AFK Arena | Review | Guides, Tips and Tricks

Is it worth playing?

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Gachas, gachas everywhere! That’s the general reaction when you open the RPG section of the Play Store. Nowadays, there are so many hero collection role-playing games (aka Gachas) that fans of the genre need not worry for quite a while. Still, some of those stand out from the rest and deliver way better gameplay experience than their competition. One such game that’s been generally praised by critics and audience alike is AFK Arena, so let’s delve in and see what’s it all about.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Development

The game has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play alone…

AFK Arena was developed and published by a Chinese video game development studio, Lilith Games. This game was globally released on April 9th, 2019 for Android and iOS. Ever since then, AFK Arena has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play alone, where it currently sits at 4.6 out of 5 stars rating with over 2 million user scores. On the iTunes App Store, the game has 4.7 out of 5 stars score with more than 26 thousand user reviews. It’s worth noting that the development team is constantly updating the game, fixing bugs, and releasing new content. That is one of the reasons for the evergrowing popularity of this hero collection RPG.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

GAMEplay

At its core, this is a hero collection role-playing game, aka Gacha…

At its core, AFK Arena is a hero collection role-playing game, aka Gacha. It means that you can collect various heroes throughout the game, and assemble a team of several heroes to fight enemies. That’s basically the very simplified version of it. One of the reasons why AFK Arena is so popular lies exactly in its very name. Unlike many other Gachas, in AFK Arena, you don’t really control your heroes. When you start the battle, they will fight automatically, and you will only be able to control certain aspects of the battle. Firstly, you can set up your team of heroes in a formation you like. You can place them in front or back line, which will affect some of their abilities and the way they interact with their allies and enemies. Secondly, their special abilities will be displayed during the battle in the form of cards at the bottom part of the screen. Each of those will have the energy bar that fills up as the fight goes on. Once it’s filled, you can click on the card and the selected hero will use their special ability. At first glance, this does seem pretty simple, but given that there are so many team combinations you can make, and the way certain heroes interact with their teammates and enemies, the battle planning becomes very complex. However, this is exactly what makes the game so interesting and fun.

As for the heroes themselves, they are divided into six main factions: Lightbearers, Maulers, Wilders, Graveborn, Celestials, and Hypogeans. Each of these factions is strong against one other faction while being weak against another. Lightbearers, Maulers, Wilders, and Graveborn counter each other in a rock-paper-scissors manner, while Celestials and Hypogeans are strong against each other. Other than that, placing a certain number of heroes from the same faction in a team will grant the entire team bonuses to their attack and HP. These bonuses will increase depending on the number of heroes from the same faction. The interesting thing about this is that Celestial heroes count as any other faction for the purpose of team bonuses. Unlike them, Hypogeans have their own bonuses and will grant them to the team depending on the number of Hypogeans in the team. All of this allows for a wide variety of team compositions, which further increases the depth of team building.

Each hero has their own type, class, and role. There are three hero types: Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. Strength heroes are specialized in dealing physical damage to their enemies and are often warriors or tanks. Agility heroes are also usually dealing physical damage, but unlike Strength heroes, they rely on swiftness and elusiveness rather than a brute force. Intelligence heroes are usually spellcasters who are proficient at either supporting their team or dealing magic damage to their enemies.

There are 5 different hero classes in AFK Arena: Tank, Warrior, Mage, Ranger, and Support. Tanks are generally very durable heroes, capable of taking damage and protecting their teammates. Warriors are physical damage class, specialized in dealing high amounts of damage. Mages are spellcasters whose strengths lie in blasting their enemies with spells or hindering their combat capabilities. Rangers are quick and nimble heroes specialized in avoiding enemy attacks and delivering swift strikes to their opponents. Supports are heroes that are focused on providing various buffs and heals for their teammates.

Also, there are several different hero roles in AFK Arena. Tanks are focused on sustaining damage and often possessing the means of healing themselves. AoE heroes are capable of dealing large amounts of area of effect damage, meaning they can strike multiple enemies at once with their skills. Continuous Damage heroes are specialized in dealing consistent damage throughout the fight. Unlike them, Burst Damage heroes are focused on dealing heavy burst damage to their opponents. Buffers are able to provide various buffs to their team while the Debuffers are capable of weakening their enemies in some way, usually by reducing some of their combat capabilities. Control heroes are specialized in disabling their opponents. Regen heroes can provide heals to their allies and restore their health. Lastly, Assassins are focused on swiftly taking down a single opponent.

