New Player FAQ

​

General

Steam isn't loading the game properly for me..
Post in the support forum or contact support@cardhunter.com for assistance!

The game is lagging for me..
Whoops! Server load is going to be high for a bit right after the Steam release, please bear with any slowdowns in the meantime: The devs are constantly tinkering with the server to make it more stable for the higher player population!

In the meantime, if Steam specifically is lagging for you, you can try logging on at Cardhunter.com: For some players [including myself!] simply logging in through a non-steam client reduces a lot of the lag.

I can't progress!
The first thing you should do if you find yourself stuck in the game is restarting the client [in the case of Steam, close and reopen the game, in the case of browser, refresh the page].
This clears any 'stuck' situations you may encounter, including tutorial lock-ups (especially at White Skull Canyon and recruiting your first hero), as well as in-match lock-ups.
Keep in mind the game always saves your current progress, so you can freely rejoin where you left off in the game.
If you're in a PvE match, however, you do need to return within 10 minutes or it'll close the match.
For a PvP match, you only have 150 seconds to rejoin.


Is this pay to win?
No. You can buy club membership (and thank the devs for the game), which gives you one more reward item for most campaign chests. But you can play for free as long as you like.
The primary things that you can pay-to-unlock in this game are cosmetics and extra single player content- nothing that would count as pay-to-win.



Renown?
You get Renown one of two ways, depending on if you prefer PvE or PvP play. Only the best of the two will be used:
1: Your renown is equal to the highest adventure level you've completed. So if you've beaten a level 7 adventure, your renown will be 7.
2: You get 1 renown per 3 PvP wins.

In addition to certain renown-unlocked features, renown's primary function is adjusting purchase prices of items in stores.
The closer your renown is to the level of the item in question, the better deal you'll get from the store (At maximum discount, items cost: Common: 5 gold, Uncommon: 25 gold, Rare: 100 gold, Epic: 500 gold, Legendary: 2500 gold.)

Pizza?
Pizza is the premium currency in the game.
You don't have to use it when prompted to in the campaign, so try and save it up till you know what you want!
Typically pizza is primarily used to unlock expansion content and cosmetics, but there are a variety of uses for it!
Click on the '+' icon next to your pizza slices, then select one of the pizza purchase options, for a more complete list of pizza uses!

You get 125 slices of pizza free throughout the campaign- enough that, if you buy the Basic Edition and get the 100 pizza slices included with it , you can afford all the treasure hunts of a single expansion as well!

How I can I earn pizza- WITHOUT buying it?
Finances can be tough. No worries!
If you're part of a top-ranked guild or create a custom map and have it selected for inclusion into the game, you can earn a good chunk of pizza for your efforts!

What should I spend my pizza on? Chests, figurines, club membership, or expansions?

Spoiler

Treasure Hunts (expansion content) is a must if you're a PvE-focused player- solely for the sake of being able to freely enjoy the intriguing expansion content. Of course, you can let someone else host a treasure hunt for you in co-op- but you won't benefit from any loot boosts in adventures you don't yourself own. Treasure Hunts are one of the two things you can only unlock with pizza, putting them high on the list.

Cosmetics obviously provide the least mechanical reward- but they're a great way to make yourself stand out in multiplayer modes, as well as easily distinguish yourself from others of the same race/class combination. They're also the second of the two things you can't earn freely in game, putting them high on the list.

Club Membership is a quick way to boost your PvE loot gains:
Membership gives you an extra loot item per campaign chest opened [and you can activate membership right as you find a legendary item in your club slot, so wait to activate it till then!].
Of course, eventually you'll get those items anyway, and there's no guarantee that you'll get anything worth keeping past that first legendary.
So in long-term gains, cosmetics and treasure hunts last longer.
Of course, even if you don't get a trove of rarer items from your membership, it IS a good way to build up your item collection and gold reserves, and thus a great way to give yourself an early leg up on the game.

Generally, other uses of pizza [such as purchasing chests or multi-player parties] are considered poor choices, and are generally more a consideration for players with an excess of pizza.

Multiplayer parties can be useful for getting a headstart on PvP, but all the items are fairly easy to get, and within a month you've generally lost any benefit, and so are really only a consideration for players looking to skip campaign play altogether.

If you do decide to buy chests, note that expansion items can drop from any chest in the game; expansion-specific chests just guarantee every item comes from the expansion in question.
There's really no 'best' set to open a chest from, but the newer and higher level the expansion, generally the harder the items are to obtain.

What's the best approach to buying game content?

Spoiler

If you just want the adventures, you can [through the campaign map, once you reach the relevant content] unlock all the treasure hunts of an expansion for 150 pizza slices (ie, $5 or less), and the Basic Edition for 330 pizza slices (ie, $10 or less).
For the thrifty shopper, $20 will get you all current game content.

So- why buy the bundles?
The bundles may cost roughly three times as much, but they throw in a LOT of bonuses- but mainly, they each essentially give you 9 cosmetic miniatures for 'free'.
If you're looking for the 'good deal', and have the funds to spend, buying every bundle is a great deal- and leaves you with a few months of Card Hunter Club and a good chunk of pizza slices left over for additional Membership or cosmetics.

And just remember, every penny you give, the devs put back into making this game even more awesome!

Gameplay


How do I go about Drawing Cards?
When both you and your opponent pass in a row, new cards are drawn.
You draw 2 cards each turn [3 if you're playing 2 player co-op] plus a bonus racial movement card [Walk for Dwarves, Run for Humans, Dash for Elves].

What does it mean when an adventure is 'exhausted'?
You no longer get end-of-chain loot boosts (Loot Fairy, Hidden Bandit, or standard 2x uncommon boost) from that chain. Basic loot rewards remain the same.

How much XP do I get for adventures?


How do I leave a match?
You can always leave any match by clicking on the menu icon in the top right and then clicking 'Leave Battle'.
This applies to every situation in which you'd want to leave a battle, including when watching someone else's match.



Multiplayer

How do I Report, Block, Friend, Message, or Invite other players to matches?
Just click on an individual's name in a chat window or the multiplayer roster to pull up the interaction menu.

Please make sure to only report users for legitimately worthy reasons, e.g.:
Hate speech/bigotry, Death threats/degrading or demeaning comments, Linking to/explicitly referencing NSFW content [younger players play this!], or Spamming to the point that it interferes with conversation.

If they're simply being bothersome (a few spammy or all-cap comments, mild harassment, or just getting on your nerves) you can easily Block them and enjoy the silence of their absence, without needing to bother the dev team.




What is Co-Op, and what are the benefits of playing it?
Co-op is any cooperative mode in with multiple players work together to defeat an AI opponent.
In the case of Card Hunter, the game has full co-op support for the entire campaign!

Running the campaign in co-op gives standard rewards plus two extra rare items in any Loot Fairy or Hidden Bandit chests obtained while in the co-op party!

You can also make custom co-op matches [or pvp matches] in the Create Casual Game section of the multiplayer menu- though casual games do not offer any rewards.


When can I play Co-Op?
Just complete the tutorial missions! Once you see 'The Wizard's Workshop' available to play, you're out of the tutorial!


How can I play Co-Op?

Spoiler

• Proper Co-Op Etiquette:
  Before I explain how to start co-op, there are two points every co-op player should keep in mind:
  • Blind-inviting [sending an invite without being directly requested to] is considered by many players to be very rude, and can even cause them to accidentally leave their current adventure, if in one.
    Please make sure whomever you are inviting actually wants the invite, before sending it!
  • There currently is a bug where if a player leaves a party before all players have opened their chests, those players do not get the rewards or run completion, and will have to rerun the adventure.
    Please make sure to ask the other players and confirm they've taken their loot, BEFORE leaving the party!
  On behalf of all co-op players, Thank you for keeping these things in mind!

• Unlocking Co-op:
  Once you've completed the tutorial missions, the 'co-op' icon will show in the top left of the campaign screen.
  
  
• Starting Co-Op:
  Clicking on the Co-Op icon will open the Co-Op chat room, which you can use to post LFMs or LFGs.
  
  
• Finding People to Join Co-Op:
  
  To find people to join your party, go to the co-op chat room and type in 'LFM Questname (x-y)'.
  An example would be 'LFM SlubGut (5)'- which would indicate that you are Looking For Members to join Slub Gut('s Sanctum), a level 5 adventure.
  
  Once someone has agreed to join your party, you can invite them by clicking on their name and then 'Invite'.
  
  
• Joining Co-Op Parties:
  To join a co-op group, enter the co-op chat room.
  To show you're available to group up, you can type in 'LFG Class Level'.
  An example would be 'LFG Wizard 5', which would indicate that you are a level 5 wizard Looking For Group to join.
  
  
• How to start co-op games:
  Once your party has filled, the party host simply clicks on the adventure to start it- all additional party members will then receive an invite to join the adventure!

How many players can play Co-Op?
Up to 3!
If you play with 2, you each draw an additional card per turn, to make up for the loss of the 3rd player.


Can I play Co-Op in content I don't own?
Yes! So long as the host owns the content, you'll be able to tag along!
Do note, however, unless you personally own the content and have unlocked it
by completing any prerequisite adventures, you won't benefit from any loot boosts in that adventure.


Co-Op is bugged! We've all completed the tutorial, but none of us get invites when one of us hosts and opens an adventure!

Spoiler

I've only come across this bug a few times, but if you manage to stumble across it, there IS a fix!
Okay, it sounds silly, but bear with me:
1: Host loads adventure as usual [but invites fail to send]
2: Have each member of the party who isn't host click on the adventure. When prompted to leave the party, cancel the prompt and remain in the party. Repeat this process one additional time.
3: Upon second completion, the non-hosting members should be allowed to manually join that adventure!
Just remember, it's not a bug with an elaborate fix- it's an arcane ritual granting you access to magical realms of adventure.

I have more questions about Co-Op..
The co-op guide can answer many of your questions! Let us know if there's anything it doesn't answer!




Co-op? No way, I want the PvP! How do I get that?
Once you get Renown 5 you unlock a free multiplayer party.
You'll be able to PvP then!

Can I resign in PvP?
(See How Do I Leave A Match in Gameplay, above)
You may resign at any time, assuming you can reasonably determine that you no longer have any chance of winning the match.
Regularly leaving matches while there are still chances to win can lead to you being reported for gamethrowing.


Explain Multiplayer Modes.
Ranked Match gives you rewards and improves your multiplayer ranking.
League matches give you league rewards AND count toward Ranked Match rewards- but not ranking.
Casual matches are great for playing custom map setups and team-based modes (allowing, for example, 3 v 3 team pvp), but provide no rewards or ranking changes.

Won't I get smashed in multiplayer?
Not necessarily. You should get matched up with players around your level, most of the time. A lot of league games feature fixed decks, i.e. both players have the same deck. Then the only advantage is experience ... and the way the cards fall.


You said I wouldn't get smashed!

Spoiler

If you're having difficulty with multiplayer, don't stress. Experience plays a large part in winning, and you'll get there soon enough.
Playing the campaign is a great way to learn more about how the game works, and a great way to take a breather from PvP when needed.

Don't worry too much about not having 'the best items', most everyone you'll be facing in matches will be matched to you by ranking and be in the same boat.
Likewise, a lot of the best items are common or uncommon, so you should be able to pick those up relatively quick.

In the end, though, good tactics are what will see you win, regardless of the quality of your equipment.
For a list of tips and tricks on how to make the most of your PvP tactics, take a look at this thread.

Continued in next post

 

Items and Equipping Characters

When can I sell items?
Renown 7!
(Or more accurately, after opening your first chest after reaching renown 7.)
(See General section above for explanation on Renown)
Keep in mind that items in this game have their worth determined by how good they are for their token cost (see next question), not their level range. Likewise, certain cards are necessary for later Quest objectives.
So try and hold on to items, especially non-duplicate ones!


Power Tokens? What are those?
are power tokens. You'll unlock them (first blue ones at level 5, then orange ones at level 15) as your characters level up in the campaign.
Multiplayer parties are always locked to level 18 characters, and thus always have exactly 4 of each power token type (to keep everyone in pvp balanced in power).
Tokens per Level

All legendary items are much better than commons and uncommons, right?
Not entirely true. Most legendaries and epics are all-around good items, but some are far less useful for typical party setups.
Some common and uncommon items are far more generally useful, and are used all the time by experienced players. See Bejewelled Shortsword.

What's the quickest way to get good items?

Spoiler

Play through the single player campaign to improve your play style. Then jump into multiplayer- pvp gives very good reward drops.

There are leagues every day that cost 50gp to enter - but the minimum reward is 3 gold chests, each of which contains at least one rare item.
You don't even have to play any matches to get the chests!

Doing the Loot Fairy run twice a day in the campaign or searching out the Hidden Bandit can give you access to rarer items, or treasure items, respectively.
[Note: Co-op runs of Fairy & Bandit drop 2 extra loot items!]

Finally, if you're more a PvE type of player, the Card Hunter Club will give you an extra item drop per map completed in the campaign.

I have more questions about items, buying items, selling items, where to find items..
There's a comprehensive guide here, see if it helps!





Other Questions

There's a wiki?
Yes, there's a wiki.

What is a Loot Fairy?
Answered here.
Running Loot Fairy in co-op drops two additional items, each guaranteed rare or better!

And a Hidden Bandit?
The Hidden Bandit follows the same mechanism and reset timer as the Loot Fairy.
However, the Hidden Bandit's daily location is unique per player [and thus cannot be tracked by the community], and all items it drops are treasure items.
If you manage to find the Hidden Bandit while in a co-op party, you'll get two extra rare or better treasures!

What should I spend gold on?
Generally, there are three things worth spending gold on:
1. League Entry (50 gold): This gives you 3 gold chests (1 guaranteed rare each) just for entering, and is an easy, fast way to get loot.
2. Legendary items (2500 gold assuming no penalty due to low Renown): While prices in stores are fairly comparable to drop rates, the fact that Legendary Items drop so rarely means that they're the most valuable item to aim for in shops: Since that's the only way to guarantee you'll get the legendary item you want.
3. Any items that help fill out your current build:
Generally it's not advisable to buy non-legendaries or items above your Renown from shops ( due to the high chance of pulling them sooner than later, and the high premium low renown gives, respectively).
However, if you're sure you'll utilize the item in your current build, there's no real reason to hesitate: The extra 'oomph' to your build should help you make up the cost of the item by speeding up your next few runs.


Gnomes?

Spoiler

We don't like their kind. Thwomp them good.

Bugs?
I'll try and keep a comprehensive list of known bugs here, but I'll likely be a bit infrequent about updating it, so please feel free to post there if you see something that needs adding, removing, or editing!

If you're having trouble with getting co-op to work, check the co-op section in the first post for a possible fix.

If you're having trouble getting Steam Wallet to work on store purchases, try closing the game, toggling Steam Overlay on/off, closing Steam, then launching Steam and the game again. This has worked for those with the issue I've spoken with



I've more questions!
Ask them! We're always glad to help!
Or take a look at our more comprehensive FAQ!
This comprehensive FAQ is also available linked through the in-game menu!





Help me update this!
No in-depth suggestions, just quick answers to most-commonly asked matters

 

Is this pay to win?
No. You can buy club membership (and thank the devs for the game), which gives you one more reward item for most chests. But you can play for free as long as you like.

All legendary items are much better than the common and uncommons, right?
Not entirely true. Most legendaries and epics are good, but some are terrible. Some common and uncommon items are used all the time by experienced players. See Bejewelled Shortsword.

There's a wiki?
Yes, there's a wiki.

What's the quickest way to get good items?
Play through the single player campaign to improve your play style. Then jump into multiplayer. There are leagues every day that cost 50gp to enter - but the minimum reward is 3 gold chests, which contain at least 400gp of loot for new players (at least 3 rare items, most often more/better). Do the Loot Fairy run twice a day in SP.

Loot Fairy? What the hell is that?
Answered here.

Won't I get smashed in multiplayer?
Not necessarily. You should get matched up with players around your level, most of the time. A lot of league games feature fixed decks, i.e. both players have the same deck. Then the only advantage is experience ... and the way the cards fall.

 

Thanks, Happ, updated the OP

 

How do I report, block, friend, or invite other players to matches?
Right click their name in chat, or the roster, and hit that button. But don't report people unless they're literally Hitler and half-way across Poland. You can block them instead and save the devs some grief.

MP is tough. How do I become a better player?
In a word, experience. Items are great, but experienced players can make up for a lack of good cards, much of the time, with the way they play. Some of them have made a list of tips in this thread.

What should I spend my pizza on? Chests, figurines, club membership or expansions?
Well, that's up to you. But most players will say to not spend it on chests. Figurines? If that floats your boat, go crazy. It supports the devs, after all. Personally, I save my pizza for club memberships and expansions.

What's the best way to unlock all the game content?
(Please correct me if this is wrong.) You can either buy the Basic Edition and the expansion bundles for cash - in which case you get snazzy new figurines with each purchase. Or, you can buy the Basic Edition and a little pizza for less cash, then spend 150 pizza on each of the three expansions: Treasure Hunt, Attack of the Artifacts and Expedition to the Sky Citadel. If you choose the latter, you'll have to stick to the nine basic figurines - or spend extra pizza to unlock the ones you really like

 

kawaii post :3 thanks a lot. This will help for our new steam players.

 

Sticky this topic?

 

Might want to explain how exactly renown discounts items. That way people can plan around it. Also list the minimum cost for items (2500 Legendary, 500 Epic, 100 Rare, 25 Uncommon, 5 Common).

I'd also add a tip about the game not progressing after the tutorial (White Skull Canyon) that sometimes it messes up and you have to either visit your Keep or refresh/restart your game to continue.

 

Why are you making a new FAQ since @Scarponi has already made one?

 

If you can't answer that on your own, then you don't need this FAQ.

This is the kind of FAQ I would have wanted when I joined- even now, I still find Scarponi's FAQ confusing, and that's when I'm NOT trying to get quick, specific answers.

Which is to say- A comprehensive reference index does not a 'FAQ' make [by definition, if it's comprehensive, it can't ALSO be 'frequently asked questions'].
It's a great resource, and totally deserves to be in the in-game menu, and don't doubt that I adore Scarponi as a person, and admire his efforts.
But it's an overwhelming load of information provided with no form of presentation, and past that, many answers are confusingly hidden- or you have to know to search for them in the first place.

It's not at all suited to new players looking for quick answers to specific issues.

Moreover, this FAQ addresses a lot of points Scarponi's either doesn't yet have included, or that wouldn't be included, since they're primarily social questions.

In summation, this is in no way meant to supplant Scarponi's reference glossary (that's a mountain I don't have the devotion or inclination to climb), but to provide some steps into the pool so people don't have to dive into the deep end right away.


But, more to the point:
I made this FAQ because I was directly asked to, because other older players were tired of flooding chat with the same responses to the same questions from the large influx of new players, and couldn't use the comprehensive FAQ to answer any of the questions being asked.
So why?
Because I'm easily persuaded by my friendly fellow Cardhuntrians, I guess :X
Ask them if you want a better answer

 

That means the FAQ is 'complete', right?

 

Why do you think my faq needs three posts just for the index

 

Poor organization skills? =O


<3

 

Oh wow, I just found out @Belenus had posted the FAQ up on Steam, AND it got pinned.

I feel legitimately flattered [and gratified to learn it's being put to such firm use]!

Though, of course, most of the information actually came from other older players answering early questions, and of course @Happenstance's contributions.

So go team!

And yeah, I finally caved in and used my second post :X

So much for brevity in content~

 

How about some etiquette?

Not my strongest suit, but what I'm thinking of for co-op etiquette:

Beginning: Do not blind invite anyone. Ever. Even if they just posted in chat that they're interested in a group. Ask them first (through a Message) to make sure that they want what you're offering and vice versa. The only time you should make an exception to this rule is if someone asks you by name to invite them.

Ending: Do not leave your group immediately after getting your loot. There was (and maybe still is) a bug where other team members fail to get any loot when teammates leave suddenly. Instead, go to your keep and wait. Your teammates will see that you're in your keep and know that you're done. When everyone else is at their keep, then you know it's safe to leave/disband the group

 

Still is, if you dont open your chest before your team leave you dont get the loot.
But if you open the chest, no matter what happens the loot goes into your collection.
(both of these points have been tested by myself)

 

I added an Etiquette component at the start of the How-to-Co-Op, take a look at let me know how it looks.
In fact, take a look at that entire section, noone has given me feedback since I reformatted it :X

And yeah, my personal experiences and what I've heard from other players I've discussed it with, all seem to match up to that.
In other words it's likely not a desync or anything, it's probably a flat out 'the adventure doesn't actually count as completed/rewards unlocked until the chest is open'/'once a chest is opened, progress to that point is saved automatically' core component of the game design that never mattered until co-op came in and made a mess of it.

 

Wrong, if you complete an adventure and your teammate(s) leave before you open your chest that adventure still counts as completed even if you didnt open your chest, and replaying the adventure doesnt give you enchanted loot.
(again tested on myself)

 

Try saying 'that's inaccurate', seems less of a targeted statement.
But no, I've directly tested it, BVD. It doesn't show as exhausted, AND completing it (a second time) DOES give the enhanced loot.

So no, not 'wrong'.
Might not be perfectly consistent, however, so feel free to provide points to that effect

 

What?,so let me get this straight: you played the LF co-op, didnt get the loot chest, replayed that adventure in co-op and still got enchanted loot? - is that what you did step by step?
Sorry if "Wrong" sounded too negative but in my experience thats what happened to me. (also every time I say wrong a voice says "wrong" in my head of Melvin's voice, like he does in the campaign when he gets angry - he is like "WRONGGGG....")