Yesterday we highlighted the online aspect of Heroes & Heralds, so naturally today we’re moving to the offline component. As you may expect, the offline mode has you battling AI opponents instead of other sentient beings, but the way these fights play out (and how you earn Ability Cards) is completely different from the online mode.

In the offline mode, the goal is to dominate each territory on this hexagonal grid. After choosing either the Hero or Herald faction, you then hop from place to place, either defending Earth as a Hero or trying to claim it as a Herald of Galactus. Each victory brings you closer to owning that territory, and if you achieve 100% ownership of a given battleground you’re rewarded with a top-notch Ability Card. However… the final battle for the last 10% is a real doozy, with brutal AI opponents armed with particularly strong Ability Cards. A tough battle, but all that playing will yield many Ability Cards for the online portion, where you’re facing down other players.

Thankfully, there’s more to do in the offline mode than move a percentage bar. Notice the Hit List in the lower right corner – as you move from area to area, the Hit List alerts you as to which characters inhabit a given battleground. If you pay attention to this data and “take out” a full row of the Hit List, a bonus background will appear. This newly unlocked area will award even better Ability Cards, but if you lose a match on that stage, poof, the area disappears.

Above: Keep your eye on the Hit List to complete rows and unlock more stages. Once one Hit List is done, another takes its place

The Offline mode serves two purposes: one, it acts as a sort of mini-campaign for solo play, with the goal of controlling every piece of the grid; two, it lets you practice new card combinations in a results-free environment. If your cards can topple the Hit Lists and lock down 100% on a map, odds are you’ve discovered a rather effective mix that’ll do well against human players too.

Another nice aspect of the Offline mode is that you can modify decks without having to back out to the actual “Create Deck” section of Heroes & Heralds. Change cards in between matches and hop right back into the fray!

Above: Want quick access to the deck builder? Offline mode lets you alter the deck in between matches

You can also hop into UMvC3’s usual Training mode and test your cards out there, as well as equip the training dummies with a deck for further experimentation. Depends on what you’re trying to test, in the end – if you want a dummy to pound on, or to see how an opponent’s cards could affect you, Training is your mode, while the Offline campaign is good for battling tough AI enemies who can actually react to your deck.

With Online and Offline covered, it’s time to get into Ability Cards themselves. Check back tomorrow for our first spotlight on three of ’em!