You've been recruited by a merchant guild in Waterdeep to look into a number of mysterious missing ships over the past year. The Fair Seas Festival is a good time to look into this as people are quite open about the dangers of the sea, the fury of Umberlee, and so forth.

Many people blame Umberlee for the missing ships, but the merchant guild isn't so sure...

Fleetswake 5 introduces Desmond, the lyncathropic lone wolf human Ranger played by Deejay Knight on The Black Dice Society. Fleetswake also brings back Orisha, an Aasimar Cleric and Bard and Sisaspia, a Yuan-Ti Pureblood Circle of Spores Druid. Players have until Monday, March 7th at 12 PM Pacific to complete their Fleetswake 5 unlocks and objectives.

I. Desmond

While on the hunt for food as a teenager, Desmond was inflicted with the curse of lycanthropy. After a lot of work and time, he's accepted his new lycanthropic nature and now savors any opportunity to unleash the beast inside if the situation arises. Since his companions travel the dark lands of Ravenloft, there are plenty of occasions to transform!

Desmond is a Support Champion whose noble heart and fearsome bite can aid his allies through even the darkest of adventures. When you want to add him to your formation you can swap him with Jarlaxle in slot 4.

II. Desmond's Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Ranger	Gender: Male	Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 33
Affiliation: Black Dice Society

STR: 16	DEX: 15	CON: 11
INT: 11	WIS: 12	CHA: 13

Role: Support
Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Zariel
Slot: 4 (Jarlaxle)

III. Desmond's Design

The Black Dice Society tells the dark tale of six souls struggling to survive their journeys through the horrific lands of Ravenloft. When he's not giving an outstanding portrayal of a fearsome ranger, Deejay Knight prefers happier moods as a variety streamer focusing on big laughs and positivity both on stream and in his community!

Desmond's lycanthropic transformation may make him incredibly deadly, but he's a Support Champion whose primary goal is to assist his pack. That's why his Noble Heart will always be focused on increasing the damage of adjacent Champions, and when Running With The Pack he'll further increase that bonus for Lycanthropes, Druids, and other Black Dice Society Champions. As the moon waxes and wanes, so does Desmond's power and ability to buff his companions. Should any of his companions fall, Desmond will increase all Champion damage to make up for their fallen comrade.

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

Year Five Variants

• Adventure Variant 1: Full Moon Madness — Desmond takes up a slot in the formation, he can't be moved or removed from the formation. In Non-Boss areas, each wave creates extra sailors. They do not drop gold, or count towards quest progress.
  Complete Area 75.
Getting to know Desmond: Desmond's attack speed speeds up during the full moon can help you cut through hordes of enemies. Use his specialization to make the most of this!


• Adventure Variant 2: New Moon Nemesis — Desmond takes up a slot in the formation, he can't be moved or removed from the formation. In Non-Boss areas, each wave spawns one additional Armored Crab with 5 armored HP. It does not drop gold or count towards quest progress. Every time a crab spawns, a random Champion is stunned for 10 seconds.
  Complete Area 125.
Getting to know Desmond: Desmond's damage boost during the new moon can help you get through heavily armored foes. Use his specialization to make the most of this!


• Adventure Variant 3: Strength to Persevere — Only Champions with a STR of 16 or higher may be used. A werewolf starts in the formation. An additional werewolf joins the formation every 50 areas.
  Complete Area 175.
Getting to know Desmond: Desmond increases the damage of the formation when slots are filled with escorts (or dead Champions). Use him to reduce the sting of missing formation slots!

New DLC

Also launching with Desmond is the Shadowfell Desmond Theme Pack! This pack includes an unlock for Desmond, the new Shadowfell Desmond Skin, the Frost, the wolf cub familiar, Desmond's Epic The Raven's Call Feat, which increases Noble Heart by 80%, 1 Epic Potion of the Gold Hunter, and 16 Gold Desmond Chests with 2 Guaranteed Shiny Equipment Cards.

For information on previous years' variants, check out the Fleetswake 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!

Happy Valentine’s Day Bushwhackers!

The residents of the Commons are putting on a Valentine’s Day dance, so you know what that means! Helping with the set-up through one-time and daily quests, plus turn-ins!

It’s not Valentine’s without presents! Help stock the stands with Chocolates, Teddy Bears and Roses by turning in Candy Hearts as the stations unlock.

The event organizer seems a bit frazzled. Why don’t you help her out by doing her set-up quests each day? And don’t forget to keep those party supplies topped off!

