One of Blizzard's most prominent franchises was always World of Warcraft (WoW), and if you didn't happen to own a PC, you might've skipped it entirely. But Blizzard's latest mobile game will finally bring the magic of the WoW franchise to another platform. So, to commemorate the legacy that WoW has left behind, Blizzard has constructed a mobile action strategy game, Warcraft Arclight Rumble.
In Warcraft Arclight Rumble, everyone assembles an army of Warcraft Minis to battle it out against a group of NPCs or players (PvP). After some early testing of Warcraft Arclight Rumble, we can infer that Blizzard modeled its latest mobile strategy after Clash Royale, a hugely popular real-time strategy game that's made the charts since 2016. But even with the similarities at play, Warcraft Arclight Rumble has some unique mechanics to explore. So, to help you get started, we've created a handy guide to showing how to play Warcraft Arclight Rumble, some tips and trips to winning against trickier opponents, and, of course, how to find (the most) success with your team of Warcraft Minis. Grab your favorite Android gaming phone and get ready to rumble!
Getting started with the game modes and primary objectives
The initial tutorial stages are designed to teach you the game's primary mechanics. It'll cover placing your Minis on the board, the mining Gold mechanic, how to deploy and cast spells, how the switch button controls the flow of the battle during a level, and how acquiring more units works in Warcraft Arclight Rumble.
Warcraft Arclight Rumble's ultimate objective
Your play matches on maps or what we depict as levels/stages. Every map has an opposing leader that deploys an army set to counter your own. Like most real-time and turn-based strategy games, it requires tactics to control the flow of the battle with your custom army.
How to win
You win levels by defeating the stage's opposing leaders. But you lose levels if your base tower's health reaches zero. So it requires a bit of song and dance to master a balance; essentially, you must protect your tower from being attacked while maintaining a strong offense against your opposition. You must win levels to unlock features; features become gated behind Sigils, and you collect Sigils after clearing levels.
As you clear levels and defeat the bosses at the end of these stages, you'll be able to access more of the game's map. You can only challenge levels if you meet their Sigil requirements, forcing you to progress through the game linearly.
Game modes and primary objectives
The Mini Store (unlocked by default) is where you'll access The G.R.I.D. and the premium shop. The G.R.I.D. is the gacha system for acquiring additional troops (Minis); buying more troops changes the shop's rotation, revealing new minis to unlock. The premium shop is where you'll purchase coins with real money.
The Army menu is where you'll view your collected Minis. Your army level (calculated average between your troops and leader) is displayed beneath your (selected) Minis formation; your army level serves as a reference point when compared to other armies such as your own or in PvP. You can check your troops and leaders' skills and traits by tapping on info, or you can choose to swap your units.
The game's Map is where you'll complete levels and earn Sigils. You can access Quest (14 Sigils) and PvP (8 Sigils) once you reach the required Sigil levels.
Events is a section that offers dungeons (22 Sigils) and raids (unknown). Dungeons (22 Sigils) is a 3-map gauntlet mode that allows you to earn Valor (upgradable for your army) after completing a dungeon.
Lastly, Guilds (10 Sigils) are the central hub for socialization (chat, add friends) with other players. You can create your own Guild or join one from a list.
Tips and tricks for Warcraft Arclight Rumble beginners
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Managing your Gold: To get more Warcraft Minis on the board, they cost Gold. Deploy your units carefully, and utilize mining units like Kobold to search and collect Gold as you play.
- Playing the Rock-Paper-Scissors system: The more damage you deal, the better. Flying beats melee, melee beats ranged, and ranged beats flying. This is how you strategize which units to drop onto the field.
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Positioning matters: To prevent your forces from getting overwhelmed, you must control your lanes. For example, securing a ballistic tower location means the tower is now at your disposal to slow down enemy advancement, which in turn, helps regain map control. On the other hand, your army placement also matters; for example, your front-liners should be tanky, so they can create a wall to escort ranged units into a better position to do damage.
- Work on your timing: Pertains to spells and area of effect (AoE) damage. Plan around the delay for casting your spell/AoE damage by aiming at the anticipated enemy positioning.
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Read the leader/boss's description: The first line of a description offers a hint on how to tackle each boss/leader; use the hints to your advantage when you're deploying units.
- Pause the game (single-player): If you are feeling overwhelmed, it never hurts to tap pause during the level. Pausing allows you to tap 'info' on any unit, even providing hints on how to defeat the opposing units.
- Replay maps: When the going gets tough, replay old maps to level up your Minis and gain additional awards. Strengthening up your units and your leader goes a long way.
Building and upgrading your army
Every unit is classed as a troop or leader. Troops make up the bulk of your army's building blocks, while only one leader can be selected. All participating units will earn combat experience points after each match.
Selecting your units
You'll need a healthy balance of unit types to ensure your victories. Tanks are essential to soak up damage so your other units can move across the board safely. Spells are strong against squads (unit groups), and your fast units are valuable reinforcements for ongoing fights to take map control. To learn about your units, tap any unit and swipe right to Traits and Stats.
How to build around a leader
Leaders are special units because they come with unique abilities/traits. You'll need to form your army around your leader to get the most out of their corresponding ability. For example, Jaina Proudmoore is worthless if you don't use spells, as she levels up spells by three while in play. Another example would be if you don't use Siege Damage units with Sneed, you won't obtain any Gold from his ability. It's best to think of leaders as the central archetype for a deck, with your troops existing as the cards you build around that archetype.
Leader types
- Alliance: Specializes in healing, stealth, and defense and relies on using heavy spells.
- Beast: Specializes in disabling enemy defenses and overwhelming the enemy line by numbers and fast troops.
- Blackrock: Specializes in flying troops and elemental magic.
- Horde: Specializes in earning gold, having fast troops, and enemy control using stuns.
- Undead: Specializes in necromancy to summon undead troops to aid you in battle.
Leveling up your units for your Warcraft Arclight Rumble's army
Any unit you place on the battlefield during a level earns combat experience points. Repeating levels, completing daily quests, and participating in dungeons increase your unit's level. A shortcut to leveling your units (you gain a lot over time) is using Tomes to increase your units' levels manually. You obtain those resources from the G.R.I.D. system. Your army becomes stronger with leveled-up units, boosting the overall damage and health.
Blizzard's Warcraft IP comes to mobile
There is no doubt that Warcraft Arclight Rumble will become collectors galore on Android. Not only will you access an endless supply of Minis, but you can build and customize your army while testing them out on a meaty amount of Blizzard-styled maps. Warcraft Arclight Rumble was a hot prospect for one of Android's best upcoming games in 2023, and continues to surprise us (post-launch). So, if you're interested in checking out this action strategy game, we've included the download widget below.