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Cloud9 Acquires Nemesis Hydra; Another Milestone for Storied Organizations

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Sep 01, 2016

 

c9_vg

It’s been a long, winding road for Nemesis, one of (if not the), longest-running Vainglory competitive organizations of all time.

We first saw them publicly in March 2015, when their original lineup of Hardek, FooJee and LostBoyToph defeated Korea’s Invincible Armada in a dev stream showmatch. From there, Nemesis Hydra emerged as the most consistent competitive performer in North America, playing on Day 3 (Semifinals/Grand Finals) of every single seasonal live championship to date.

And in the new Vainglory Evil Eight esports structure, the lineup of Hardek (lane), iLoveJoseph (jungle) and LostBoyToph (roam) proved exceptionally dangerous, running off a 14-match win streak in Split 1 for first place. During Split 2, Hydra dipped all the way down to fifth seed for the 2016 Summer Live Championships based on roster volatility that has since been resolved.

Now, Nemesis Hydra has hit another milestone achievement, distinguishing themselves enough to be scouted and ultimately acquired by esports giant Cloud9. C9 has been a household name among esports fans ever since exploding into the League of Legends circuit in 2013. They broke LCS records, won the Summer 2013 NA LCS Championships in their inaugural season and again in Spring 2014. Since, Cloud9 has made multiple appearances in premier regional and international championships, placing second in the most recent NA LCS Summer split.

Vainglory’s Cloud9 team will debut in this weekend’s Summer Live Championships in Seattle, facing a high-powered Phoenix Reborn squad. Should C9 prevail, it sets up a potential Day 2 showdown with top-seeded Team SoloMid, in what would be the first-ever North America battle of multi-esport organizations that gained prominence outside of Vainglory.

Nemesis Hydra — now Cloud9 — has never won a Vainglory seasonal championship, despite numerous close calls. Perhaps donning C9’s signature blue & white, this team will finally reach that ultimate milestone.


VAINGLORY CLOUD9 PLAYER ROSTER

  • Hardek (lane)
  • iLoveJoseph (jungle)
  • LostBoyToph (roam)

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Cloud9 Gaming Acquires Vainglory team; Will Compete in this Weekend’s Summer Season Championships in Seattle


Watch the 2016 Summer Live Championships on twitch.tv/vainglory this weekend, beginning at 4PM PDT on Friday.

Introducing Opals & ‘Original Skin’ Identifiers

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Sep 08, 2016

1000x500_Opals

 

We heard you: New plan for seasonal skin reissues

The new Sunlight-based progression system is now a season old, and we’re excited to take what we’ve learned and level it up for Autumn. We’re beefing up the Daily Chest rewards and adding a new Season Chest with some serious loot. You’ll need to get your hands on special keys, but each time you open the Season Chest, you’ll stand a chance of hitting massive jackpots or unlocking entire skins.

Season Chests may also grant a new currency called Opals, which is where things get really interesting. We’re at the point in Vainglory’s evolution where millions of players never had the opportunity to acquire the seasonal skins that have left the Market. For most, this was because they hadn’t joined the game yet, but we’ve also heard from players who missed out on a skin because of travel, illness, state-of-emergency displacement or other unavoidable situations. We want to give all these players a chance to participate in the fun … but not at the expense of the OGs who got these Special Edition skins when they first came out.

We think we’ve arrived at an answer that honors our early supporters yet creates a path for everyone else. Here’s how it works …

‘ORIGINAL SKIN’ IDENTIFIER & BONUS

  • If you acquired a seasonal skin when it was first released, all players will see an exclusive “Original Skin” identifier on the loading screen every time you use that skin. This gives you a special distinction of respect and badassery seen every match to show you were here from the beginning.
  • Players using skins with this identifier will get a 133% Sunlight bonus for matches played — and the faster you earn Sunlight, the more rewards you’ll get in the seasonal system. (The highest Sunlight bonus achievable with any other type of skin will be 100%.)
  • This “Original Skin” identifier and bonus will be active in Update 1.23.
  • “Original Skin” identifiers will only apply to skins from past seasons (Autumn 2015-Spring  2016) and are not intended for future skins.


