Magic: Legends has announced a start for its Open Beta. From March 23, you can check out the new Free2Play RPG for yourself. MeinMMO explains what you need to know about the new Diablo alternative.
What is Magic: Legends? The new action RPG combines the action gameplay of a hack ‘n’ slash with the deck building and complexity of Magic: The Gathering, the most complex game in the world. You play as a planeswalker, one of the most powerful beings in the world of Magic.
Instead of regular abilities, you have a deck of spells and summons that you can use. You can customize the deck yourself, and during combat, the cards rotate, requiring you to adapt to new situations repeatedly.
Gameplay is as usual for the genre in an isometric perspective (“from an angled top view”), either solo or in co-op with a group of up to three players.
When can I play it? The beta starts after a delay now on March 23, 2021, for PC. Magic: Legends will also be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, but only at a later date.
Magic: Legends is among the 8 new ARPGs arriving in 2021 while you wait for Diablo 4. Since Diablo 4 is still a long way off, Magic: Legends serves as an alternative that you can play earlier as fans of the genre.
The unique mechanics of the game also provide plenty of reasons to take a closer look.
Build your own class
What makes Legends so special: The core of the game revolves around deck building. With the cards you find, you essentially build your own class and determine your playstyle. The key aspects of the feature are:
- Decks consist of 12 cards that rotate in combat and can be upgraded
- your planeswalker comes with unique abilities and determines the starting deck
- there are creature spells for summons, enchantments for buffs, and sorceries for instant effects like damage or healing
- cards have different rarities – you should build your deck around the rarest ones, similar to Hearthstone
For the decks, you can later use one or two colors, regardless of the planeswalker. Each color has its own properties that set it apart from the others. There are:
- White – Uses powers to heal and bolster allies
- Blue – Effects that allow you to control opponents
- Black – Drains opponents’ life energy and uses necromancy
- Red – Elemental powers that deal high damage
- Green – Uses the powers of nature to summon and strengthen gigantic creatures
The design lead Adam Hetenyi has shed light on this core feature in a new video. We have embedded the video here for you:
What else does Magic: Legends offer? Legends is expected to feature both PvE and PvP content, with the latter at least currently representing 1v1 duels, similar to the actual card game. Additionally, Magic: Legends includes a unique system, that aims to make quests neither frustrating nor overly demanding.
The ARPG is free to play, but it also allows you to spend money if you want. According to IGN , your first planeswalker will be free, but you will have to purchase additional ones either with real money or in-game currency. Furthermore, there will be “convenience boosters” and booster packs full of random cards. However, spells and upgrades should not be directly purchasable. Additionally, a battle pass with various rewards is expected to be introduced.
