Duels (video game)

Duels is a free player vs. player browser game. A player's avatar can either fight another player controlled avatar, or an NPC to gain experience points, gold, and tokens. Tokens can be used to purchase packs containing scrolls, armor, and weapons. Gold can be used to purchase armor, weapons, pets, and, in Duels 2.0, actions. Players are given the option to issue challenges to each other. When a player accepts a challenge, the avatars fight it out in real time, but without player interaction. As such, players do not need to be logged in to engage in battle. Duels does offer paid memberships called Nobles or Patrons with many useful perk choices, and non-member players can also purchase Challenge Coins which give access to some of these more advanced menu choices for playing, but you do not have to pay to play.

History

Due to articles featured on TechCrunch and Digg, the game experienced more network traffic than its servers could handle at its launch in August 2007. In December 2007 Duels launched a new version of the game, called Duels 2.0. This version introduced female avatars and a new level of strategy with the addition of actions. In summer 2008, additional quests were added to help with non-paying players running short of game gold to buy actions. The multi duel feature of the challenge button was disabled due to an interference with in-game awarding of badges earned but not credited to player accounts. Other added features include multiple ladders for different level brackets, up to ten playable avatars per single player account, and multi item trading. The August expansion "Treasure of Abtu-Khan" was introduced with Noble and Patron challenge coin users having the option to shop in three other in-game stores besides the basic Armory that all duels.com players can use. Challenge Coin users can also choose to respec their avatars into two cat folk races besides the current human and elf options.

The Game has recently been shut down. The makers of the game did not physically address this, yet all the profiles on the page have been deleted. You can no longer log onto your file if you made one. An error message will appear saying that no such email or login was ever in the database to begin with.

Advancement

At level 5, characters can choose either the Path of the Sword or the Path of the Staff. At level 20, Path of the Sword characters can choose between Warrior and Assassin, while Path of the Staff characters choose between Mage and Druid. Depending which path is chosen, different skills are available for characters to learn. At level 25 Actions may be bought from the Action Shop and Action Sets constructed. Most level 25 or above players choose to challenge via full action sets (10 actions) or single action sets (1 action) and the type of challenge is indicated in the send Message/Taunt field. At level 40, you may choose to between The Singlemind and The Elementals in the Corruption of the Abtu-Kahn quests. This also allows you to transform your avatar into the undead or a feline as well as join alliance between the Elementals or Singlemind.

Types of duels

• Challenge – This is a ranked match that counts towards a player's "win-lose" record, which shows other players the ratio of games you won and lost, and gives more experience and better rewards than skirmishing. Usually, the rewards would be tokens, gold and experience. Characters would not get any more awards after challenging an avatar for the third time in a day.
• Skirmish – This is unranked match does not count towards a player's "win-lose" record, and gives less experience and may earn the winning player tokens. Some players have been known to only skirmish and have 0-0 for their win-lose record.

Tokens

Tokens are usually earned through fighting other avatars. Also, tokens can be earned through completing certain quests as a reward. Also, tokens can be bought with real money (US$).

Tokens may be exchanged for packs of collectible weapons. The cost of packs differ greatly, for example the "Duels Core Set IV" costs 30 tokens, while the "Corruption" set costs over a thousand tokens. One of the most appealing parts of Duels is to trade in the Armory for rarer items from the older Item Sets; so what is common and inexpensive today may be rare and very valuable in the near future.

Quests

Duel's quests are shaped like a play. For example, the Abtu-Kahn quests have several parts. In those parts are several acts. In every act, you are supposed to do something different and complete the objectives.

Quests are divided into two types of quests: Tutorial quests and Game quests. Tutorial quests are quests teaching avatars about the multiple functions of Duels. For example, the "What's that in your Pocket?" quest teaches characters about packs. There have been several tutorial quests removed, like the quest in which characters are supposed to introduce other people to Duels. Tutorial quests are unlocked either by killing a non-playing character (NPC), reaching a certain level or completing a certain tutorial quest.

Game quests are quests which have nothing to do with tutoring characters. There are two types of game quests: Events and Normal Quests. Event quests are special quests catered to low level characters which has to do with a particular holiday event.

"Normal" quests are quests that can be done anytime. They can be unlocked either by killing an NPC, losing to an NPC, reaching a certain level or completing a certain quest. These quests usually have several segments and takes some time to complete.

References

• Arrington, Michael (December 21, 2007), One Million Deaths Per Day On Duels.com, TechCrunch, http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/21/one-million-deaths-per-day-on-duelscom/ 

External links

• Duels website
• Duels Wiki