Warcraft Arclight Rumble is Blizzard’s upcoming mobile action strategy game. It’s set within the Warcraft universe, where an army of Minis come to life to battle it out on the playfield, bearing a similar feeling to how the classic strategy game Clash Royale plays, but with an emphasis on single-player tower defense gameplay. Seeing tha the game will launch this year, we at Android Police already went hands-on with the beta, all so we can offer tips to those in early access on how to get started on their all-star Warcraft Minis collection. Let’s get ready to rumble!
Getting started: game modes and primary objectives
Playing through the initial tutorial stages will teach you the game’s primary mechanics. It’ll cover how to place your Minis, mine Gold, cast spells, how to use the switch button during a level, along with where to acquire more units to join your army. Levels are won by defeating the opposing leader, but levels are lost if your base tower’s health reaches zero. Features are gated behind skulls, so unlocking more features requires you to collect skulls earned by winning levels to advance.
As you clear levels and defeat the bosses at the end of these stages, you’ll be able to access more of the game’s map. You can only challenge levels if you meet their skull requirements, forcing you to progress through the game linearly.
Game modes and primary objectives
The Mini Store (unlocked by default) is where you’ll access The G.R.I.D. and the premium shop. The G.R.I.D. is the gacha system for acquiring additional troops (Minis); buying more troops changes the shop’s rotation, revealing new minis to unlock. The premium shop is where you’ll purchase coins with real money.
The Army menu is where you’ll view your collected Minis. Your army level (calculated average between your troops and leader) is displayed on the top left underneath your BattleTag; your army level serves as a reference point when compared to other armies such as your own or in PvP. You can check your troops and leaders’ skills and traits by tapping on info, or you can choose to swap your units.
The game’s Map is where you’ll complete levels and earn skulls. You can access Quest (9 skulls) and PvP (12 skulls) once you reach the required skull levels.
Events is a section that offers dungeons (22 skulls) and raids (unknown). Dungeons (22 skulls) is a 3-map gauntlet mode that allows you to earn Valor (upgradable for your army) after completing a dungeon.
Lastly, Guilds (7 skulls) are the central hub for socialization (chat, add friends) with other players. You can create your own Guild or join one from a list.
Tips and tricks
- Managing your Gold: To get more Warcraft Minis on the board, they cost Gold. Deploy your units carefully, and utilize mining units like Kobold to search and collect Gold as you play.
- Playing the Rock-Paper-Scissors system: The more damage you deal, the better. Flying beats melee, melee beats ranged, and ranged beats flying. This is how you strategize which units to drop onto the field.
- Positioning matters: You need to control your lanes; otherwise, you’ll get overwhelmed. Gaining control over a ballistic tower allows better positioned drops, so your units can take down the leader and gain map control. Your front-liners should be tanky, creating opportunities to place ranged units behind them.
- Work on your timing: Pertains to spells and area of effect (AoE) damage. Plan around the delay for casting your spell/AoE damage by aiming at the anticipated enemy positioning.
- Read the leader/boss’s description: The first line of a description offers a hint on how to tackle each boss/leader; use the hints to your advantage when you’re deploying units.
- Pause the game (single-player): If you are feeling overwhelmed, it never hurts to tap pause during the level. Pausing allows you to tap ‘info’ on any unit, even providing hints on how to defeat the opposing units.
- Replay maps: When the going gets tough, replay old maps to level up your Minis and gain additional awards. Strengthening up your units and your leader goes a long way.
Building and upgrading your army
Every unit is classed as a troop or leader. Troops make up the bulk of your army’s building blocks, while only one leader can be selected. All participating units will earn combat experience points after each match.
Selecting your units
You’ll need a healthy balance of unit types to ensure your victories. Tanks are essential to soak up damage so your other units can move across the board safely. Spells are strong against squads (unit groups), and your fast units are valuable reinforcements for ongoing fights to take map control. To learn about your units, tap any unit and swipe right to Traits and Stats.
Leaders are special units that offer a leader’s ability. You’ll need to form your army around your leader (and ultimately their ability) to get the most out of the ability. For example, Jaina Proudmoore is worthless if you don’t use any spells, as she levels up spells by three while she’s in play. If you don’t use Siege Damage units with Sneed, you won’t obtain any Gold from his ability. It’s best to think of leaders as the central archetype for a deck, with your troops existing as the cards you build around that archetype.
Leader types
- Alliance: Specializes in healing, stealth, and defense and relies on using heavy spells.
- Beast: Specializes in disabling enemy defenses and overwhelming the enemy line by numbers and fast troops.
- Blackrock: Specializes in flying troops and elemental magic.
- Horde: Specializes in earning gold, having fast troops, and enemy control using stuns.
- Undead: Specializes in necromancy to summon undead troops to aid you in battle.
Leveling up your units
Each unit earns combat experience points when they participate in a level. You can repeat a level, do your daily quests, and enter dungeons to increase your unit’s level. Obtaining Tomes and Gems from the G.R.I.D. can also be used to level up your units. Leveling up units are crucial to increase overall damage and health.
Waiting for Warcraft Arclight Rumble
The free-to-play PvE side of Warcraft Arclight Rumble will keep you busy playing over 70 maps and collecting an endless number of Minis that will keep on growing. If you’re interested in playing Warcraft Arclight Rumble when it officially launches, we’ve included the link to pre-register, but for now, sit tight and check out some of Android’s best RTS games to keep yourself busy.
