Back Issues #2: Mystery in the Microrealm

Once upon a time, an intrepid thief followed the trail of mysterious happenings in The Battlerealm. Little did he know this tiny curiosity would lead to some of the biggest changes in all of The Contest!

Introducing, Back Issues #2: Mystery in the Micro-Realms!

As the Contest has grown and evolved we’ve introduced many Event Quests, each with their own unique stories, and many that have expanded on the mythos of The Battlerealm and The Contest of Champions. We want to give Veteran Summoners a way to relive those moments, and newer ones that weren’t with us at the time a chance to experience the stories of the Contest that they had missed out on!

This Event Quest is available in TWO difficulties:

CLASSIC difficulty is a recreation of the original quest. While not completely 1:1, the layouts, difficulty, and dialogue are all the same as you remember. Take a stroll down memory lane and see how far you've come, or experience a quest you never got the chance to play!

VARIANT difficulty is a new spin on the quest, available for Summoners level 40 and up. This version features extreme challenge, new opponents, updated map layouts, and new combat effects for the boss fights. This quest will test even the mightiest of Summoners, so be prepared! You can find out more about the challenges you will face in Variant Difficulty in our latest Dev Diary post here: https://playcontestofchampions.com/dev-diary-added-difficulty/

The Variant Challenges!

Variant Difficulty will test not only your skills, but your knowledge of Champion abilities, immunities, resistances, and counters! Those who rely on only a few Champions will find the need to diversify.

Unlike Back Issues #1, there will not be explicit gates (like Class or Rarity), but instead we’ll be applying Global Buffs that strongly encourage the use of certain Champions. In this case, it’s XL Champions. All quests will make use of Micro-Reflect, Size Matters, and Particle Protector; effects you might remember from Evangeline Lily’s Champion Challenge last year. (But appropriately souped up.) On top of this, the new Runaway Express and Cultivating Mass Buffs will give XL Champions further advantages beyond their ability to ignore Particle Protector. Finally, Quests 1-3 through 3-3 will also feature Buffs that will benefit bringing in certain XL Champions!

Take a look at the new Buffs you’ll be combating or benefiting from:

Remember Summoners, Variant Difficulty is going to be HARD! The good news is that Back Issues are permanent content, so if you’re not able to take Variant Difficulty on right now, take all the time you need and come back to it when you feel you are better equipped!

Rewards:

For completing and mastering all of the Classic quests, you earn:

Tier 2 Basic ISO x4
Tier 3 Basic ISO x22
Tier 4 Basic ISO x6
Gold x12250
Units x225
Tier 1 Alpha Catalyst x1
Premium Hero Crystal x3
3-Star Hero Crystal x1

For completing and mastering all of the Variant quests, you earn:

5-Star Rank 2 → 3 Gem Crystal x3
5-Star Rank 3 → 4 Gem Crystal (2015 Champs Only) x3
5-Star Rank 3 → 4 Gem Crystal x1
5-Star Rank 4 → 5 Gem Crystal x1
5-Star Awakening Gem Crystal x1
5-Star Crystal x1
Tier 5 Basic Catalyst Fragments x27000
6-Star Crystal Shards x2250
5-Star Signature Stone Crystal x48
Gold x2,100,000
Units x360

This Quest will be available starting Wednesday, April 10th at 10 am PST! Remember, this is permanent content, so you can take your time completing this throwback!

Comments

LucasBishopX

The 2015 (or whatever year) rank up materials should be generic, specific to that year, so as not to potentially lose out on rank up options if we don’t have anything in a class granted from the crystal.

It always sucks to put in hard work and not feel rewarded.

Captainnerdyy

Needs to be 2016 to 2017 on them crystals.

FactorQ

Are new 2015 champs being released?

Mutant class has only 4 5* champs available from 2015. If you pull more than 4 mutant gems between variant #1 and variant #2 there is literally no way for you to rank anyone up.

