Unleashing Epic Adventures: A Closer Look into Warcraft Rumble's Thrilling Multiplayer, Heroic Missions, and Enigmatic Dungeons

Blizzard is returning to its roots with Warcraft Rumble, a mobile game that focuses on strategy and features battles between miniature Warcraft characters in chaotic tower defense-style fights. With a large collection of characters to choose from, a challenging campaign that can be replayed with Heroic modifiers, and plenty of PvP opportunities, this new addition to the Warcraft franchise is shaping up to be more than just another mobile game.

In an interview with Game Rant, Game Producer Elhora Davis and Art Director Jeremy Collins discussed the various systems and design aspects of Warcraft Rumble. They delved into the game's PvE modes, guild progression, and how the PvP meta will constantly change with different modifiers to prevent any one team from dominating. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: Could you discuss the playstyles that different compositions in Warcraft Rumble bring out?

Davis: One of the great aspects of Warcraft Rumble is that each mini has its own unique strengths, weaknesses, and synergies with other units. Certain units, in my opinion, are particularly fantastic in any deck and work well with any lineup you choose. Take, for example, the Undead unit called the Meat Wagon. This demonic catapult rolls up to enemy towers, just out of their range, and launches grotesque meat steaks at them. These towers represent territory within Rumble, including deployment zones. I personally love this unit for its wickedness and its ability to continuously bombard towers with disgusting projectiles. To me, it's a valuable addition to any deck.

Another exciting addition to the game are harpies, aggressive bird-like creatures that relentlessly attack anything they come across. Although they may appear delicate, they possess remarkable strength. When combined with the Cheat Death spell, which grants them the power to defy death, they become virtually indestructible for a brief period of time. This combination has proven to be highly effective in defeating formidable bosses numerous times.

Rumble offers a wide range of play styles to explore. Experimenting with various combinations and discovering what suits your preferences is one of the game's strengths. The possibilities are endless thanks to the diverse synergies available. We eagerly anticipate seeing what strategies and tactics players devise.

Q: When minis reach a certain level, they unlock a talent system that enhances their abilities. Could you elaborate on the talent system and provide some intriguing talent examples?

Collins: Talents add an exciting element to the game as we offer over 65 collectible characters. Just like leaders represent different deck archetypes in your army, such as Thalnos being a spell leader and encouraging the use of spells, or Hogger being a cycle leader and promoting low-cost units in a cycle deck, talents work at the individual unit level.

Consider the Gryphon Rider, who initially has the ability to throw her electrified hammer at other units from the sky. By selecting the Mighty Throw talent, her range is boosted by +3. This significantly changes how this particular character is played, as her short range makes her vulnerable to being sniped by ranged units. With the additional range, you can strategically position a tank in front of her, allowing her to shoot over it and avoid being targeted by those ranged units.

Once you combine each unit with three distinct talents and assemble an army comprising of seven units, the depth of the gameplay expands immensely. The countless possibilities of combinatorics, combined with the fascinating synergies that can be achieved between different units and leaders within your armies - remember leaders possess their own unique talents too - is undeniably enchanting.

Q: How do you determine which Warcraft characters to feature as minis? Do you choose based on personal preference and then find a suitable role for them, or do you first identify a gameplay need and then select a suitable character to fulfill it?

Davis: We have a great appreciation for all the Warcraft characters. Among the notable figures are Grommash, Maiev, and Cairne Bloodhoof, who are considered all-stars. Additionally, we have the charming Old Murk Eye, a murloc with a distinctive and endearing scent. Our fondness for him led us to the decision of making him a collectible leader!

Collins: With my five years of experience working on WoW, I've had ample time to immerse myself in the world of Azeroth. Elhora is absolutely correct. While we do have the iconic figures like Cairne Bloodhoof, Baron Rivendare, and Maiev from Warcraft's history, we were particularly thrilled to give some attention to the smaller or lesser-known quest givers in WoW. Characters like Goldtooth or Abercrombie, who are famous within the game for their quests but don't receive much recognition outside of World of Warcraft, were the focus of our excitement.

We saw this as a remarkable opportunity to shed more light on these individual characters and further develop their backgrounds. Playing in Azeroth has been an incredibly enjoyable experience overall because it provides an endless canvas for engaging stories. With thirty years' worth of exquisite art, lore, and captivating elements at our disposal, the possibilities in Warcraft are truly astounding. And if you look closely, you might even find a few intriguing easter eggs.

Q: What sets dungeons and raids apart from regular levels?

