posted by Abelle,
If you've been hungry for a sneak preview of Valve's newest game, the Dota 2-based virtual card game known as Artifact, then you're finally in luck! Select games journalists were invited to Valve headquarters this week to get the first public preview.


Dota fans have been intrigued about this upcoming title since it was teased live at The International 2017. A few personalities have mentioned being involved in closed beta testing, but very few actual information about the game has been available - until now.

Today, we're getting a deluge of information about the game including screenshots, artwork and details from the journalists who were able to test it out for themselves. The key points they've expressed are that the game will not be free-to-play, it will be released around the end of 2018 on PC and mid-2019 on Android and iOS. There will be card packs, Workshop support (solely custom card art at first) and it will be linked to the Steam Marketplace.

If you're wondering whether Artifact will be esports-ready, Valve have an answer to that too - the first $1,000,000 Artifact tournament is planned for 2019!




As for gameplay, it is easy to see how the game has been modeled after Dota 2. Unlike games like Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering, the action in Artifact will play out across three distinct game boards - the lanes. Each lane has a tower, five total hero cards may be played across the lanes and the game is won by destroying two of your opponent's towers. For a more in-depth look at game mechanics, be sure to check out IGN's report from the closed press event.

A single lane. Click to enlarge.


All three lanes. Click to enlarge.


New Heroes!



Even if you're not a fan of card games, this final detail should get you pretty excited. Valve plan to add some content from Artifact to Dota 2, and three new hero-characters have already been revealed at the event. IGN lists them as being called Sorla Khan, Kanna and Rix. The tweet below from IGN Editor Miranda Sanchez shows Rix (the wolf-headed character) and another unnamed character.




Are you looking forward to getting your hands on Valve's newest game or is Dota 2 still your #1?



All images via IGN/Valve.

  • Abelle
    Abelle

    Abelle

    Annabelle Fischer
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