Valve is celebrating the launch of its new card game, Artifact, by releasing a new trailer and comic book. The comic is titled “Call to Arms” and gives insight into some of Artifact’s (and thus Dota‘s) lore, while the new launch trailer shows off gameplay.
“Call to Arms” isn’t the first Artifact comic released and follows on from the Prelude comic released a few days ago. It continues the storyline which introduced the mages known as the House of the Cunning. “Call to Arms” details the events of the four-way Battle of Roseleaf where the Red mist horde, Legion Commander army, the revolution and the powerful Ancients all collide.
Unlike many simple narratives that go alongside card games, Valve has said that this story will eventually come to transform the world of Dota which will affect not only Valve’s new card game but also the popular MOBA, Dota 2.
Valve describes what will take place following “Call to Arms” as “a series of events that will transform the world of Dota forever.” This comic releases alongside “Call to Arms,” the first card set for the game. It features 280 cards.
The trailer for Valve’s new card game shows off mechanics like enhancing characters with weapons and comboing complimentary cards to deal direct damage and summon more attackers. It also gives a good idea of board layout and while obviously a bit more dynamic does a good job of demonstrating it’s Magic: The Gathering inspired roots.
You can get the full release of Artifact now on Steam for $20. The lead up to launch has had a bit of a bumpy start since it was announced in August last year. The beta had to be delayed and then Valve even needed to change the name of a card which seemed a bit racist.
