When it comes to idle or farming games, a lot of players may find a lot of ease in playing those games, but it would still take a lot of time. Time to farm for resources, gather experience, and get better overall. Unlike other idle games, AFK Arena is an idle RPG made by Lilith Games. With their reputation, Lilith was able to produce good and great games for some time now, it is not a surprise that AFK Arena is doing well and continues to appeal to a lot of players. This AFK Arena beginners guide is for those beginners and returning players who could massively help them out.
If you’re new to AFK Arena, be sure to check out our reroll guide and resource guide to get off to a great start. Make sure to check out the available redeem codes for some free gifts and rewards. Our hero tier list and artifact tier list will help you figure out which characters and items are worth focusing on. For advanced strategies, check out our tips on getting celestial heroes and dimensional heroes. And if you ever run into any issues in the game, reaching out to customer support is easy and hassle-free
Gameplay Overview
The mechanics of the game are quite simple as players would have to progress the game through battles and other game modes, and can also choose to go AFK or away from the keyboard (or phone in this situation), and simply come back after a few hours or so. AFK Arena has really been great and there are a lot of reasons why, but for players who are trying it out or coming back, there are quite the improvements or new features that have been put in the game. But fret not, we will be covering all the basic details of the game in our AFK Arena Beginners Guide.
AFK Arena Beginners Guide Gameplay Basics
Battling
AFK Arena, like other idle games, lets players make progress through the main campaign while earning rewards after winning each battle. You can use up to five heroes in a fight, but you can’t have duplicates. You have one minute and thirty seconds to defeat the enemy team to advance.
The campaign usually features a boss level every fourth battle, which acts as a checkpoint and tests your strength. I found it helpful to mix and match heroes according to faction strengths and bonuses, which can make a big difference when trying to clear tricky stages or boss levels. It’s all about finding the right combination that works for your playstyle.
Faction bonuses and Counters
In AFK Arena, like many idle and RPG games, there are factions with different strengths and weaknesses to keep the game balanced. This makes the gameplay more strategic, as certain factions can counter others and perform well against those they aren’t naturally strong against.
For instance, Lightbearers hold an advantage against Maulers, while Maulers are stronger than Wilders. Wilders, in turn, counter Graveborns, and Lightbearers struggle against them. Celestials and Hypogeans are strong against each other, making fights between these factions more unpredictable. These two factions are usually teamed up with other factions for their bonuses.
Dimensionals are the highest tier faction, with overall strength and exclusive abilities, making them a force to be reckoned with. They don’t have a specific weakness but can be managed with crowd control and well-balanced team compositions.
When it comes to faction bonuses, you can create strong combinations by adding a certain number of heroes from the same faction. This can lead to a boost in performance and make it easier to win battles.
I found it beneficial to experiment with different combinations, especially when including Celestials or Hypogeans in my team. Finding the right fit for your playstyle and team composition can unlock powerful faction bonuses and help you progress more smoothly.
Getting and Equipping the Perfect Gear
Like many similar games, you can get or even farm some loot when they go AFK. More often than not, players would be able to get some gear for their heroes. You could also get some gear in the store whenever they visit, but would only be available once after the cooldown period.
When it comes to the gear that could be equipped for heroes, the gear itself grants heroes with stats that could make them stronger and tougher in battle. Gear also comes in rarity and the better the rarity, the stronger the gear. After a certain level, you would be able to get gear that has faction bonuses as well.
For example, after going AFK for a bit, you might have a chance to get a piece of gear with a Mauler or Lightbearer faction bonus. Of course, you could equip that piece of gear on any hero, but I found that matching it with a hero of the same faction as the bonus would grant them a stat bonus of up to thirty percent!
Collecting Rewards
What is unique with AFK Arena is that the game continues to give out a lot of rewards even for free-to-play players. You are able to get a lot of rewards based on in-game events and also gifts from developers themselves.
Aside from that, players are treated to a Fast Rewards feature in the game. I’ve found that each player has one free chance to use their Free Rewards each day. Using it up would entitle you to loot and other unlocked bonuses that are equal to a two-hour period where you would be AFK. Each succeeding use of Fast Rewards would cost players 50 diamonds.
Completing Quests
Quests in AFK Arena are a huge help when it comes to progressing through chapters and many more. You can progress through and accomplish these quests for each day, week, and with their progress through their campaign.
With this feature of the game, you can finish up to a number of quests then click on any chest like in the image above and have all accumulated rewards collected. Rewards would help you when it comes to getting resources all around and would also get better as you advance through the game.
Friends and more
Just like similar games as well, AFK Arena also has friend features that players can make the most out of. You can send out and receive companion points to everyone on your friend’s list. I learned that ten companion points could also equate to one pull from the Tavern and might even hold some luck to players.
Other than the companion points and pulls it could be converted to, players can also rent heroes from their friends or guildmates for Short-Term which is up to seven days. And for a much-needed feature that was added in, players can also choose to Garrison Dimensional Heroes from their friends as well.
Although the cost for a Garrison is a bit steep, it would be well worth the price. If players would Garrison a certain Dimensional hero up to six times, they would be able to garrison that hero for free after their sixth successful garrison. That’s right, players can get those exclusive heroes but would ultimately need to work for it.
