# Gameplay

Echoes of Valor gameplay offering can be separated into three distinct modes: story, gauntlet, and PVP.

In all our modes, we are guided by the following principles:

* Gameplay should be sufficiently challenging to (1) reward strategic play and thoughtful character builds, and (2) ensure that progress and earning potential is largely dependent on skill.
* Leverage the potential of blockchain integration to provide players with true ownership over in-game loot in order to incentives certain gameplay behaviours (completionism, exploration, challenge, etc.).
* While Blockchain integration is an important component of **Echoes of Valor's** gameplay loop and provides a unique and valuable incentive to a role-playing game, **Echoes of Valor** must be an enjoyable and complete experience for all gamers.

All modes revolve around the same primary gameplay and economic loop:

1. Earn XP, digital collectibles, and SPL currency by winning battles, completing quests, and otherwise progressing through the story, gauntlet, and PVP ladder.
2. Spend XP and SPL currency on leveling up, new skills, weapons, crafting, keep upgrades, and party members.
3. Pursue higher level quests, progress in the story, fight further in the gauntlet, rank up in the PVP ladder, and earn more valuable collectibles and higher amounts of currency.

## Story mode

With a party of up to 4, players progress through a carefully written and lengthy main storyline while exploring a vast open world, meeting interesting characters, acquiring rare equipment, gaining new skills, completing side quests, defeating dangerous enemies, solving challenging puzzles, and leveling up.

## Character creation and customization

Holders of a **Echoes of Valor** Hero can import their character and equipment at character creation or partway through a play-through; all players can create a custom character, selecting from various skin tones, hair styles, eye colours, and starting equipment.

By playing through the game, players can acquire diverse combat skills, collect equipment that provides stat buffs, and allocate points to different attributes upon leveling up.

<figure><img src="https://200910382-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOo9XYVTSKi2wMkaSJeDW%2Fuploads%2FOfz3iqEkzA48wsQ0zgCf%2FInventoryGif.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=ad20f403-c6f1-4b66-ab1e-5d530eca9469" alt=""><figcaption><p>A multilayered character system provides for visible 2D character customization.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Combat

Combat in **Echoes of Valor** is turn based and takes place on an isometric grid, similar to classic tactics RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre. Players are restricted by both an action and movement gauge, and must make tactical decisions based on a number of unique considerations that change from one battle to the next.

Battles are initiated in the open world either by approaching an aggressive enemy, through a dialogue option, or initiating “battle mode” outside of combat and making a pre-emptive strike. This allows players to position their party strategically prior to initiating a battle. The order of battle is determined by each participant's INITIATIVE attribute.

Movement Points (MP) determine how many units a character can move; Action Points (AP) are consumed by using skills. Skills consume different amounts of AP depending on their power level and have a set cooldown time. AP and MP replenish on each turn in an amount dependent on the character's attributes.

<figure><img src="https://200910382-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOo9XYVTSKi2wMkaSJeDW%2Fuploads%2FwoF06Uux9U9L198ok0hz%2FimageGif).gif?alt=media&#x26;token=ff473004-d926-4dcd-829b-e8205ebdfa6c" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

A multitude of different status effects can influence any given battle, but a target's magic barrier or physical armor must (in most cases) be broken before an attack can inflict a status. Battlefield statuses, such as Dark or Cold, apply unique effects to the battlefield and all its participants--for example, a rogue will receive certain buffs in battles that take place at night, while a hydromancer's skills will be less effective in hot weather conditions.

Over 100 skills from 10 different schools will be able to be acquired, mixed and matched, and used in tandem to facilitate creative combat strategies. In addition to their party members, players can summon additional help on the battlefield with summoning skills.

<figure><img src="https://200910382-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOo9XYVTSKi2wMkaSJeDW%2Fuploads%2FgUejg7Vc9rC81cV3HwHI%2Fimage.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=f34ca28f-acf0-4520-a645-65709ac3cc25" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Dialogue and narrative

The story of **Echoes of Valor** is thoughtfully written with branching dialogue and meaningful decision-making. Detailed character portraits bring characters to life in dialogue sequences, and players can select from various lines, some of which may require certain statistic levels, which can lead to divergent outcomes.