INTRODUCING OPALS

  • Opals are a new currency that can be used in the Market to unlock Special Edition skins from prior seasons. (All seasonal skins will classified as “Special Edition.”)
  • Skins acquired with Opals will never have the “Original Skin” identifier or bonus.
  • Opals are extremely rare and can only be found in your Daily Chest, Season Chest and Autumn level up.
  • Your balance of Opals will remain across seasons, allowing you to make constant progress toward unlocking Special Edition skins.
  • In Update 1.22, only the Summer Party skins will be available in the Opals Market. In the future, we’ll introduce more skins from past seasons.

Even with this new Opals system, it’s strictly better to have acquired the skin during its original release. Getting a Special Edition skin when it first comes out will always be the most straightforward and cost-effective route you can take. Acquiring Special Edition skins via Opals is a costly and/or long-term grind — usually spanning multiple seasons of play.

For those original players who are still not satisfied with the exclusive identifier and bonus, we will process skin returns for ICE for players who contact customer support.

We hope you like this plan and the evolved seasonal system, and we look forward to getting your feedback. To hear from you and answer any questions you still have, we’ll be hosting an AMA on reddit shortly after Update 1.22’s release. Keep an eye on the in-game News section for an exact date and more details on what’s coming this Autumn.

Thank you for your continued support of Vainglory.


Here’s the complete list of Special Edition skins for which “original skin” identifiers will be granted. All skins listed will eventually be included in the Opals Market in-game:

SPRING 2016

  • Killer Bunny Rona
  • Night Shadow Taka

WINTER 2015

  • Gift-wrapped Fortress
  • Winter War Catherine
  • Red Lantern Koshka

AUTUMN 2015

  • Pumpkin Spice Petal
  • Baewitched Celeste

 

autum-season2016

‘Dear Diary’ Lyra is Coming Soon!

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Aug 31, 2016

1000x500_Lyra_Unicorn

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


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

https://youtu.be/mqtRDgyJLv4

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

MODEL CHANGES

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

EFFECTS CHANGES

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

ALTERNATE FATE LORE

Dear Diary,

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

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

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

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

Love,

Lyra

 


CANON LYRA LORE:

The Consequence and The Inception
The First Mistake


 

‘Netherknight’ Lance is Coming Soon!

  • Vainglory
  • |

1000x500_DeathLance

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


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

https://youtu.be/Z7ONhZPZM18

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

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

 


ALTERNATE FATE LORE

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

Consumed by the Dark

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’ll handle the kid,” said Reim.

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

– and then there was nothing.

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

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

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

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

To be continued…

Read about ‘Netherworld’ Fortress


CANON LANCE LORE:

The Archelions
Gythian Lance


 

Just Beginning to Vainglorious: What Heroes to Play

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Aug 26, 2016

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Are you new to Vainglory? Or, are you perhaps struggling to keep up with your allies and enemies? Don’t worry. You’re in the right place. This new series is dedicated to bringing new players up to speed and helping those 0-10 players break the slump and start consistently succeeding. We’re going to start at the very beginning, with explanations of the different hero classifications. Check back next week for our guide to items.

Vainglory has nearly 30 heroes you can play. Each hero has unique strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Just choosing a character can be daunting for new players. Solo practicing against bots is a great way to try out new heroes that you don’t have unlocked to see what fits your combat style. So experiment to see what feels best.

What Kind of Player Are You?

Choosing a hero in Vainglory is a lot like choosing a character class in other games. Some players enjoy jumping in, doing lots of damage and getting out before the enemy knew what hit them. That’s what we’d call an “assassin.” But maybe you’re someone who likes to stand back from the action and attack or cast spells from a distance? Well, that’s what we’d call a “sniper” or “mage.” But perhaps you’re more of a mix-it-up type of player who wants to be in the heart of the fight. Then you’d likely do well as a “warrior” or “protector.” We’ll go over each role below.

Assassin

Assassins are great at isolating and eliminating a single threat with quick, high-damage attacks. They excel at doing a great deal of damage in a short amount of time before disappearing through speed bursts or stealth. Look for these heroes in the jungle or hiding in the brush of the lane. Assassins are typically very “squishy,” meaning they’re easy to kill. It’s typical for heroes in Vainglory to have a clear strengths and weaknesses. In this case, assassins do lots of damage quickly, but they are fragile and can be easily killed if caught or cornered.