Davis: The campaign in Warcraft Rumble is particularly enjoyable to me because it offers a concentrated single-player adventure with a vast array of Warcraft characters, as we have previously discussed. Each map presents its own unique puzzle to solve, making it an engaging and thought-provoking experience. Additionally, it can be pursued at your own pace, serving as a long-term objective, and acts as a means of progressing towards acquiring additional minis and unlocking new features. Essentially, it forms the foundation for unlocking content within the game.

Dungeons in our game differ from the campaign as they consist of a three-map gauntlet. They are specifically themed around different families, with the families rotating each week. We have a total of five families available: Beast, Undead Blackrock, Horde, and Alliance. The family allowed in the dungeon is determined by the current week.

Upon entering the dungeon, players must choose a leader and a dungeon relic. The chosen relic grants a unique power, enhancing the player's army. For instance, one particularly enjoyable relic is called "Really Big Candle." When equipped, it boosts the kobolds in our game, small creatures that collect gold. With Really Big Candle, the kobolds receive a 25 level boost, transforming them into formidable and amusing rat-like warriors. Despite their original purpose of mining, the kobolds will even attack bosses they encounter.

In addition, we offer various other relics such as the Glazed Cannon. This relic reduces the health of your minis by half but, in turn, doubles their damage. This combination allows for the potential of causing significant explosive damage during your pushes. Moreover, it complements some of the more defensively-oriented spells available in Rumble.

After defeating a boss, you have the opportunity to select another relic. You continue this process until you reach the final boss, with two chances to win. If you lose twice, you are eliminated, but you can always attempt again.

After conquering the dungeon, a unique opportunity arises to enhance your designated leader by instantly leveling up any specific minion occupying a particular slot in your deck. This upgrade can manifest as various abilities, such as flight or specialization to a specific family.

Among the dungeons I particularly enjoy is Blackfathom Deeps, where the notorious Aku'mai makes a compelling comeback in Rumble. The encounter showcases different manifestations of Aku'mai's heads, each with distinct personalities. To avoid spoiling the experience, defeating each head unlocks a larger map, enabling you to further advance and ultimately take on the true form of Aku'mai. This offers a distinct gameplay compared to the standard, as navigating through a series of challenges presents a unique stylistic approach, unlike a solitary puzzle.

Q: Like World of Warcraft, players can also join guilds in Warcraft Rumble. How do players work together in guilds, and how are they rewarded for participating?

Collins: PvP is where guilds truly excel. By grouping up with around 15 members from your guild, you can engage in thrilling PvP battles. Guilds also provide a platform for discussing strategies and planning the next steps for your team.

In addition, we have an exciting social feature called War Chests. Located inside the Arclight Rumble arcade machine, the War Chest collects the unique "juices" from the five families in the game: Horde, Alliance, Blackrock, Undead, and Beast. As you triumph over various enemies and progress in PvP, depending on the leader of the family you choose, you'll actively contribute to these War Chests, similar to guild goals.

Each of the five families has individual mini goals on their respective tracks. By filling up the meters for each family, you can earn a significant amount of unit XP. Once all five meters are filled, you will have the opportunity to unlock three special seasonal rewards from the top of the War Chests. These rewards include a new emote for the game, cosmetic skins for towers, or even a cosmetic skin for kobolds. There are numerous exciting items to chase after while aiming to reach the highest level of PvP mastery, which is Arclight Mastermind.

Playing against other players in the PvP mode during the soft launch has been both enjoyable and humbling. It's incredible to have been involved in the development of this game for six years, thinking you're skilled, and then realizing how easily you can be defeated.

In terms of PvP gameplay, it is similar to playing a campaign mission, with the key difference being the presence of another skilled player on the opposing side, based on our experiences with mine and Jeremy's opponents.

The Warcraft Rumble PvP has several enjoyable aspects. Primarily, our PvP is designed to have a dynamic and ever-changing meta. Each PvP season introduces a shifting meta, where the map, towers, and modifiers are altered. This brings about variations such as increased gold income or modifications to mini behavior. For instance, a mini may level up with each play or experience other changes.

Different types of modifiers are incorporated into the gameplay. Due to the constant fluctuations in maps, towers, and modifiers, there is no single mini or deck that remains dominant throughout the entire season. The optimal strategy changes depending on the advantages and disadvantages of the current paradigm. This frequent change adds a captivating element to the experience, requiring players to constantly adapt and assess, asking themselves, "What do I possess that can effectively fit within this meta?"

