How does combat work in the new Ruined King game?

Nicholas James Published 28/11/2021

Riot Forge’s new game Ruined King was released as part of a surprise launch alongside Choice Provision’s music runner game Hextech Mayhem. Ruined King blends a traditional turn-based RPG with a vast and interactive 3D world that players can explore in between bouts of combat.

The combat system is a mix of systems that fans might already be familiar with, but it does have a few unique twists. This article will run you through the basics of the game so you can be better prepared to take on Viego or figure out if Ruined King is the sort of game you want to spend your spare time on.

The basics of Ruined King combat abilities

Ruined King’s combat is very similar to most traditional JRPGs. Characters are positioned on either side of the screen, yours and the enemy’s. Characters act one by one in varying order, selecting moves from a limited list and then letting them unfold. The big twist to Ruined King’s combat comes with the addition of lanes, modifications that players can add to vary the speed of the move. How quickly a move happens depends on its base speed plus any modifications from the lane affecting a character. Casting a lane ability requires mana or overcharge, which is generated by casting instants, the game’s basic spells.

The Power Lane slows down a lane ability and adds more power to the move, making it heal more or deal more damage. The Balance Lane is the default lane and has a good mix of speed and power, while the Speed Lane makes an ability much faster but slightly less effective.

The advantage to modifying the speed of your ability is Ruined King’s unique mechanic of environmental effects on an initiative tracker. Depending on how fast or slow a move is, your character will move forward on a track that indicates the order in which you and your enemies will act. Slowing down and speeding up abilities can let you skip dangerous hazards or land in Wildcard effects in order to ramp up your next turn.

Health, HUDS, and ultimates

Just like in League of Legends, there’s health and mana for each character. Health defintes the amount of damage a character can take before needing to be revived, while mana is the resource used to cast lane abilities.

Overcharge is similar to mana except that it only lasts for that combat and can be built up by using basic abilities, known as instants. Ultimates, characters’ signature abilities, can’t just be cast at a whim. Certain conditions must be met for each champion to use their ultimate ability, and the game will help you track how close you are to unleashing these powerful moves.

There are some other nuances that will affect combat like gear and enchantments, but those tend to be straightforward and Ruined King does a good job of slowly introducing them to the player.

With this knowledge, you’re ready to go out and begin your quest to stop Viego and his Black Mist.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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