Drodo Studio, Dota Auto Chess developers, published on their Weibo page a short Q&A round regarding the first ranked season of their game and one of the latest Chess pieces addition.



Io is a bit of a game changer in Dota Auto Chess given his power to level up two 1-star chess pieces into a 2- star piece. He is also a 5 gold piece which was expected to become available in the pool past round 8 or even later. However, Io is atypical in that regard as well, so that’s why Drodo Studio gave a few details on how this new piece works.



Drodo’s Q&A was published in Chinese and we are able to bring you the English translation courtesy of Yuhui Zhu

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Q: Why am I able to purchase Io before reaching level 8?

A: The Io is a unique 5-cost piece. Unlike other chess pieces, it does not have a fixed number of pieces in the overall pool from the start of the game. There is always a small probability of purchasing Io, regardless of the level of your courier.







Q: I have 2 Io and 1 x Zeus on the board. Why won’t I get a level 2 Zeus?

A: When leveling up with other chess pieces, you can only use a maximum of 1 Io each time.







Q: There are 2 Axe and 2 Juggernaut on the board – if I place Io onto the board, which will be given priority to be upgraded to 2-stars?

A: If there are multiple pieces that can be upgraded, the Io will select 1 at random. For more information on the interactions with Io, press Alt in-game to find out more.







Q: Why does the number beside the red hearts in the score screen represent?

A: It represents the amount of damage you have done to other couriers.







Q: Why did I not receive my end of season candy rewards?

A: If you did not receive the candy rewards after logging in twice since 1st May 2019, please send your ID to our customer service mailbox 3200109901@qq.com and we will reissue.







Q: Is there hidden MMR in our ranks from the previous season? What’s the ranking mechanism like in the new season?

A: There is hidden MMR involved. The hidden MMR in the new season is based on your final ranking from last season. After playing 5 calibration matches, you will be given your rank for the new season. At the end game screen, up/down arrows will be a clear indication to your change in ranks. As compared to the last season, the fluctuation of ranking in the new season will be smaller (less likely to increase or drop by 2 ranks at once).







Q: Will the cheaters/hackers/malicious accounts be unbanned in the new season? Will the banned accounts be affected by the end of season rewards?

A: Accounts that were banned previously will be randomly unbanned from time to time. Accounts in the blacklist are not eligible for season rewards. Hope that everyone can maintain a fair gaming environment together. All cheaters/hackers/malicious accounts will be banned, and this includes users who received many reports.