Heroes: Taka, Koshka, Blackfeather

Sniper

Snipers also focus on dealing damage to a single target, but they use their weapon from a distance, rapidly dealing small amounts of damage over and over again. Imagine a gunslinger firing bullets from pistols in both hands. Also like assassins, snipers suffer from low health and must rely on speed, smart positioning or (likely) other heroes’ protection to survive.

Heroes: Ringo, SAW, Skye, Kestrel, Vox

Mage

Mages also enjoy having a great deal of distance between themselves and the enemy. Unlike assassins and snipers, however, mages are adept at doing damage to large areas of the map, and any enemies caught in the area won’t enjoy it. Mages focus on using their unique abilities to change the outcome of fights and ultimately the whole game. Similar to snipers, mages try to keep their distance from the edge of the action, but if the enemy breaks through the front lines and reaches a mage, it usually means a quick death.

Heroes: Celeste, Samuel, Petal, Reim, Skaarf

Warrior

Warriors are synonymous with “brawlers” who like getting up close and personal to the action. They’re front-line fighters who can take a punch and keep on dishing out damage. They may not be the fastest or the flashiest heroes, but they are always feared, and if they get to you, it’s extremely hard to get away. It’s very common for a team to employ a warrior to provide front-line damage while a sniper or mage stands back and contributes from afar. Look for warriors in the jungle part of the map.

Heroes:, Glaive, Krul, Rona, Alpha, Joule, Ozo, Fortress

Protector

You can think of the protector as the player who ensures that fragile teammates don’t die. They’re often on the front lines with warriors, sometimes “tanking” damage ahead of all the rest. Protectors are usually the most capable heroes at absorbing damage and should always lead the way, especially into uncharted areas of the map where enemy heroes may be lurking or waiting to ambush you. Sometimes protectors specialize in healing instead of absorbing punishment or create shields that absorb damage. Protectors benefit most from defensive items, especially health. Often these players “roam” around the map, helping their allies in different situations. While protectors don’t accumulate kills and flashy stats, many games swing based on the play and decision-making of the protector — especially since protectors often buy special items that help the whole team when used wisely.

Heroes: Catherine, Ardan, Lyra, Adagio, Lance, Phinn

So, take a moment and pick a role to focus on first. Usually, whichever one jumps out to you as feeling the most natural or fun will be the right initial fit.

Team Positions

Now that you’ve decided what role fits your playstyle, you need to know how to play on a team. Vainglory teams are composed of three players on each side. One player sticks to the top road of the map, called the lane, and is usually referred to as the “laner.” One player usually strays into the jungle and thus is referred to as the “jungler.” Finally, teams usually have someone who roams around the map, supporting their teammates in fights and going wherever help is needed most. We call this person the “roamer” (sometimes called a “support” by players). We will have detailed guides for how to play all three positions later on. But in the meantime, know that when you select a team, it’s good to have one player in each position.

When you play, you’ll find that certain hero classes are best suited for certain positions. Mages and snipers usually excel at playing in the lane, while warriors and assassins usually play in the jungle. Protectors usually do great as roamers. But these are just guidelines. It’s suggested to start playing heroes in their traditional way, but feel free to experiment over time and find what works for you. Most heroes in Vainglory are highly flexible and can be molded into the position of your choosing. (Lyra, for example, is frequently used by experienced players mage-style in lane despite commonly being played as a roaming protector.) Keep playing and you’ll find not only the character that best fits your playstyle, but the best way to use them!

Now that you know what role to play, let’s move on to demystifying the item shop. Check back next week for our first article on what items to build and why.

‘Broken Doll’ Alpha Tier II is Here!

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Aug 25, 2016

Dig deeper into the toy box to discover ‘Broken Doll’ Alpha Tier II, the pretty-prettiest of the dollies with a plan to save a little girl …


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

https://youtu.be/3C7zavJMOEM

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS:

  • New scissors weapon!
  • Pretty-pretty dress
  • Golden dolly joints
  • Shiny bows on her shiny booties
  • Fancy lady’s top hat

TIER II ALTERNATE FATE:

Pretty-Pretty

Read Part I: ‘The Loud Voice & the Quiet Voice’

You think she’ll come back to us? You’re dumb. She can’t come back know why? Because she can hear the quiet inside voices of the grownups and grownups are afraid, so they make her stay in a little room with a little window.

