I won't beat around the bush. Demigod Beta 3 has come out, and it is promising. Quite the face lift, in fact, but no where near pretty. The update added the last two Demigods back into the Beta. Connectivity is up, a new opening that actually has a hint of fluff and history was put in, and one more major feature that is the highlight of today's post: The Pantheon!
Take 'em Head On
The Pantheon isn't you're typical tournament. Rather then typical bracket, each player must choose to fight on the side of light or the side of dark. From there, anytime you wish, you can play a game with one of the four heroes from your side. When you finish a game, you're awarded favor points according to your performance. These points are then added to a total, and the first side to 100,000 wins.
Personally, I think that system rocks.
I know this seems overly simplistic and may seem like you, as a player, are ineffective. But, if you watch the scores, its exciting to see the two scores fluctuate. But what is even more exciting is where the tournaments could go; however, it requires Stardock to do one thing: create clans.
Think about it. You have a clan of about 20 and can represent your clan in a giant clan tournament between hundreds of clans, or you can challenge another clan to a tournament. Its just you're boys vs the world, all on your own, time after time. You could make teams in your clan that work cery well together and stratgize together, launching Demigod into the competitive realm. Stardock also records your scores, allowing you to see your statsand to track and compare your stats on Stardock's website. Nice.
Another possibility is side variations. Stardock could have a tournament where the demigods switch up or where only assassins can be used. And since I have a big thing for fluff, this would allow Stardock to implement more insight into the Demigod events by having stories of new alliances or events. The Queen of Thorn's roots could have grown into the rook's walls causing them to work together for a tournament. When they fight together, it gives the Rook an armor boost when teamed up with her or a boost to the Queen when she attacks him. Variations could result in intriguing tournaments every week.
Bring Your A-Game
When I saw the Pantheon, my competitive drive kicked in. Rather then "dabble" in several Demigods, I wanted to become good with one. I've played quite a few games this week with the Unclean Beast and I've just started to notice the competitive depth the game carries. I found three or four ways to build the Beast without even considering items (though, only one build was truly effective). Beta 3 also allows players to play on several different maps with several different game modes, all effecting your build. In maps where there are less creep spawns, perhaps it is better to invest more on single target spells rather then AOE since there is less pushing and more head-to-head.
On the downside, Pantheon isn't working quite right. Most of the time, you just end up playing AI, and in Demigod, AI demigods are simply pushovers. I easily obtained 50 kills in a game, hands down... That, however is a technical issue. I was also severely disappointed with item effectiveness and variations (I'm still hoping for item recipes down the road). Some items are just rendered useless or too useful. Seriously, has anyone else found the awesomeness of the Heart of Life? You never lose time having to go heal or wait for mana and it has only a 30 second cool down into you can fully heal (24-ish with cooldown buffs). But, remember, it is a Beta, and balance comes with time.
Epilogue
So that is my initial thoughts on the Pantheon and its only going to get better once the bugs work out. But if, by chance, you see me in game, say "Hi!" and let me know what you think about the game. I like to know how the community feels about the game.
See you next week!
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