Xyclopz breaks NDA to leak Artifact details

posted by Smyke,
Since its first teaser, Artifact has been one of Valve's biggest mysteries. Recently, some players and experts from the scene received access to the closed Alpha, under heavy non-disclosure agreements. Treephob 'Xyclopz' Tiangtrong, a Dota 2 caster from Thailand, couldn't resist and leaked the release date and other information. Xyclopz used a Facebook fanpage from Thailand to reach out to those interested in Artifact. His answers are not really on point, and it's most likely that the release date is incorrect. However, he leaked a screenshot from the game as well, which was summarized in a Reddit thread.

Here are all questions and answers from the thread:


Is there any new heroes?


There's a lot of new heroes and in every color such as Ogre Bruiser, Mazzie, Kannah. I just lost to Kannah she's very stong late game


Is it fun to play?


I just confusing for 2-3 days but when you know how to play it's very fun! I couldn't sleep.


How does ranking works? Is it like a MMR in Dota2 or it's a Dynamic Tournament?


Now there's a weekly tournament for balancing the game. The prize for winner is 100$. Playing rank in my meaning is Gauntlet mode. It's a card drafting for duel with your opponent.


Will the Beta come out?


I don't think there will be a beta.


What about card handicap?


There's still an argue. Some say this or those color is too strong. But I think Red is a bit too strong.


Can you build a deck that have more than 2 colors?


Yes, you can build whatever you want. But it will be hard to play because you have to had a hero with the same color of your spell in that lane to play those spell.


How much of the game?


I don't know yet. but I suggest to reserve a money. Because it maybe use to buy a packs.


How many cards in 1 Pack?


I don't know yet. but I guess 12 cards.


Is there a card quality?


There are around 3-4 quality.



No response yet from Valve



Alongside his answers, which leak confidential information, he also posted an image of the user interface of the game. This was confirmed as genuine by SirBelvedere, a Reddit user known for posting patch summaries. He also explained that any information given in the Alpha was under NDA — Xyclopz was under no circumstances allowed to share it with the community.


In the Facebook post he also mentions the actual release date: Artifact could be ready on 31 December.




So far Valve haven't responded to this leak, neither to confirm nor deny it. However, it's very likely that Xyclopz will be excluded from any other Alpha or Beta testing for Artifact. It's also possible that, if he did break an NDA, Valve could launch a lawsuit against him.

Do you think we'll be able to play Artifact by the end of 2018?

Photo credit: Valve

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