**Echoes of Valor's** story, covered more in-depth in the "Lore" page, follows the player character, a lowly member of the Heroes Guild, who is surprised when they are selected as a field agent to journey to the Andra, a young continent where mysterious and destructive occurrences are transpiring beyond the bounds of civilization.

<figure><img src="https://200910382-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOo9XYVTSKi2wMkaSJeDW%2Fuploads%2FUY2r2ZxFfuA6whXa98ws%2Fimage.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=343a20f6-a7b8-4dfc-914f-94875a6736fa" alt=""><figcaption><p>Detailed character portraits bring characters to life in dialogue sequences, and players can select from various lines, some of which may require certain statistic levels, which can lead to divergent outcomes.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Earning mechanics

Throughout the story mode, players are rewarded with digital collectibles that can be exported from their inventory to their Solana wallet, where it can be kept for safekeeping, sent to other players, sold on a marketplace, or imported back into the player's in-game inventory. SPL currency is also distributed for specific in-game achievements, such as winning a battle or completing a quest.

While Blockchain integration is an important component of **Echoes of Valor's** gameplay loop and provides a unique and valuable incentive to a role-playing game, it is not necessary for a fun gameplay experience.

## Additional RPG mechanics

In addition to combat encounters, **Echoes of Valor's** gameplay loop, open world, and progression are further complemented by various puzzles and profession activities, such as fishing, mining, thievery, crafting, cooking, and blacksmithing.

## Gauntlet

The gauntlet is a roguelike-style mode where players progress through a procedurally-generated dungeon, fighting progressively more difficult AI enemies and reaping increasing rewards.

<figure><img src="https://200910382-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOo9XYVTSKi2wMkaSJeDW%2Fuploads%2FP5hZdtnMrOI95TtVEQAW%2Fimage%20(1).gif?alt=media&#x26;token=238cc5b1-f448-499e-95be-aafe07a2a16d" alt=""><figcaption><p>The gauntlet UI appears in between each battle/room. The above is for demonstration purposes only; in game, the player will only see completed rooms and the next room(s).</p></figcaption></figure>

Gauntlets of multiple difficulty levels are available for selection. Upon selecting a dungeon, the player then chooses their roster and items. Players will be able to bring up to a roster of 10 and a to be determined number of items into each gauntlet run. A roster may include available preset characters, Hero NFTs, or Mercenary NFTs.

Players may enter the gauntlet with 1 or more characters and do not need an NFT to play, as basic preset characters will be available to add to players' rosters. In addition to equipping their characters, players can also select their starting skills.

Prior to beginning their run, as well as at rest locations during their run, players can edit their lineup. A lineup is the team that the player will take into the next battle and consists of:

* 4 active characters, who will be used on the battlefield itself. Heroes are most effective as active characters.
* 2 support characters, who provide passive buffs to the active characters. Mercenaries provide different buffs depending on their class.
* The remaining roster members will be left in reserve and can be substituted at rest locations.

Players are limited in the number of runs they can perform per day, but can spend $GEV to perform additional runs.

## Player-versus-player mode

In the PVP mode, players compete against each other in four-on-four battles (with one player controlling all four characters on each side) on battlefields similar to those in the single-player arena mode. Players use the same characters and party members in PVP that they have developed through the single-player modes.

To provide for fair matchmaking and satisfying progression, the PVP mode will take the form of a ranked ladder, with higher ranks seeing increased earning potential.

The PVP mode is still in its very early stages of development and more will be shared about this mode in the future.

<figure><img src="https://200910382-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOo9XYVTSKi2wMkaSJeDW%2Fuploads%2FnUv1my1EiothZCJY5iJr%2Fimage%20(2).gif?alt=media&#x26;token=5278b93f-b099-4e28-a51a-11112dc5b685" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