You have just that ugly jacket but I have the pretty-pretty dress and the pretty-pretty hair so I’m the prettiest so I’m in charge and we aren’t going to wait any more. You take your knife and I’ll take this sharp thing I found in Mama’s sewing room and we will go to the Bad Place and save her from the Bad People and if they try to stop us we will put our sharp things into their soft-soft eyes, and she will never have to eat the candy again, and we will play house just her and us dollies forever and ever and…

To be continued …


CANON ALPHA LORE:


Check the in-game Market every Friday for a new skin release!

Super Evil Heads to Seattle: PAX West & North America Summer Live Championships

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Aug 24, 2016

160824_PAX-1000x500Super Evil Megacorp is coming to Seattle! We are excited to announce the North American Summer Live Championships and our participation in PAX West 2016. From Sept. 2-5, the Super Evil Team will be joining Twitch’s booth on the convention floor. Drop by to say hi to Vainglory’s developers and streamers, and then join us at the North America Summer Live Championships hosted just down the street at Amazon’s HQ!


PAX Details & Fun:

  • Unlock the Summer Party Phinn skin at our booth!
  • Sign up to get our newest hero, Samuel, for free!
  • The first 50 people at the Twitch booth each day will get a Vainglory drawstring bag.
  • Find our Lyra cosplayer, tweet a picture with her with the hashtag #VaingloryPAX16 to win a Vainglory shirt.
  • Tweet #VaingloryPAX16 for a chance to win ICE and prizes!
  • Meet the devs: Zekent, PlayoffBeard, EvilFinn, ReadyPlayer1, TheRealKrul and streamers ShinKaigan, WattieX, unseenoutlaw and Cr4zyDoc.
  • Your PAX badge includes free entrance to the NA Summer Live Championships, or tickets are available to the championships independently on Eventbrite, for $5!

PAX WEST LIVESTREAMS

Live from the booth! Tune in to twitch.tv/vainglory:

  • 10 – 11AM PDT Friday, Sunday and Monday. We’ll be talking about the newest updates, upcoming features, Vainglory esports and many other exciting things.
  • Live from the Twitch stage! Tune in to twitch.tv/twitch for fun times with our community, devs and players! All times PDT.

DETAILS

  • Friday, Sept. 2 at 3-4 PM: What is Vainglory? Intro to the game and its mechanics
  • Saturday, Sept. 3 at 10-11 AM: Devs vs. Community – PAX West Edition
  • Sunday Sept. 4 at 3-4 PM: Salty Sweet – Eliminated teams get revenge!

VAINGLORY ESPORTS PANEL

Panel hosted by PlayoffBeard at the Wyvern Theatre:


2016 SUMMER LIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS – ‘BATTLE IN SEATTLE’

Join us for the season-ending championship as the top eight teams in North America compete live on twitch.tv/vainglory.

  • PAX ticket gives players free access to the event.
  • Hosted by Amazon HQ — a five minute walk from PAX
    • Amazon Meeting Center – 2031 7th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121

Friday, Sept. 2:

  • Livestream only – no live audience
  • 4 PM PDT: Livestream begins! First-round matchups

Saturday, Sept. 3:

  • 1 PM PDT: Doors open
  • 2 PM PDT: Livestream starts! Elimination Day!

Sunday, Sept. 4:

  • 3 PM PDT: Doors open
  • 4 PM PDT: Livestream starts! Semifinals & Grand Finals

MEET THE TEAMS

Cheer for the best eight teams in the region, and participate in “meet & greets” with your favorite teams, players & Vainglory developers.

  • Get merch
  • Get daily SWAG
  • Meet devs!
  • Get tickets here.

We can’t wait to get out to Seattle and meet everyone! Be sure to stop by and say hello to the Super Evil Team and cheer on the competitors at the 2016 Summer Live Championships!

‘North Wind’ Reim Tier III Available Now!

  • Vainglory
  • |

‘North Wind’ Reim drank the Draught of Memory in order to wield the powerful hammer named Troll Bane, but his past proves more painful than the Valkyrie anticipated. Read on for a first look at this legendary Tier III skin and the last chapter of Reim’s ‘North Wind’ story!