Once the Valentine's dance has started, you get to look for the partner of your choice to share a moment on the dance floor.

Jim and Sasha's relationship quests are around. If you haven't married them yet, you'll see either their Dating or Proposal quest line. If they are married, you get to help the pair pack for their honeymoon, or celebrate their anniversary.

And who is that mysterious note from this year?

Aaron's bunnies, Cinnamon and Snowball, have run off and are making like, well rabbits! This is a challenging quest that might take you the better part of the event to complete, as you've got to catch not only Cinnamon and Snowball, but their 100 little bunny babies as well! Good luck!

Nate's needs your help setting up a date with his one true love: Adventure! When he returns from his "date", he'll bring you back a Trophy for his sister Natalie. Later on, one of the girls will need some support after her Kindler Date dumps her. Ice Cream daily quests ought to help, until it's time to help them through the 5 stages of grief. All five quests will unlock right after each other and then she will have a new daily quest for you.

New for 2022

Your Own Bandstand!
A band's worth of instruments but no place to put them? We have good news for you! Remember Jimmie the guitar virtuoso? If you completed his lessons last year, he'll help you build a Bandstand for your ranch this year!

Changing Sanctuary Partners!
Also new this year, you can break up with your current partner in Sanctuary Village! Sounds harsh, I know. But we've gotten requests to be able to switch who you're dating, so this is how you do it: Talk to your partner, Burl or Faun, and choose the "I think we should break up" chat option. After which you'll be able to date the other person, or even them again. Note you can only do this during the Valentine's event, and cannot do it during the Gift of Love quest.

Organizer Chatting Bug Fix!
We've also fixed the pesky bug where you sometimes wouldn't be able to talk to the event organizer depending on where she’s wandered to! Finally.

New Ribbons & 100% Reward!
If you can complete the event, you'll earn this awesome 100% reward: the Valentine's Flower Box!



New Mounts!
Follow your passions and tame a Flower Peacock mount during the first weekend of the event!



New Pets!
Starting next Friday, the 3 new Valentine's themed pets for this year will be available to purchase over the weekend! Can they woo your heart?

Event Achievements -- POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

There are a total of 19 possible achievements to earn in the Valentine’s Day 2022 event.

Achievements Returning for 2022
Party Planning Committee - You helped at least once at each Valentines Station.
Party Planning Leader - You helped 50 times at each Valentines station.
Pet Detective - You found each of the lost pets at least once.
Nate's Date - You helped Nate pick a Date.
The Five Stages of Grief - You helped Nate's rejection get through her pain.
Two Left Feet - You danced at the Valentines Dance.
Setup Wizard - You helped the party organizers with all their tasks.
Guitar Training - Follow through with Virtuoso Guitarist Jimmie's lessons.
A Secret Admirer - Find a note from a true secret admirer.

Added/Changed for 2022
Looking Lovely - Purchase all of the 2022 Valentine's Event Item!*

We also have 8 achievements from previous years which may be earnable by spending Bush Bucks if you missed getting them the first time around.

Customization Lover - You bought all the Valentines things from 2013!
Customize Your Love - You bought all the Valentines things from 2014!
Heart-wearer - You bought all the Valentines things from 2015!
Hearts Hearts Hearts! - You bought all the Valentines things from 2016!
Passionate Purchases - You bought all the Valentines things from 2017!
Romantic Acquisitions - Purchase all of the 2018 Valentine's Event Item!
Winsome Wardrobe - Purchase all of the 2019 Valentine's Event Item!
Smitten Shopper - Purchase all of the 2020 Valentine's Event Item!
Beguiling Garments - Purchase all of the 2021 Valentine's Event Item!

*The Valentine’s mini-golf piece is not included in the Looking Lovely achievement.

This event runs until Friday February 25th @ Noon PST (8pm GMT).

Post your love for the event here!

Merci is nothing if not tenacious. After six years of trying to find a match for a Valentine's Day outing, he's still game to try and try again with help from his ever-growing collection of friends.

This year Merci's new friend is Audre DeLarveie!

It's time for Merci's Mix-Up 7!

Merci's Mix-Up 7 runs until Tuesday, February 22nd, introducing Audre DeLarveie and bringing back Rosoideae, Alacrity the Matchmaker, Rocky the Rockstar, Sally the Succubus, Warwick the Warlock, Katie the Cupid, Frankie the Demon Crooner, and Ishtar!

