Strife is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) from S2 Games. Strife is described as a second-generation MOBA game and is S2 Games’ second entry into the genre, following the well-received Heroes of Newerth.
There are currently 20 playable heroes in Strife, each with four abilities that can be unlocked and upgraded via gaining experience throughout a match. Each hero has their own advantages towards varying styles of play, whether it be ranged support, tank or jungler. A well-balanced team and solid team synergy are vital components in a successful match.
Gameplay consists of two teams of heroes on opposite ends of a map attempting to destroy the other team’s base. Players must fight through waves of creeps, multiple generators and enemy heroes to reach the opposing base.
For Strife, S2 Games is modifying many typical features associated with the MOBA genre to reduce both the negativity of the community and the relatively steep learning curve. Complex menus and item systems have been simplified and gold sharing assures players of all skill levels have a fighting chance. While not necessarily specific to Strife, but relatively new for the genre, gold sharing causes gold earned for creep and hero kills to be evenly distributed between everyone involved in the area. This avoids the hostile, inner-team competitions that evolve from counter-productive practices like ‘last hitting’.
For the first time ever in a MOBA, Strife players will be be able to bring pets into the arena! Each pet comes with multiple skins and fights alongside you in battle. At the end of each match, players receive seals which can then be spent toward unlocking new pets. Strife is also introducing the idea of item crafting. Crafting will allow players to modify the effects items have on character stats while still avoiding unfair advantages that can come with such a feature.
Strife is currently in closed beta with a release date yet to be announced. For more information on the free-to-play MOBA, check out our PAX Prime 2013 developer interview, What Is Strife?