Arena of Valor

Arena of Valor is multiplayer online battle arena developed and published by Tencent Games for the Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay
Arena of Valor is a 3D, third-person, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) style game. The game has multiple modes, with the main three being Grand Battle, Valley Skirmish and Abyssal Clash. Players compete in these matches which on average last for around 12 - 18 minutes. Players aim to destroy turrets on the map, in order to destroy the 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 level up 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. These actions also increase XP the player has, making them more powerful. The items purchased do not carry over matches, and therefore all players are on equal footing at the start of the 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 a 'Ranked' match type, which allows them to attempt to go up in tiers in order to be matched with players who are at their skill level. Stars are earnt for a victory, and lost when the player loses.

There are various game modes, with 5v5, also known as Grand Battle or Ranked, being the most popular. Here, players can choose a role to play in, such as marksmen, who do high damage yet have little health, or a tank, which has a lot of health. The team then coordinate in order to destroy the towers, and finally to destroy the enemy base. Players can choose to play in the 'jungle', which allows them to level up quicker and make a large difference to the game.

In addition to this, Valley Skirmish is a 3v3 game mode, using a much smaller map. In this version of the game, there is only one tower. These games are designed to be much quicker, for the player that does not have time for a longer game, and typically last for 4 - 6 minutes. Abyssal Clash is a game mode where players are randomly selected heroes, and have two towers they must destroy in order to reach the enemy base. Arena of Valor also has a death match mode, however this is not as popular as the other three modes.