Interview: Watcher of Realms' first anniversary and how much the game has already changed in that time

• We discuss how Watcher of Realms has changed during its first year
• The team also provides us with a sneak peek of what to expect in future
• Marketing specialist Leon also tells us his favourite character

Watcher of Realms is about to celebrate its first anniversary with a swathe of content for fans to tuck into. A year into a live service game is a fascinating period. It's not long enough to say Watcher of Realms is a mobile mainstay, yet it's still an impressive achievement in a volatile industry.

We spoke to Leon from the Watcher of Realms team about the first anniversary, discussing what they've changed and what's coming up. Alongside that, we also touch on whether or not now is a good time for a newbie to jump in.

Could you please introduce yourself and your role on Watcher of Realms for our readers?

Hi, my name is Leon, the marketing specialist from the Watcher of Realms team.

For those who haven't read our article, what can players expect in this anniversary update?

In this anniversary update, players can see abundant new content in Watcher of Realms. Compared to our regular pace (releasing two new heroes per month), there should be more than 6 new heroes being released on our 1st Anniversary, and two of them, Anora and Ymiret, are a cool couple with not only powerful skills but also attractive background stories.

Besides new heroes, we also prepared exciting new game modes for players. We have launched a new amazing guild boss called Semrah with multiple forms, which means players need to apply more deep strategies and consider more about team formation. There is another new limited game mode called Eternal Spire, which is a roguelike game.

All heroes in Eternal Spire will be balanced to the same level and same state without any equipment and artifacts. Players can choose some missions before challenging, and when players complete missions, they will get abundant rewards from Eternal Spire. Enjoy new game modes with more interesting strategic gameplay.

In our 1st Anniversary, we also prepared more in-game rewards for players. Players will have a chance to obtain 3 free skins and 2 free legendary heroes through participating in 1st Anniversary events and completing quests. If players do not have enough time to complete quests, they can get abundant rewards through daily login easily. 

Would you say that the first anniversary is a great time for new players to jump on board? If so, what would your top tips be for getting started?

It must be the best time for new players to jump on board because 1st Anniversary should be the time with the most free in-game rewards for players. There are two useful tips for new players.

First, do not only look at legendary heroes, because there are also strong epic heroes that can help you a lot in early games, like Idril, Wrath, Olague, Theowin, and Enoa. Developing the right heroes can lead you to pass stages easily in early games. Second, for new players, I recommend them to complete main quests because main quests are like a series of guides to new players. 

What's the biggest change Watcher of Realms has received in the past year and what do you feel it adds to the experience?

Our biggest change is that we added lots of convenient functions into Watcher of Realms so players can enjoy this game easily. For example, we’ve launched a function called background fight, so when players can do the auto-fight in background, they can upgrade heroes and equipment, complete quests, and challenge other stages at the same time. It is really hard but also interesting to develop more and more functions for players. Thanks to our game designers for developing these functions. 

What have you learned about your players in Watcher of Realms' first year and how has that changed the way you approach updates and introducing new characters?

Looking back to our first year, we have learned a lot. The most important lesson for us is that we must hear the voices from players and provide better game experiences for players. Because we hear voices from players, we can develop more interesting heroes, game modes, and functions to provide better game experiences to them.

In the future, we will make new characters/heroes based on players’ voices and suggestions. We believe that we can update new heroes with more interesting attributes, skills, and appearance.

With over 170 heroes to collect, the game isn't short of characters. Do you have a personal and, if so, who and why?

My personal favourite hero is Khamet, the Pharaoh of Decay. The most important reason is that Khamet is my first Legendary hero in Watcher of Realms, and he really helped me a lot in early games.

The second reason is that Khamet is a powerful mage who can be very useful in not only early games but also late games because of his considerable AOE damage. When you need to clear numerous enemies, Khamet will be the best choice for you. The last reason is that Khamet has a cool appearance. You can obtain a powerful pharaoh in Watcher of Realms and use him to kill demons. Does it sound cool?

Once the first anniversary celebrations are concluded, what can fans expect in future updates?

Now we have a gameplay called camp construction which will be released later. It should be a new try for us. 

In future, we will keep launching new main stages with new stories, and we will also improve the experiences of PvP mode. We plan to add real-time battle for PvP game mode, so players can feel the fun of real-time tower defense battles.

We will keep developing the GvG game mode because it is a special game mode in Watcher of Realms. There will be more maps, demon soldiers, and gameplays added into GvG mode. We will also try to make some rouge-like game modes based on Tower Defense gameplay.