Duelyst

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 61
  3. Negative: 10 out of 61

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  1. Flantor
    Aug 25, 2016
    10
    This is the deepest, most challenging, most fun, and least cost-prohibitive card game on the market right now, despite what some negative reviews may say.

    Pros: 1) FAST card generation. A pack costs 100g, and you get ~50g from easy daily quests (play 4 games as X faction), 20g for your first win of the day, 5g for the daily puzzle, and 15g for every 2nd win. If you miss a day of    This is the deepest, most challenging, most fun, and least cost-prohibitive card game on the market right now, despite what some negative reviews may say.

    Pros:

    1) FAST card generation. A pack costs 100g, and you get ~50g from easy daily quests (play 4 games as X faction), 20g for your first win of the day, 5g for the daily puzzle, and 15g for every 2nd win. If you miss a day of quests you get a Welcome Back bonus of 5g/missed quest. You'll generate a big collection in no time without paying a single cent. Some of the top players competing in tournaments have never spent a single dollar.

    2) High legendary drop rate. The community has collected data on thousands of orb openings, and determined that 1 out of 4 packs contains a legendary! Plus the legendaries aren't as OP as Hearthstone, so they feel more fair when played against you. Granted, you need them for the most competitive decks, you can certainly get by without most of them. You'll get some sick legendaries in no time.

    3) Duelst is a UNIQUE card game, with a key difference that makes this game shine above all the other card game on the market. The 5x9 board makes the game come to life. You need to just play a match and you will understand how much depth the board adds to the game. Positioning is everything, this is the steepest part of the learning curve, but the most important and the most rewarding to master.

    4) Less RNG compared to other card games. You can REPLACE a card in your hand every single turn, for free. Don't like that super high cost minion on turn 2? Replace it and get something you can actually use. The replace mechanic adds a huge amount of CONSISTENCY and SKILL to the game. The best players know what to replace, and when. A novice or even an intermediate player will often replace away exactly what they needed one or two turns in the future.

    5) Fantastic lore. If you listen to the first chapter of the fully narrated story of the world of Mythron, you will likely fall in and never return the same. The world is tangible, and deals with themes such as: Evolution of life on a hostile planet, the slow dawn of the first conscious civilizations, an epic journey by early explorers to the farthest reaches of the planet, formation and separation of nation-states, corrupt politicians and leaders, and much more. There is a fully-realized world map that accompanies the game. They are releasing more lore with every major patch, so the story is on-going.

    6) 4 New cards released every month, and you earn them for free if you finish the month ranked Silver or better. Gold rank ensures you get the monthly legendary. These cards often shake up the game, so the meta is never the same from month to month.

    7) Fun. I've played for 3 seasons and loved every match. Suffered some heart-breaking defeats along the way, but it just makes the wins even sweeter.

    If you like card games even a little bit, give this game a try. I couldn't stand Hearthstone, but I love this game. Duelyst is honestly better than Hearthstone in every way, as it is more fun, has a higher skill cap, less RNG, easier gold generation, and more.

    Cons:
    1) A few archtypes dominate the meta at the high ranks. This is to be expected as players figure out what works the best. Counterplay is good at balancing when necessary, so nothing is too far out of balance for long.

    2) Cosmetics are overpriced, especially the emotes, but not buying them has no effect on gameplay, so just ignore them and you're good!

    Give it a try, I think you'll be surprised by how much is packed into this little game.

    Add me in-game if you want any tips or want to play a friendly match:
    -Flantor    … Expand
  2. darkmaterial
    May 8, 2016
    9
    Been my go to quick game for several weeks. The match making usually seems pretty fair and is always fast. The economy is generous to the point that I wounder how many folk will actually give them any cash. While some deck are obviously stronger than others, good and bad play certainly matters.
  3. hTristan
    May 4, 2016
    9
    Easy to learn and hard to master, Duelyst clearly riffs on Hearthstone's gameplay, but transposes it from cards to pieces on a board. Players have considerable control over how their game plays out thanks to the opportunity to replace one unwanted unit in their hand each turn.

    Duelyst features excellent art and a surprising level of polish for an indie studio. The game gets regular    Easy to learn and hard to master, Duelyst clearly riffs on Hearthstone's gameplay, but transposes it from cards to pieces on a board. Players have considerable control over how their game plays out thanks to the opportunity to replace one unwanted unit in their hand each turn.