Reim_T3_splash


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

https://youtu.be/mxUgUvaZEcI

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS 

  • Wields the hammer of thunderbolts: Troll Bane
  • Cloak of the mighty wolf of the Kalls
  • Black ice and lightning effects
  • New mighty horned helm

‘North Wind’ Reim Alternate Fates Lore:

TROLL BANE

Read Part I: ‘The Wanderer’
Read Part II: ‘The Path of the Valkyrie’

The Valkyrie watched Reim with care as he drank the Draught of Memory. He coughed, bent double and retched. “What is this foul concoction?” he gasped.

“For some, the memories are bitter,” she responded. She laid a hand on the old mage’s arm but he flinched away.

“He laughed… laughed so much,” said Reim with his throat closing. “I always thought, if I’ve done nothing else right, at least I brought that laugh into the world. And it’s gone.”

“Whose laughter is gone?” asked the Valkyrie.

“My son! My son is dead!” cried the mage, his eyes wild and unseeing. “He died … He was killed and I sent him to that fate; I did not believe him and now I will never … My fault, mine …”

Horror froze her in place as The Valkyrie, having little experience with family, watched the mage’s memories return. In all the months they had traveled together she had never seen him complain, or smile, or wince in pain; the draught had poured Reim’s soul back into the shell of his body. She whispered, “Troll Bane is within the tree.”

“Why should I care about some hammer?” His voice had gone deeper, raspier; it boomed through her leg bones and shook the ground.

“The Kalls are full of danger, Magister,” she said. “You will need Troll Bane to defend yourself against the trolls and the Grangor when I leave you.”

Reim glared through his helm at the dark, strange tree that had grown from nowhere, then threw down his staff. A spire erupted from the ground, spearing up through the center of the tree. Where the tree had been, a great hammer laid on a bed of icy splinters.

The mage plucked up the hammer, then turned his gaze to the Nether-woman. “I’m on this peak because of you. I drank the poison because of you.” He stretched out his gnarled fingers toward her and she shrank back, stumbling. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

“No, my friend! Do not imprison me again,” whimpered the Valkyrie, but a chill wind had already fled from the mage’s fingers, and she found she could not run. She cried out but the sound drowned in thunder, and the Valkyrie wavered, ghost-like, reached out in a futile attempt at defense as her spirit spun and poured into the hammer named Troll Bane.

In the silence that followed, Reim stepped beyond the standing-stones and stood with his toes over the summit’s edge. “Are you here?” he asked, but nothing from the Netherworld replied.

The end


CANON REIM LORE:

Everything Is Gone
Cold Reception

 

Update 1.21: Samuel, Sales & Summer Kestrel

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Aug 15, 2016

160811_Samuel-LIVE

Do you feel a chill in the air? Maybe it’s the end of Summer season, or maybe it’s the arrival of a new dark mage hero, whose abilities are sure to cast a shadow over the Halcyon Fold. Update 1.21 represents the last opportunities to unlock Summer skins (including new arrivals Summer Party Kestrel and Phinn) and rank up this season. So savor the last of Summer because Autumn is just around the corner…


01b

 

Introducing the Final Exclusive: Summer Party Kestrel!

The last mystery skin to join the fun is Summer Party Kestrel, arriving in-game with Update 1.21. 

SKIN HIGHLIGHTS 

    • Snorkel and flippers for nautical sniping
    • Sushi-hunting spear gun
    • Basic attack fires a harpoon that sprays water and bubbles on impact
    • All-new aqua-missile Glimmershots
    • Active Camo releases a sea mine into a pool of water, bursting and soaking enemies when detonated
    • One Shot, One Soaked enemy!
    • Dolphin-kick sprint animation

Read the Summer Party Kestrel lore.


HOW TO UNLOCK SUMMER PARTY KESTREL

Unlock this special seasonal skin by collecting 50 cards in the following ways:

  • Get cards from the special Kestrel ICE Box.
  • Unlock directly with ICE
  • Earn Sunlight from matches to level up. (Some Summer levels will automatically give you a Kestrel card.)
  • Claim Daily Summer Chest rewards, which will sometimes include a Summer Kestrel card, especially if you’ve leveled up your chest a lot.
  • Complete Quests: It’s possible you’ll score a Summer Party card in your quest chest.
  • Maybe get really lucky from a Summer Kestrel card drop post-match
  • Card Parties! Play Casual and Ranked matches every weekend until Summer season ends to get guaranteed seasonal cards after wins:
    • Third win = guaranteed Summer Party Krul card
    • Fourth win = guaranteed Summer Party SAW card
    • Fifth win = guaranteed Summer Party Kestrel card

Note: Summer Party Krul and Summer Party SAW are still available and will be until the end of the season.

