„Arena of Valor” has had yet another major update recently. Version 16, named „Rise of Abyss“ brings us a few new features, such as updated looks of all the buildings, monsters, and minions on the Antaris Battlefield. Some aspects of gameplay mechanics have been changed as well. But, most important of all, the map, i.e. the battlefield itself has been through a complete revamp.

The new story says that The Horizon Valley was the place where a great battle between Humans and Ancient Elves took place a long time ago. What was left after the great battle are the ruins of old forts that once belonged to the warriors fighting for these races. Oh, and also ghosts of the heroes that have fallen in battle, eager to take on new (very much alive) opponents on, once they hear the sound of War Horn.

Outside of the fortress walls, deep within the jungle, there are many weird and unknown animal species and creatures that were hidden for more than thousand years, now awake and willing to fight anyone that crosses their path. If you, the player, manage to win, these creatures, especially the Sage Golem and Might Golem will bring you a temporary boost in your abilities, while winning against The Spirit Sentinel gives you a speed boost, as well as faster HP regeneration. Defeating the Abyssal Dragon gives you only the usual stuff – XP and gold, so, if you are not a newcomer to the game, he might not be worth your time. However, if the match lasts ten minutes or more, it evolves into The Enraged Abyssal Dragon and defeating it gives the winner different abilities depending on their characters’ classes. On top of that, the Dragon is guarding The Abyssal Stone which grants you immunity against fatal damage. Once the Dragon is defeated, however, it’s free for all battle for determining who will get to keep the Abyssal Stone and use its powers.

There is also The Dark Slayer, Overlord of the Horizon Valley. Beating him gives you all of his powers, while simultaneously awakening The Drake, which has higher attack power than your defense towers, and an army of minion by its side. However, each time The Drake attacks your tower, it also takes damage equal to the amount of damage it did to the tower. So, if one of your opponents manages to awaken The Drake, the only way to defeat it is to attack it and try to do it even more damage before it takes down your tower.

There are many more strategic decisions you’ll have to make if you want to win, but we’ll leave you to discover some hidden (dis)advantages of playing this new version of the map by yourself. What matters the most is that “Arena of Valor” once again manages to create a challenging, yet fun experience for both the veteran players and the newcomers to the AoV world as well. Have fun!