By participating in PvP, not only do you get a variety of rewards for your progression and matches, but you also gain experience and unlock interesting rewards such as special emotes. Furthermore, the diversity of tower types adds an exciting tactical element to each match, requiring you to approach each battle strategically rather than relying on a single army. This adds a fresh and engaging aspect to the game, making it more challenging and enjoyable.

It keeps you on your toes, and in my opinion, I feel so much more gratified when I finally defeat my enemy in PvP because it feels like an outsmarting moment. It's quite cool.

Q: Could you describe each of the five thematic families in terms of their playstyles?

Leaders like Jaina in the Alliance and Bloodmage Thalnos in the Undead faction greatly benefit from spells. Jaina enhances the power of spells, while Thalnos is empowered by your use of spells. Each leader has their own unique identity, but Rumble allows you to showcase your own identity through the units you choose to use. If you enjoy using spells and prefer Jaina, you have the freedom to create a deck with various combinations of units that synergize with her abilities. You are not limited to specific options and synergies.

It's important to note that spells are not exclusive to the Alliance. There are spells available within other families as well. You have the opportunity to create a diverse and versatile deck that caters to "the Jaina agenda" by incorporating a variety of spells. Additionally, certain leaders and their talents can influence your tactics, and there are specific tactics and units that work exceptionally well with particular leaders.

Baron Rivendare possesses the talent to incite nearby skeletons into a frenzy, enhancing their speed and attack power. This allows players to strategically unleash as many skeletons as possible to take advantage of their amplified abilities. The use of bloodlust creates synergies and grants players the freedom to create diverse combinations of miniatures, expressing their unique playstyle and identity.

Collins states that while there are distinct traits within different families of units, such as the Beast family's emphasis on crowd control with multiple miniatures per unit, the ultimate determining factor in playstyle is the chosen leader. Similar to Magic the Gathering, where a black-red deck promotes aggressive play and a blue-green deck encourages control, the preferred leader in Miniatures may influence the preferred strategy of the player.

In the game, we have various archetypes to choose from, depending on the type of leader you wish to embody, as Elhora mentioned. Additionally, there are also units that provide a delightful and enjoyable experience in constructing armies. Take, for instance, the Angry Chickens - a group of nine furious and enraged fowls that possess both a bloodthirsty nature and the ability to remain hidden. This unique unit proves to be a considerable annoyance to both AI opponents and fellow players.

Collins discusses the impact of level design in Rumble on player tactics, focusing on the unique feature of high ground versus low ground. This feature creates various opportunities for units to interact with the environment, such as deploying minis, using teleporters, and activating switches. Additionally, Collins mentions specific scenarios where flying units can be managed by units on overpasses if they are not ranged units.

The strategy in our game thrives in the timing and placement of units. Understanding when and what to play is crucial for winning skirmishes taking place throughout the entire map. This is why we refer to the overall atmosphere and level design as "joyful chaos."

Think of it like being a chef trying to extinguish fires scattered all over the map. The game truly excels in this aspect. Some maps have four scrolls arranged in a two by two pattern, requiring significant scrolling to traverse from one side to the other. It adds to the excitement when you suddenly have to rush from one area to another due to an unexpected development. The entire gameplay loop is remarkably enjoyable.

Davis: Timing is a crucial factor that I underestimated at first. However, once I grasped its significance, a myriad of opportunities unfolded before me. For instance, I started pondering on ways to deceive my opponents by feigning a lack of resources. I also began engaging in psychological warfare by strategically deploying my assets at the most unfavorable moment for my adversary.

This reminds me of a feature we have called Heroics. It introduces a new challenge with increased difficulty that becomes available as you progress through the campaign. As you make progress and become familiar with your collection, you can unlock Heroics and tackle the same campaign missions at a much higher level.

During the design process for these encounters, we asked ourselves, "What is the one thing that, if changed, would completely transform the dynamics of this map?" For example, in the Dockmaster map, there is a dockmaster goblin accompanied by an ogre who throws barrels down two different lanes. Initially, the strategy revolves around timing your movements to avoid getting hit by the barrels while advancing.

However, in Heroic mode, he is accompanied by a companion who incessantly hurls barrels down both lanes. How can you overcome this obstacle? This was the inquiry that we pondered, particularly in Heroics. Now that players have grown accustomed to the level, what is the one element we can introduce that completely alters the game and brings a fresh perspective?

Warcraft Rumble is set to release on mobile on November 3.