    Duelyst features excellent art and a surprising level of polish for an indie studio. The game gets regular balance passes to help ensure a diverse set of competitive squads. Games tend to be quick bouts of 5-10 minutes in length, and the free-to-play rate of card acquisition is very generous.

    If Duelyst lacks something, it's the kind of tell-your-friends matches that make Hearthstone and Magic captivating to so many people. With more consistent gameplay, matches in Duelyst are more often won by incremental gains than by blowout, high impact events.

    If you like Hearthstone or other collectible games, but are looking for a little less RNG and a little more tactical complexity, I would not hesitate to recommend Duelyst.    … Expand
  4. Skemes
    Sep 8, 2016
    9
    This game is in an incredibly polished, well-presented state with highly tactical, stimulating gameplay. If you're a fan of table top games (a la Warhammer) and want a slightly shorter version, I would highly suggest this game. It's decidedly more interesting than Hearthstone, both in terms of artistic direction, animations, and novel gameplay mechanics.
  5. evansgreen
    May 20, 2016
    10
    Best of a kind, to be honest:
    * 3-10 minutes games, which is great for my game consuming pattern (doesn't need a huge amount of time)
    * Acceptable learning curve, but astounding depth. * Collecting elements, which always encourage you to keep playing. * Huge strategic element. After many hours you keep making strategical mistakes. Hard to play "the best way" * Really good legendary    Best of a kind, to be honest:
    * 3-10 minutes games, which is great for my game consuming pattern (doesn't need a huge amount of time)
    * Acceptable learning curve, but astounding depth.
    * Collecting elements, which always encourage you to keep playing.
    * Huge strategic element. After many hours you keep making strategical mistakes. Hard to play "the best way"
    * Really good legendary and rare drop rate. You don't feel at all like it's impossible to build your collection over time without spending a dollar. (However if you're the typical "I want it all fast to get to tier S that's going to cost you a few orb packs).

    If you like strategic board games and CCG, and don't have very long periods of time to spend gaming, this game is really really good. Trust me! Go download it and try it.    … Expand
  6. DeusXCom
    Jun 10, 2016
    8
    Surprisingly good. It's basically Hearthstone where beautiful hi-res pictures are replaced by cute pixel art and with more depth by adding another strategic element of placement of your minions on battlefield. While it borrows from Hearthstone very heavily in some of it's mechanics, it can be actually a good thing, because it makes it easier for you to get into it. The question is - willSurprisingly good. It's basically Hearthstone where beautiful hi-res pictures are replaced by cute pixel art and with more depth by adding another strategic element of placement of your minions on battlefield. While it borrows from Hearthstone very heavily in some of it's mechanics, it can be actually a good thing, because it makes it easier for you to get into it. The question is - will it have the same lasting appeal and will the game still be enjoyable after months and years of gameplay the same way Hearthstone is, only time will tell, but so far I'm having a good time. 8/10… Expand
  7. Zedentin
    May 24, 2016
    10
    If you like CCG + strategy games this is a must!

    Made by a small team, Counterplay Games managed to create an amazing and involving game, with rich mechanics, cool art style and rich lore. Don't be fooled thinking this is a copy of Hearthstone, besides some UI similarities, the addition of the board make the position aspect of the game very important and create some interesting    If you like CCG + strategy games this is a must!

    Made by a small team, Counterplay Games managed to create an amazing and involving game, with rich mechanics, cool art style and rich lore. Don't be fooled thinking this is a copy of Hearthstone, besides some UI similarities, the addition of the board make the position aspect of the game very important and create some interesting situations. The game play is way more dense and skill related.

    Every factions and general (yes, generals, even being from the same faction, have different abilities called Bloodbourne Spells) feels very unique, not only for their looks and lore but also their playstyle. Its common to spend hours just creating and tweaking decks based on different cards, strategies and generals.

    The game is also very generous with card drops, and the usual chance to get a Legendary is 1 for 4 packs. And its not uncommon to get even 2 Legs per pack.

    The game just left beta, and still has a long way to go and features to be added but looking the product now its future already looks bright! Give it a chance, you wont regret!    … Expand
  8. vzgn
    Aug 20, 2016
    0
    Classic example of how incompetence and greed of devs can kill ambitious game. They hastily released crude game, removed its key features and now it is slowly loosing playerbase.
  9. FelixGaptor
    Sep 1, 2016
    9
    Хорошая тактическая игра. Некая смесь МТГ, Хартстоуна и Берсерка.

