War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time® – Leveling Up

War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time^® is live now on Kickstarter! We’ve previously looked at some of the basics of the game’s two modes — Hero Mode and Epic Mode — and how the map shapes your strategy. Today we’re digging into how your characters grow and change during play, and how your choices shape their stories… and their fate!

Five Heroes’ Journeys

The Wheel of Time^® is a story of heroes. When the series starts out, the heroes are young villagers with no idea what’s in store for them in the wider world beyond The Two Rivers. But after only a short time, they end up facing off against the most powerful channelers of an Age – and not just holding their own, but finding victories. That growth is just as important to the saga as their physical journeys across the Westlands, and it forms the heart of War of the Dragon.

 

How are we supposed to fight these guys??

So, how does the game represent that development? The Light player’s core mechanic in Epic Mode allows the heroes of Emond’s Field to gain levels through the course of the game. This represents the journey of Rand al’Thor and his friends – Perrin, Mat, Egwene, and Nynaeve — and mark their growth from the Two Rivers all the way to the Amyrlin Seat or to Shayol Ghul itself, gaining the strength and skills that they need along the way.

The Wheel Weaves

The Light player’s most direct way to gain levels is from their Wheel Track. During each round of play, Wheel progress can earn rewards, but it’s the total advancement that’s collected during the chapter that determines the major story gains – and for the Light, that’s where many levels come from. Most critically, the Wheel can guarantee levels for Rand; helping the Dragon Reborn ascend is one of Light’s primary end goals.

 

The Inner Wheel also holds leader tokens that grant levels to other characters – although each of them can only be collected once. A third token is available from Light’s Banner track, so even just holding territory on the map will give someone a boost.

 

Lord Goldeneyes, I presume?

A Story Unfolds

While the Wheel in the game can be reliable, it’s not the only way for the heroes to see their stories progress. Characters can also gain levels from story moments, as seen on both the Light’s events cards and the missions that are contested between the players. These cards call back to specific moments in the saga where the heroes learn new strengths, rise to meet challenges, or come into their own.

The mission cards that grant levels can be especially important; gaining an extra level without needing to draw the right event card first can be a huge boon that catapults a character into a bigger role in that particular play of the game. But you’ll have to fight for that privilege — the Shadow knows how strong these characters can become, and will certainly work to thwart their efforts!

Privileges of Rank

Each time a character gains a level, the Light gains a number of benefits:

• The character becomes a more formidable foe by getting a new character card with stronger battle statistics. This may help them push their enemies around the board or fight harder in battles — including, of course, The Last Battle. 
• Meanwhile, the previous character card gets flipped over, revealing a skill icon. The Light player adds that card to their Pattern. 
• The Light may gain an immediate reward, or if a character reaches their highest level, then the Light secures VP for The Last Battle. 
• If Rand al’Thor reaches his highest level, the Light unlocks a capstone tile – a major bonus used in The Last Battle. There are several capstone tiles in the game, and most are contested between the players — but this one is only available to the Light, as long as Rand rises to his full destiny.

 

The higher level a character reaches, the more their skills help the Light on missions, actions, and in their special events, and the more they can sway a battle just by being present.

[If you want your game pieces to really show some heroes in their highest-level states, check out the character bundles!]

The Bad Ending

We’ve talked a lot about the perks of gaining levels, but we should acknowledge that not every hero will get to reach their highest level in every game. After all, each play is a different turn of the Wheel, where the different threads of the Pattern may be woven toward different fates. Even if nothing goes wrong, a character’s progress can depend on both which cards are drawn and which missions or events the Light player is actually able to complete.

But there’s another possible ending: sometimes, a character might not make it to the end at all. A few missions give the Shadow a chance to take out the Light’s heroes completely – an opportunity that The Dark One would jump at, even at tremendous cost! These moments increase the stakes and tension, and they help make the story of each game unique. (And of course, sometimes the Light gets to hit back at the Shadow!)

If a hero is taken out of the game, then any levels they would gain in the future convert to just a skill icon for the Light’s Pattern. That can still be a useful reward, but you’ll always feel the loss of your most valued allies.

War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time® – Now Live on Kickstarter

If you’re looking forward to playing as the Light, then gaining levels will be a key part of your Epic Mode experience. Watch out for the moments that define each character’s story, and guide them carefully to success. If you follow the will of the Wheel, they can wind up being your strongest champions at The Last Battle!

The stakes are high, and the Light has the tools at its disposal to see the heroes through to the end – but the Shadow also has servants of its own, and the ability to set plots in motion to achieve its own ends…

Back the campaign on Kickstarter now, and we’ll have more War of the Dragon coming soon!