19 Mar 2020
While the ‘Auto Chess Wars’ seem to have cooled off a bit heading into 2020, there are still some clear front-runners. ‘OG’ Auto Chess is still plodding away, with the main version existing on mobile devices. Valve’s DOTA Underlords may have lost most of its user-base, but the team were quite quick at getting the game out and have proven very responsive so far in terms of development – we hope the launch of their first official season has gone well.
Elsewhere, Blizzard have gotten in on the action with the most unique Auto Chess take to date – Hearthstone Battlegrounds. ‘Auto Chess but with cards’ isn’t something I’d have expected to work well, but it does, despite my issues with the stat inflation that mires the main CCG.
Arguably though the One Auto Chess to Rule Them All currently is Riot’s Teamfight Tactics, which has just released today on the App Store and Google Play.
I’ve just taken it for a quick spin – it’s pretty decent, although the change from a square grid to a hex isn’t as impactful as I thought it’d be. Perhaps it’s more of a subtle change. Like Underlords it has very good visual production values, and some neat little touches. Your little penguin avatar can actually roam about the map, for example, and there’s a couple of carousel rounds where you need to run and ‘pick’ your starting/free champion from a rotating line-up. Your avatar will pick the first one it touches so path-finding is key, lest you accidentally get someone else.
This can be confusing for new players though, as it really needs you to understand who champions are at a glance and what their traits are.
Other than that, it feels a lot like Underlords and OG Auto Chess. There’s money, there’s three tiers a champion can reach, there’s mob rounds… all the usual mechanics right now. If you want to read more regarding tips & strategies for Teamfight Tactics before jumping in, our sister website Strategy Gamer put together an essential tips guide for anyone new to this particular brand of Auto Battler.
The launch of the mobile version coincides with the ‘Galaxies’ update, which swaps out a lot of content for new sci-fi/space themed environments. There are also brand new champions and synergies to play around with as well.
Teamfight Tactics is free-to-play, but features a Battle Pass system where you can pay for additional in-game goodies, such as avatars and emotes. The Battle Pass for the current Galaxies season is $9.99, but the App store lists several different IAPs currently – we think those are simply Battle Pass IAPS for other languages.
Will you be giving Teamfight Tactics a go, or are you Auto Chessed out?