New to Auto Chess? We’re going to cover all the basics needed to give you an edge during your entry to the game.
In Auto Chess you start with everything. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a total beginner, all players are provided the entire Auto Chess arsenal right from the get go.
For beginners this may quite overwhelming, especially with the short 30 second preparation phase (more on that later). But don’t be discouraged, you will quickly become familiar with the interface and the rounds. Soon it’ll feel like there’s much more breathing space. Let’s first look at the interface.
The Interface
This is the Auto Chess interface you will be interacting with during your matches (You will see this once your match starts). Here’s some of the main elements you will be using:
[ A ] – Timer and Round Info
Displays timer for each phase and round info.
[ B ] – Player Info
Your HP (name highlighted in green) as well as a list of all players ordered by remaining HP.
[ C ] – Piece Capacity
Current/Max pieces (heroes) allowed on the board. Your piece capacity increases with your level (Level = Max Pieces, eg Level 7 = 7 Piece Capacity, with 10 being the maximum). Note: If you exceed the piece capacity a random piece will be returned to your reserve, if your reserve is full that piece will be sold).
[ D ] – Current Savings
How much “gold” you have.
[ E ] – Synergy Buffs
Race and class bonus effect info.
[ F ] – DPS
DPS for your pieces.
[ G ] – Player Information
Opens detailed player info.
[ H ] – Exp Info
Button for purchasing EXP (5 Gold for 4 EXP). Displays current level info and exp progress.
[ I ] – Piece Reserve
Your reserve pieces (Max 8). This is like your hand in a card game.
[ J ] – Item Inventory
Opens Item Bag. To equip items, drag the item onto your piece.
[ K ] – Piece Shop
Open to purchase pieces.
The Phases
Auto Chess is played in rounds. Each round has 3 parts, Preparing Phase, Battle Phase and Settlement Phase. Let’s look at what to do in each one.
Prepare Phase
At the start of the round (this includes the very first one) you will enter the prepare phase. You will be presented with the Piece Shop (See above). The shop contains 5 random pieces that you can purchase. Note: These pieces are selected from a global pool, in essence there is a limited number of each piece type available to all players. After purchasing your piece it will be placed into your [ D ] – Reserve. You can then drag and place your piece from your reserve onto anywhere on your side of the board.
A few more things to note.
Time Limit
You have 30 seconds in the Prepare Phase. This means you must place your pieces on the board within this time. Although you can upgrade, purchase pieces and purchase EXP during any phase, should you wish to make these changes before the battle phase you must do so within this time limit.
[ A ] – Lock Button, allows you to lock in the current selection of pieces available for purchase. Normally whenever a new round begins all players receive a random selection of pieces to choose from. However you may use this lock function to maintain the current piece shop selection.
[ B ] – Refresh Button can be used to get a new selection of pieces for purchase. Note that this will cost 2 Gold. It is generally advisable to refrain from refreshing during early rounds where your gold economy is quite limited.
[ C ] – Piece Rarity Probability displays the chance of you receiving pieces from each piece tier. This probability shifts towards higher tier pieces as you progress in levels.
Battle Phase
The battle phase is pretty straight forward. The pieces on your board will battle your opponent. This may be neutral creeps or other players depending on the round (You can see the upcoming round info in the top left). The Battle Phase has a time limit of 60 seconds. Pieces battle it out until one side has no more surviving pieces. The surviving player wins. A draw is determined where both players have remaining pieces on the board.
Settlement Phase
After the battle phase ends the winner receives +1 Gold as a reward (Only for player vs player rounds). The defeated player receives damage based on their opponents remaining pieces.
Alright that’s it for the phases, let’s take a look at a few other important components of Auto Chess.
Selling Pieces
All pieces can be sold by first selecting the piece and then dragging the piece into the [ A ] – Sell Button (You can also do the same by simply clicking the button itself). Selling pieces will return you a complete refund based on the tier and star rank of the piece. You can sell pieces in your reserve during any phase, however pieces on the board can only be sold during the prepare phase.
Items
You will face neutral creatures during round 1, 2, 3, 10 and every 5 rounds after round 10. Killing these creatures may reward you with items. Selecting the gift boxes will place the items into your bag. Don’t worry if you forget, at the end of the phase all items on the board will be placed into your bag. Items can be equipped onto your piece during any phase. The only way to remove items from a piece is to sell the piece itself. In that case the item is returned to your bag.
Combining Pieces (Rank Up)
Once you have 3x copies of the same piece you may combine them to receive the next rank of that piece. All pieces start with a One Star Rank. In general, you can combine 3x One Star pieces for a single Two Star Piece. You can combine 3x Two Star pieces for a Three Star Piece. Three Stars is the maximum rank of any piece. You may combine during any phase. However if a piece component is on the board you must wait until prepare phase before using it in your upgrade. Tip: You may purchase pieces even if it would exceed your board capacity. This means even if your reserve is full and you are at maximum capacity, you may still purchase and place pieces onto your board and use them for upgrades.
Income
To view your anticipated income you can click on your gold icon in the top right hand corner. You will receive “Basic” income every round. Between rounds 1-4 you will receive the round number as gold. From round 5 and onward you will receive 5 gold. You will receive 1 Gold for winning and 1 additional Gold for every 10 Gold in your savings as “Interest”. The maximum interest you can receive is 5 Gold, therefore maintaining 50 Gold provides will provide you the maximum interest. Finally you will also receive extra gold for maintaining a Win/Loss Streak. Note: You can have a maximum of 100 Gold in your savings.
Synergy Buffs
All pieces have a class and race. This is displayed underneath the piece itself. Having a certain number of different pieces of the same class/race will provide your composition with bonus buffs. These buffs can be seen in the top right hand corner. Buffs have tiers, in the example above the player receives the 4 piece knight bonus (Requires 4 different knight pieces on the board).
All Set
In summary. Buy pieces, upgrade pieces, get buffs and win. This should be enough to get you started with Auto Chess. Once you become familiar with the basics the next step would be learning a bit more about builds, managing income and piece positioning.
Looking for more? Check out our Auto Chess 10 Tips to Help You Win More
