Krafton revealed that the early access test for Defense Derby had 19,600 users. Meanwhile, the total playtime was 81,500 hours, which was almost three times higher compared to the global pre-release test of last year. In addition, there was also an increase in the number of times the "Derby Mode (PvP)" was played. The studio shared that for the duration of the test period, Derby Mode was played at around 381,000 times with the average person playing the mode 21 times.
Derby Mode
As a quick review, Derby Mode is all about the deck, betting, and scouting. Four players are matched, with each getting 20 Derby Chips, which is also the scouting currency. They can claim victory by successfully scouting units. These are what they need to keep a close eye on:
- Scouting Success
- The player who offers the highest amount of Derby Chips takes the card (unit), and the amount of Chips used to scout the unit will be consumed.
- If two or more players offer the same highest amount of Chips, all those players receive the card.
- Scouting Fail
- Players who offered fewer Chips than the one which successfully scouted the card won't be able to acquire the card and start the wave without additional units.
- Players who fail to scout are refunded all the Chips they offered on the card.
- They also receive bonus Chip in order of the highest amount offered.
Early Access at a Glance
The early access test started April 27 and ended May 11, conducted in Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and India. The game showcased a new system and mode that includes "Guardian's Journey," "Guardian Level," and "Derby Free Fight – Mirror Match." These were not available during the global pre-release test conducted last year. The early access test offered improvements in the overall content and convenience.
Krafton also revealed that a lot of users appeared to be satisfied with a survey showing that game satisfaction score was 4.6 out of 5. It was pointed out as well that many gave out positive reviews. Most users said that the most engaging feature was "Collecting and upgrading/leveling up heroes and units." This was followed by "Derby Mode," "PvE content." and "progressing through the Guardian's Journey."
Users also said that "scouting units" was a unique fun element. This is a feature where players need to guess the next move of the opponent and then make a bold attempt.
What do you think? Excited about the release date of Defense Derby?