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Samuel_1000x500

NEW MAGE HERO: SAMUEL

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


SAMUEL EARLY-ACCESS PERIOD

Samuel will be unlockable with ICE only for the first 7 days. Afterward, you will be able to unlock Samuel with ICE or Glory.

header_features_new
READ HIS LORE:

header_features_new

Samuel_perkCorrupted Genius (Heroic Perk)

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


Samuel_AMalice & Verdict (A)

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


Samuel_bDrifting Dark (B)

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


Samuel_cOblivion (C)

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

hero_skins_header_thin

All these skins will be available the moment Update 1.21 arrives. Even better, these skins will be on sale for a limited time. Get ’em now!

UPDATE 1.21 SKINS SALE!

  • Summer Party Kestrel 50% off!
  • Broken Doll Alpha Tier II 25% off!
  • North Wind Reim Tier III 25% off!

summerkestrel

SUMMER PARTY KESTREL (ON SALE: 50% OFF!)



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BROKEN DOLL ALPHA TIER II (ON SALE: 25% OFF!)



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NORTH WIND REIM TIER III (ON SALE: 25% OFF!)



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SUMMER PARTY PHINN (AVAILABLE VIA SPECIAL GIVEAWAYS)

This bonus Phinn skin is only available through attending Vainglory live events, official social media contests and by visiting your favorite Vainglory community streamers & content creators for special giveaways. Get all the details here.  


SKINS SALE EVENT RETURNS!

Unlock all skins directly with ICE, including Tier II & III. Here’s how to get ’em:

  • Visit the in-game MARKET
  • Tap GET SKINS
  • Select any hero and you’ll see Tier II & Tier III skins with ICE prices!
  • Some Tier I skins also have special discount prices.
  • Limited time only. Act fast. 

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NEW QUESTS & QUEST IMPROVEMENTS 

New quests offer plenty of opportunities to “Wreck Bots” and complete quests against our new AI-controlled opponents. 

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NEW QUEST SEQUENCES

  • Kill 4 Bots / Kill 12 Bots / Kill 30 Bots
  • Win 2 Bot Matches / Win 3 Bot Matches / Win 5 Bot Matches
  • Win vs Bots in Battle Royale
  • Win vs Bots in Standard

NEW DAILY QUESTS

  • Win: Co-Op Bots – Standard
  • Win: Co-Op Bots – Battle Royale
  • Win: Any Bot Mode
  • Kill 10 Bots

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NEW CONQUEST

  • New Conquest Quest: Kill 100 bots

HERO QUESTS

Players told us they’d prefer for this quest type to not be in Ranked because of instalocking. So, we’ve removed it.

  • Hero quests can no longer be completed in Ranked mode
  • Ensured that hero quests can be completed in all bot modes

COMMUNITY QUESTS

Because Update 1.21 was a short cycle, we didn’t quite squeeze in any more Community quests, but we have an ever-growing list of player-inspired quests we want to get into the game. Don’t forget to tell us your thoughts.

Submit your quests ideas here!  Punchpop will regularly select more to make into real in-game quests.


Bots

CONSIDERATE BOT TEAMMATES

Now when playing with bot allies, they’ll recognize the hero and position you indicate in Hero Select and respond accordingly. Here’s how it works …

  • Select your hero. The bots will assume you’ll play the default role for that hero. Since SAW is traditionally a laner, for example, the AI will assume you intend to play in that position. So, the bots would select a roam and jungle hero to accommodate you.
  • Select your position. You can optionally choose to declare your role in the lobby and that will override the default settings. Select “SAW” and “roam” and the bots will respond by selecting a lane and jungle hero.

LAST UPDATE OF SUMMER SEASON

The days are getting shorter. With Autumn’s approach, we’re nearing the end of Summer season. Update 1.21 is your last chance to rank up and get summer loot! Play as much as possible because when 1.22 hits, Summer’s over.