As for the game content, AFK Arena has plenty to offer. Like many other hero collecting RPGs, there’s a campaign mode, which is basic PvE mode available. Upon reaching certain stages in a Campaign, additional game modes will become unlocked. Eventually, you will be able to access King’s Tower, in which you progress through hundreds of floors filled with enemies. Each floor you defeat will grant you some nice rewards, which are crucial for your progression. Voyage of Wonders will provide you with new adventures every few weeks, and you’ll also be given great rewards upon completing them. In the Arcane Labyrinth, you will be able to obtain relics and heroic merits, which are extremely useful for unlocking rewards in Champions of Esperia event. In Peaks of Time, you will be able to play fun and interesting puzzle games and receive chest that can contain all kinds of goodies, including some powerful artifacts. There is also Arena of Heroes for those that are interested in competing with other players. There, you can earn ladder points by winning battles, and receive adequate rewards, based on your standing. All in all, AFK Arena has plenty of content to offer to players, which in itself is a good thing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is pretty light, characters are goofy enough to make you smile, and overall, it gives a good casual-game vibe…

On the surface, AFK Arena does give the impression of the chill and relaxing game. The atmosphere is pretty light, characters are goofy enough to make you smile, and overall, it gives a good casual-game vibe. However, once you start delving deeper into it, and realize the game’s complexity, you will see it in an entirely new light. This won’t have any negative impact on the atmosphere. On the contrary, assembling a team with good synergy will feel immensely satisfying, especially when you use some of the ultimate abilities, and wipe the enemy teams with ease. Also, there is a sense of accomplishment whenever you obtain some very rare hero or manage to ascend some of the heroes you have. Still, there are some downsides since, at times, playing this game might feel a bit frustrating, especially if you get stuck somewhere, and want to progress as soon as possible. Thankfully, there is plenty of content in the game, so even if this happens, you will still have many other ways to improve, so it won’t have too much of a negative impact on the overall atmosphere. All things considered, this game feels pretty satisfying to play, so in that regard, the developers did a very decent job.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Graphics

The animations are well done, and the effects are clean and not too “overwhelming” to look at…

When it comes to graphics, you will instantly notice that most of the characters look like they came straight out of some goofy comic. Their animations are well done, and the effects are clean and not too “overwhelming” to look at. It is clear that the developers were aiming to make the game simple, yet aesthetically pleasing, and they did quite a fine work. Still, there are many other titles with much better visuals, so in that regard, some of the players may dislike the graphics of AFK Arena. After all, in the modern world, people like to have eye-candy games that look fantastic. However, this simple graphical style suits the game fairly well, and it doesn’t reduce the overall gameplay experience in the slightest.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Tech Compatibility

The game is playable on a wide variety of mobile devices…

The fact that this game looks fairly simple is quite a good thing when it comes to tech compatibility. Because of it, it’s playable on a wide variety of mobile devices. For Android users, the bare minimum is having an Android 4.1 device, while the iOS users need to have a device capable of running iOS 8 or later. These are pretty low requirements by today’s standards, so this game can be played on pretty much any smartphone, which is a great thing. Also, it is worth noting that the gameplay is very smooth and polished, and you will rarely ever experience any slowdowns or crashes. Overall, the developers did a great job of optimizing the game, and with regular patches and updates, most of the previous bugs have already been fixed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Free-to-play Friendly

If you are active in general, you will easily be able to progress through the game and eventually experience all of the content…

This is probably one of the most important things to look at when considering which hero collection RPG you want to play. Yes, like pretty much all of the other gachas, the game features microtransactions. These include various packs and resources you can buy in order to make your progress easier. Still, when it comes to being completely free to play player, this game is very generous compared to many others. You are able to progress through the game without spending a dime. Yes, the game does feature a VIP system that grants you various perks and bonuses, depending on your VIP rank. However, unlike most other gachas, where VIP experience is gained exclusively by purchasing packs via microtransactions, you can also earn VIP experience by simply playing a game and raising your level. Yes, increasing your level will also grant you some VIP experience, so in that regard, the game is way more generous than most other titles. Still, as a free to play player, you will at times experience a point where you feel like your progression has hit a wall, but that doesn’t mean you will be forced to open up your wallet in order to progress. As long as you play every day, complete your daily and weekly tasks, collect every AFK rewards, and are active in general, you will be easily able to progress through the game and eventually experience all of the content this game has to offer.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Verdict

This is a lovely looking hero collection RPG that is extremely fun and engaging…

When everything is summarized, this game is a lovely looking hero collection RPG that is extremely fun and engaging, and you will without a doubt have a blast playing this one. The fact that it is much more generous than other similar titles makes it even better. Definitely a must-play for all gacha lovers.