    Что понравилось: Классная пиксельная графика, красивая анимация юнитов, дневные задания, пазлы, возможность без вложений получить любую карту, много людей онлайн. Ну и главное отличие от Хартстоунов всяких - возможность тактически перемещать юнитов, что очень здорово и чего очень мне не хватает, как любителю шахмат и    Хорошая тактическая игра. Некая смесь МТГ, Хартстоуна и Берсерка.

    Что понравилось:
    Классная пиксельная графика, красивая анимация юнитов, дневные задания, пазлы, возможность без вложений получить любую карту, много людей онлайн. Ну и главное отличие от Хартстоунов всяких - возможность тактически перемещать юнитов, что очень здорово и чего очень мне не хватает, как любителю шахмат и Берсерка (старого, не новых "Берсерк Герои", а именно старого ККИ Берсерк, ну или браузерки Берсерк Возрождение).

    Что не понравилось:
    Ограничение по времени на ход. Иногда просто не успеваешь доходить свой ход, не говоря уже о том, чтобы распланировать что-то. Большая зависимость от приходов. Конечно, тут немного лучше? чем в МТГ, раз в ход можно заменить карту, нет земель, которые в МТГ могут сильно испортить игру, но все же, от стартовой руки и приходов слишком много зависит, особенно в деках с всего 1-2 ключевыми картами. Опять же, сравнивая с Берсерком, слишком простые абилки у юнитов и мало комбятся друг с другом, хотелось бы более сложных взаимодействий.

    В целом, игра очень понравилась. Для меня, если бы убрать из игры случайную "стартовую руку", и сделать подбор отряда полностью контролируемым игроком, то это была бы, наверное, почти идеальная игра для меня. Если вы любитель тактических игр, карточных игр и красивого пиксель-арта, то вам однозначно стоит поиграть в Дуэлист.    … Expand
  10. night4
    Jul 1, 2016
    4
    I was extremely impressed at first, but my enthusiasm died within a few hours of play. Basically it's just "Hearthstone Tactics" with even fewer options on how to play each hero, or, race.

    It could have been awesome if it had more options for single-player to make up for how much they want you to spend money on micro-transactions. I don't have a problem with micro-transactions if    I was extremely impressed at first, but my enthusiasm died within a few hours of play. Basically it's just "Hearthstone Tactics" with even fewer options on how to play each hero, or, race.

    It could have been awesome if it had more options for single-player to make up for how much they want you to spend money on micro-transactions.

    I don't have a problem with micro-transactions if the game is really fun. I understand everything in the world takes money to create. I just don't think this is worth it.    … Expand
  11. Seaberry
    Oct 2, 2016
    6
    Yknow that board game Han Solo and Chewbakka have on the Millenium Falcon? It's basically that.

    Two players start with their generals (the prime peice, like the king in chess) already spawned on the board, as well as 2 or 3 mana in a power bar of 9 total. Summoning Minions and Casting Spells costs mana. You pretty much play as your general: each one has a different primary spell (A    Yknow that board game Han Solo and Chewbakka have on the Millenium Falcon? It's basically that.

    Two players start with their generals (the prime peice, like the king in chess) already spawned on the board, as well as 2 or 3 mana in a power bar of 9 total. Summoning Minions and Casting Spells costs mana.

    You pretty much play as your general: each one has a different primary spell (A 'Bloodborn Spell') and can cast other spell cards plus equipt items (artifacts) to make them more powerful or cast an effect. As you play you'll notice when you play a card to do anything, your general does a little move to represent it.

    As a general, you also spawn 'Minions' which are basically the pawns of the game. They cost mana to summon, usually have 'exhaustion' (meaning they can't move or attack on the same turn as being summoned), and can have various effects which are activated various ways, E.G. :
    -Minions with sheilds have 'Provoke' which stops other peices from moving past them until they're destroyed.
    -Minions with 'Opening Gambits' cast various effects when you summon them from your hand
    -Minions with 'Rush' can move and attack on the same turn as being summoned
    -etc

    Pros:
    -Tutorial

    -AI Matches

    -Simple and intriguing board gameplay

    -Variety of strategy styles, like ranged, tanky, spell stacking, etc. The game has Six factions, each with multiple generals. Each faction has also unique spells, artifacts and minions specific to their play style. Decks are all faction specific, meaning you cannot mix faction cards. However, there are a large amount of "faction nuetral" cards.

