Draconis 8: Where do I start? A new players guide.

Maybe you’ve just bought your first physical pack of Draconis, maybe you just downloaded the game/app on a whim to check it out, either way your new to the game and looking for some direction on where to start.  If so, this article is for you.

First, whether you plan to play primarily digital, physical, or a combo, I highly recommend downloading and using the app at least once.  This is because of the games How To Play somewhat interactive tutorial:

In my opinion this tutorial teaches the basics of the game better then any rule book ever could.  It’s also pretty short, so if your itching to play with out any guard rails, it won’t demand too much of your time.

So again, I recommend clearing the How to Play tutorial at least once, no matter how you plan to play the game.  But okay, you’ve done that, or been taught by some one else, now where to go?  While at this point the entire game is technically open to you, I would highly recommend your next mode be Play vs AI

Ultimately if your a pvp fan, Play Online is going to be your home, and if your a PvE player, the rougelike Campaign will likely be your favorite spot.  But online real time matches have timers that can be stressful and feel short when your still learning the rules, interface, and reading your cards.  Asynch are fine… but it could take a week to complete your first game depending on how active the asynch players your matched with.  Meanwhile campaign isn’t timed… but the mode is all about breaking the rules.  The mobs break the rules, the bosses break the rules, you the player are given abilities and upgrades that break the rules.  Consequently, while its a fun game mode, it’s not exactly ideal for learning the game, when its all about taking the core rules and turning them on their head.

Play vs AI, however, gives you the best of both worlds.  You can pick the difficulty of your AI opponent, turns are untimed, and the matches follow the respective rules of the selected format.  Now your next question might be, which format should I try first?  My recommendation?  Single Pack, Ethereal.  Difficulty is up to you, but I’d probably start with Easy.

Single Pack means that you don’t have to worry about deck construction, something that while fun, requires an understanding of the game you likely don’t have yet.  Ethereal means that a random pack will be generated for you each match, so you both get to see a variety of cards, and don’t have to worry about choosing a strong pack from your collection (if you have one).  Instead you just jump straight into a match, with a randomly created, but PVP valid, deck/pack and get to take your time battling an AI opponent while reading your cards.

Once you’ve had your fill, or think your starting to get grasp of the basics, my next recommendation is 3 pack.  3 Pack is a sealed format where you and your opponent are each given 3 new packs and tasked with making a single 8 card deck out of it.  Again the lack of time pressure (or consequences) I think is beneficial here when your new, but this format is great for starting to learn both how to evaluate the strength of cards, and the synergies that make a strong deck.

From there its up to you.  If you don’t already own any cards, and you’ve seen enough to think this game is for you, I highly recommend going into the store and picking up the Starter Set Special offer:

The 4 packs it gives you, in this game, are effectively 4 unique decks, and will give you access to all modes of the game with some variety to work with.  100% not necessary, as the game has free to play modes (ethereal) and free ways to earn packs, but still a big recommend, especially if you expect to be more of a PvE player.

Whether you pick up the start set or not, from here your free to play how you’d like.  As noted earlier, if you prefer playing other humans you can jump straight into Play Online and play the format that most interests you, but you can also jump on the games official discord and use the Looking For Game channel to find opponents for the casual unranked Duel mode.  ( Draconis 8 Discord )

If you prefer playing against non-human opponents, aside from upgrading the difficulty in Play vs AI, this is also a good time to give Campaign a whirl.  Note that unlike Play Online, which outside of constructed can be played right from the jump via ethereal modes, campaign does require you own at least pack to participate at the time of this writing.  It also features difficulty settings, so feel free to start at whichever your comfortable with, just know that this is a roguelike mode where you accrue player spells, new rule breaking cards, and rule breaking upgrades to your original packs cards, but that in exchange the enemy bosses have increasingly busted abilities and environmental advantages such that things can get pretty challenging to fully clear on any difficulty.  It’s certainly much harder on Hard then Easy, but even Easy, losses can happen.

I love Draconis 8, and I hope you do to, so regardless of how you choose to play, I hope this guide helps you quickly gets to understanding the game, and the fun that follows, but if you find yourself confused at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions on the Draconis 8 discord (linked above).