AFK Arena guides and TIPS

How to improve your gaming experience and gameplay…

Here is the part when we get a bit more in-depth. We compiled a list of useful guides, tips, and tricks that will help you throughout your gaming journey and hopefully make it more fun and easy! Enjoy!

Use links below to jump to the guide sections. 

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How to get Shemira?

Shemira is one of the most powerful heroes. She is extremely good for many aspects of the game, which is why she’s one of the best heroes to focus on. One of the easiest ways to obtain Shemira is by doing the Arcane Labyrinth. Farm it whenever you can, and save up the Labyrinth Tokens. You can use those to buy Shemira from the Labyrinth store, which is one of the most reliable ways of acquiring her. Still, when you obtain her, there’s a question: What’s the best Shemira team? Well, there are several heroes that synergize very well with Shemira. Since her ultimate is amazing, you want to pair her with heroes that are able to provide Shemira with some additional energy. The first one is Rosaline. Her buffs will truly make Shemira shine during battles and they really are a powerful combination. Next, Lyca can provide her with some additional energy, which synergizes pretty good with Shemira. Ezizh is another example of this since he can also provide her with much-needed energy.

How to get Nemora?

Nemora is arguably one of the best supports, especially when it comes to healing. Most of her kit is based around healing her allies, which makes her invaluable in many compositions. One of the easiest ways to get Nemora is by farming the Arcane Labyrinth. Nemora is available in the Labyrinth store, so once you collect enough Labyrinth tokens, you will be able to acquire her.

How to get Athalia?

Athalia is an extremely powerful assassin for the Celestial faction. She has amazing burst damage and fits well in many different teams. You can get Athalia simply by playing a lot of Arena. Once you obtain enough Gladiator Coins, you can purchase Athalia from the Challenger store. This may take a while, but is pretty much the most reliable way to get Athalia.

How to get Talene?

Talene is one of the most powerful (and extremely annoying to play against) heroes. Her toolkit makes her capable of dealing high fire damage to enemies and also entering the fireball form once she dies. This allows her to resurrect after a while, which makes her extremely hard to kill. Unfortunately, you can only get Talene if the RNG Gods smile down upon you since there is no reliable way to currently obtain her.

How to get Brutus?

Brutus is pretty much a signature hero. He is a one-man army, capable of devastating enemies with ease. Because of this, he is one of the strongest Maulers, and he is great for many aspects of the game. Currently, the most reliable way to get Brutus is by using faction scrolls. Still, the chances of obtaining him aren’t that high, but you can also get some other useful Mauler heroes such as Safiya or Khasos. Also, be sure to have Brutus on your wishlist in order to increase the odds of obtaining him.

How to get Lucius?

Lucius is, by far, one of the most useful supports in the game. He’s capable of both tanking and supporting his teammates, which makes him exceptionally useful for many aspects of the game. One of the ways to get Lucius is by using faction scrolls. Also, make sure to keep Lucius on your wishlist since this will increase the odds of getting him. Even if you don’t obtain Lucius, you have a chance to get many other great Lightbearer heroes such as Rowan or Rosaline.

How to get Faction Scrolls?

Faction scrolls are an extremely valuable resource. Using them can allow you to summon heroes from one specific faction, which drastically increases your odds of obtaining the heroes you want. You can get Faction scrolls by completing some of the Campaign quests, by completing events, or by purchasing them from the store using microtransactions.

How to get Legendary Heroes?

In AFK Arena, heroes’ tier can be upgraded. This is done via Temple of Ascension. Basically, ascension is a process where you can improve the tier of one hero by sacrificing some other heroes of the same faction. In order to get the Legendary hero tier, you will need to have the desired hero at Elite+ tier, and you will also need to sacrifice two other Elite+ heroes of the same faction. To get Legendary+ hero tier, you will need to have the ascending hero at Legendary tier, and you’ll be required to sacrifice the Elite+ version of the same hero you want to ascend. Be very careful when you are ascending your heroes since you don’t really want to sacrifice some of the very important ones.