Our author Benedict Grothaus attended PAX East in Boston and took a look at Magic: Legends for you. His conclusion after the first gameplay: The Magic ARPG can probably hold its own against Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2.
During PAX East, the developers of Magic: Legends, Perfect World, invited MeinMMO to a playtest. This is the first time Magic Legends has been officially playable outside the dev team.
Like everyone at the fair, I was able to test the two classes Geomancer and Mind Mage already introduced, but I also got a glimpse of an exclusive class, the Beastcaller. My play session lasted about an hour.
I wasn’t allowed to take recordings, but I managed to snap a picture of myself next to a large flame demon inspired by the “Lord of the Pit” (see title image). I also had the chance to ask Principal Lead Designer Adam Hetenyi a few questions.
He does play Magic: The Gathering, though not necessarily well. Nonetheless, he can say: Legends captures the Magic feel very well.
Magic: Legends feels like Magic – and like an ARPG
How does Magic: Legends play? When I first dove into the game with the Geomancer, my first thought was: “This feels like the beginning of Diablo 3.” The environment is gloomy, some zombies are trying to attack me, and I have to find my bearings. By the way, I played with the controller – mouse and keyboard are also possible, but according to Adam, it’s not yet refined and playing with the controller is really fun.
However, the similarity to Diablo ends with the first impression. In the initial groups of enemies, I notice that things are quite different here. The way I use my skills is different from all the ARPGs I’ve played so far.
Instead of just aiming and pressing my buttons on cooldown, my spells change after each cast, and I have to recharge my mana to even use them. I quickly realize: This requires practice and knowledge about the cards.
I don’t just cast my spells mindlessly. Most spells, even summons, can be targeted at a group of enemies or simply cast “quickly” in the direction of my aim. Here, I can decide whether I want to take out specific enemies precisely or just cast spells in the heat of battle.
What makes the game special? This system with the various cards (“decks”), which determine my abilities, is what makes me think that Magic: Legends could be a real competitor for the upcoming ARPG giants Diablo 4 and PoE 2.
Decks are the “build” of my character. I assemble it from twelve cards (or skills) (my decks are already finished) and then head out with it, similar to other ARPGs with the build.
The principle works almost exactly like Magic. I need mana to cast a spell. Once I’ve cast it, it’s gone, and I need to draw a new card. The card drawn is random (the spell slot then takes a random spell from the deck).
This requires that I know exactly what my cards do (which was not the case for me and almost cost me my virtual life). It takes a while to understand which spell produces which effect – but then no enemy will enjoy their not-so-long life anymore.
If I have no mana, I’m in trouble and have to make sure the zombies don’t devour me while I recharge. To describe that a bit more accurately: I am not waiting for a somewhat nebulous resource like the Witch Doctor in Diablo, but instead I have actual mana points, and each spell costs a certain amount of mana – just as indicated on the cards.
Mana is replenished in battle and by collecting crystals. In addition, there is a “Mana Surge” which I can activate as an “Ultimate” and which gives me a large boost of mana for a short time.
Fortunately, many possible spells are creature spells that summon helpers. They fight until they’re dead and provide protection.
The spells have an internal synergy. Certain spells can control enemies if they are weak enough or have special effects if they’re stunned or burned. Other spells buff my creatures, heal them, or use their strength to modify my attacks.
How difficult is the game? The game adapts to my performance. That means: If I’m good, more enemies will come. If I’m bad, it will be made a bit easier for me.
This ensures I always have a pleasant difficulty level that adapts to my current performance.
Additionally, there should be difficulty levels that I haven’t been able to adjust yet. Even in group play, this is supposed to change somewhat – how exactly, the developers are still working on.
What about loot? Loot is not really a thing. At the end of my rounds, I received new spells (or cards) as well as gold.
Spells are used to build new decks and equip my Planeswalker with new abilities – however, I couldn’t test this feature.
Are there microtransactions? With gold, cosmetics can be purchased, of which I have not seen anything. This suggests that they can also be purchased with real money.
Following this remark, I also asked Adam about microtransactions since Magic: Legends is supposed to be free-to-play. He only told me that there will be cosmetics from various sources. However, there are no more precise details yet; it’s too early for that.
Unique classes – without classes
How do the classes play? As mentioned before, I had the chance to play three classes: the Geomancer, the Mind Mage, and the Beastcaller. All three had a different approach in my gameplay:
- The Geomancer relies on cheaper spells with high penetration and a lot of damage.