    Cons:
    -Cash shop items:
    'Orbs' are how players expand their library of cards. They can be bought with igc (gold) OR good ol' USD. This alone puts the cash shop in the 'con' section, because if it was purely cosmetic it would be a +.

    -Daily Challenges:
    Daily challenges play differently from PVP or Botmatches:

    >The goal is to kill the other general in one move
    >Each is a Custom Scenario, your general is chosen for you, you have 9/9 mana and a handful of cards (spells, items and/or minions)
    >Both sides have minions already on the board

    Basically this turns the game into a puzzle game. You need to figure out how to use everything you're given to defeat the enemy general in one turn. Daily Challenges can be completed for a measly 5 gold. It's not the only way to aquire gold, but it feels a lot like they aren't worth the reward, even if the community has an effort going to tell everyone how to solve them daily.

    -Faction Balance:
    The biggest aspect and driving mechanic of this game is dealing proxy damage to the enemy general without taking damage to your own

    In the game, units next to each other can attack with melee, however the attacked unit also counter attacks. This means that if two generals just slugged it out, they would both die on the same attack and the match would draw.

    So, both sides use spells and minions to prevent damage to themselves. However:

    SomeFactions natrually excel at this while others just do not

    This could easily avoid being a con by rating the factions by playstyle difficulty, however at this point they aren't

    This means you'll see less variety in who you battle in PVP, faction wise.

    -Cautionary Developers
    Apparently, The dev/publisher of this game also has their reputation riding on the line because they made changes to the game that went unannounced:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/duelyst/comments/50paxs/an_open_letter_to_counterplay_games/ https://forums.duelyst.com/t/an-open-letter-to-counterplay-games-ardent-dawns-post/3113 From what I understand: An expansion came out that introduced a second type of orb. Players could pre-order the orbs for a discount (as pre-orders tend to go). Then players learned that the drop rates of different rarities of cards were nerfed compared to normal orbs, and are displeased that the different rate wasn't outlined in patch notes. CounterPlay (The Developers) had the opportunity to tell the players about it in a stream but chose to 'leave it discoverable', further displeasing the players. They really have a chance to make amends as of this writing, they could JUST SIMPLY apologize to the players and never repeat what they did, but only time will tell how their reputation goes. As someone who doesn't play other 'card games' I gave it a 6/10 on metacritic for it's flaws[/I]    … Expand
  12. Nebukarr
    May 17, 2017
    8
    I'm absolutely not into trading card games, but Duelyst made me an addict.
    Pros:
    + chess-like moving of minions + regular legendary drops + matchmaking system for evenly matched opponents + endless strategic possibilities + regular new cards and discounts Cons: + gauntlet is very hard + frustration level can rise high (if you're disposed to) + shrinking community :( I had a    I'm absolutely not into trading card games, but Duelyst made me an addict.
    Pros:
    + chess-like moving of minions
    + regular legendary drops
    + matchmaking system for evenly matched opponents
    + endless strategic possibilities
    + regular new cards and discounts

    Cons:
    + gauntlet is very hard
    + frustration level can rise high (if you're disposed to)
    + shrinking community :(

    I had a lot of fun playing it. But as I played further, I challenged opponents with very strong decks, so that I got frustrated and stopped playing. But if you're interested in TCG, I would strongly suggest to give it a try. It seems much fairer and challenging than Hearthstone...    … Expand
  13. Kyuubei1985
    Feb 18, 2018
    1
    Y se sigue explotando el género, hasta sacarle el último centavo a la gente...

    Duelyst, un juego de cartas/estrategia con una estética muy a lo de los juegos de Super Nintendo. Otra razón que me lleva a entender que esta clase de juegos, en la actualidad, se ha convertido en unos descarados pay to fast disfrazados de hermosos free to play. Este es el último juego de cartas/estrategia    Y se sigue explotando el género, hasta sacarle el último centavo a la gente...