New Tier 7 Crusader: Audre DeLarveie

Tags: Event, Dwarf, Elf, Female, Support, Gold

A long time ago, and just around the corner in a cozy little cottage, a dwarf and an elf loved each other very much and they had a daughter, whom they named Audre. They raised her with love and taught her to be kind and polite, but polite doesn't mean agreeing with everything people ask of her. She also developed a backbone.

One day, you're walking along the street and past the cottage where Audre is sitting outside with a table and a stack of pamphlets.

"Could I talk to you about people's rights?" she asks, holding out a pamphlet to you.

Intrigued, you read the pamphlet a bit. "This is really well-thought-out. What's the catch?"

She grimaces. "What do you mean, catch? Everyone deserves fair treatment, no matter their background or views, but we're not there yet. There's still more work to do."

You think about it for a second. "That makes sense. We could use your spirit," you say. "Wanna come with us? We travel through a lot of universes, you could get your message spread pretty far."

Audre crosses her arms and thinks for a minute, looking at her cottage. "March with pride across the multiverse? Count me in. Hannah, I'm going on an adventure!"

Hannah stepped out of the cottage and walked over to Audre and you. "Of course you are," she said, giving Audre a hug and kiss. "But come back from time to time, all right? I'll miss you."

"A herd of stampeding alien trash pandas couldn't keep me away," Audre smirked. "I'll come back in my downtime." Turning to you, she said, "Let's go!"

Audre has joined the party.

New Tier 7 Objectives

Recruit Audre DeLarveie | Audre DeLarveie takes up a slot in the formation. Rocky the Rockstar and Sally the Succubus take up spots in formation and can't be removed. Only 3 Crusaders at a time can do DPS. Note: This will require having cleared the objective Bullet Hell on Ready Player Two to complete. Beat area 650.

Big Game Meet and Greet | Warwick the Warlock and Katie the Cupid take up spots in formation and can't be removed. Truck occupies a spot in the formation. If there's an equal number of male and female Crusaders in the formation, the formation gets a 2e5% DPS boost. Note: This will require having cleared the objective Washed Up on World's Wake to complete. Beat area 750.

The Heart's Flames | Frankie the Demon Crooner and Ishtar take up spots in formation and can't be removed. Ishtar's Fire and Rain upgrade starts as purchased. All non-boss area quest requirements are now "Kill 10 of Ishtar's Fire Sprites." Note: This will require having cleared the objective Washed Up on World's Wake to complete. Beat area 800.

Chasms of Emotion | Alacrity the Matchmaker takes up a spot in formation and can't be removed. The formation has been changed. Note: This will require having purchased the max level of the Arithmagician Talent to complete. Beat area 850.

The Road to Self Care | Rosoideae takes up a spot in formation and can't be removed. Taskmasters can't be placed to click monsters. Four self-doubt golems spawn, each with an annoying ability. A life coach occupies a slot in the formation and provides a 100% gold buff for each golem killed, stacking additively. Note: This will require having purchased the max level of the Arithmagician Talent to complete. Beat area 900.

More info

You'll have until Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 at 12:00 PM Pacific Time to complete Merci's Mix-Up 7!

For more info on previous Merci's Mix-Up Crusaders and objectives check out the Merci's Mix-Up Tier 6 blog post.

Equipment for event Crusaders can be found in Silver and Jeweled Valentine's 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, Tier 4, Tier 5, Tier 6, and Tier 7 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 when you go to purchase chests with real money or event currency.

Coppers of the Creature Collector

A new collector is visiting the Commons event area this time! What do they collect? Automobiles! And they've got three loud and proud cadillac mounts!



Head to the event area and choose one to test drive. You have until noon on Wednesday, February 9th to complete the collector's four daily tune-up quests, level up your chosen automobile, earn Creature Coppers to spend in their store, and get another page to your Creature Collector's Compendium!

The Compendium Page will be given after the event ends. If you don't have the Creature Collector's Compendium ranch item, you'll get it when you get your first page.

After the event, the collector will be taking their automobile back unless you adopt it by purchasing its corresponding mount pack, available starting Monday, February 7th.

Pedal to the metal, Bush Whackers!

The tune-up quests unlock at noon on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Those busy on the weekends can still catch up!

Notes
- The VIP "Quest Reset" power does not reset these mini event quests, and they are not affected by the Time Turner and Timey Whimey Watch.
- Swapping your event mount with a higher level mount doesn't count towards event progress.
- These three mounts earn double the experience compared to other mounts for the duration of this mini-event!
- Expiring mounts cannot have their bonuses swapped.

