Gameplay

Arena of Valor is a 3D, third-person, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game for mobile. The game has a great variety of gamemodes, such as Ranked, Grand Battle, Abyssal Clash, Valley Skirmish and so on. Players compete in these matches which on average for Grand Battle last for around 12 – 18 minutes. Players aim to destroy enemy towers on the map, with the victory condition being to destroy the enemy core.

Players control characters, referred to as heroes, and each of these heroes have a unique set of abilities. Heroes start the game at a low level, and can earn gold and experience (XP) in various ways: Killing non-player creatures such as minions or monsters, defeating other players, destroying structures, passively through time and through special items that can be purchased through the shop. Earning experience unlocks and augments abilities, making the hero more powerful. Items purchased in the shop do not carry over matches, and therefore all players are on equal footing at the start of every match.

Matches give players rewards, such as gold, which can then be used to buy a variety of heroes or arcana. In addition to this, players can play Ranked, which allows them to be matched with players who are at the same skill level and be assessed through in-game Ranks. Stars can be earned for a winning matches, but the player can also drop stars by losing.

Grand Battle and Ranked match, Antaris Battlefield 5v5
In 5v5 maps, the bottom, middle, and top lanes are battle lanes. The lane refers to the path on which both friendly and enemy soldiers battle it out. The map is named the Antaris Battlefield, also known as Horizon Valley, and is divided into two sides (blue and red).

Usually one or two players take the top and bottom lanes. These are called the side lanes. The middle lane is taken by one solitary player and is called the solo lane. The solo lane is shorter and requires a mage that levels up quickly.

Jungle
The Jungle is in between the three battle lanes. It is a large area rich in resources. Usually each team's Jungler controls it. The Jungle’s buffs are often stolen by players from both sides. There is a lot of cover or bushes in the Jungle, which is great for ambushing and sneak attacks.

There are many small group battles that take place in the Jungle during every match. Players must have good teamwork to ensure progress.

Defense Towers
Defense Towers are structures with very high offensive and defensive capabilities. Defensive Towers are present on each lane. These can protect enemy Heroes.

That's why you must pay special attention to the Tower’s attack order and the timing of your team's advance if you want to push past themand kill your enemies. It's best to time your push when your side's soldiers are entering the enemy Tower's attack range.

Abyssal Dragon and Dark Slayer
The Abyssal Dragon can provide both sides with ample EXP and resources in the early game, which makes it a hotly contested spot early on. If you beat it, you can use the buffs to crush enemies and get one step closer to victory.

The Dark Slayer can give your team buffs in the late game, such as directly restoring HP. This is an important weapon during group attacks in the late game.

Antaris Battlefield 2.0


Antaris Battlefield 2.0 was released on 30th of August 2018, called "Battlefield Reborn".

The patch notes for the update can be found here.

Antaris Battlefield 3.0


Antaris Battlefield 3.0 was released in the update of 15th of July 2019, where the dynamic lighting of the map got drastically improved.

The patch notes can be found here.

Valley Skirmish, 3v3
Valley Skirmish or Shadow Duel is a 3v3 game mode on Flatland Battlefield, using a much smaller map. In this version of the game, there is only one turret and a core base for both team. These games are designed to be much quicker, and typically last for 4 – 6 minutes.

Valley Skirmish 1.0
The first implementation of the 3v3 mode had very similar characteristics as the 3v3 map in Wangzhe Rongyao (Chinese: 王者荣耀; pinyin: Wángzhě Róngyào). Where the upper part of the jungle consisted of a small part and the lower part consisted of a few jungle camps including the Garnak.



Valley Skirmish 2.0
Later game removed the lower jungle and has only an upper jungle instead, with the Garnak moved to the top.



Valley Skirmish 3.0
As of 16 October 2020 a new Valley Skirmish map was released, which was also called Shadow Duel, referring to the battle between Lorion and Bright.

