Valve has begun the process of sending out invites for the Artifact 2.0 Beta Test. Here's the email we received, a video, and an opt-in link that should only work if you have previously purchased the game prior to March 30, 2020.
Quote From Valve We are excited to announce the kickoff of Artifact Beta 2.0! We’ve decided to approach things a bit differently this time around by gradually inviting people to join us while we are still “Under Construction”.
The gameplay has progressed enough that we’d like to start testing with a wider group: We’ve streamlined the game, removed the old monetization, and added many Quality of Life features.
As we begin to invite people to join us, here are some works-in-progress you’ll notice:
· Placeholder art and temporary effects in places
· Changing cards, art, and even game rules as we go
· Play modes that are currently disabled for testing will gradually be enabled as we add more players
· Card collections and stats may be reset during the Beta
· We’re still working on the ability to do observed playtests during this time, so expect some usability issues as we work out those kinksYou can see some of the changes here:
https://youtu.be/YjoyeBGwJVY
(contains footage from a development build, some gameplay details have changed)Click here to opt-in to the Beta.
The link above will only work for players with the original game on their Steam Account (it doesn’t need to be installed). We will use a lottery system to invite people who have opted in. Invites will start out slow, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get in right away. We will give everyone a chance before switching to an Open Beta.
See you in the game!
Comments
Hype, this game is better than LoL and WoW cardgame, especially LoL... Legend of Runeterra. I tried to like the game, but what an ugly card GUI and art. But the cosmetic, economy of LoL cardgame is just superior, the game itself is not.
we want half life 3 not this shit, feelsbadman they are only digging their grave deeper
This is going to have to be an amazing revamp to heal the absolute mess of the last attempt from Valve.
Maybe they should be concentrating on Half Life? 😂
they literally just released a half-life game
Alyx is not a Half Life game. Half Life 2 is a Half Life game. As would Half Life III be if they stopped making shit like this and concentrated on what made them the company they are today.
Ah yes, Half-Life Alyx isn't a Half-Life game, how could I be so naive? God forbid a company tries new things. You say they should concentrate on what made them the company they are today as if they aren't already doing that.
Valve is a company built on innovation, first and foremost. Their flagship titles (Portal, Half-Life, Team Fortress, and Counterstrike) all revolutionized their respective genres. They created the single most used PC game platform available at a time when the concept didn't even exist. Just recently they've developed some of the most revolutionary VR technology alongside an amazing game and open-source engine to go with it.
They created Artifact not just because they wanted to cash in on the card game craze, but because they wanted to innovate, and you can't possibly say that Artifact didn't innovate when Legends of Runeterra's gameplay format is essentially just a simplified Artifact.
Now they want to right their wrongs. They realized that Artifact was a failure in its current state, and instead of just abandoning development on it like most big companies would do, they buckled down and spent the last two years rebuilding the game from the ground up to make it up to those like myself who really enjoyed the gameplay but had their experience ruined by the pay-to-win nature of the game.
As a matter of business strategy, Valve would probably be well-advised to veer away from the card game market. That ship has already sailed. Artifact 1.0 was THE shot, and they had to get it right AT THAT TIME to make an impact. It's far too late to have a redo now, especially with the quality of competition.
I can't find a straight answer anywhere: Is it going to be F2P or at least players need to buy the base game?
As far as I know, you still buy the base game but you won't have to buy cards anymore. Who knows though, maybe they'll make it free to play and just make their money off of cosmetics like they do with Dota and Underlords.
I wish I knew - Valve hasn't specifically commented on it to my knowledge. Surely though, they must be going F2P and giving everyone who bought the game previously something as compensation (maybe even a refund). I can't see this game having a decent audience if it remains a buy-in that also requires grinding to get the cards.