- The Mind Mage controls enemies, stunning or charming them.
- The Beastcaller summons many creatures, heals and strengthens them, and overruns enemies with them. He also has an Aether Fox as a permanent companion.
Various classes are unlocked over time. Overall, Magic: Legends starts with five classes. Additional classes are supposed to be added after release.
However, classes only have a minor influence on the game, as Adam later explained to me. In principle, they are only responsible for defining basic status values, granting two basic spells (one attack and one mobility spell), as well as a standard attack.
Everything else is then controlled by the equipped decks, which have nothing to do with the color of the Planeswalker (the class). The decks then determine how exactly the character plays.
How do the decks work? Decks are the equipped cards or spells that the Planeswalker has at his disposal. A deck consists of twelve cards and up to three of the five colors:
- black
- red
- blue
- white
- green
Later, Adam reveals to me that there could also be more colors in a deck. However, deck building was not accessible to me yet – I had pre-made decks that can define my classes as described above.
You can hold a maximum of four cards in hand. These are the spells that I can actively cast.
So much “Magic” is in Legends
Are the decks like in Magic? As a card game fan and amateur Magic player, I was interested to find out whether classic deck archetypes from Magic are possible. Most will probably know black graveyard decks, green poison decks, or white-blue control decks.
Adam told me:
The heart of the game, which will keep players engaged, is to unlock new spells, build new decks from them, and find new synergies. […] Much of what we do is to take the essence of the Magic card game and translate it into an action RPG.
Many decks and types are supposed to be possible. I asked Adam about my favorite deck: black-red vampires. That could possibly still come, depending on how it can be implemented, and I’m looking forward to exploring that!
Those familiar with Magic already have a huge advantage. They can draw on prior knowledge for deck building, but also already know roughly what their spells do. By the way, decks can only be changed in the rest zone (town).
Multiplayer, but not an MMO – or?
What about multiplayer and MMO? Magic: Legends can be played in co-op with up to three players, which I haven’t been able to test yet. Spells from different players can complement each other with their effects.
This also means that when you work together, you can design your decks in a way that exactly complements each other. For example, if one player builds his deck to constantly stun enemies, the other can take more powerful spells that benefit from stunned enemies. So, in principle, you build a deck from two decks.
Magic: Legends is meant to be a “modern MMO” and have “many MMO elements”. Adam compared the features to Destiny, particularly the social features he emphasized.
There are social hubs where players can meet and go on missions together, a chat, and co-op play. However, they shouldn’t feel “disturbing.” For example, there will be a kind of trading system, but not to the extent of the auction house of Diablo back in the day.
Adam previously worked on the MMORPGs RIFT and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, as well as on Trove and The Surge (1 & 2). His experience also flows into Magic: Legends, as he told me. The game should feel good and have depth.
What about PvP? PvP holds significant importance in Magic: Legends, although there isn’t much information about it yet. Adam assured me that it will more likely be in “arena style”, similar to duels in MTG, rather than open PvP.
Magic: Legends as a competitor to Diablo 4
Why will Magic be a competitor? It’s a bit hard to convey, as the games look very similar in pictures. However, playing Magic: Legends feels like an ARPG like I’ve never played before. Really like Magic, but as an ARPG.
Sure, Diablo is the reigning champion of the genre, and even the PoE boss said his fans will buy Diablo 4. I don’t think Magic: Legends will become bigger than Diablo 4.
However, I do think that the game will engage both Magic fans and generally appeal to ARPG fans. Because Legends adds another layer of depth to the main endgame content of ARPGs (the loot).
Similar to PoE, you do not just build new builds with the loot but entirely new classes. With new spells, you have the opportunity to create new synergies, and artifacts (which I couldn’t test either) are supposed to have a significant impact on what you can do.
The construction of new decks (and thus new “classes”) is what gives Magic: Legends depth and is what has kept Magic: The Gathering alive for almost 27 years. And the developers plan to transfer exactly this strength of the card game into the ARPG, which I think has worked quite well so far.
Moreover, behind Magic: Legends is Cryptic Studios. They have already supported Star Trek Online and Neverwinter, both of which have been running for years and still receive updates – even as underdogs.
Beta and Release
When and where can I play Magic: Legends? Magic: Legends is expected to come to PC in 2020. The PC version will also be the first, followed by versions for “consoles” – still without specification on which ones. Before that, there will also be a beta that you can sign up for.
Adam, on the other hand, couldn’t provide any information about next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. It’s still too early for that.