Hook wars, Treasure Bay
Hook Wars is one of the arcade game modes. The game map, Treasure Bay, is made up of two large connected vessels. Despite this game mode is also 5v5, there are no minions, turrets or bases in this mode. Each player is able to use a Hook as a special ability, which can grab an enemy on the opposite boat or from long distances. Players aim to capture the Control Zone, located at the center of the map, and hold the zone for a certain duration (until the counter reaches 100%). The capture rate increases with the number of players standing within the zone.



Death match
Death Match is a 2v2v2v2v2 arcade game mode on a game map known as Death Realm. Unlike the conventional 5v5 map, different spawn points are belonging to the different teams on the map, as well as different stage events that occur at fixed intervals including different monsters that give the various type of buffs. The five teams face off against each other on the battlefield. Players gain points by defeating heroes from the other teams. The timer for the stage is fixed at 8 minutes. Once the 8 minutes are up, the teams are ranked according to their total scores, and the map scores are shown from 1st place to 5th place.



Solo Battle, Black City
Black City Arena is a 1v1 game mode with only one lane, two brushes at the left and right side of the horizontal battlefield, an HP powerup, one tower and one core for blue and red.



Abyssal Clash, Abyss Canyon
Abyssal Clash is a 5v5 game mode where players are given randomly selected heroes. Players may choose to re-roll once and receive a different hero. The game map, Abyss Canyon, only has one lane, with two turrets and a core base connected at either end of the lane. There are certain restrictions which do not appear in the default 5v5 mode: Items may only be purchased before leaving the base or upon death and hero healing at the team base is disabled. There are health regeneration runes that appear next to each turret, which provide heroes with a small regeneration effect.

Football Fever, Fantasy Island
Football Fever is a 3v3, arcade game mode. The game map, Fantasy Island, is similar to a real-life football field with a summer-beach atmosphere. To achieve victory, you have to score a certain number of goals with a unique Talent called Kick, which is a solely linear ability, but it can be dragged. Using this ability will kick the ball over a long distance in the direction indicated.



Clone Clash
In this 5v5 mode all players on a team has the same heroes. This mode is played on the Antaris Battlefield.

Gladiator's Summit
Gladiator's Summit is a 5v5, arcade game mode. The freedom of hero choice is limited in this mode due to that players receive a random hero at the beginning of a match with one chance of an exchange. The cooldown for talents and abilities are reduced by 70% and there is no mana cost or energy cost for all heroes.

Mayhem mode, Horizon Valley
Mayhem Mode is a 10v10, arcade game mode. The game map, Horizon Valley, is the bigger version of Antaris Battlefield containing more jungle monsters. The players can upgrade their heroes expertise with Astral Coins to enhance the heroes active, passive skills and attributes.



Duo Race
As of Beta 29, Duo Race mode has been added to the Arcade modes. Duo-Race is a co-op racing mode. Each team has two players, racing against four other team's. The first team that finishes two laps wins the race. Players can transform into a vehicle temporarily and drive together with their teammate during this mode.

A small guide to this gamemode:


 * Part 1: Teams
 * Each game is played by five teams of two players.
 * Part 2: Winning
 * The first player to complete two laps wins the race (going the wrong way does not count). However, final results and rewards are calculated based on the Team Score.
 * Team Score = Player Score + Teammate Score + Finish Score (teams receive Finish Score only if both players are able to reach the finish line)
 * Part 3: Gameplay
 * Tap the Drive button to transform into a vehicle for a period of time. Teammates within five meters can tap the Enter button to get in the vehicle.
 * Tip: Bonus effects are received when carrying a teammate. Coordinate with your teammate in driving and getting in the vehicle to stay in the lead.
 * Part 4: Mysterious Boxes
 * Mysterious Boxes give players a random item. Items can be used to gain advantages or disrupt other players.



Carano Chess
Carano Chess is a whole different mode, for further reading please refer to this guide.