This lone wolf was raised to be the king of his lands, but he lacks the patience for politics, and has found a pack of his own with which to run!

Desmond uses his inspiring actions and speeches to aid his companions from the Black Dice Society, and now brings his longsword and lycanthropy to the entire Idle Champions roster during Fleetswake 5!

I. Desmond

While on the hunt for food as a teenager, Desmond was inflicted with the curse of lycanthropy. After a lot of work and time, he's accepted his new lycanthropic nature, and now savors any opportunity to unleash the beast inside if the situation arises. Since his companions travel the dark lands of Ravenloft, there are plenty of occasions to transform!

Desmond is a Support Champion whose noble heart and fearsome bite can aid his allies through even the darkest of adventures. When you want to add him to your formation you can swap him with Jarlaxle in slot 4.

II. Desmond's Stats

Race: Human	Alignment: Chaotic Good
Class: Ranger	Gender: Male	Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 33
Affiliation: Black Dice Society

STR: 16	DEX: 15	CON: 11
INT: 11	WIS: 12	CHA: 13

Role: Support
Eligible for Patrons: Mirt, Zariel
Slot: 4 (Jarlaxle)

III. Desmond's Design

The Black Dice Society tells the dark tale of six souls struggling to survive their journeys through the horrific lands of Ravenloft. When he's not giving an outstanding portrayal of a fearsome ranger, Deejay Knight prefers happier moods as a variety streamer focusing on big laughs and positivity both on stream and in his community! He's a US Air Force Veteran with extensive stage and show hosting experience, and showcases his love for the space and sci-fi genre on his Twitch channel.

Desmond's lycanthropic transformation may make him incredibly deadly, but he's a Support Champion whose primary goal it to assist his pack. That's why his Noble Heart will always be focused on increasing the damage of adjacent Champions, and when Running With The Pack he'll further increase that bonus for Lycanthropes, Druids, and other Black Dice Society Champions. As the moon waxes and wanes, so does Desmond's power and ability to buff his companions. His Howl At The Moon ability will increase his base attack speed, as well as those Champions he's adjacent to, depending on how full the moon is at that moment. He also draws power from a Devotion in Dark Times which increases the buff to Noble Heart based on the dark side of the moon. Should any of his companions fall, Desmond will Lament the Lost and increase all Champion damage to make up for their fallen comrade.

The moon continues to play a huge role in Desmond's Specializations. Double Time simply speeds up the Howl at the Moon cycle, while Embrace the Beast and Strength in Numbers will alter and increase the buffs each phase in different ways. Finally his Ultimate Attack will Unleash the Beast as Desmond transforms into his Werewolf form and leaps into battle against the least damaged enemy, all the while increasing his Noble Heart bonus!

IV. Desmond's Abilities

Basic Attack

• Crossbow and Swords — The Normal Attack changes based on if a foe is on the Champion's side of the screen.
• Crossbow — If no enemy is on the Champion's side of the screen, Desmond shoots the closest enemy with his hand crossbow. This knocks the enemy back a short distance.
• Twin Attack — If there is an enemy on the Champion's side of the screen, Desmond moves in front of the closest enemy and slashes with both his longsword and his shortsword, dealing 1 hit to all enemies in a small area.

Formation Abilities

• Noble Heart — Increases the damage of Champions adjacent to Desmond by 100%.

• Howl at the Moon — Desmond has an overlay of the moon that transitions every 2 minutes from new to full and back again, spending 15 seconds at each step. The light side of the moon increases the base attack speed of Desmond and Champions adjacent to him depending on how full the moon is:
  • New Moon: base attack cooldown is unaffected
  • Waxing Crescent: base attack cooldown is 0.125s faster
  • First Quarter: base attack cooldown is 0.25s faster
  • Waxing Gibbous: base attack cooldown is 0.375s faster
  • Full Moon: base attack cooldown is 0.5s faster
  • Waning Gibbous: base attack cooldown is 0.375s faster
  • Third Quarter: base attack cooldown is 0.25s faster
  • Waning Crescent: base attack cooldown is 0.125s faster
  Moon phase durations are altered by a specialization, and attack cooldown buffed by a specialization, feats, equipment.

• Devotion in Dark Times — The dark side of the moon gives
  Noble Heart a further boost dependent on how close the new moon is:
  • New Moon: +100% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waxing Crescent: +75% buff to Noble Heart
  • First Quarter: +50% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waxing Gibbous:+25% buff to Noble Heart
  • Full Moon: Noble Heart is unaffected
  • Waning Gibbous: +25% buff to Noble Heart
  • Third Quarter: +50% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waning Crescent: +75% buff to Noble Heart

• Running with the Pack — Increase the effect of Noble Heart on Lycanthropes, Druids, and Black Dice Society Champions by +100%.

