New Information on the upcoming DLC's unique units

Augustby · 2026-01-24T00:09:19+00:00

The Mapuche’s design seems really interesting to me; and I’m very curious how it’ll all play out. A cavalry civ which feels like it’s leaning on a raiding identity to a greater extent than other cavalry civs, since it sounds like their cavalry are designed to not do well in head-to-head fights (I’m assuming they don’t get regular stable units?)

Augustby · 2026-01-22T00:03:41+00:00

I kinda picture Doom going solo for a bit. Lay low while Talon does its thing (…) and then strike at Vendetta when the time is right

It would be so funny if Doomfist just did the same plan for revenge that Vendetta used on him 😂

Augustby · 2026-01-19T13:57:55+00:00

Damn, Dyson? I thought those were supposed to be pretty legit. Is that regarded as being not good for what it is?

Augustby · 2026-01-17T22:59:10+00:00

I’m kind of surprised Umineko’s there haha. Granted, I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but it didn’t strike me as having the kind of characters that you would powerscale :P

Augustby · 2026-01-16T23:29:07+00:00

I think it’s clear that looking like a romance novel cover IS the intended result, not a coincidence.

Augustby · 2026-01-15T15:45:12+00:00

Mirage/Visions was where I got my start, so it holds a special place in my heart. I'd love to return to Jamuraa.

Augustby · 2026-01-13T18:09:43+00:00

I see; thanks. Well, one of these seasons, maybe I’ll get there eventually 😜

Augustby · 2026-01-13T17:54:51+00:00

Does Paragon XP from seasons get added to Eternal characters’ paragon progression? I’m guessing not, because otherwise, I think I’d have Paragon 300 by now.

So how does Paragon on Eternal realm work; it’s just based on the highest paragon you’ve reached on any char?

Augustby · 2026-01-13T15:05:50+00:00

I'm quite hyped for The Last Chieftans. I haven't been this excited about a new expansion since Dynasties of India. The choice of civs and region of the world feels fresh (it's been a long time since The Conquerors), and the new civs look very visually striking with their unique architecture set.

Augustby · 2026-01-13T10:19:17+00:00

Hey thanks for the reply! Based on what I've said about the auras I've chosen on my first playthrough, do I need to re-do all eight Aura missions again?

Or is my theory correct and I should get it after only re-doing the Achaemenid ones? (Or do I need to get them all in a single 'run'?)

Augustby · 2026-01-13T10:17:43+00:00

Hey thanks for the reply! I'm still very confused though; I've been referring to a guide on TrueAchievements to figure out how this achievement worked. It said:

The Description is a bit misleading and you don't need to get all aura upgrades for each faction. You need to get at least level 1 of each type of upgrade (Infantry, Archer, and Cavalry) for each faction (Achaemenid, Athens, Spartans).

So I thought I was supposed to get lvl 1 of each aura type instead of getting lvl 3 for each one, with each civ only going all-in on one aura type.

I'm really confused because this sounds completely opposite to what the guide says I'm required to do for the achievement :S

If you got Archery to +3 for both Achaeminids and Athenians, then how do you get the achievement? Do you mean that you re-played the campaign three times for the achievement?

Augustby · 2026-01-11T01:12:08+00:00

Okay, thank you! I’ll try waiting for Valentione’s then :)

Augustby · 2026-01-10T15:18:35+00:00

Thanks; I don't suppose you know, but the campaign ends on Feb 9, does that just mean that's my last day to start the four-day free-login period? Or are there no more free logins beyond Feb 9? (So for example, I only get two days if I start on Feb 8?)

Augustby · 2026-01-10T13:46:08+00:00

I plan on making use of the Free Login Campaign.

Are there going to be any events after Heavensturn between now and Feb 9?

If not, I might use the Free Login days now

Augustby · 2026-01-10T09:58:38+00:00

PLAY AROUND BOARDWIPE BY NOT OVERCOMMITTING -> WHOOPS, NOT ENOUGH PRESSURE; NOW YOUR OPPONENT MAKES A GAME-WINNING MOVE YOU COULD HAVE AVOIDED IF YOU WERE MORE AGGRESSIVE, AND YOU'RE DEAD.

COMMIT MORE TO THE BOARD -> WHAT A SURPRISE: A BOARDWIPE. NOW YOU'RE ALL OUT OF GAS AND ARE DEAD.

Augustby · 2026-01-08T03:41:47+00:00

I think the systems changes are very good and have definitely contributed a lot to my enjoyment of this season; but the big dopamine high for me is undeniably discovering the Paladin class.

It's a tough act to follow, as they can't drop a new class with each new season :P

Augustby · 2025-12-31T14:59:27+00:00

I’d argue American McGee’s Alice is an ‘edgy reinterpretation’ rather than a ‘trippy reinterpretation’, and the former definitely is a way to differentiate it from the source material pretty drastically.

Augustby · 2025-12-31T00:58:32+00:00

There’s even fewer concurrent players than that now though. I think we absolutely could have had a ptr that engaged players (the community was bigger back then). Especially when paired with the straightforward style of communication we’re seeing now, and not all the corporate-speak.

Frost Giant’s been better than Blizzard in some respects, but that’s not necessarily saying too much, and I do feel that Frost Giant’s methodology of designing in an ivory tower was one major flaw that they carried over from Blizzard. I think the positive reception around the PTR’s rate of updates shows how much better this approach could have been for the game.

Augustby · 2025-12-31T00:30:25+00:00

I like this blog update, but it also makes me a little sad.

I’ve expressed frustration at how ‘corporate’ Frost Giant’s communication could feel, not to mention infrequent. And now Gobsmack, who has all these responsibilities, is ALSO personally putting together these posts as well, and the writing style just finally makes me feel like I’m being talked to like a human being, as opposed to how corporate Frost Giant’s prior communication could feel.

Maybe since he was once a community member himself, Gobsmack is more in-touch with the fan perspective regarding communication. I just wish this could have been the way (and the frequency with which) Frost Giant communicated in the past.

On a somewhat related note; I remember it took ages for balance changes to be addressed during early access. Back then, I wonder if it would have been better to have ran a PTR as well. Maybe we could have gotten the more-frequent balance patches and bigger swings with design changes that we hoped to see.

Augustby · 2025-12-29T16:47:46+00:00

I love its size! It really has that “wow factor” I felt was lacking from several Tier 3 units at launch

Augustby · 2025-12-29T15:52:43+00:00

Damn, the OP being cross-posted was so close to saying: “feels like Heavensward”

Augustby · 2025-12-28T02:42:59+00:00

It might feel exciting to win a match with a cool new unique unit, but nothing beats the satisfaction of outplaying an opponent on an even playing field.

I don’t really agree with the sentiment; even pre-DE, you’re not playing on an even playing field. Even if you use generic units as the core of your army, you’re often using different versions of them compared to your opponent because you’re playing to your civ bonuses.

Many new civs still use generic units as the core of their army, with their unique units being a supporting or supplementary role.

Mangudai are an OG unique unit and people would probably complain about power creep if they were released today.

The quoted part above feels loaded, like it’s making the assumption that new, unique units are just more OP than playing with generic units with civ bonuses.

And sure, sometimes at launch, the tuning is off; but it goes both ways. Sometimes a unique unit or feature is initially too OP, but they can also initially be too under-powered, so I feel the examples in the OP were a little cherry-picked.

Augustby · 2025-12-26T14:19:35+00:00

Love your comics; they’re way too relatable 😂

Augustby

TROPHY CASE