EpicDuel

EpicDuel Classes

• Bounty Hunter – uses fast, focused, and deadly strikes to overcome opponents. They can also use stun grenades and poison to weaken their opponents for the killing blow.
• Mercenary – a strong melee class equipped with heavy armor that gives them enhanced protection from enemy attacks. They can break down enemy defenses and call in airstrikes to take out their enemies.
• Tech Mage – employs strong, unblockable energy attacks that deal massive damage. They can also stun opponents, steal their life force, and regenerate their energy.

EpicDuel Review

By Marc Marasigan

EpicDuel is a free-to-play, sci-fi themed, browser-based, 2D side-scrolling MMORPG developed and published by Artix Entertainment. The game hit open beta on June 16, 2009 and officially went live on December 2, 2009.

EpicDuel is set in the distant future, in a sci-fi themed world called Delta V. Players fight for one of two opposing forces: the Legion, who seek to maintain peace and stability through force, and the Exiles, who aim to overthrow the Legion’s tyrannical rule. The game features flash-quality graphics and animations. While the artwork is quite good, the animations feel a bit choppy, which can be expected from a flash game. The game also lacks any type of audio which would have helped make playing the game a much better experience.

A New Start

Players start the game by creating characters and customizing their looks. Customization is limited to hair, skin, and armor color via a color palette although, with the number of color choices available, players are still able to create somewhat unique-looking characters.

After creating their characters, players then go through a quick tutorial that teaches them how to move, speak to NPCs, acquire quests, as well as the basics of combat. During the tutorial, players complete basic quests that reward them with gear that they can use during the early parts of the game.

World Domination

Once players complete the tutorial, they are then given the chance to pick their allegiance between two alignments, the Legion and the Exiles. Players gain and lose influence points for their faction depending on their actions. Winning PVP battles, for example, awards influence points while running away from one results in an influence penalty. The members of the alignment with the most influence points at the end of the server day are awarded the World Domination achievement.

Life In Delta V

EpicDuel, as the name suggests, is entirely focused on PvP. The game, however, also features quests like other MMORPGs but are only used as a means to gain experience points and credits, the game’s main currency, which players can use to buy and upgrade their gear. Any quest can be picked up from any of the areas in Delta V. Unfortunately, they can only be completed one at a time. Picking up another quest switches players to the new one and resets any progress earned from the previous quest. The quests, much like other MMORPGs, will have players running all over the place completing errands for NPCs. Most of the quests are easy enough to complete but some can be a real pain. For example, kill quests requires players to win PvP duels a certain number of times. This may sound easy enough at first but you may find this impossible when you find yourself facing an opponent two levels above you, or God-forbid, a Tech Mage, which, in my opinion, is an extremely OP class. Some quest instructions also seem a bit vague and will have you running around trying to figure out exactly what it is you need to do, until a stroke of luck makes you move your mouse over that seemingly inconspicuous object which just happens to be what you’re looking for.

Leveling up characters in the game can be quite tedious due to the relatively low experience points gained as rewards. Players also gain experience points in PvP but is also a bit low. Like classic MMORPGs, players gain stat points and skill points every time they level up. Players can then distribute these points any way they choose, although like most MMORPGs, there are certain stats that benefit a specific class more than others. The game also features a basic skill tree that players can tweak to come up with builds that suit their playing style. Additional skills are unlocked by spending a skill point on the previous skill.

PvP Is The Key

Now, onto the PvP part. PvP in EpicDuels, is all about, well… duels. Players can have the option to challenge other players of any level, at any time, via the challenge feature. Players can also join 1v1 or 2v2 matchmaking sessions for a more balanced match. During matchmaking sessions, players with lower levels are given stat bonuses to even the playing field a bit.

Combat is turn-based and happens in real-time. Players launch attacks alternately until only one man, or in the case of 2v2, one team is left standing. During combat, players are given a set amount of time to pick their attacks. More powerful attacks use up a player’s energy points. Players will only be able to launch basic attacks when their energy is used up. This is where strategy comes in since picking the right type of attack plays a big part in achieving victory. When going up against a Tech Mage, for example, it might be a good idea to cast an energy shield around yourself since Tech Mage’s usually use Energy attacks. Energy shields, however, only last for three turns and use up energy points which might be better off being used to heal yourself or launch a powerful attack depending on the situation. This element of strategy is what makes each battle unique which actually what makes the game fun, and admittedly a bit addicting. This is a far-cry from the gameplay found in browser based MMORPGs like League of Angels and Unlimited Ninja Naruto where everything is automated. EpicDuel is fun because the gameplay isn't automated and requires some real strategy.

Shop ‘Til You Drop

EpicDuel’s cash shop offers only a handful of premium items including credit and experience boosts, as well as character-related items like additional characters and inventory slots. Players can exchange these items for Varium, which can be bought using real-world cash. Unfortunately, almost all in-game items can also be exchanged for Varium instead of credits. However, this doesn’t really make the game pay-to-win since, as far as I could tell, character damage is more dependent on character stats rather than weapons.

Final Verdict - Good

In spite of the EpicDuel’s flash-quality graphics and lack of sound, the gameplay is still pretty fun and addictive. The combat can get a bit repetitive but constantly mixing up your skills and strategy can pretty much make up for it. Overall, a great game fit for casual gamers or players looking to pass the time.

EpicDuel Screenshots

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EpicDuel Videos

EpicDuel Links

EpicDuel Official Site
EpicDuel Facebook (Database / Guides)
EpicDuel Wikia (Database/Guides)

EpicDuel Requirements

Operating System: XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Equivalent
Video Card: Any Graphics Card (Integrated works well too)
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Disk Space: 100 MB (Cache)

EpicDuel is a browser based MMO and will run smoothly on practically any PC. The game was tested and works well on Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox and Chrome. Any modern web-browser should run the game smoothly.

EpicDuel Additional Information

Developer: Artix Entertainment
Publisher: Artix Entertainment

Release Date: Dec 6, 2009

Development History / Background:

EpicDuel is an anime inspired browser MMORPG with a focus on PvP developed by the American game developer Artix Entertainment, the same Artix behind AdventureQuest Worlds. The game was built on Adobe Flash and is available on any modern web browser. EpicDuel was first announced to the world on December 2, 2009 and was the 6th major title from Artix.