• Lament the Lost — Desmond increases the damage of all Champions by 100%, stacking multiplicatively, for each slot in the formation that contains a dead Champion or is taken up by an escort character or object. Buffs to this ability apply to the pre-stack multiplier.

Specializations

• Double Time — The moon cycle of Howl at the Moon is twice as fast, recharging Desmond's ultimate attack more often.

• Embrace the Beast — Desmond and adjacent Champion's base attack cooldowns are an additional 0.5s faster. In addition, the full moon of Howl at the Moon takes 30 seconds, while the new moon and crescent moons only take 10 seconds.
  • New Moon: base attack cooldown is 0.5s faster
  • Waxing Crescent: base attack cooldown is 0.625s faster
  • First Quarter: base attack cooldown is 0.75s faster
  • Waxing Gibbous: base attack cooldown is 0.875s faster
  • Full Moon: base attack cooldown is 1s faster
  • Waning Gibbous: base attack cooldown is 0.875s faster
  • Third Quarter: base attack cooldown is 0.75s faster
  • Waning Crescent: base attack cooldown is 0.625s faster

• Strength in Numbers — Devotion in Dark Times gets an +100% additive buff. In addition, the new moon of Howl at the Moon takes 30 seconds, while the full moon and gibbous moons only take 10 seconds.
  • New Moon: +200% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waxing Crescent: +175% buff to Noble Heart
  • First Quarter: +150% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waxing Gibbous:+125% buff to Noble Heart
  • Full Moon: +100% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waning Gibbous: +125% buff to Noble Heart
  • Third Quarter: +150% buff to Noble Heart
  • Waning Crescent: +175% buff to Noble Heart

Ultimate Ability

• Unleash the Beast — Desmond transforms into his Werewolf form and leaps at the enemy with the most hit points. He swipes with both claws, then bites (3 separate hits), then returns to formation and back to human form. In addition, Noble Heart gets a +300% increase for 30 seconds. Instead of a regular cooldown timer, this attack recharges at the start of the full moon. Things that change the cooldown rate have no effect.

V. Desmond's Epic Equipment

Slot 1: Global DPS	Slot 2: Global DPS	Slot 3: Noble Heart
Slot 4: Running with the Pack	Slot 5: Lament the Lost	Slot 6: Ultimate Attack Damage

Conclusion

If anyone can help the Champions survive on their missions, it's a member of the Black Dice Society, and we're thrilled to have Desmond join the Idle Champions roster! Tell us how happy you are to have a new member of the Champion pack on the Idle Champions Subreddit, on the Steam forums, or on the Official Idle Champions Discord!

Celebrate the launch of Idle Champions Presents: Court of the Raven Queen with a new set of adventure variants for our active campaigns! Experience these new variants with links to Orcus, the Raven Queen, the Shadowfell, and the Raven Queen’s Shadar-Kai minions.

Adventure Variants

This week's update brings 10 new adventure variants for our 5 active campaigns! Enjoy!

Grand Tour of the Sword Coast Adventure Variants

• Backtracking through Barovia: Shadowfell Stalwarts
Revisit highlights of Barovia while fighting an incursion of shadar-kai.
• Each wave spawns shadar-kai warriors. They don't drop gold, nor do they count towards quest progress.
• Each boss area spawns 1 Shadar-Kai Soul Monger. When the Soul Monger hits a Champion with a melee attack, that Champion is defeated. You must defeat this additional boss to advance.
• Complete area 325.


• Excavating History: Birds of a Feather
Enter Castle Ravenloft with escorts from the Raven Queen.
• A raven joins the formation.
• When a Champion is knocked out, they don’t recover until after defeating a new boss area.
• Complete area 325.

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Adventure Variants

• Fugitives: Twilight Twist
Chase the Nimblewright through the streets of Waterdeep with the Raven Queen’s minions.
• Two Shadar-Kai warriors take up slots in the formation. Champions next to the Shadar-Kai are so filled with existential angst that their base attack cooldown speed is doubled.
• Orcus has sent his minions to slow you down, Relentless Ghouls appear with every wave.
• When they are killed, Relentless Ghouls don't disappear. Instead, after 5 seconds, they get back up and start attacking again. They do not drop gold or count towards quest progress.
• Complete area 275.


• Hopelessly Lost: Servants of the Demon Prince
Lost in the Undermountain, it's time to find your way home under assault by Orcus’s minions.
• In Non-Boss levels, each wave has an extra 1-3 random undead. They do not drop gold, or count towards quest progress.
• In Boss levels, an additional boss spawns. You must defeat this additional boss to advance.
• Only Champions with INT of 14 or higher may be used.
• Complete area 300.

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus Adventure Variants

• The Sibriex: A Neutral Party
Follow Bel's instructions and find the Sibriex with cawing companions.
• Two Ravens take up slots in the formation.
• Only Champions that are part or totally neutral (NG, LN, N, CN, and NE) may be used.
• Complete area 550.


• Wrecked Flying Fortress: Rickety Rubble
Explore the flying fortress while trying to stay on your feet.
• Two Rolling Rocks fill two random formation slots. The rocks move to new formation slots after every 50 areas.
• Only Champions with a DEX of 14 or higher may be used.
• Complete area 575.

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden Adventure Variants

• Ending the Rime Part 1: Shady Sidekicks - Part 1
Head off in the nautiloid with a pair of sneaky Shadar-Kai.
• Two Shadar-Kai warriors join the formation.
• Only Champions with a WIS of 15 or higher may be used.
• Complete area 500.


• Ending the Rime Part 2: Shady Sidekicks - Part 2
Continue to hunt for The Codicil of White with the Raven Queen’s minions in tow.
• Two Shadar-Kai warriors join the formation.
• Only Champions with a WIS of 15 or higher may be used.
• Bosses (including all 3 forms of Auril) deal 200% additional damage.
• Complete area 525.



Wild Beyond the Witchlight Adventure Variants

• The Prince of a Thousand Enemies: The Birds
Head further into Hither, under assault from the sky.
• Ravens appear at the start of every non-boss area. They do not drop gold, or count towards quest progress.
• Only Champions with Melee or Ranged base attacks can be used.
• Complete area 450.


• Downfall: Second Third Out
  
Learn the lay of the land in Downfall without another third of your Champions.
• Only Champions in slots 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12 may be used.
• Two Ravens take up slots in the formation.
• Complete area 500.


See the in-game Change Log for more information!

Merci is nothing if not tenacious. After six years of trying to find a match for a Valentine's Day outing, he's still game to try and try again with help from his ever-growing collection of friends.

This year Merci's new friend is Audre DeLarveie!

It's time for Merci's Mix-Up 7!

Merci's Mix-Up 7 runs until Tuesday, February 22nd, introducing Audre DeLarveie and bringing back Rosoideae, Alacrity the Matchmaker, Rocky the Rockstar, Sally the Succubus, Warwick the Warlock, Katie the Cupid, Frankie the Demon Crooner, and Ishtar!

New Tier 7 Crusader: Audre DeLarveie

Tags: Event, Dwarf, Elf, Female, Support, Gold

A long time ago, and just around the corner in a cozy little cottage, a dwarf and an elf loved each other very much and they had a daughter, whom they named Audre. They raised her with love and taught her to be kind and polite, but polite doesn't mean agreeing with everything people ask of her. She also developed a backbone.

One day, you're walking along the street and past the cottage where Audre is sitting outside with a table and a stack of pamphlets.

"Could I talk to you about people's rights?" she asks, holding out a pamphlet to you.

Intrigued, you read the pamphlet a bit. "This is really well-thought-out. What's the catch?"

She grimaces. "What do you mean, catch? Everyone deserves fair treatment, no matter their background or views, but we're not there yet. There's still more work to do."

You think about it for a second. "That makes sense. We could use your spirit," you say. "Wanna come with us? We travel through a lot of universes, you could get your message spread pretty far."

Audre crosses her arms and thinks for a minute, looking at her cottage. "March with pride across the multiverse? Count me in. Hannah, I'm going on an adventure!"

Hannah stepped out of the cottage and walked over to Audre and you. "Of course you are," she said, giving Audre a hug and kiss. "But come back from time to time, all right? I'll miss you."

"A herd of stampeding alien trash pandas couldn't keep me away," Audre smirked. "I'll come back in my downtime." Turning to you, she said, "Let's go!"

Audre has joined the party.

New Tier 7 Objectives

Recruit Audre DeLarveie | Audre DeLarveie takes up a slot in the formation. Rocky the Rockstar and Sally the Succubus take up spots in formation and can't be removed. Only 3 Crusaders at a time can do DPS. Note: This will require having cleared the objective Bullet Hell on Ready Player Two to complete. Beat area 650.

Big Game Meet and Greet | Warwick the Warlock and Katie the Cupid take up spots in formation and can't be removed. Truck occupies a spot in the formation. If there's an equal number of male and female Crusaders in the formation, the formation gets a 2e5% DPS boost. Note: This will require having cleared the objective Washed Up on World's Wake to complete. Beat area 750.

The Heart's Flames | Frankie the Demon Crooner and Ishtar take up spots in formation and can't be removed. Ishtar's Fire and Rain upgrade starts as purchased. All non-boss area quest requirements are now "Kill 10 of Ishtar's Fire Sprites." Note: This will require having cleared the objective Washed Up on World's Wake to complete. Beat area 800.

Chasms of Emotion | Alacrity the Matchmaker takes up a spot in formation and can't be removed. The formation has been changed. Note: This will require having purchased the max level of the Arithmagician Talent to complete. Beat area 850.

The Road to Self Care | Rosoideae takes up a spot in formation and can't be removed. Taskmasters can't be placed to click monsters. Four self-doubt golems spawn, each with an annoying ability. A life coach occupies a slot in the formation and provides a 100% gold buff for each golem killed, stacking additively. Note: This will require having purchased the max level of the Arithmagician Talent to complete. Beat area 900.

More info

You'll have until Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 at 12:00 PM Pacific Time to complete Merci's Mix-Up 7!

For more info on previous Merci's Mix-Up Crusaders and objectives check out the Merci's Mix-Up Tier 6 blog post.

Equipment for event Crusaders can be found in Silver and Jeweled Valentine's Chests, which you can earn from objectives and the free play or buy in the shop. Each non-recruitment objective will drop a chest for its given tier of Crusaders, and free play will drop All Tier chests. Gear for Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, Tier 5, Tier 6, and Tier 7 Crusaders will only appear in All Tier chests once you've unlocked the respective Crusaders. You can select the tier of chest you buy in the shop when you go to purchase chests with real money or event currency.

Mount the stairs and mind the gears as you explore the clocktower once again.

Changes for Season 6

Dungeon Points, Dungeon Coins and Idol Bonus limit Extended - The cap on the Dungeon rewards has been increased from area 20,000 to area 35,000.

Changes to the base Dungeon Points and Coins drops - We've adjusted the base points and coins that drop from completing areas on the dungeon objectives, to hopefully give you a rest from sprinting constantly.

More Awesome Rewards! - Both the free and the Mysterious Benefactor's pass route have had their rewards tweaked again for season 6, including a new Crusader reward and more Rune-related items! See the "Introducing Zephoralei, the Eventide" section for more information on the new Crusader!

Infinite Rewards! - Once you've got all 40 of the normal rewards, you can keep earning points and unlocking levels of rewards. If you don't have the season pass, claiming the base reward on these bonus levels will cause the level to disappear, just so you have less to scroll. When you do purchase the pass, all the unclaimed pass rewards will be visible until you claim them.

Difficulty Scaling - This season sees the return of the difficulty scaling, and whatever difficulties you had unlocked for each objective last season should still be available at the start of this season.

Formation Change - Based on player feedback, we've changed the Playing it Old School formation to have 15 slots and a Mindy-friendly space.

Season 5 Rewards Now Available! - If you missed getting any of the major rewards during the previous season, you can now purchase them for Dungeon Coins!

Zephoralei, the Eventide
Tags: Dungeon, Female, Dragon, Animal, DPS

Introducing Zephoralei, the Eventide

For reaching level 4 on the free rewards track this season, or from the Dungeon Depot in future seasons, you can welcome your new multi-headed friend Zephoralei, the Eventide.

From the depths of time and born of the stars, Zephoralei has seen it all and enjoyed being with themselves. Sure, some pesky heroes tried to put a stop to them because they were monstrous, but it just gave them the knowledge of how to stave off the boredom.

As Zephoralei powers up from fellow Crusaders using Savage Strikes, their other heads emerge (and talking to yourself can be handy over eons), with their Me, Myself and I ability. And what's a little poison between friends? With A Dash of Poison and Extra Deadly, Zephoralei gets extra DPS based on your current Critical Click chance.

When you want to use them, you can find them in seat 40 on the bench.

You can gear up Zephoralei from earning the various rewards on the reward tracks, and from spending Dungeon Coins on their chests in the Dungeon Depot. Zephoralei's recipes are also available from the rewards track or the Dungeon Depot as well.

We hope you enjoy Season 6 of the Dungeons! Good luck!