Players have until Monday, January 3rd at 12 PM Pacific to complete their Wintershield 5 unlocks and objectives.

I. Viconia DeVir



    Viconia DeVir is a devout cleric of Shar, the goddess of darkness and loss. But don't mistake her cleric powers as a sign of her working for good. She may not approve of how the Champions operate, but if the quest and the payout are worthwhile, she's here and ready to assist.

Viconia is an evil alignment buffer who can reanimate dead enemies and turn them against their former friends. She also heals, but only if you get damaged enough to make it worth her time. Once unlocked, you can find this displaced drow in Slot 5 (Calliope)

II. Viconia's Stats

Race: Elf (Drow) Alignment: Neutral Evil
Gender: Female Pronouns: She/Her
Class: Cleric Age: 270
Affiliation: Heroes of Baldur's Gate

STR: 10 DEX: 19 CON: 8
INT: 16 WIS: 18 CHA: 14

Role: Support, Healing

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Strahd, Zariel

Slot: 5, (Calliope)


III. Viconia's Design

Viconia DeVir is a character from the original Baldur's Gate video game, as well as Baldur's Gate II and Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. Many of her powers, abilities, and personality were drawn from those games. We're excited to have another evil Champion joining the roster, as well as another member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate! She may begrudgingly call Baeloth and Minsc 'friends', but the rest of the Champions are just allies that can help her accomplish her goals and earn some coin. She'll offer the other Heroes of Baldur's Gate buffs with her Cleric of Shar ability, and heal those Champions who are in dire need with Cure Medium Wounds. But her main focus during battle is seizing control of the lifeless bodies of their enemies and using Animate Dead to send them back against their former allies!

For more information on Viconia and her abilities, check out her Champion Spotlight!

Year Five Variants


  • Adventure Variant 1: Wandering Patrols — Help a poor map find its way home with Viconia. Viconia joins the formation. She can be moved but not removed from the formation. Each wave spawns 1-3 Flaming Fist Soldiers. They don't drop gold, nor do they count towards quest progress. Gold Find is reduced by 99%.
    Complete Area 75.

  • Adventure Variant 2: Think About It — Only Champions with INT 13 or higher can be used. Each wave spawns 1-3 Drow Rangers that fire their ranged attack at a random Champion. These attacks also stun any non-elf Champion for 2 seconds due to sleep poison.
    Complete Area 125.

  • Adventure Variant 3: Snarky Map — Help a poor map find its way home with Champions that aren't very nice. Only Evil Champions and other Heroes of Baldur's Gate Champions can deal damage. Enemies move 200% faster and deal 500% additional damage.
    Complete Area 175.

  • Getting to know Viconia: Viconia buffs both evil Champions and other Heroes of Baldur's Gate. Use these types of Champions to get the most out of her support abilities!
For information on previous years' variants, check out the Wintershield 4 blog. And if you have feedback, let us know in a Community Q&A or Champion feedback post on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!
December 23rd, 2020
Idle Champions: Wintershield 4 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Wintershield sees a celebration of maps in the Realms, symbolizing our paths through the new year. As part of this year's tradition, the Champions have purchased a map from a Waterdeep street vendor. And then it started talking...

Wintershield 4 introduces Baeloth the Entertainer, Drow Sorcerer, and proprietor of The Black Pits. Wintershield also brings back Artemis Entreri, the Human Assassin who first appeared in RA Salvatore's 1988 novel The Crystal Shard, and Nerys Kathon, Human Cleric of Kelemvor, and Hero of Baldur's Gate. Players have until Monday, January 4th at 12PM Pacific to complete their Wintershield 4 unlocks and objectives.

For more information about Year 4 Events and how they work, please check out our Year 4 Events Dev Blog.

New Champion: Baeloth the Entertainer

Dungeons & Dragons Baeloth Barrytil The Entertainer

    Baeloth Barrityl is the master of The Black Pits, the combat arena he claims is 'the best show in all the realms'. Baeloth captures hapless adventurers to fight to the death all for the sake of entertainment! When he's not commanding the attention of anyone near him, he's doing whatever he can to reinforce that he's one of the top five spellcasters in all the realms.


Baeloth is a Gold Find and Support champion, lightening the pockets of his enemies as he kills them. Despite his alignment, Baeloth is quite the team player buffing and exuberantly encouraging his fellow Champions, delighting in their triumphs on the field, and providing a swift resurrection from his indentured servant, the Djinn Najimm! When you want to add Baeloth to your formation, you can swap him with Jarlaxle (Slot 4).

II. Baeloth's Stats

Race: Elf (Drow) Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Class: Sorcerer Gender: Male
Age: 222 Affiliation: none

STR: 12 DEX: 14 CON: 16
INT: 19 WIS: 12 CHA: 16

Role: Gold Find, Support
Eligible for Patrons: Vajra Safahr, Mirt the Moneylender, Strahd von Zarovich
Slot: 4, (Jarlaxle)


Baeloth's Abilities

Baeloth's design has three parts, his gold-find taking the entrance fee to the Black Pits, his buff as his excitement for his allies' success grows, and his swift rescue of teammates who have fallen. With Chain Lightning enemies Baeloth drop extra gold when killed, and if enemies are killed by a Champion in the row ahead of or behind him, he feeds on this excitement triggering Cause For Celebration, and they explode in a shower of magical confetti, damaging and slowing enemies near them. His excitement level grows as more and more death and destruction occur around him, which increases his buffs to nearby Champions through building stacks of Morbid Excitement.

Finally, since he's a team player, with Generous Djinn he has commanded Najim, his indentured Djinn to keep everyone alive, which means anyone who dies gets resurrected and protected for a short period of time.

For more information on Baeloth and his abilities, check out his Champion Spotlight!


Year Four Variants


  • Watchful Eyes — Only Champions with INT and WIS scores of 11 or higher can be used. Baeloth starts in the formation but he can be moved or benched.
    Reach Area 75.

  • Rat Problems — The streets of Waterdeep have been overrun by deadly giant rats from Avernus! All beast enemies in the adventure have been replaced by Abyssal Rats throughout the adventure. Additional Abyssal Rats spawn in each area. Abyssal Rats start out by dealing 100% additional damage, but each time an Abyssal Rat attacks a Champion, the damage of all Enemies increases by 10% (multiplicative).
    Reach Area 125.

  • The More the Merrier! — Baeloth starts in the formation and cannot be moved. An Ogre, a Shambling Mound and a Fire Elemental walk into a tavern appear in each area, while they are alive, they each grant a unique buff to the enemies.
    • Ogre — Enemies can only be damaged by Champions with Magical or Ranged base attacks.
    • Shambling Mound — Enemies deal 100% additional damage.
    • Fire Elemental — Enemies move 100% faster.
    • This adventure has unique dialogue.
    Reach Area 175.

For information on previous years' variants, check out the Wintershield 3 blog.
December 18th, 2020
Idle Champion Spotlight: Baeloth Barrityl 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Are you not entertained?! Prime spellcaster and the proprietor of the Black Pits, the premier fighting pit of the Underdark, and co-host of Improvised Champions. Maybe you played one of the most acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons video games of all time and recruited Baeloth into your party? Baeloth Barrityl is delighted to meet your acquaintance and is keen to get the back up of the benched champions to build another brilliant Black Pits to keep their skills sharp and allowing him to charge a modest fee for the masses' entertainment!

If you'd like to learn more about Baeloth the Entertainer, read on...

I. Baeloth the Entertainer

Dungeons & Dragons Baeloth Barrytil The Entertainer

    Baeloth Barrityl is the master of The Black Pits, the combat arena he claims is 'the best show in all the realms'. Baeloth captures hapless adventurers to fight to the death all for the sake of entertainment! When he's not commanding the attention of anyone near him, he's doing whatever he can to reinforce that he's one of the top five spellcasters in all the realms.


Baeloth is a Gold Find and Support champion, lightening the pockets of his enemies as he kills them. Despite his alignment, Baeloth is quite the team player buffing and exuberantly encouraging his fellow Champions, delighting in their triumphs on the field, and providing a swift resurrection from his indentured servant, the Djinn Najimm! When you want to add Baeloth to your formation, you can swap him with Jarlaxle (Slot 4).

II. Baeloth's Stats

Race: Elf (Drow) Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Class: Sorcerer Gender: Male
Age: 222 Affiliation: none

STR: 12 DEX: 14 CON: 16
INT: 19 WIS: 12 CHA: 16

Role: Gold Find, Support
Eligible for Patrons: Vajra Safahr, Mirt the Moneylender, Strahd von Zarovich
Slot: 4, (Jarlaxle)


Dungeons & Dragons Baeloth

III. Baeloth's Design

The design of Baeloth was a fun conversation with Mark Meer, talented actor and co-host of our very own Improvised Champions, a play-by-play commentary of Idle Champions, airing Mondays at 1PM Pacific on our Twitch Channel.

Baeloth's design has three parts, his gold-find taking the entrance fee to the Black Pits, his buff as his excitement for his allies' success grows, and his swift rescue of teammates who have fallen. Enemies Baeloth damages with his Chain Lightning drop extra gold when killed, and if enemies are killed by a Champion in the row ahead of or behind him, he feeds on this excitement triggering Cause For Celebration, and they explode in a shower of magical confetti, damaging and slowing enemies near them. His excitement level grows as more and more death and destruction occur around him, which increases his buffs to nearby Champions through building stacks of Morbid Excitement.

Finally, since he's a team player, with Generous Djinn he has commanded Najim, his indentured Djinn to keep everyone alive, which means anyone who dies gets resurrected and protected for a short period of time.

IV. Baeloth's Abilities

Basic Attack

  • Chain Lightning — Baeloth fires a bolt of lightning at a random enemy, which deals damage and arcs to another random enemy within a medium area of effect. Each time the lightning arcs it deals 20% less damage. Can arc up to 4 times total per attack, cannot arc to the same enemy twice.

Formation Abilities

  • Paid Partially with Pain — Enemies affected by Baeloth's Chain Lightning drop 25% more gold when killed. Enemies can only be affected once.
  • Cause For Celebration — Enemies killed by Champions in the column ahead of or behind Baeloth explode into magical paper confetti, dealing damage and slowing enemies near them by 50% for 10 seconds. The damage done ignores debuffs and is either half of the hit that killed them or one-quarter of their max health, whichever is higher. This effect can chain if the explosion kills an enemy, with the damage the chained explosions do being based on the damage from the previous explosion.
  • Morbid Excitement — Baeloth is excited when the battle is going well. He buffs the Champions in the column in front of and behind him by 10% for each stack of excitement he has, stacking additively. He gains stacks in the following ways:
    • An enemy drops extra gold due to Paid Partially with Pain: +1 stack.
    • An enemy explodes in confetti due to Cause for Celebration: +2 stacks per explosion.
    • A chain reaction occurs due to Cause for Celebration: +3 stacks per chain-explosion.
    • A Champion in any column in front of Baeloth takes damage: +5 stacks per hit.
    • A Champion dies: +100 stacks.
    Stacks are reduced by 10% every 10 seconds. Max stacks start at 20 but can be increased with a specialization choice.
  • Generous Djinn — Baeloth's Djinn servant, Najim, will bring any Champion that dies back to life at 1HP and make them immune to all damage for 20 seconds. For as long as the resurrected Champion lives, the party's damage is increased by 300%. This ability has a 60-second cooldown and if multiple resurrected Champions are alive the damage bonus stacks multiplicatively, with buffs applying to the post-stack value.

Specializations

  • Baeloth's Birthday Party — The Morbid Excitement stack increases related to Cause For Celebration are doubled and the damage bonus of Morbid Excitement is increased by 100%./li>
  • Over Excited — Increase the max stacks of Morbid Excitement by 200%.
  • The Show Must Go On — Increase the duration of Generous Djinn's immunity by 10 seconds and increase the pre-stack damage bonus by 100% (to 600% per stack).

Ultimate Ability

  • Now That's An Entrance — Najim streaks across the field, dealing massive damage to all enemies, pushing ones that survive back slightly, but more importantly increasing Baeloth's excitement stacks to max.

V. Baeloth's Legendary Equipment



Slot 1: Global DPS
Slot 2: Global DPS
Slot 3: Paid Partially with Pain
Slot 4: Morbid Excitement Damage
Slot 5: Morbid Excitement Stacks
Slot 6: Generous Djinn Post-stack Buffs

VI. Conclusion

What do you think about Baeloth? If you have feedback, let us know in a Community Q&A or Champion feedback post on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!
December 18th, 2019
Idle Champions: Wintershield 3 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Wintershield sees a celebration of maps in the Realms, symbolizing our paths through the new year. As part of this year's tradition the Champions have purchased a map from a Waterdeep street vendor. And then it started talking...

Wintershield 3 introduces Artemis Entreri, the Human Assassin who first appeared in RA Salvatore's 1988 novel The Crystal Shard, and brings back Nerys Kathon, Human Cleric of Kelemvor, and Barrowin Undurr, Dwarf Cleric of Gond. Players have until Monday, December 30th at 12PM Pacific to complete their Wintershield 3 unlocks and objectives.

Dungeons & Dragons Artemis Entreri

New Champion: Artemis Entreri

    Raised by the thieves' guild in Calimport, Artemis Entreri has since become one of the deadliest and most feared assassins in the history of Faerûn. Entreri is completely devoted to mastery of his craft, leaving no room in his life for emotional attachment or even personal pleasures. His fighting skills and tactical brilliance are equalled only by one other - the drow warrior Drizzt Do'Urden.
Artemis is an extremely potent DPS Champion who observes and copies the support abilities granted to other DPS Champions, duplicating them for himself. When you wish to add Artemis to the formation, you can swap him with Nayeli (Slot 3).

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

Dungeons & Dragons Nerys

Year 2 Champion: Nerys Kathon

    Nerys Kathon joined the Heroes of Baldur's Gate on a mission to protect her church, but was soon pulled into a harrowing journey to Barovia and beyond. As a cleric of Kelemvor, she grew up in service to the dying and the dead, and developed a cold detachment to anything outside of duties to her faith. Beneath that frosty exterior is a loyal and caring adventurer, but it's a side she rarely shows to anyone outside her closest friends.
Nerys is a Support / Healer Champion. She uses her Spiritual Weapon ability to support DPS Champions, giving a powerful extra attack to the highest DPS Champion in the formation, while at the same time healing Champions within two spaces. When you want to add Nerys to your formation, you can swap her with Arkhan (Slot 12).

For more information about Nerys, check out the Idle Champion Spotlight: Nerys dev blog!

Dungeons & Dragons Barrowin

Year 1 Champion: Barrowin Undurr

    A proud daughter of Clan Undurr and a devout follower of Gorm Gulthyn, the dwarven god of vigilance and duty. She spent fifteen years in the city of Ironmaster, in Icewind Dale, overseeing and protecting her family’s investment in the city’s lucrative mining operations. However, she saw little action and feared that her talents were being squandered. She has recently found a home within a budding organization called the Order of the Gauntlet, which vigilantly guards against the rise of evil in all its forms.

Barrowin is a Support / Healer Champion. She uses her Blessed Hammer ability to increase the power of Champion’s attacks through a stacking buff each time she attacks, while at the same time healing Champions in her column. When you want to add Barrowin to your formation, you can swap her with Tyril (Slot 10).

Year Three Variants

  • The Infamous Assassin — Only DPS and Support Champions may be used. Artemis begins the adventure in the formation. Champions other than Artemis cannot deal damage; instead, Artemis' Basic Attack Cooldown is reduced to 3 seconds and his Ultimate Ability Cooldown is reduced to 60-seconds and he begins the adventure with his Ultimate Ability unlocked.
    Reach Area 75.
  • Designation: Hostile — Only Champions with a Strength (STR) score of 12 or higher may be used. Mechanical Guards spawn in each area. These Mechanical Guards stun Champions at random whenever they appear, and the stun only wears off once the Mechanical Guard has been killed.
    Reach Area 125.
  • Fan Club — A really excited costumed Arkhan fan joins the formation. Every 50 areas, another costumed fan takes up another slot in the formation (this ends after Area 151).
    Reach Area 175.

Year Two Variants

  • Dragons Are Wild — The Cult of the Dragon attempts to distract you by unleashing illusionary dragons within the walls of Waterdeep! Armored Bronze Dragon Wyrmlings spawn in each area. They do no damage and drop no gold.
    Reach Area 75.

  • A Waterdhavian Party — Now that you're a 'local' adventuring group, you've become a tourist attraction. Two Drunk Waterdhavians join your adventure, taking up slots in your formation and moving every 25 areas.
    Reach Area 125.

  • Once More with Necromancy — Nerys begins the adventure in your formation. Relentless Undead spawn in each area, attacking your formation. When Relentless Undead are killed, they get back up after three seconds and continue their attack. However, Relentless Undead killed by Nerys' Spiritual Weapon are destroyed for good.
    Reach Area 175.

Year One Variants

  • The Chatty Map — The map is extremely chatty. Every 15 seconds it engages in deep conversation with a random Champion in your formation, disabling their DPS and Formation Abilities for 15 seconds.
    Reach Area 75.

  • The Cult of Daggers — Dagger-throwing Cultists spawn alongside normal waves and toss daggers at random Champions in your formation. These additional monsters drop no gold.
    Reach Area 125.

  • Only the Strong Survive — Only Champions with a Strength stat of 13 or higher can be used.
    Reach Area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

December 17th, 2019
Idle Champion Spotlight: Artemis Entreri 
Posted in Idle Champions.

    "...He recognized the man at once, though he hadn't seen him in years, by the emerald-encrusted dagger hilt protruding from the sheath on his hip. Regis had often contemplated stealing that beautiful weapon, but even he had a limit to his foolhardiness. The dagger belonged to Artemis Entreri..."

    RA Salvatore, The Crystal Shard (1988)
One of the most-requested characters we've ever had for Idle Champions finally arrives with Wintershield 3 later this week. It's time to introduce Artemis Entreri, the legendary assassin and ruthless arch-enemy of Drizzt Do'Urden, in the final Idle Champion Spotlight of 2019.

Are you ready to learn more?

A Legendary Assassin...

Dungeons & Dragons Artemis Entreri

    Raised by the thieves' guild in Calimport, Artemis Entreri has since become one of the deadliest and most feared assassins in the history of Faerûn. Entreri is completely devoted to mastery of his craft, leaving no room in his life for emotional attachment or even personal pleasures. His fighting skills and tactical brilliance are equalled only by one other - the drow warrior Drizzt Do'Urden.

Artemis is an extremely potent DPS Champion who observes and copies the support abilities granted to other DPS Champions, duplicating them for himself. When you wish to add Artemis to the formation, you can swap him with Nayeli (Slot 3).

II. Artemis' Stats

Race: Human Alignment: Lawful Evil
Class: Rogue (Assassin) Gender: Male
Age: unknown Affiliation: none

STR: 14 DEX: 20 CON: 15
INT: 16 WIS: 16 CHA: 13

Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Vajra

Dungeons & Dragons Mirt and Vajra

III. Artemis Entreri's Design

How do you bring to life Drizzt Do'Urden's ultimate nemesis? A legendary assassin able to match skills with anyone he comes across? As it turns out, you make him do just that!

We approached Artemis Entreri as an incredibly capable, observant, and adaptable fighter. When Artemis sees a move in combat, he can immediately duplicate it — and this is also true with formation abilities. If a DPS Champion other than Artemis receives a positional formation buff, Artemis will also receive a portion of the effect of that formation buff as well. This means Artemis is at his most powerful when fighting alongside other DPS Champions, opening up new formation possibilities where a support champion might be substituted for a DPS Champion so Artemis can duplicate multiple formation abilities from them. These stolen formation buff 'fragments' stack multiplicatively with any formation abilities that Artemis himself receives, and with the proper specialization choice, if the buffs are stolen from Drizzt or Catti-brie, this effect is further increased.

In addition to this unique mechanic, Artemis has a unique attack with his Vampiric Dagger. Getting a killing blow causes the dagger to become empowered, increasing Artemis' damage. This effect can stack multiple times, and with each attack there is a chance that the empowered dagger's power will be unleashed, dealing additional damage to whichever enemy was unlucky enough to be hit with the unleashed attack. Vampiric Dagger can cause Artemis' damage to spike randomly whenever he is reliably killing enemies, increasing his BUD-boosting potential.

Finally, Artemis' Ultimate Attack, One Upped, furthers increases his synergy with other DPS Champions by causing his Basic Attack cooldown to become reset whenever another DPS Champion attacks. This increases his damage based on the number of other DPS Champions in the formation, and lasts for the duration.

IV. Artemis Entreri's Abilities

Basic Attack

  • Vampiric Dagger — Artemis attacks the nearest enemy with his Vampiric Dagger.

Formation Abilities

  • Observance — Artemis observes and copies the positional formation abilities applied to other DPS Champions in the formation and gains a copy of those abilities on himself at 75% of their effectiveness, even if he himself already receives that effect.

  • Jeweled Power — Artemis' Vampiric Dagger is empowered. Whenever Artemis kills an enemy, Artemis' damage is increased by 100%, stacking multiplicatively. While this ability has at least 1 stack, there is a 10% chance per stack (additive) that the power will be unleashed when Artemis attacks, dealing 300% additional damage on that attack and resetting the empowered stacks to 0.

Specializations

  • Friend — Observance's effect is increased by 10% for positional formation abilities observed and copied from Champions adjacent to Artemis.

  • Foe — Observance's effect is increased by 25% for each positional formation ability observed and copied from either Drizzt Do'Urden or Catti-brie.

Ultimate Ability

  • One Upped — For 30 seconds, Artemis concentrates on showing off his martial prowess, increasing his base damage by 300% for each DPS Champion in the formation (including himself), stacking multiplicatively. Artemis' Basic Attack cooldown is reset to 0 whenever another DPS Champion attacks.

V. Artemis Entreri's Equipment

Dungeons & Dragons Artemis Entreri equipment

Slot 1: Self DPS
Slot 2: Self DPS
Slot 3: Observance
Slot 4: Jeweled Power
Slot 5: Ultimate Damage
Slot 6: Ultimate Cooldown

VI. Conclusion

It's been a long time coming, but Artemis Entreri is finally coming to Idle Champions. We had a fantastic time trying to find a way to bring this legendary character to life, and we think we've created a unique and potent DPS Champion with Artemis Entreri -- and more importantly, he really shines when he's stealing the buffs of the Companions of the Hall. We can't wait to see how far players go from here!

Feel free to send us feedback on via the Idle Champions Subreddit, Steam forum, or the Idle Champions Discord!
December 26th, 2018
Idle Champions: Wintershield 2 
Posted in Idle Champions.

It's time for the Magical Talking Map to take the Champions on another adventure around Waterdeep to celebrate another Wintershield, marking the end of one year and the transition into the next!

This year the Champions are joined by a deadly and devout Cleric of Kelemvor, Nerys Kathon, ally to Minsc, Boo, Delina, and the Heroes of Baldur's Gate!

Wintershield 2 runs until Monday, January 7th, 2019 at 12:00pm PST, introduces Nerys Kathon, War Domain Cleric of Kelemvor, and also brings back Barrowin Undurr, the Gold Dwarf Cleric!

New Champion: Nerys Kathon

    Nerys Kathon joined the Heroes of Baldur's Gate on a mission to protect her church, but was soon pulled into a harrowing journey to Barovia and beyond. As a cleric of Kelemvor, she grew up in service to the dying and the dead, and developed a cold detachment to anything outside of duties to her faith. Beneath that frosty exterior is a loyal and caring adventurer, but it's a side she rarely shows to anyone outside her closest friends.
Nerys is a Support / Healer Champion. She uses her Spiritual Weapon ability to support DPS Champions, giving a powerful extra attack to the highest DPS Champion in the formation, while at the same time healing Champions within two spaces. When you want to add Nerys to your formation, you can swap her with Arkhan (Slot 12).

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

Returning Champion: Barrowin Undurr

    A proud daughter of Clan Undurr and a devout follower of Gorm Gulthyn, the dwarven god of vigilance and duty. She spent fifteen years in the city of Ironmaster, in Icewind Dale, overseeing and protecting her family’s investment in the city’s lucrative mining operations. However, she saw little action and feared that her talents were being squandered. She has recently found a home within a budding organization called the Order of the Gauntlet, which vigilantly guards against the rise of evil in all its forms.

Barrowin is a Support / Healer Champion. She uses her Blessed Hammer ability to increase the power of Champion’s attacks through a stacking buff each time she attacks, while at the same time healing Champions in her column. When you want to add Barrowin to your formation, you can swap her with Tyril (Slot 10).

Year Two Variants

  • Dragons Are Wild — The Cult of the Dragon attempts to distract you by unleashing illusionary dragons within the walls of Waterdeep! Armored Bronze Dragon Wyrmlings spawn in each area. They do no damage and drop no gold.

  • A Waterdhavian Party — Now that you're a 'local' adventuring group, you've become a tourist attraction. Two Drunk Waterdhavians join your adventure, taking up slots in your formation and moving every 25 areas.

  • Once More with Necromancy — Nerys begins the adventure in your formation. Relentless Undead spawn in each area, attacking your formation. When Relentless Undead are killed, they get back up after three seconds and continue their attack. However, Relentless Undead killed by Nerys' Spiritual Weapon are destroyed for good.

Year One Variants

  • The Chatty Map — The map is extremely chatty. Every 15 seconds it engages in deep conversation with a random Champion in your formation, disabling their DPS and Formation Abilities for 15 seconds.

  • The Cult of Daggers — Dagger-throwing Cultists spawn alongside normal waves and toss daggers at random Champions in your formation. These additional monsters drop no gold.

  • Only the Strong Survive — Only Champions with a Strength stat of 13 or higher can be used.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

December 21st, 2018
Idle Champion Spotlight: Nerys Kathon 
Posted in Idle Champions.

Today, we're going to go into early detail on our newest Champion: Nerys Kathon, the Human Cleric of Kelemvor and the latest addition to the Heroes of Baldur's Gate!

Nerys will be available in our next Year Two Event, Wintershield, which launches on Wednesday, December 26th. I hope this blog will give you all you need to know about our latest champion. But don't forget that Wintershield is also a chance to collect and gear up Barowin Undurr, the Dwarf Cleric from last year's Wintershield extravaganza!

How you can unlock Nerys:

Nerys is unlocked by playing Wintershield, a limited-time event launching on December 26th at noon Pacific and running until January 7th at noon Pacific. Once you unlock Nerys, she swaps with Arkhan, Zorbu, and Azaka (Slot 12)

Who is Nerys:

Nerys Kathon joined the Heroes of Baldur's Gate on a mission to protect her church, but was soon pulled into a harrowing journey to Barovia and beyond. As a cleric of Kelemvor, she grew up in service to the dying and the dead and developed a cold detachment to anything outside of duties to her faith. Beneath that frosty exterior is a loyal and caring adventurer, but it's a side she rarely shows to anyone outside her closest friends.

Nerys is a member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. A group of adventures known well throughout Baldur's Gate and the Sword Coast. Other members include Minsc (and Boo!), Delina, Krydle, and Shandie. Minsc & Delina are already in-game, and Krydle and Shandie may join them sometime in 2019...

The Heroes of Baldur's Gate have been featured in the IDW comic series' written by Jim Zub titled Legends of Baldur's Gate, Shadows of the Vampire, Frost Giant's Fury, and the most recent, Evil at Baldur's Gate which featured a variant cover on the back of issue 5 drawn by our very own Adam Kosh!


Nerys's Design:

Nerys was created by Jim Zub and Max Dunbar for the Shadows of the Vampire comic series and she's not your typical cleric. To quote Jim: "As a cleric of Kelemvor she sees to the dying and the dead and regards most pain with a sense of cold detachment even as she heals others and helps them deal with their own suffering." Nerys is a devout follower of Kelemvor, known as the God of the Dead. She firmly stands by the idea that death comes to all, and those that die should move on. Because of that belief, she is strongly against the concept of undead.


Max Dunbar created a Nerys image for twitter that coincided with our launch on consoles!

We chatted with Jim Zub about what makes Nerys tick and how best we could integrate her with the champions. In the end, we landed on a late-game healer who focuses on helping the team kill enemies and stay alive until it is their time to meet their maker.

Base Attack - Dash and Slash: Nerys cleaves all targets near the closest enemy.


Formation Ability: Spiritual Weapon: Nerys' first formation ability unlocks her companion, a spiritual weapon. The spiritual weapon takes the form of her greatsword and attacks with her, doing a high percentage of her damage.

Formation Ability: War Healing: Nerys' next formation ability unlocks her healing capabilities. As death comes to all, so too does it come to baddies. Whenever an enemy is killed, Nerys heals the most damaged Champion within 2 slots of her.

Formation Ability: Unholy: Nerys' next formation ability focuses on the type of enemies Nerys abhors: Undead. She increases the damage all champions do to undead monsters. She'll be a great addition to any Tomb of Annihilation adventure!

Formation Ability: Follow My Friend: Nerys' final formation ability breaks the mold of spiritual weapon a bit, but it works with the spirit of her character. Her Spiritual Weapon now follows the Champion with the highest DPS, doing a portion of THEIR damage instead of Nerys'! Once you unlock this upgrade, having Nerys in your party will be a huge DPS boost in addtion to having her added healing capabilities. Speaking of those:

Nerys' Specializations:

Nerys's specializations are all about deciding whether the party needs her to focus on healing or damage.

If you choose Dig In, Nerys will heal an additional time. Once when an enemy is reduced to 50%, AND again when it's killed! If you choose Kelemvor's Will, she increases the effect of her Spiritual Weapon, including when it's basing it's damage off of another Champions' DPS.

Nerys' Ultimate Attack: Tip the Scales


For Nerys' ultimate, we wanted to come up with something really fun. She jumps into the fray, unleashing a halo of divine energy. It hits all enemies and both decreases the damage of those enemies AND increases the damage the party does against all enemies (including newly spawned ones) for 30 seconds.

Nerys' Equipment



Slot 1: Greatsword
  • Nerys' main weapon increases the damage of all Champions.
Slot 2: Breastplate
  • Nerys' armor increases the damage of all Champions.
Slot 3: Eyeshadow
  • Her eyeshadow increases the effect of her Spiritual Weapon.
Slot 4: Cloak
  • Her cloak increases the effect of her War Healing.
Slot 5: Holy Symbol of Kelemvor
  • Her holy symbol increases her ultimate attack damage.
Slot 6: Barovian Locket
  • The locket that led to the Heroes of Baldur's Gate's adventures in Barovia reduces the cooldown of her ultimate attack.

What about any other Nerys details I'm looking for?

Nerys is Lawful Good and a member of the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. Her stats are as follows:
Str: 16 Dex: 13 Con: 15 Int: 12 Wis: 17 Cha: 15

TL/DR- Final Nerys Thoughts

Nerys is a is a strong, smart, and brave cleric of Kelemvor. She'll heal damaged Champions whenever you kill an enemy, increase the Champions' damage against undead monsters, and uses her Spiritual Weapon to boost the DPS of the highest DPS Champion in your formation.

We'll be watching the discussion online and on discord to see how well she's received, so let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or on the official Discord! If you are enjoying Nerys, consider checking out the Legends of Baldur's Gate comic series by IDW!

Happy Holidays Champions Fans! Thanks for an amazing 2018! We can't wait to start 2019 with all of you!

~The Idle Champions Team