A Guide to Breeding in Champions Ascension

When two Champions love each other very much… well, that actually has nothing to do with what we’re talking about here! This is about breeding. And in Champions Ascension, breeding is the process of combining the DNA from two Champions, and birthing a new Champion! Though the full process is still shrouded in mystery, we have learned how the new Champion’s traits are determined.

Though not expected to be available until next year (2023), we were treated recently to a guide on breeding in Champions Ascension. And while some of the details are still unknown, we did learn quite a bit about what to expect at the other end of the breeding vats!

Breeding in Champions Ascension follows the basic format. Pair two Champions together and out comes a new Champion! But the outcome isn’t random. As you might guess, the traits of the two selected DNA contributors have an effect. Champions have a number of attributes, broken down into Family, Core Essence, Parts, and Cosmetics. Here is how those are determined when making little Champions.

Short Breeding Guide

The Family and Core Essence are the simple parts. Each is randomly selected from one of the parents. If the parents share the same Family or Core Essence, then their offspring will be the same. No randomness for these traits.

The individual Parts of a Champion are where things get a bit more complex. Each Part has a dominant gene (as seen on the Champion), and two hidden, recessive genes. When selecting genes for inheritance, the system gives a base weight of 40 to the dominant genes, 7.5 for recessive gene 1, and 2.5 for recessive gene 2. These weights are modified by purity bonuses, which kick in when the Part has the same Essence as the Champion.

After the system picks a dominant gene, t removes that gene from the probability table, and selects two others for the recessive genes. Each recessive gene has a 10% chance to mutate into a random gene, distinct from both parents. So even the same two Champions breeding repeatedly could introduce some genetic drift into their bloodline.

The team promises that recessive genes will be visible on the website before Breeding opens so Champion owners will have all the information available when selecting the parent Champions.

And finally, every Champion comes with cosmetics, such as hair style and piercings. These are randomly selected and not necessarily related in any way to the parents (“I am NOT my parents!”)

So there you have it. A lot of good info, though we still don’t know about extra costs involved, breeding cooldowns, or how long it takes for a new Champion to emerge from the vats. Hopefully we’ll have those details soon!

What is Champions Ascension?

Champions Ascension is an upcoming, gladiatorial combat game built inside a virtual world. Though the 3D combat was the original selling point, and the centerpiece of the game, Champions Ascension will feature an open world. One where players can walk around and interact, that also includes crafting, breeding, land ownership, an in-game marketplace, a staking system, mini-games, and more!

Champions Ascension held an initial sale of Prime Eternals in early 2022. With only 7,622 in existence, Prime Eternals grant many benefits that other characters won’t receive. This includes guaranteed land mints, special breeding options, early access, and, recently released, an airdrop of Pet NFTs. Prime Eternals are generative NFTs with varying attributes that function as in-game characters and as profile picture NFTs.

The game is still in early development but expects to have a world demo up later this year. If you’re reading this before September 12th, 200, there is still a chance to sign up for the ‘Slice of Massina’ alpha preview, expected later this year.