  • When the Autumn season begins:
    • Your guild fame will start over
    • Your Summer progression will reset and become new Autumn progression
    • Your Summer chest will reset and become an Autumn Daily Chest
    • You will no longer be able to unlock Summer skins
  • So seize the day and rank up, get fame and unlock those last Summer skins. We’ll have a new Autumn theme to introduce in 1.22!

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petalPETAL

MUNION INTELLIGENCE

Petals’ munions have benefitted from extra munion classes and should behave more intelligently. —Zekent

  • Fixed stuttering when attacking a fleeing target
  • Fixed not returning to Petal after killing their target

MUNION DURABILITY

Petal’s little pets were a bit too easy to take out, leading to her running into energy issues since re-summoning them could get expensive. —Zekent

  • Munion health up from 100-­170­-240­-310­-450 + 25% CP to 100-­180-­260-­340­-500 + 30% CP

TRAMPOLINE

Now that Trampoline spawns a seed, there’s no reason to not learn it at Level 1. That being said, you might not be able to summon all three munions by the time the jungle camps spawn! —Zekent

  • No longer requires Level 2 to learn

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION

Bringing the cooldown of this ability more in line with what it used to be while retaining the control Petal players have over explosions. —Zekent

  • Cooldown per charge down from 35­-30­-25 to 30­-25-­20

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BLACKFEATHER

Blackfeather was a bit too easy to take down in the early game and had very low health values late. We’re giving him a bit of a bump in both so that he can focus more heavily on offensive items. —Zekent

  • Base health up from 730­-1340 to 782­-1431

HEARTTHROB (HEROIC PERK)

Providing a bit more sustained damage for a Crystal Blackfeather. This change makes it more important for Crystal Blackfeather to take advantage of his basic attacks while his On Point is down. —Zekent

  • Crystal ratio up from 10% to 15% per stack

ON POINT

Sharpened Weapon Blackfeather’s sword a bit but also upped his crystal damage against minions. —Zekent

  • Weapon Ratio up from 50% to 80%
  • Minion damage Crystal Ratio up from 50% to 70%

koshkaKOSHKA

  • Health up from 761­-1498 to 792-­1595

BLOODRUSH

Koshka is that much more dangerous when she can get in-and-out of combat faster.  —Zekent

  • Movement speed boost up from 2 to 2.5

POUNCY FUN

Continuing to lean into a get-in-and-get-out assassin playstyle, which should make Koshka much more dynamic in teamfights.  —Zekent

  • Cooldown down from 9.0­-8.5­-8.0-­7.5-­7.0 to 8.0-­7.5­-7.0­-6.5­-6.0
  • Crystal ratio up from 100% to 120%

TWIRLY DEATH

By bumping up the duration of empowered attacks, Koshka has more burst potential.  —Zekent

  • Cooldown down from 8.0­-7.5-­7.0-­6.5­-6.0 to 6­-6­-6-­6­-5
  • Duration of empowered attacks up from 5 to 10 seconds

lyra

LYRA

BRIGHT BULWARK

This ability was intended to be a clutch deterrent to mobility options — not a persistent field that prevents heroes from utilizing their kits.  —Zekent

  • Duration down from 2.5 to 2.0

celesteCELESTE

HELIOGENESIS

With other powerful mages in the mix, Celeste’s Heliogenesis needed to be more effective.  —Zekent

  • Minion damage changed from 120-­140-­160-­180-­200 + 20% CR to 120-­145­-170-195­-220 + 25% CR

lanceLANCE

Lance has evolved into more of a utility roamer, so we are updating his recommended build to match that playstyle.  —Zekent

  • Changed recommended items from crystal to utility

COMBAT ROLL

While Combat Roll has proved to be an important part of Lance’s positioning in battle, being able to back it up with some more damage should grant him more battlefield threat.  —Zekent

  • Bonus damage up from 50-­100-­150 to 80­-140­-200

kestrelKESTREL

While Crystal Kestrel is quite strong in certain team compositions, Weapon Kestrel has a more reliable kit and is more effective in most situations.  —Zekent

  • Changed recommended items from crystal to weapon

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Items_protectorPROTECTOR CONTRACT

More clutch saves? Sounds good to me! —Zekent

  • Charge time down from 20 to 15 seconds

 


Items_dragonbloodDRAGONBLOOD CONTRACT

While Dragonblood Contract was a good option for dishing out some early game aggression, it took too long to get stacks back, making it tough to justify. —Zekent

