Rounds & combat
Every round has a preparation phase, where you buy and arrange pieces, followed by a battle.
Timers
- Preparation: 35 seconds in round 1, 25 seconds in rounds 2–11, and 35 seconds from round 12.
- Battle: up to 50 seconds. If time runs out, the battle is a draw.
Fighting other players
In player rounds you fight a home battle on your own board against a copy of an opponent's line-up. Synergies are worked out at the start of each battle from the pieces on the board.
If you lose, your courier takes damage for every enemy piece still alive. Each piece deals 1 + (level ÷ 3), rounded down:
| Damage | ★ | ★★ | ★★★ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-cost | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2-cost | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3-cost | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4-cost | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 5-cost | 2 | 3 | 4 |
- Zeus adds 10% / 15% / 25% (by star) of your current HP on top.
- Temporary summons count at half level. Items like Witless Shako and Ogre Hood raise their holder's level.
- Some talents and relics change the damage, for example Guardian (−20%).
- A draw deals no damage.
Creep rounds
Rounds 1, 2, 3 and every 5th round from 10 to 50 are fought against neutral creeps. Losing a creep round costs no HP.
| Round | Creeps |
|---|---|
| 1 | Radiant Guardian: 2 creeps |
| 2 | Radiant Crusader: a Mega Creep and 2 Ranged Creeps |
| 3 | Radiant Archon: 2 Mega Creeps, 2 Ranged Creeps and 2 creeps |
| 10 | Golems |
| 15 | Wolves |
| 20 | Hellbears |
| 25 | Wildwings |
| 30 | Tri-Pinecone |
| 35 | Black Dragon |
| 40 | Trolls |
| 45 | Year Beast |
| 50 | Diretide Roshan (always drops Aegis of Immortal) |
Loot from creep rounds
- Creeps drop gold when they die. Stronger creeps (level 3 and up) can also drop an item; the higher the creep's level, the better the odds and tier. After 5 such creeps in a row drop nothing, the next one always drops a tier-1 item.
- Winning a creep round gives a reward box:
| Round | Reward |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | Loot box (level 1) |
| Round 2 | Loot box (level 1) |
| Round 3 | Loot box (level 2) |
| Round 10 | Relic box |
| Round 15 | Loot box (level 2) |
| Round 20 | Relic box |
| Round 25 | Loot box (level 3) |
| Round 30 | Relic box |
| Round 35 | Loot box (level 4) |
| Round 40 | Relic box |
| Round 45 | Loot box (level 4) |
| Round 50 | Relic box |
A loot box (Spoil Token) lets you pick 1 of 3 random items of that tier. A relic box lets you pick 1 of 3 relics. See Items, relics & talents.
Elimination and the Grand Final
- When a player is knocked out, part of their gold is scattered among the surviving players, and some of their items may drop to survivors too. The player who dealt the final blow gets bonus gold.
- When only two players are left, the Grand Final begins. After a few rounds fatigue sets in, halving both couriers' HP every round until one of them falls.