In the web gaming space, there have been countless pretenders trying to carve out a piece of the market for themselves. And while plenty have succeeded to greater or lesser extents, few can flaunt the kind of popularity that Nexters' Hero Wars has enjoyed since it launched in 2016. The hit RPG, which sees you pit squads of eclectic heroes against those of other players in arena-based battles, and has a browser-based version that brings all the magic of the mobile version to PC browsers.
Unlike similar games, many of which tend to have quite fixed gameplay loops, Hero Wars introduces new puzzles and challenges as you progress through the game. At the heart of it is a PvP battle system that requires you to assemble a well balanced squad of heroes. It's not just about maxing out the numbers and having a high-power team, but squad composition and tactics as well.
The warrior K'arkh, for instance, has the Nexus of Horror ability that can throw enemies in the air, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. This synergises well with the mystic Faceless, who can use Doppelganger to copy K'arkh's ultimate, and throw even more enemies into the air for K'arkh to decimate. There are plenty of combinations like this for players to discover, making the battles far more hands-on than your typical browser game (though from Team Level 10 there is an auto mode if you want to kick back and keep things simple).
Your heroes can be boosted with adorable yet invaluable pets that provide unique buffs to your team, and eventually you can recruit all-powerful titans, which bring their elemental powers to the fray and have their own expansive progression systems for you to pursue.
Between the tactical PvP battles, you can take your heroes on all kinds of PvE escapades. There's the campaign mode, an Outland mode where you face off against powerful bosses, and Dungeons, not to mention plenty of guild-based events that you can embark on alongside your pals. Join your allies on one of 13 different Adventures, or play your part in an all-out Guild War where you bring out your Champion-ranked heroes to attack and defend against rival guilds.
There are layers upon layers to explore here, which is a big part of why Hero Wars enjoys the popularity that it does today; there's always something to keep coming back for—whether it's a one-off event with unique rewards, or some quick questing to jump into. With over 7 million active users and over 200 million installs, there's a good chance that the person next to you on the commute or one of your work colleagues is playing Hero Wars right now. You can jump in solo and meet new friends from all over the world, or gather a trusty group of buddies to try out the free-to-play phenomenon and start your adventure together!
Start playing Hero Wars through this link, and you'll get 100,000 Coins, 100 Emeralds, 10 EXP Potions, and the Hero Lian, giving you a nice little headstart to your journey. Beyond that, you can keep up with all the Hero Wars action on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram, or join its vast Hero Wars Discord community, who are at the ready to help out new players.
Whatever path you choose to take through Hero Wars, it's there waiting for you, so all you need to do now is sign up and start walking it!
