Getting started with Battle Crush

NCSoft's latest game, Battle Crush, is now debuting in a closed beta test on Android. The unique MOBA and battle royale mix has already sparked interest, both among players and even in our offices. It's no wonder why as these two genres remain an unusual mix despite other titles like Battlerite trying - and sadly failing - to grasp the trend and bring it to the MOBA format.

Can Battle Crush succeed where other games failed? Well, that's for the players to decide. And if you need a few tips on how to hit the ground running, here's our beginner's guide to getting started with Battle Crush!

What IS Battle Crush?

As we just mentioned, Battle Crush is a unique spin on the MOBA format, mixing in a battle royale-style shrinking arena to the usual formula. You’ll be pitted against colourful characters based on mythological entities such as Diana, Poseidon and Nyx, all with different abilities.

The objective of the core battle royale mode is simple - be the last one standing. But with the MOBA roots, you’ll be managing different abilities and stamina, as well as picking up items along the way to help boost you to victory. This means you'll need to be at least acquainted with both types of games, not to any great extent, but it helps to have a little experience either way.

The Basics

When you start up Battle Crush there are a few things to remember. For starters, you’ll only need one finger for movement as, like any other mobile MOBAs, the camera is from an isometric perspective. That may seem simplistic, but you’ll also have a dodge button that’s vital for keeping yourself out of harm’s way and - when the arena starts to collapse - it also turns into a jump to help you avoid certain death.

But the most important aspect is Stamina. The green gauge beneath your health bar, which hovers over your character at all times, is your key resource. As you attack, dodge or really do anything but move, this bar will deplete. Naturally, if you get it to zero you’re pretty much useless until it recharges, so managing your stamina is key to keeping up attacks without being left defenceless.

Aside from that, you have three primary methods of attack. Light Attacks will let you string together combos that finish with a more damaging attack. They use less stamina but naturally are slightly weaker.

Heavy Attacks are the same - you use more stamina and hit harder. Each type of attack lets you finish a combo if you hit the button enough times, but you can always stop midway if you need to retreat and reposition.

Finally, you have your ultimate ability. Again, this is pretty self-explanatory. But basically, you have a slowly recharging ability that does a huge amount of damage but comes with an extremely long cooldown. Often these will involve drastically changing your positioning - for example pulling in a character, so understanding how they’ll change the fight is important.

The Battle Royale

Battle Crush’s core mode is very self-explanatory. It’s a simple battle royale set on a series of interconnected floating islands. Rather than a closing circle, each island will begin collapsing in turn. You’ll get a warning when this happens, and if you ARE unlucky enough to see the ground crumble beneath you, your dodge turns into a jump when in mid-air, so if you’re near still stable ground you’ll be able to make a leap to it.

Naturally, as with most battle royale titles, downing an enemy isn’t the whole story. Once you deplete an enemy’s HP they’ll become groggy, and a few more hits will finish them off. However, if you give them a chance, they’ll recover and be right back to take revenge.

Equipment is also a core part of the game, and as you move through the map you’ll discover chests with items of varying rarity to boost your stats during the game. Stopping to open them takes time and you can’t fight back if you’re attacked. So remember to keep an eye open when you’re trying to nab some items to change the course of battle.

Stealth is also an option, as certain terrain such as wheat fields will mask your movements. However, the same goes for your enemies, and often you’ll only see them when you’re right on top of them. So either try and predict where they’re moving from when they enter, or get ready for a fight if more than one opponent is in the same obscured area as you.

You’ll also be able to pick up scrolls, which give effects, such as boosting your dodge or causing you to become invisible for a short duration. Naturally, these are big game changers in a fight, fortunately, you can save these scrolls for when you need them later, just tap the icon for them on the hot bar at the bottom of the screen to use them when needed.

Starting character tips - Diana

Your first Calixer (the name for characters) will be Diana. She’s a fast and stealthy character who attacks from range with a bow and arrow. This makes her the perfect starting point for players new to MOBAs and new to Battle Crush itself, as it means she can easily engage and disengage from a distance.

Her ultimate attack is a flurry of arrows that will automatically target the nearest enemy and rain down from above. This is also useful as it means you don’t need to target your aim directly, and since it lands on top of them, terrain is usually not a factor.

Diana also sports some cosmetics that can be purchased right out of the gate, turning her from a Celtic goddess into a pseudo-archaeologist. As a starting character, she’s got an excellent design and an easy enough toolset that you can shoot and scoot out of the way of any potential retribution.

However, you should be aware that in a straight fight, unless you get the drop on your enemy they’re very quickly going to try and close the gap. And once she’s in melee distance, Diana’s weaknesses become very apparent as she is indeed more fragile - or seems to be, until we get full stats we may not know for sure - and she doesn't have any melee-focused moves.

Overall, however, Diana offers an excellent and safe way to play. And we’re sure once players get to grips with her, the options and tactics for making the most of Diana’s toolset will become much more detailed.

If you want to get an insider’s perspective, we spoke with the lead producer of Battle Crush, Hyungsuk Kang about the game and what players can expect. With that all being said, that’s all you need to know to get started with Battle Crush! The game is currently available in beta on Android, with servers open at the following times…

• North America: 17:00 - 01:00 PDT
• European Union: 17:00 - 01:00 CEST
• SE Asia: 13:00 - 21:00 SGT