Please consider re-releasing previously unavailable 2015 champs as 5* or relaxing the restrictions on the gem's usage. This is some of the hardest content available, very unfair for summoners to get gems that cannot actually be used. This isn't even a question of how "effective" the champs in question are, with bad RNG you could actually receive something impossible to use.

RedRub

No 5 star rank 5 gem?

It's there.

HeroBoltsy

Was there only one difficulty when this quest originally came out? Just curious...

RogerRabs

Was there only one difficulty when this quest originally came out? Just curious...

There's two difficulties same as the last one. Classic and Variant

unknown

This content has been removed.

Vale84

Once upon a time, an intrepid thief followed the trail of mysterious happenings in The Battlerealm. Little did he know this tiny curiosity would lead to some of the biggest changes in all of The Contest!

Introducing, Back Issues #2: Mystery in the Micro-Realms!

As the Contest has grown and evolved we’ve introduced many Event Quests, each with their own unique stories, and many that have expanded on the mythos of The Battlerealm and The Contest of Champions. We want to give Veteran Summoners a way to relive those moments, and newer ones that weren’t with us at the time a chance to experience the stories of the Contest that they had missed out on!

This Event Quest is available in TWO difficulties:

CLASSIC difficulty is a recreation of the original quest. While not completely 1:1, the layouts, difficulty, and dialogue are all the same as you remember. Take a stroll down memory lane and see how far you've come, or experience a quest you never got the chance to play!

VARIANT difficulty is a new spin on the quest, available for Summoners level 40 and up. This version features extreme challenge, new opponents, updated map layouts, and new combat effects for the boss fights. This quest will test even the mightiest of Summoners, so be prepared! You can find out more about the challenges you will face in Variant Difficulty in our latest Dev Diary post here: https://playcontestofchampions.com/dev-diary-added-difficulty/

The Variant Challenges!

Variant Difficulty will test not only your skills, but your knowledge of Champion abilities, immunities, resistances, and counters! Those who rely on only a few Champions will find the need to diversify.

Unlike Back Issues #1, there will not be explicit gates (like Class or Rarity), but instead we’ll be applying Global Buffs that strongly encourage the use of certain Champions. In this case, it’s XL Champions. All quests will make use of Micro-Reflect, Size Matters, and Particle Protector; effects you might remember from Evangeline Lily’s Champion Challenge last year. (But appropriately souped up.) On top of this, the new Runaway Express and Cultivating Mass Buffs will give XL Champions further advantages beyond their ability to ignore Particle Protector. Finally, Quests 1-3 through 3-3 will also feature Buffs that will benefit bringing in certain XL Champions!

Take a look at the new Buffs you’ll be combating or benefiting from:

Remember Summoners, Variant Difficulty is going to be HARD! The good news is that Back Issues are permanent content, so if you’re not able to take Variant Difficulty on right now, take all the time you need and come back to it when you feel you are better equipped!

Rewards:

For completing and mastering all of the Classic quests, you earn:

Tier 2 Basic ISO x4
Tier 3 Basic ISO x22
Tier 4 Basic ISO x6
Gold x12250
Units x225
Tier 1 Alpha Catalyst x1
Premium Hero Crystal x3
3-Star Hero Crystal x1

For completing and mastering all of the Variant quests, you earn:

5-Star Rank 2 → 3 Gem Crystal x3
5-Star Rank 3 → 4 Gem Crystal (2015 Champs Only) x3
5-Star Rank 3 → 4 Gem Crystal x1
5-Star Rank 4 → 5 Gem Crystal x1
5-Star Awakening Gem Crystal x1
5-Star Crystal x1
Tier 5 Basic Catalyst Fragments x27000
6-Star Crystal Shards x2250
5-Star Signature Stone Crystal x48
Gold x2,100,000
Units x360

This Quest will be available starting Wednesday, April 10th at 10 am PST! Remember, this is permanent content, so you can take your time completing this throwback!

So.

New content, harder than variant 1

SAME rewards of Variant 1

AGAIN 2015 rankups? If i got only cosmics or techs rankups 2015 so far, and find 2 more, running out of champion rankable, are they gonna rot forever in my inventory?

I am speechless at how you can't even think basic issues like these. Content progression =/= rewards progression is defenetly a let down too.

Nodes look fun too, and welp good job untill we see the champions combinations over them. But there's a clear air of "out of touch-ness" that makes me rather enjoy retirement. That's one too many disappointment in the last week sadly.

Cliffordcan

Also, can we get descriptions for Micro-Reflect and Size Matters?

IKON

I do hope there's some revamps to old mutants to make them viable, and to a certain extent tech, other 4 classes are good for 2015 champs, and science is totally loaded.

Smeagz23

2015 again!? Tell me that’s a typo. If it’s not 2016 instead of 2015 this time you guys are officially brain dead.

tkt546

So what happens when you don't have anymore 2015 champs to rank up? I know it's highly unlikely, but what if you get all mutant? There's only 4 mutants currently available. Not to mention that several people have had Storm or Cyclops r4 for quite some time.

Colinwhitworth69

I sure wish this quest had a middle difficulty, but whatever.

Werewrym

I’m tentatively excited for this, although XL champs are sort of in short supply and the majority of them suck. I’m lucky to have Venom and Sentinel.

HeroBoltsy

Was there only one difficulty when this quest originally came out? Just curious...
There's two difficulties same as the last one. Classic and Variant

Oh, no, I meant when this originally came out back in 2015.

UncleRayRay

What aabout those ppl who have for example all the Mutants 2015 champs at r4 already? What if they pull another mutant r4?

RagamugginGunner

No way that it's 3 more 2015 gems. There aren't enough decent champs for that to be possible. I'm sure it should be 2015 or 2016 champs.

Cryptic_Cobra

Micro reflect and size matters. Can we get a refresher on what these global nodes do again? All the picture describes is how particle protector works, but you said all 3 of these are going to be the global. I dont recall exactly what these nodes did, I just remember it was a really bad idea to use small champs during the event.

belli300

Why is this issue of variant still giving rank up gems for 2015 champs shouldn’t this issue give rewards to rank 2016 champs?

Asean18

Please make the 2015 gem generic

RagamugginGunner

Also, why is there 1 less 5* crystal than Back Issues #1?
https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/106944/introducing-back-issue-1-ultrons-assault/p1

Cliffordcan

Micro-Reflect: When the Defender Glances an attack, a portion of the damage is reflected on the attacker.

Per: https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/132104/particle-protector-and-micro-reflect-not-working-properly

Vale84

Micro reflect and size matters. Can we get a refresher on what these global nodes do again? All the picture describes is how particle protector works, but you said all 3 of these are going to be the global. I dont recall exactly what these nodes did, I just remember it was a really bad idea to use small champs during the event.

if i recall:

micro reflect give glancing ability to the defender, where part of the glanced dmg becomes collateral dmg you will take (we have an uncollected path like that i think and the dmg reflected defenetly is a lot more than first appearances this node made).

Size matters works similarly. based on your champs size, opponents can glance heavies, mediums, specials, light hits. the bigger the champ, the less options the defenders will glance. no dmg reflection on this one

unknown

This content has been removed.

geoff78

Mcoc team. Enough with the ridiculous "RNG" determined rank ups. Randomizing the classes these rewards will benefit is much more unhealthy for the game than crystal hoarding every will be. Bring back t2a, and t5b rewards over the rank up gems. I'm sure most of your paying clientele would appreciate that

Rap

So to play you gotta rank a bunch of different 5s for one specific event? And if you have gaps in your roster you??? Just skip it till someday? You guys are really jumping the shark.

Cliffordcan

Size Matters: XL Champions attacks cannot be Glanced. (there is a lot more to it, not going to type it all out)

Per Seatin's E Lily video

Raganator

From Map 7 where it also appears.

Dunamis3493

Antman quest is from 2015, so we get 2015 gems

Why More people don’t understand this is beyond me.

Gamer

Antman quest is from 2015, so we get 2015 gems
Why More people don’t understand this is beyond me.

We understand that but it rng with you can end op with mutant and this class hav 4 avibel to ipgrade