  • Charge time down from 40 to 25 seconds
  • Cooldown down from 15 to 10 seconds

serpent-maskSERPENT MASK

While the lifesteal granted by Serpent Mask was powerful, it was still overlooked for other high damage options by most weapon carries. —Zekent

  • Base weapon damage up from 75 to 85

 


BUG FIXES

  • Skaarf’s Dragon Breath will no longer unintentionally silence items for the duration of the ability
  • Targeting rings will no longer stay up for items after the item was activated
  • Fortress’ wolves will no longer stutter when attacking a fleeing target.
  • Bots will no longer buy multiple pairs of boots
  • SAW’s gun barrel will spin up properly
  • Krul’s perk will no longer visually appear to be permanently activated
  • Krul’s sword will properly disappear from his chest while it is in flight
  • You will no longer be granted ambient gold for a single kill if multiple minions/monsters died simultaneously

Summer won’t last forever. Be sure to take advantage of the last days of Sunlight, check out new mage hero Samuel and unlock the many awesome Summer rewards while you still can!

New Ways to Get Summer Party Phinn

  • Vainglory
  • |
  • Aug 17, 2016

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Ahoy there, Phinn fans! We’ve been blown away by the response to the Summer Party Phinn skin. While we intended for this skin to make Summer Live Championships that much more exciting, people have felt left out of the giveaway. Due to overwhelming demand, we’ve decided to make this skin available through more channels. So now there are more opportunities to unlock Phinn — through attending more events, participating on social media, watching streamers and even eventually through the in-app Market.


ATTEND THESE EVENTS LIVE TO GET THE SKIN

  • Amazon Appshop booth at gamescom in Cologne, Germany (August 18-21, 2016)
  • North America Summer Live Championships in Seattle (September 3-5, 2016)
  • Europe Summer Live Championships in Cologne (September 9-11, 2016)
  • PAX West Twitch booth in Seattle (September 2-5, 2016)

If you’re near (or can travel to) Seattle or Cologne, grab your tickets to the Summer Live Championships in advance now:


MORE EVENTS!

Simply sign up at the Vainglory booth to unlock Summer Phinn.

  • TwitchCon: September 30 – October 2, 2016, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, USA.
  • Tokyo Games Show (TGS): September 15 – 18 Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, Japan
  • eSports and Gaming Summit (ESGS): October 28- 30. SMX Convention Center, Pasay, Philippines
  • Game Show and Trade, All Round (G-STAR): November 17-20, 2016 BEXCO Busan Exhibition & Convention Center, Korea

STREAMER & CONTENT CREATOR GIVEAWAYS

We’re going to shower Vainglory streamers and YouTube video creators with Summer Party Phinn unlocks that they can give away in their own channels. More details will follow, but bottom line: After Update 1.21 releases, frequently visit your favorite Vainglory streams and video channels for plenty of chances to win a Phinn skin of your own.

Here’s a recap for all of the way to get the Summer Phinn Skin through streams: 

  • Vainglory community streams
  • YouTube content creators
  • Vainglory YouTube channels
  • During gamescom, we’ll announce five winners each morning on the dev stream. Tune in each day to participate.
  • Watch the North America and Europe Summer Live Championships. Between each series we’ll award skins.
  • Watch our dev streams during TwitchCon for even more chances to win!

SOCIAL MEDIA GIVEAWAYS

Additionally, we’ll be giving away Phinn skins through official social media channels (including regional channels). Keep following us and look out for new opportunities.


IN-APP MARKET

Can’t travel? No luck winning a skin in the giveaways? Don’t worry: In the future, Summer Party Phinn will be available in the in-app Vainglory Market.


SKIN HIGHLIGHTS

  • Captain’s hat to show you who’s in charge
  • Life-preserver for safety

Summer Party Phinn Alternate Fate: ‘The Lifesaver’

“Was me who saved the pretty girl from the shark, even though Muscles and Zombie over there want the credit. I saw the shadow of that toothy beauty from the deck of my boat and did what any good captain would do: threw the lifesaver out. Of course the boat was way off in the deep water, but I can throw pretty far when I put my mind to it. Was a nice change, saving a pretty girl instead of stealing her for once.” —Phinn


MORE SUMMER LORE


Note: Summer Party Phinn is NOT the third mystery summer skin! This is an extra bonus skin.