The developers of Magic: Legends invited MeinMMO to tell us more about the upcoming action RPG. We talked about the fifth class and how deep and complex the game will really be.
Several weeks ago, I had already spoken with Principal Lead Design Adam Hetenyi about the Sanctifier class and classes in general. Now we met virtually again for another conversation.
This time the topic was the new and presumably last class for the release of Legends, the Necromancer. I used the time in the interview to extract some other interesting details about Magic.
I learned from Adam that Magic: Legends will be really complex, at least for the players who want it that way. The action RPG promises a lot of depth if you are willing to engage with it.
In short, Magic: Legends is an action RPG based on the famous collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. It offers both PvE and PvP content, although there are no details available yet on the latter.
You can play either alone or in groups of up to three players. Legends does not use a conventional equipment and inventory system, but a collection of cards that you use to build decks.
These decks determine which abilities you master and what role you fulfill in the game. Each class is therefore highly customizable.
Legends – As complex as Magic: The Gathering … or similar
How complex will Magic: Legends be? In connection with the new class, Adam explained to me that it is possible to create really complex builds for your character. The Necromancer, for example, can summon and sacrifice the dead to fuel more powerful spells.
However, it would also be possible to include cards in the deck that draw on your own health points. However, this is only feasible if you can heal yourself from this damage – for example, by sucking the life out of enemies. This requires some management and skill, but that is intentionally complicated, as Adam confirmed to me:
This is something like the expert level of gameplay when you summon creatures that you keep alive with your own health bar […] We want to ensure that the game is accessible to people, but we also need that depth. We have many mechanical interactions and options for those who really want to dive into the game.
Adam Hetenyi, Principal Lead Design of Magic: Legends
Adam also explained to me that there will be decks that focus on you as the main character. Rather than throwing summoned units around, you can buff and strengthen yourself to heat things up for the enemies. This is especially interesting for PvP.
Since you have over 100 cards available, of which you can put 12 in a deck, thousands of different combinations are possible. Anyone who really wants to play at the highest level will still find that one percent they can improve.
The basic card game Magic: The Gathering is already the most complex game in the world. Legends apparently aims to emulate this.
How does it work in a group? For groups, the same applies as for each individual player. You can coordinate the decks with each other and play even more efficiently, or you can just mix wildly and have fun with randomness.
Adam explained to me that it’s even possible to play in specific combinations. If you use two players who take turns casting healing spells and a Necromancer who works with powerful summons that harm him, you can maintain a kind of ritual that literally annihilates opponents.
You can do this if you bring a high degree of coordination. […] We are really looking forward to seeing what builds people come up with when we go into beta: to see how players work together and not just play “next to each other”. They should help each other.
Adam Hetenyi, Principal Lead Design of Magic: Legends
Great potential for even more depth in gameplay
I asked Adam about the possibility of ultimate abilities for the classes – something that you charge up and then use. His answer: “Yes, I can imagine that. But I can’t say anything about it yet.”
The Planeswalker cards from Magic have a similar mechanic where loyalty is built up or consumed to cast particularly powerful spells. The developers are, of course, aware of this but need to discuss it in detail, as Adam tells me.
In Magic, there are also cards that change the win condition – for example, you win if you have 50 or more health points. Something like that is also conceivable, although in a form where the current play area is cleared of monsters instead of “winning” outright. But that’s only been thoughts so far.
However, it is certain that you can customize your characters. How exactly that will work and whether there will be things like cosmetic adjustments and customization remains something Adam could not tell me yet.
Classes as the basis for gameplay depth
What are classes? So far, five classes have been introduced to us in Magic: Legends, one for each color of mana that exists in the game. The known classes are:
- Red – Geomancer
- Blue – Mindmage
- Green – Beastcaller
- White – Sanctifier
- Black – Necromancer (new)
I was one of the first to play the Geomancer, Mindmage, and Beastcaller at PAX East 2020. The developers exclusively revealed the Sanctifier and the Necromancer to me, along with their skills.
In the last interview, I already explained to you what classes are and how they work in Magic: Legends.
The new class – The Necromancer
What can the Necromancer do? Like every class, the Necromancer has a standard attack and two abilities:
- the primary attack is made with his incense burner that he swings
- the secondary attack is an explosion that summons small skeletons
- the supportive ability casts a spell on nearby opponents, transferring health points from them to you and allowing you to walk through them
The Necromancer is designed for medium range and is supposed to play like a battlemage, so a wizard who doesn’t fight from a distance. The playstyle primarily revolves around summoning and sacrificing creatures but depends on your deck.
Will there be more classes? In the last conversation, Adam already told me that additional classes will come that represent combinations of two colors.
This time he even promised me specifically that a playable vampire will be added to the game. Concrete info will hopefully follow soon.
Try it yourself – Closed and Open Beta coming
When can I play Magic: Legends? An Open Beta for Magic: Legends will be released in 2020, with a Closed Beta beforehand. However, there are no specific dates yet. We will tell you how to sign up for the Magic: Legends beta here.
The full release of the action RPG is then scheduled for 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, but again without a specific date. Magic: Legends will be a Free2Play title.
Will all classes be playable in the beta? Unfortunately, Adam could not give me a concrete answer here: “We are still deciding on that. We want to give players everything as quickly as possible so we can receive feedback […] But I can’t give you a concrete answer yet.”
I’m definitely looking forward to which content will be presented in the beta and up to the release. Even now, Magic: Legends is my insider tip for anyone waiting for Diablo 4.
Lots of depth, but please not too complex
The idea of building decks to play an ARPG still excites me. Given the complexity of Magic: The Gathering and my inability to build functioning decks there, I feel a bit intimidated.
A detailed depth of gameplay is helpful for an action RPG, as seen in the Diablo series. However, if it becomes too complex too quickly, it could discourage players – for example, I can’t handle Path of Exile at all. Therefore, I hope that Magic: Legends finds a good middle ground.
On the other hand, I really like the idea that I can choose whether to buff my hero, fight with a small army, or play highly complex builds with lots of micromanagement. I’m curious to see how that will look.
Since I only have to find 12 cards that work together here, I think even a Magic noob like me will manage it.
I personally enjoy playing action RPGs and look forward to immersing myself in this world without having to sift through thousands of cards. Of course, as a vampire, as soon as that’s finally possible.
Benedict Grothaus
Freelance author at MeinMMO (and a big fan of Magic)