    Duelyst, un juego de cartas/estrategia con una estética muy a lo de los juegos de Super Nintendo.
    Otra razón que me lleva a entender que esta clase de juegos, en la actualidad, se ha convertido en unos descarados pay to fast disfrazados de hermosos free to play.
    Este es el último juego de cartas/estrategia por turnos que jugaré en mi vida, y no pienso tocar ninguno de Steam.
    Progresos muy lentos, sistema de comandos muy complicado, más tedioso en vez de tener un poco más de acción en tiempo real, desbalanceo a la hora de jugar con otra persona.
    Si hay una cosa que los creadores de juegos, y compañías hacen mal, es hacerle sentir al jugador que está perdiendo el tiempo.

    Puntuación: 1/10 (y creo que me estoy pasando con la nota)

    Al menos con Hearthstone no sentías esa tediosidad de sentir que no progresabas... Ni siquiera el modo práctica era tan tedioso como aquí.
    Si de verdad quisiera jugarme el dinero o la vida, prefiero que me asalten a mano armada en la vía pública. Al menos esa persona es sincera.
    No se dejen llevar por las estéticas, para qué existen las puntuaciones en Steam? Se aprende mucho de los "no recomendados", aunque sean de títulos gratuitos.
    Y ahora saltará el gilipollas de turno con su "pero es que estos juegos tienen que vivir de algo"...
    Se entiende, pero al punto de hacerte sentir que se te va la vida para subir de nivel, o tratando de entender las mecánicas?
    O soy yo que le gusta mucho ir a piñón, o son estos juegos que te obligan a romperte la cabeza con estrategias sin gracia.
    No se descarguen este juego, y antes de hacerlo, vean las puntuaciones. Los "no recomendados" siempre sacan defectos.

    And it continues to exploit the genre, to get the last dime to people ...

    Duelyst, a card / strategy game with an aesthetic very similar to Super Nintendo games.
    Another reason that leads me to understand that this kind of games, at present, has become a cheeky pay to fast disguised as beautiful free to play.
    This is the last turn-based card / strategy game I will play in my life, and I do not intend to play any of Steam.
    Very slow progress, very complicated command system, more tedious instead of having a little more action in real time, imbalance when playing with another person.
    If there is one thing that the creators of games, and companies do wrong, is to make the player feel that he is wasting his time.

    Score: 1/10 (and I think I'm passing with the note)

    At least with Hearthstone you did not feel that tediousness of feeling that you were not progressing ... Not even the practical way was as tedious as here.
    If I really wanted to play my money or my life, I'd rather have them assault me ​​with an armed hand on the public highway. At least that person is sincere.
    Do not get carried away by aesthetics, what are the scores on Steam? You learn a lot from the "not recommended", even if they are free titles.
    And now the **** will jump with his "but is that these games have to live on something" ...
    It is understood, but to the point of making you feel that your life is going to level up, or trying to understand the mechanics?
    Or is it me that likes to go in plan "come I'll give you", or are these games that force you to break your head with strategies without grace.
    Do not download this game, and before doing so, see the scores. The "not recommended" always draw defects.    … Expand
  14. NobleWolfy
    Feb 2, 2020
    0
    This game is free to play on steam, however it is yet another pay to win collectable card game.
    I am not sure you can even play this dumpster fire of a game without shelling out your cash
    from the moment you start to play online. This game is extremely unbalanced to the point that is is unplayable. You do not even need any strategic skills to beat your opponent all you need to do is    This game is free to play on steam, however it is yet another pay to win collectable card game.
    I am not sure you can even play this dumpster fire of a game without shelling out your cash
    from the moment you start to play online.

    This game is extremely unbalanced to the point that is is unplayable. You do not even need any
    strategic skills to beat your opponent all you need to do is go to the shop and buy the best cards.

    Pros:
    > The Art Style is Great
    > The game has a different concept style.

    Cons:
    > Pay 2 Win.
    > Extremely Unbalanced.
    > The developers have abandoned the game.

    If you are not willing to pay for good cards, then there is no point in even wasting your time
    trying to play this game.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Gaming Age
    Jul 14, 2016
    100
    If you’re at all a fan of CCG or TCG games, whether digital or real, I’d urge you to check out Duelyst. You won’t be disappointed.
    Read full review
  2. GamingTrend
    Jul 13, 2016
    75
    Duelyst felt more like a board game than a computer game with plenty of options and strategy.
    Read full review
  3. COGconnected
    Jul 12, 2016
    85
    All-in-all, Duelyst is a high quality, collectible strategy card game.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »