A New Mechanic to Encounter

Throughout your adventure into Inkborn Fables you’ll meet powerful spirits who will change your game in a variety of ways. These scroll-bound characters might look familiar, but they are neither friend nor foe. Encounters are special rounds during the game that may take you away to the central island (Carousel), or offer choices during the planning phase by granting you a reward or changing some aspect of gameplay. There are over 80 unique Encounters, and you’ll see anywhere from two to five of them each game, so regardless of which legendary spirits you come across, expect each game of Inkborn Fables to feel like a unique journey.

Rules of Encounters

Encounters can be anything from small bonuses (rerolls, gold, or an extra component on a carousel) to transformative ones that dramatically change how the game will be played. Regardless of their gifts, rule changes, or offered choices, all players always get the same Encounter! These Encounters have a variety of rarities, so expect some to be less common than others, with the most game-changing ones being a bit more rare. Regardless of rarity, you’ll never Encounter the same spirit multiple times, even if that spirit has multiple Encounter options.

Whether you gain a free choice of a completed item with Alune, or Qiyana decrees that every champion on a Carousel should have a Radiant item, you’ll experience anywhere from two to five Encounters per game. These can occur anywhere from stage 1 to stage 6 (round 4-9 in Hyper Roll). Encounters will not be revealed ahead of time, so focus on adapting to what you’re given rather than planning out the perfect comp for a specific encounter. Once an Encounter has happened, though, you can always find a summary of it in the new Encounter Panel, which will also show you which choices other players have made while scouting them.

Types of Encounters

There are a few general types of Encounters that can help you understand what to expect, but do note that there are over 80 total Encounters…so expect a lot of variability.

First up, there are Carousel Encounters that can modify the shared draft carousel (or insert a modified Carousel in Hyper Roll).

• