Today's update features our Second Anniversary Celebration, daily rewards for the next week, and a new high-level progression system we're calling the Patron System!

Patron System

The first Patrons have arrived! The Patron System is the basis for a new form of progression within Idle Champions. It allows you to replay previously completed variants and free plays with additional restrictions, and rewards you with patron currency and influence which can be used to purchase unique rewards and unlock unique perks.

We're releasing the bones of this system with our first 2 Patrons: Vajra Safahr, Blackstaff of Waterdeep, and Mirt the Moneylender! We'll continue to update the system in the coming weeks and months. For more information on the Patron System, check out our Patron System Developer Blog.

Anniversary Celebration

Today kicks off our second-anniversary celebration! On Sept 7, 2017 we launched on Steam, and it's been an AMAZING 2 years of live servicing. We're looking forward to many more! To celebrate, the birthday chests are back! Log in every day to collect a birthday chest, with handpicked items by the CNE team. If you collect 4 out of the 7 birthday chests, you can collect the anniversary chest which contains our first ever epic feat (for Celeste) as well as an exclusive Mind Flayer Hitch skin!

In addition to that, we've released the Patron System (see below) and a ton of new familiar and skin DLC packs to help you push further and get your formations set up! See the in-game Change Log for more information!

Hi everyone! Lead Designer Justin here with another installment of "What's That New Thing?" Hot on the heels of the recently-added Feats System, today we're talking about the upcoming Patron System, a brand new form of end-game progression coming to Idle Champions as part of next week's 2nd Anniversary Extravaganza!

What is the patron system?

The Patron System is the basis for a new form of progression within Idle Champions. It allows you to replay previously completed variants and free plays with additional restrictions, and rewards you with patron currency and influence which can be used to purchase unique rewards and unlock unique perks.

How do I use the patron system?

On PC and mobile platforms, click the new patron button on the top-left menu next to the reset button. On consoles, find the patron panel within the normal menu system. Once there, you can see the available patrons listed on the left. Each patron has a unique set of requirements you must meet and costs you must pay before they will accept you as a follower. Pay their price and you can begin to collect patron influence and currency by starting variants and free plays with the given patron active.

What are patron requirements and costs?

Patron requirements and costs are requirements you must meet and costs you must pay before you can begin to adventure on behalf of a given patron. Requirements include things like having a certain number of Champions unlocked, having a certain number of adventures completed, or even having a certain number of loot levels across all of your Champions' equipment. Costs currently include gems, time gate fragments, and silver chests.

What are patron restrictions?

Each patron comes with unique restrictions that apply to every variant or free play adventure you do while that patron is enabled. They apply in addition to the normal restrictions on a given variant, and can make the variant much, much more challenging.

What are the first two patrons and their restrictions?

The initial iteration of the patron system will launch with two patrons: Mirt the Moneylender and Vajra Safahr, the Blackstaff. Mirt requires all Champions take a side in the great battle between good and evil, and will not allow neutral Champions to partake in his adventures. Vajra, on the other hand, requires Champions of great constitution to do her bidding, and therefore does not allow Champions with a CON score of 13 or lower to represent her interests. Vajra's unlock requirements are slightly higher than Mirt's, as are her area requirements in her variants.

How do I use my patron?

Once you've unlocked a patron, you can activate them on the campaign map after you've completed your current adventure. Look on the right-hand side of the screen to see the patron selector. When active, the campaign map will show you all available patron variants and free plays for your chosen patron. You can disable your patron in order to do normal adventures. Once you start an adventure you can not switch or disable your patron without first completing the adventure.

Patrons are not available to use during event campaigns or time gate adventures. Switching to an event campaign or opening the time gate dialog will disable your current patron temporarily.

What are patron variants?

Patron variants are versions of all the normal adventure variants that you can start with an active patron, but include the patron's additional restrictions and have a much higher area requirement. You must complete the base adventure variant before you can do the patron variant. Patron variants award patron influence and currency based on the area requirement of the adventure, along with normal divine favor rewards. You only get the influence and currency if you complete the objective. Going beyond the area requirement does not increase the reward. Like normal variants, patron variants can only be completed once.

What are patron free plays?

Patron free plays are versions of the normal adventure free plays you can start with an active patron. Unlike patron variants, patron free plays do not award patron influence, but do award currency based on the area you reach, along with normal divine favor rewards. There is a maximum of 5,000 patron currency that can be earned from patron free plays each week, and after that, you will only gain normal divine favor rewards for completing patron free plays. Additional patron currency can be earned by completing patron variants or patron challenges.

What is patron influence?

Patron influence is earned by completing patron variants and can be used to purchase patron perks. The amount of influence earned from variants is fixed and can not be increased.

What are patron perks?

Patron perks are similar to blessings, and can be unlocked with patron influence on the patron dialog to increase your party's effectiveness. Some patron perks only apply while adventuring under your patron banner, while others apply globally on any adventure for any patron (or even no patron).

What is patron currency?

Patron currency is earned by completing patron variants, patron free plays, and patron challenges. Patron currency can be used to purchase unique rewards from the patron shop. There is a limit to the amount of patron currency you can earn from patron free plays and challenges each week, but there is no limit to the amount you can earn by completing patron variants (though there are a limited number of variants available).

What can I buy in the patron shop?

The patron shop allows you to purchase unique items using patron currency. The first items available are patron chests, which contain loot items for any of the Champions available to use on the given patron's variants and free plays, including event Champions. Additional items in the patron shop may require that you have a certain amount of patron influence before you can buy them, but include potions, time gate fragments, feats, skins, silver event chests, and familiars. Some items have a weekly limit on the number you can purchase, and others are only one-time purchases.

Note: Some patron shop items, such as skins, familiars, and silver event chests, are not being released with the launch of the system and will be added later.

What are patron challenges?

Patron challenges are another way to earn patron currency each week. They are a set of 10 challenges, similar to The "C" Team challenges we did earlier this year, that you can complete each week. You must be on a patron variant or free play in order to make progress towards that patron's challenges. Patron challenges can award 5,000 additional patron currency for completing them all each week, separate from the free play currency cap.

Note: The patron challenge system is not launching with the initial patron system, but will be added after several weeks.

How often will you be adding new patrons?

We do not yet have a firm cadence for new patron releases, but we hope to release many more patrons in the future and expand the system in other ways as well. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback about the patron system and may make changes in the future based on it.

Does this mean we're going to get less new adventures in the future?

We do not believe the patron system will impact the cadence of our new adventure and variant releases -- in fact, it will lead to more content being available because every time we release new variants they will be available to play with any unlocked patron you have as soon as you have completed the base variant.

When will the patron system be released?

The patron system will be released alongside the Year 2 Anniversary Celebration on August 28th, 2019.

Each year the citizens of Waterdeep celebrate Ahghairon's Day, honoring the first Open Lord of Waterdeep and the founder of the Lords of Waterdeep. Common folk leave violets and effigies at Ahghairon's Tower and the House of Wonder, Lords toast Ahghairon and the Watchful Order, and Guildmasters offer toasts in the name of the Lords.

For this year's festivities, the party has received an assignment from the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Laeral Silverhand — and when the Open Lord calls, you must answer...

Ahghairon's Day 2 introduces Jim Darkmagic, the most famous and powerful wizard from Acquisitions Incorporated. Players will have until Monday, August 26th, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT, to unlock Jim!

New Champion: Jim Darkmagic

James Winifred Darkmagic III is the scion of a mysterious, multi-planar wizarding family. As an entertainer and purveyor of the 'Jim Darkmagic Experience,' the legendary mage can often be found in markets and town squares performing feats of mundane legerdemain. The renown he has earned for these feats is nearly equaled by the reputation that follows him as a Chief Arcanist (and occasional arsonist) for Acquisitions Incorporated.

Jim is a DPS and Support Champion. His Wand of Wonder offers varied Support effects, and his Magic Magic Magic Magic increases the DPS of Champions with magic base attacks. When you want to add Jim to your formation, you can swap him with Minsc (Slot 7).

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

Year One Champion: Ishi Snaggletooth

Ishi Snaggletooth hails from a warren of Kobolds living in the sewers under Baldur's Gate. Always the type to be more curious than careful, she accidentally stowed away on a ship headed to Port Nyanzaru. There, she met her dear friend, the Firbolg Littlefox. Often shunned by humans, Ishi hopes to prove herself as a true hero however she can. Ishi's biggest claim to fame is the defeat of the known swordsman, Hershel Von Saberburg, and since that day she's touted herself as a renowned duelist to anyone that'll listen to her.

Ishi is always the fastest Champion in your formation. She increases her own damage as well as the party's Gold Find based on the number of non-human members. When you want to add Ishi to your party, you can swap her with Jarlaxle (Slot 4).

Year Two Variants

• Spelling "Bee" — Our Champions continue to struggle to spell "Ahghairon's day". Spelling Bees spawn at random, reducing the DPS of whomever kills them by 90% for 20 seconds. If that Champion kills another Spelling Bee before their debuff expires, the effect stacks and resets the cooldown back to 20 seconds.
  Reach area 75.


• Magical Misadventure — Only Champions whose base attacks are magical may be used.
  Reach area 125.


• Center of the Multiverse — Jim Darkmagic starts the adventure in the formation and cannot be moved or swapped out. Only formation slots which Jim considers to be useful to himself may be used (the columns in front of and behind him).
  Reach area 175.

Year One Variants

• Memory Magic — Two slots in your formation are affected by a magical spell causing all of the bandits to fight for the Eye of Gruumsh spellcaster. These affected slots change every 15 seconds by moving to a random adjacent slot. Heroes in affected slots must concentrate on resisting the magic, so they are unable to attack and all their Formation Abilities are disabled.
  Reach area 75.


• Orcs Among Us — One, two, or three Powered-up Orc Fighters spawn randomly with each wave. They have triple health, do triple damage, they do not drop any gold, and they do not count toward any quest progress.
  Reach area 125.


• No Humans Allowed — Ishi has been shunned by humans too many times, and for once she just wants them to see how it feels! You cannot use Human Champions in this variant.
  Reach area 175.

See the in-game FAQ for more information!

It's time for our newest Champion Spotlight! Today, we're previewing the release of James "Jim" Winifred Darkmagic III, human wizard and member of Acquisition's Incorporated. Read on to learn about this new and exciting Champion releasing later today in Ahghairon's Day Y2!

"Jim" who?

James Winifred Darkmagic III is the scion of a mysterious, multiplanar wizarding family. As an entertainer and purveyor of the 'Jim Darkmagic Experience,' the legendary mage can often be found in markets and town squares performing feats of mundane legerdemain. The renown he has earned for these feats is nearly equaled by the reputation that follows him as a Chief Arcanist (and occasional arsonist) for Acquisitions Incorporated.

Jim Darkmagic is a founding member of the Acquisitions Incorporated, played by Mike Krahulik. He joins his 'comrades' from the C-Team: Rosie, K'thriss, Donaar, and Walnut.

Jim's Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Chaotic Neutral	Class: Wizard
Age: 41	Affiliation: Acquisitions Incorporated
STR: 8	DEX: 14	CON: 10
INT: 18	WIS: 12	CHA: 14

To add Jim to your formation, you can swap him with Minsc (Slot 7).

Basic Attack

Jim attacks random enemies with his own brand of magic missiles.

Formation Abilities

Magic magic magic magic — Increase the damage of all Champions whose base attacks are magic by 50% (stacks multiplicatively) for each such Champion in the formation.

Wand of Wonder — Every 5 attacks, Jim uses their Wand of Wonder. It provides one of four random effects:

• Slow the target for 15 seconds.
• Stun the target for 5 seconds.
• Polymorph the target into an abyssal chicken with very little health or an armored mimic that drops more gold. (this effect cannot affect boss or special creatures).

Fan Club — Increase Jim's damage by 50% for each Champion in the column in front of and behind them (stacks multiplicatively).

Specializations

Jim's Specializations allow him to choose which route to focus on, DPS (Darkmagic cheer squad) or Support (Is there an echo in here?)

• Darkmagic Cheer Squad — This choice will increase the effect of Jim's Fan Club, letting him focus on his own damage.


• Is There An Echo In Here? — This choice will increase the effect of Magic magic magic magic, allowing him to support his allies more, if you're into that sort of thing.

Ultimate Attack

Jim's Magical Maelstrom — Jim attacks all enemies with a showery shower of sparks. You can't miss it!

Equipment

Final Thoughts

We're psyched to add Jim to the game, and feel he has a lot to offer the most magical of formations.

As always, feel free to send us feedback on via the Idle Champions Subreddit, Steam forum, or the Idle Champions Discord!

Greetings, Champions!

We hope your August has been filled with joy and adventures, both inside and outside Idle Champions. It's a very busy month for us here at Codename Entertainment, not just because we continue to work on live servicing our games while half our staff go on holiday, but also because we're gearing up for PAX West.

Wait -- did we mention that we'll be at PAX West again this year? Whoops. Let me start over. We're going to be at PAX West again this year! And not only are we hosting our very own booth (#7301 on Floor 6) but we will be featuring a whole bunch of fun stuff. Read on to learn more...

Put a Bird on it for Charity

Some of you may remember that last year we did a charity fundraiser for Take This and AFK Rooms at PAX, raising over $11,500 in support of Mental Health Awareness!

This year we have partnered with the incredible Amy T. Falcone, aka Walnut Dankgrass on Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C" Team, to bring Walnut's Familiar, Vizier, the Steller's Jay, to Idle Champions.

Would you like to know more? We have a video for you!



Through August 27th, 2019, all net proceeds from the Vizier the Steller's Jay Familiar Pack will be donated to Take This in support of AFK Rooms at PAX events. It's a fantastic cause and one we really believe in, so we hope you'll help!

Meet the Cool Kids

What fun is a PAX without your friends? This year we're hosting some amazingly-talented folks over at Booth 7301 for signings/meet & greets, and when we're not already introducing you to awesome people our artists will be drawing caricatures of PAX attendees as D&D classes. Ever wanted to have your likeness immortalized as a Warlock or Barbarian on a fragile sheet of paper? PAX West is your chance!

PAX West Booth 7301 Schedule

Note: subject to change, because, well, things happen and you adapt ;)

TIME	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
10AM–12PM	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures
12PM–1PM	High Rollers	The "C" Team & Anna Prosser	Anna Prosser	Caricatures
1PM–2PM	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures
2PM–3PM	Erin M Evans	Erin M Evans	Caricatures	Caricatures
3PM–4PM	Caricatures	High Rollers	High Rollers	Caricatures
4PM–5PM	Scott Kurtz	Caricatures	Scott Kurtz	Caricatures
5PM–6PM	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures	Caricatures

Yes, you read that right: it's all caricatures, all day long on Monday, September 2nd. Many PAX attendees wait until Monday to get their caricatures done, and that's awesome - but keep in mind that the queue for caricatures does tend to fill up quickly!

Free PAX Stuffâ„¢

At past events we've always had a selection of Champions for players to pick up through Champion Postcards. This PAX we're going to put a little bit of a spin on it and make things far more simple. There will be one giveaway to rule them all: Rockstar Jim Darkmagic!

Anyone who drops by Booth 7301 can pick up a Champion Postcard that unlocks Rockstar Jim Darkmagic, a costume based on Mike Krahulik's cosplay at Acquisitions Incorporated Live - PAX West 2018. And, if you don't already have Jim Darkmagic unlocked, the Rockstar Jim Darkmagic Postcard will unlock him for you as well.



I can already hear the collective groan of players who will miss out on PAX West and their chance to get Rockstar Jim Darkmagic. Worry not, friends — we will be making Rockstar Jim Darkmagic available again in the future. So while PAX West 2019 will be your first chance to get this exclusive outfit, it will return, and in the meantime you'll be at least as cool as Jim!

Is that it?

No, that's not all! But the other stuff isn't quite ready to be shared. We have a rather ambitious idea for our booth setup this year and we're still working on it, unsure about whether or not this crazy idea will work. We hope to share that info soon, but everyone may have to wait until the doors open to PAX West and then head on over to Booth 7301 on Floor 6 in order to find out...

In the meantime, we hope you'll consider contributing to Take This by grabbing your very own Vizier the Steller's Jay Familiar!

Following a climactic battle with the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich in Castle Ravenloft, the Champions have found their way back to the Sword Coast, close to Mirabar and the Lurkwood.

Along the road, the Champions come across Volothamp Geddarm, the scholar they first met back in Waterdeep during A Botched Kidnapping. Volo invites them on a hunt for an elusive beast...

Today's update features the ninth (nein!) update for our Grand Tour of the Sword Coast campaign, along with our new Feats system! Read on to learn more!

Note: You will need to complete the Grand Tour Adventure Towering Expectations in order to access these new adventures.