Ye Olde Creature Collector's Galleria - Mounts

When you speak to Tanela Tiva in the event area, you can select the "What past mounts are for sale?" chat option.

This will open a new store, which will contain 3 non-event premium mounts you have never owned! They cost Bush Bucks, like in event stores. The selection will change next time Tanela Tiva visits to event area.

We've done this in response to players asking to see old premium mounts they've missed out on, to help you fill out your mount collection. Snag those old-school mounts you're missing out on!

Read the Release Notes!

As Camp Vengeance gets ready to celebrate Grand Revel, a lone Templar approaches the Champions. Her merchant friend's caravan is missing.

The investigation found only scattered supplies and wreckage along the trail. If there are any survivors, they seem to have been taken into the jungles of Chult...

Grand Revel 5 introduces Vi, the planes-walking, gun-toting, gnome artificer played by Jeremy Crawford on Acquisitions Incorporated. Grand Revel also brings back Hew Maan, a definitely human Champion and not three kobolds in a trench coat, and Havilar, the Tiefling Fighter (Battlemaster) and twin sister to Farideh. Players have until Monday, February 14th at 12 PM Pacific to complete their Grand Revel 5 unlocks and objectives.

I. Vi

Artificer, entrepreneur, and planeswalker, the gnome Vi hails from the world of Eberron. Seeking to atone for her part in creating devastating weapons for the Last War, she established the Fixers, a business dedicated to fixing problems others deem unfixable. Born with an aberrant dragonmark that allows her to travel from one plane of existence to another, she's brought her genius, warm heart, and love for a stiff drink to many worlds. The Fixers are headquartered in Sigil, the City of Doors, but Vi has established offices throughout the multiverse.

Vi is a Support, Speed and Gold Find Champion who wants to surround herself with good people, while encouraging those morally gray folks to use their resources for good causes. When you want to add her to your formation you can swap her with Arkhan in slot 12.

II. Vi's Stats

Race: Gnome	Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Artificer	Gender: Female	Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 500
Affiliation: Acquisitions Incorporated

STR: 8	DEX: 12	CON: 16
INT: 18	WIS: 13	CHA: 12

Role: Support, Speed, Gold Find
Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Vajra, Strahd
Slot: 12 (Arkhan)

III. Vi's Design

As the Principal Rules Designer for Dungeons & Dragons, Jeremy Crawford has helped craft much of the D&D content fans know and love, and as the Dungeon Master for Acquisitions Incorporated he's lead the liveplay games in moments that range from hilarious to touching. So it's no surprise that he has used his plethora of knowledge and experience to draw upon when creating characters filled with warmth, intelligence, and sass! He's played Vi in a variety of livestreamed games, and she's appeared offering information in Eberron: Rising From The Last War.

Vi does her best to assist people on various worlds learn to help themselves, and believes she can encourage others to use their talents and skills to fix problems throughout the multiverse. So she tries to set A Good Example by surrounding herself with other good Champions to help Neutral ones do more damage. If there are only a few enemies left, Vi will gain some Sass and decide I'm Too Old For This #*&!, impatiently waiting for her friends to finish the final creatures off. In a flourish of brilliant artificer engineering, Vi's Ultimate Attack is an Arcane Cannon in the shape of a massive metal Cockatrice!

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

Year Five Variants

• Adventure Variant 1: Timing is Everything — Vi starts in the formation. She can be moved to other slots, but she can't be removed from the formation. Vi's Arcane Cannon ultimate starts out unlocked. All Champion Base Attack cooldown speeds are increased by 8 seconds. If you activate Vi's second use of her Arcane Cannon ultimate in the last 5 seconds of the ultimate's duration, its cooldown is immediately reset.
  Complete Area 75.
Getting to know Vi: Vi's ultimate has a second stage that you might lose if you forget to activate it. Learn how to get the most out of it!


• Adventure Variant 2: Time For a Good Hug — Vi starts in the formation. She can't be moved or removed from the formation. You can only use Neutral (on the Good/Evil axis) and Evil Champions that have the DPS role, and you can only use Good Champions that have the Support role.
  Complete Area 125.
Getting to know Vi: Vi likes formations where you surround a neutral Champion with good ones. Figure out how to use it to your advantage!


• Adventure Variant 3: Double Our Efforts — Two Explorers join the formation. They deal no damage and can't be moved. Good Champions deal no damage with their base attacks. All non-boss area quest requirements are doubled, twice as many monsters spawn with each wave, and monsters drop half the amount of gold.
  Complete Area 175.

For information on previous years' variants, check out the Grand Revel 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!