Arena of Kings – Ultimate Beginner’s Guide: Tips & Tricks

by Lordtoto01 / Game Guides, General Guides / 24 Nov 2021

Arena of Kings is an MMORPG done right, and although the game is still early in development, the community support has been overwhelming, as they consider it one of the most balanced PvP games in the genre. There is no grind, and you can start playing your character at full throttle right from the get-go.

Although the game has a loot mechanic, the devs assured that the stats difference between a fully geared out character and a normal one would at most be 5%. They have discarded the loot hoarding aspect of the MMORPG genre with one fell swoop, opening the game to a wider audience. However, it can be overwhelming because each class has 16-18 abilities, making it difficult to choose your first build.

This guide aims to help both new and experienced players (who have played WoW Arena) better understand the game. We will start with the controls, discuss a bit about classes, some general tips.

Setting up controls

This section is for players who are experiencing this genre for the first time. You can use W, A, S, D for movement; however, we recommend you don’t. That’s because you need your left hand to trigger abilities, and there are eight of them available. Jumping between movement and abilities will prove difficult and is simply not efficient.

Use the right-click on your mouse to control character movement.

Rebind the keys for better control. For example, map all 8 abilities to Q, W, E, R, A, S, D, F. Use the Spacebar for default attacking ability.

Bind trinket and meditate on Z and X.

Bind enemy selection to 1, 2, 3 and ally selection to Shift+1, 2, 3.

If you are using a gaming mouse with extra buttons, bind two-three abilities to the mouse.

How to survive encounters

Practice movement and use pillars to get out of the line of sight of your enemies.

If you are new, take the time to read each ability before jumping into a match. Some abilities can be used while moving, while others require you to stand still. Some abilities also synergize with each other. For instance, if an enemy is poisoned, the Abyssal Spike ability (Lich) deals an additional 348 damage.

Take the time to learn each ability and keep practicing. All abilities have cooldowns, and the sooner you get used to it, the better you will perform in the arena.

Protect your support unit at all costs.

Use enemy key binds to target them and stop relying on the mouse. It becomes harder to target them when everyone is all stacked together, and using enemy-specific binds is more efficient.

How to improve your game

Keep spamming the main attack when you are in range. It doesn’t require you to stand still, and it is the main DPS source if you are a damage dealer.

Play a few games and then unlock the key abilities of your class. Each character starts with eight default abilities. You accumulate Ability Esssene by leveling up and can use it to unlock more abilities for your class.

Pillars are underrated. Use them to dodge enemy attacks and recover your health and mana.

Prioritize support units first. Take out the healers, and their entire team will crumble down in an instant.

How to get more kills

It depends on your class; if you play a melee character (Assassin, Paladin, Champion), learn how and when to engage your enemies.

Unlock key abilities that are crucial for your survival kits, such as Vigor for the Ranger and Sprint and Whirlwind for the Champion.

If you are playing a ranged character (Lich, Ranger, Nihilist, Wizard), learn to keep your distance. Always keep stun ability in store so that you can escape aggro enemies and keep attacking them from a distance.

Arena of Kings Classes at a glimpse

Classes determine what abilities your character can use, what armor you can wear, and how your basic attack works.

Class	Role	Difficulty and number of abilities	Description
Assassin	Control, Damage, Utility	Hard – 16	Masters of stealth and leather armor. Can go invisible after using specific abilities and use poison to debuff enemies while curing themselves of all ailments. Great for disrupting enemies and dealing burst damage.
Champion	Damage, Utility	Medium – 16	Masters of strength and plate armor. Have a special rage bar that charges overtime and enrages you once full, letting you deal more damage. Great for disrupting enemy teams and taking out backline units.
Elder	Healer, Sustain	Easy – 16	Master of healing and leather armor. Apply buffs and tons of heal over time effects on allies. It can also help with setup kills and is almost impossible to kill when going 1v1.
Lich	Damage, Control	Easy – 18	Master of damage and cloth armor. Casts spell that deal burst and damage over time. Spells also have synergy for added damage, AoE and lifestyle, and crowd control effects. Lacks mobility but is capable of wiping the entire enemy team.
Mystic	Healer, Utility, Control	Hard – 14	Master of control and cloth armor. Mystic is the highest skill cap character with lots of healing status ailment learning abilities.
Nihilist	Damage, Healer, Support, Utility	Hard – 16	Jack of all trades and leather armor. The nihilist is a unique class not commonly found in any other game. It uses orbs to gain power and can put them on the ground and draw power from it. You can also apply debuffs for decent CC.
Paladin	Hybrid, Utility	Easy -17	Jack of healing and damage and plate armor. Damage output exceeds Champions if played properly but lacks mobility. It can also cancel debuffs, heal and make allies invincible for a short while. Easy to play, hard to master because of the flexibility.
Ranger	Damage, Control	Easy – 13	Master of movement and leather armor. Can set up battles to increase allies’ chances of winning. Capable of escaping life-threatening situations. Perfect for dealing sustained burst damage due to instant crowd control (CC) abilities.
Scholar	Healer, Utility, Control	Medium – 16	Master of cleansing and cloth armor. The scholar does both situational and burst heals. Requires a bit of game sense because other than Gospel of Harmony, most heals are situational, such as when an ally receives damaged or debuffed.
Wizard	Control, Damage, Utility	Hard – 20	Master of crowd control and cloth armor. Mana-based class capable of dishing out tons of burst damage. Overall damage is lower than a lich but offers numerous CC abilities that offer great control during battles.

Parting thoughts

Arena of Kings (AOK) has a vibrant community of close to 1000 daily active players, which is a great achievement for a game at this early stage of development. The players are genuinely passionate about the game and impressed with the balanced game mechanics. There are a few rough edges, but the devs are working non-stop to resolve any imbalances as soon as they show up. And if you face any problems, simply join their Discord for additional assistance.

It’s a great game in the making. As of writing this article, the developers have not implemented anything concrete. There is only a 3v3 casual matchmaking mode and a training mode. You cannot play ranked, and each season is reset at the end of the day.

AOK is the future of MMORPGs. Free games are rarely this good, and AOK still has a long way to go. Only time can tell if the game is able to utilize its full potential.

We’d love to hear your opinions about the game. What do you think about AOK? Are you enjoying it? What is your favorite class? Please share it in the comments below.

Lordtoto01

I’ve loved games ever since I was a child. I like playing them and sharing my feelings with other like-minded individuals. I started off writing as a hobby, and a few years later, my love for games is still as lively as ever and I intend to spread it throughout the gaming community.
View all posts