Lords Mobile
Lords Mobile is a video game developed and published by IGG, and is available to download on Android, iOS, and Steam. The game is free to play and offers in-app purchases. According to App Annie, the game is one of the top grossing apps (strategy) on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play. The official description of the game states that it has more than 200 million players around the world.
In 2016, Lords Mobile won the Google Play Awards for “Best Competitive Game”, and in 2017 it was nominated for “Best Multiplayer Game” and called “Android Excellence Game” by Google.
Modes
The game combines role-playing, real-time strategy and world-building mechanics. Its gameplay consists of several game modes, the most notable of which are PVP-battles. Players develop their own base and build an army in order to attack enemy bases, destroy them, seize resources and capture enemy leaders. Usually, players can attack only enemies from their own kingdom, but during the Kingdom War (KvK), all servers (excluding new servers) are opened for attacks. Players can attack monsters and other world bosses (Darknests) that periodically appear on the kingdom map in order to claim resources from them. In addition to the usual attacks, players can participate in contests, the purpose of which is to capture a location on the map, earning bonuses either for themselves or the guild that they are a part of.
View of battlefield (attack of enemy’s base)
The game also has several additional gameplay modes:
Hero Stages – PvE-mode, the player fights through a series of challenges using unique Heroes. Completing the stages can earn the player new Heroes, Hero experience, and materials for Hero equipment.
Colosseum – PvP-mode, the player, selects up to five Heroes and fights against another player’s preselected Heroes. Victories result in Hero experience and a higher position on the Colosseum ranking. The game’s premium currency, Gems, are awarded to players based on their rank.
The Labyrinth – PvE-mode, the player can challenge a monster in order to claim various resources and speed-up items. On occasion, players may earn a jackpot on Gems.
Kingdom Tycoon – PvE-mode, the player uses a luck token to roll a dice and moves forward till they reach the end of the map. The player gets different resources, items and even chests on the way and a gemming gremlin at the end where they have a chance to win the jackpot on Gems.
Attacks and defenses in the game require developed tactical and strategic thinking. The player should not only know which heroes to take into battle, what equipment to wear but also be able to make quick decisions that are correlated with the current situation. Capturing locations (e.g. Wonders) requires in many respects the coordinated action of several players of one guild.[5]
Guilds
Players can join or create guilds in order to collaborate with other players regardless of location. Guildmates are able to assist their allies with build time and research time. They can also earn rewards for their allies by defeating world monsters and making in-game purchases.[5] Each guild has a leader (R5) who can assign the ranking and positions of the guild members. Guilds will have R4s whose duties vary depending on the guild, but typically involve deleting guild fest quests and allowing a member’s alternative account in and out of the guild.
Guild Fest
Guild Fest is a recurring event that takes place shortly after Kingdom versus Kingdom. During the week-long event, players select various quests to complete ranging from gathering resources off from tiles, gaining several 19+ level essences from darknests (this should only be selected if they are a T3 player with no chance of ever being able to actually help win the nest), training troops, and completing Hell Events. Ultimately, the guild will be awarded prizes for their participation in Guild Fest. However, the monetary value of these free rewards does not correlate to the amount of money players likely had to spend in order to achieve their minimum required score.
Characters
Lords Mobile features over 46 characters known as Heroes. They are divided into three types: Intelligent, Strong, Agile. All Heroes are unique with different skills, attributes, designs, and backgrounds. The strategy of the game assumes the need to improve these characters. Additional Heroes are available through in-game purchase bundles while the game’s launch Heroes are all available by completing Hero Stages.
