Legendary Champions Interview: Be Your Favorite Mythological Character
Questions by Kat Miller (Sareini), OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Tim Adams, Associate Producer
Legendary Champions is a F2P MMO from Aeria Games. In it, you play one of six classes, from Blade Dancer to Arcanist, along with the ability to transform yourself into one of 60 champions from myth and legend to become a powerful fighting force for a brief period of time. Aeria Games were good enough to answer some of our questions about their game.
OnRPG: Hello, I’m Kat (Sareini) from OnRPG. Can you please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little about what you do?
My name is Tim Adams. I’m the associate producer for Legendary Champions, which is basically another way of saying “the dude who makes things go smoothly.”
OnRPG: Can you give us some hints about the storyline of Legendary Champions?
The storyline of the game is based around two of the most famous generals in Chinese history. Basically, they’ve called forth some of the greatest fictional and non-fictional champions of the world to fight on their side in a battle for ultimate supremacy. The game is loosely based on Three Kingdoms mythology but also includes some awesome characters from Western history and lore, as well.
OnRPG: How did you come up with the concept for Legendary Champions – that is, the greatest figures from history and myth coming together?
The concept for the game was based around a “Wouldn’t it be cool?” conversation. I mean who doesn’t want to ride into battle on a giant war hippo as Erik the Red against the likes of Alexander the Great or Dracula?
OnRPG: Were you looking for any particular things when you were selecting the cast of characters for the game?
When we were naming the characters we knew that we wanted the champions to each have a unique feel and an important place in history and mythology. For example, there is a giant werewolf champion, so we named him Fenrir, after the Norse and Greek mythologies. Another famous champion is King Arthur, although a slightly more modern version. We figured if history had an interest in them as either warriors, or awesome fictional concepts for warriors then they deserved to be in the game.
OnRPG: Some of the characters featured in the game have appearances that differ from what people might expect from their historical portrayals, such as Beowulf with a chainsaw or Erik the Red and his mount. Is there anything you can tell us about how you chose the particular appearances of the characters?
First of all, I don’t think anyone would disagree with the fact that Beowulf wielding a giant yin yang chainsaw is really cool. Aside from that we decided that a good approach would be to take the concepts of the characters as they are from history and then just embellish on them in order to fit the game world, which is pretty fantastical in itself. The game is basically one big collection of super nerdy ideas about the heroes of days past.
OnRPG: On a similar note, for some of the historical and mythical figures in the game, you had several potential versions to choose from – Dracula, for example. How did you decide which version to use for each character?
The versions of the characters had to match the overall feel of the game. At its heart, Legendary Champions is a faction versus faction PVP oriented game with DOTA elements. We wanted the champions to look slightly realistic but also maintain a fun feel – so instead of the typical Dracula wearing a black cape with stark white skin, we chose to go with the stylish Dracula who looks like he could still kick your ass.
OnRPG: So far, you’ve revealed two of the player classes that will appear in the game – the Battlemaster and the Archer. Are you able to give any more detail on any of the other classes that will appear?
There are 6 classes total. While I won’t go into all of them, I will give you a heads up on my favorite, the Blade Master. The Blade Master is basically a whirl wind of death. It’s a melee DPS class that is also able to cast some really great party buffs. One of my favorite aspects of Legendary Champions is that almost all classes have abilities that can help the group in some way.
Combat Screen
OnRPG: Will the various classes in the game follow the path of the “traditional” MMO classes – melee, ranged, healer, tank etc – or will the game be going in a different direction?
The character classes follow the traditional MMO standard in some way or another. The major differences are that each class has skills that can help the party. There are also hybrid classes like the Battle Master, which is a mix of melee DPS and group buffer. Or the Mender which can deal some serious damage while also being able to heal.
OnRPG: How necessary will grouping be in the game – will the various classes compliment and work well with each other, or will players be able to tackle content in the game without assistance from other players?
Grouping is a pretty big part of the game, however most of the quest content aside from the raids and elite boss monsters can be completed solo.
Boss Monster
OnRPG: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about Legendary Champions?
I would say though that one of the biggest features of the game is guilds. Guilds play a huge role in the game, as the larger your guild gets, the more points you can accrue by completing objectives like killing monsters, finishing quests, beating bosses, etc. These points can then be used to purchase guild skills which can act as a boon for all the players in your guild, for example adding +5% experience gain to all members. It’s pretty cool because guilds act as protection from other players in PVP, boons for raiding and hubs for socializing. The features for the guild system are pretty in depth and I highly recommend that players get into the guild experience when playing Legendary Champions.