Feats

Feats have arrived! Feats are small, Champion-specific buffs that can be unlocked and assigned to your Champions. They offer an additional level of customization for your favorite Champions — and may even provide some new formation opportunities!

Various rarities of Feats can be found or unlocked throughout Idle Champions. Some Feats are available by default for each Champion, while others are found in Gold Chests, purchased with gems, or sold with Weekend Buff Chests or other premium packages. Don't worry, Feats sold with Weekend Buffs or premium packages will also be available for larges sum of gems when the chests or package goes on sale.

For more information on Feats, check out our Feats Developer Blog.

Who Lurks in Lurkwood

Back from Barovia, the Champions find themselves on the road to Mirabar. Along the way they run into Volothamp Geddarm, who invites them on a hunt for an elusive beast...

• Variant: Bullywugs in the Bog — Two local Bullywugs take up spots in the formation. Reach area 325.

Orcs are Wild

A wounded Eye of Gruumsh pleads for aid. A Hobgoblin Wizard has taken over his tribe and corrupted them, and it's up to the Champions to stop it..

• Variant: An Abyssal Situation — Abyssal Chickens are everywhere! After every 10th enemy spawn, an armored Abyssal Chicken will appear. They do not grant gold or quest progress. Every 10 areas the number of Abyssal Chickens that spawns increases by one (2 per area in area 11–20, 3 per area from 21–30, 4 per area from 31–40, etc, with 32 in area 291–300). Reach area 300.

See the in-game Change Log for more information!

Want to learn more about the upcoming Feats system in Idle Champions? Well, you've come to the right place! Read on below to learn how you will be able to use Feats to augment your Champions' power and customize them to your liking!

What are Feats?

Oh, I'm glad you asked! Feats are small, Champion-specific buffs that you can unlock and assign to your Champions. You can have a small number of Feats assigned to each Champion at once, based on how many Feat Slots you've unlocked for the particular Champion. Feats allow you to customize your Champions in ways that make them better for you, and could unlock new formation possibilities.

How do I unlock Feat Slots?

Feat Slots are unlocked when a Champion reaches specific Champion levels. Once a Feat Slot is unlocked, it's unlocked forever and persists through resets. Additional Feat Slots require higher and higher Champion levels. You can see the level you must reach to unlock a new Feat Slot on the Champion Profile dialog. The level requirements are unique to each Champion.

How do I get Feats?

A small set of uncommon-tier Feats are available by default for every Champion. Rare feats can be found in gold chests (for all Champions, not just core and evergreen), or purchased with gems (it varies from Feat to Feat). Some epic Feats may be sold as sweeteners with weekend buff chests or found in other premium packages. Such Feats will also be available for a large sum of gems, starting as soon as the chests or package goes on sale.

How do I assign Feats?

You can assign Feats on the Champion Profile dialog. Select an unlocked Feat to assign it to an available Feat Slot. On the Champion Profile you can also see all the locked Feats for that Champion, and purchase ones which cost gems to unlock.

What kinds of things do Feats buff?

The initial set of Feats can do the following:

• Buff a Champion's own damage
• Buff global damage
• Buff a Champion's hit points
• Buff a Champion's healing
• Buff the party's gold find
• Buff one of Champion's formation abilities
• Increase the overwhelm point of a Champion
• Increase an ability score by 1 (STR/CON/DEX/INT/WIS/CHA)

Additional Feats may be added in the future that expand on this list.

What are the odds to get a Feat from a Gold Chest?

The odds to get a Feat from a gold chest are approximately 4% (1 in 25 chests). There is currently no pity timer on Feat drops from gold chests, so it's possible to go more chests than that without finding one. It is not currently possible to earn multiple Feats from a single gold chest.

Can I get Feats from any other chest types?

No. You can currently only get Feats from normal gold chests. Champion specific or weekend chests will not drop Feat cards.

Will new Champions have Feats right away?

Yes, new event and evergreen Champions will have a small set of Feats available as soon as they are released.

Will you add more Feats for existing Champions?

Yes, we plan to add additional Feats for some Champions over time as the opportunity arises.

When is this system going to be released?

Soon!â„¢

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Got any more questions about Feats? Tune in to our live stream over at twitch.tv/dnd starting at 1:00pm PDT on Thursday, August 8th! Lead Designer Justin Stocks will be joining Host Dylan Wilks to answer all your Feats-based questions!