The Store
Without a shortage of resources, while progressing, AFK Arena also offers a storage option for players. Here, you can purchase a whole assortment of resources and even heroes should they have the right amount of currency for them. The currency could come in form of diamonds, gold, and others.
Some heroes are worth getting especially early on. A good investment would be the only Dimensionals available through the store: Arthur and Merlin. Though players would not be able to pick them up immediately, the benefits of getting most champions in the store definitely outweigh the costs and can bolster a team/s of players.
Your Bag
Like most newer players, they would usually notice their bag in the game rather late. Matching with the theme of the game, the bag acts as the player’s inventory for a lot of in-game rewards and others.
Some useful materials are stored here and can only be accessed or activated with the use of it in the bag. Players could use certain items in the inventory to gain more resources and use hero stones to unlock different heroes. Regardless of what is in a player’s bag, they could definitely help them out in more ways than one.
The Noble Tavern and wishlist
This is where players can use up their scrolls, diamonds, or companion points to draw out heroes. Players have the option to go for one draw or even up to ten! With the exception of the use of diamonds, other means of draws would usually cost up to the total of ten draws for scrolls, and companion points, while the use of diamonds would only be up to ninety percent of the total price. To avoid any confusion, you can check our complete guide on rerolling in AFK Arena here.
It is advised that players would edit or fix up their Wishlist that could be found at the upper left corner of their screens. Players would be able to choose which heroes they want to go for in each faction. The Wishlist would increase the odds of a player getting a hero they wanted while drawing for heroes. This is incredibly useful for players who are aiming to strengthen a certain hero or faction without having to deal with the challenge of facing luck and possibility with each draw.
The Resonating Crystal
The Ascending Crystal is one of the most useful tools available in the game. This is used to massively boost teams and heroes especially if players are a bit short on resources early on or moving forward. How it works is that it takes the top five leveled heroes of a player and takes them as a basis for the crystal.
With the fifth-highest level hero being the border of which level is used, any hero put on the crystal would then be gifted with the same level as the fifth-highest level hero of a player. Along with the level itself, the bonuses of those level-ups are also applied, but the ascension level of that fifth-highest hero is not applied.
Joining a Guild
Players are advised by the game to join a guild early on. Doing so would allow players to unlock and participate in Guild Hunts. The guild hunt has two bosses that players can go for. Challenging these guild bosses would only be available two to three times per day for Wrizz and Soren would only be available if it would be unlocked upon collecting the proper resources by the guild as a whole. Challenging these bosses would give players rewards such as different leveled gear, gold, and diamonds if players would be lucky!
The Oak Inn
What some players might not notice is that though the Oak Inn would have certain requirements for players to use it, it does actually give up to three chances for players to collect rewards that they could use. For starting players, they could visit other friend’s inns and collect those rewards.
Rewards vary from hero stones, diamonds, and other resources. Although it is limited to three rewards, accumulating resources can be pretty huge even in the earlier stages of the game.
AFK Arena Beginners Guide: Tips and Tricks
1. Avoid spending diamonds on Hero Essence or Gears
Use your gem Diamonds for buying x10 common hero scroll Hero Summons only. This gives you the best chance of pulling strong heroes for your team. Avoid spending Diamonds on Hero Essence or Gears, as you’ll naturally gather these resources as you progress in the game.
2. Get rid of green heroes
Get rid of green Heroes because they’re not useful later on. Don’t hesitate to remove them! To do this, go to Ranhorn, then Rickety Cart, and choose “Retire Heroes” to remove them. You’ll get Hero Essence in exchange. Later in the game, you can turn on Auto Retire Heroes to have them automatically removed.
3. Save your fast rewards until the end of the day
Save your Fast Rewards until the end of the day, just before the daily reset at 00:00 AM UTC. This helps you maximize your rewards since you can pass more stages during the day and collect higher rewards. If you can’t stay up until the reset, it’s fine to collect the free Fast Rewards before going to bed. Use these rewards to upgrade your heroes and clear more stages easily.
4. Avoid ascending your heroes too quickly
Avoid ascending your heroes too quickly, especially if you don’t use them often or don’t have a clear reason to do so. Ascending requires multiple copies of a hero, so rushing this process can leave you short on copies in the future. By waiting to ascend, you can save fodder heroes for better uses and avoid limiting your options later on.
5. Focus on HP, life leech, energy regen, and relics in Arcane Labyrinth
In Arcane Labyrinth, focus on boosting HP, Life Leech, Energy Regeneration, and General Sustain Relics for your team. Prioritize red flags for better relics. If a battle looks like a loss, pause the game and exit to save your team. This lets you try different team setups or retry the same battle for a better outcome.
Final Thoughts
AFK Arena has a lot to offer, including generous rewards and events. Its idle gameplay gives you the freedom to play as much or as little as you want. If you ever find yourself stuck on a certain stage, remember that you can always farm resources or simply take a break and go AFK for a while. The game is designed so that you gradually get stronger over time. Make sure to check in at least once every twelve hours to maximize your AFK farming rewards, but most importantly, enjoy your journey as you progress. If you need further help, you can always refer back to this AFK Arena Beginners Guide.
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That’s all for today’s AFK Arena beginners guide. Did you find our AFK Arena beginners guide helpful? Do let us know in the comments!
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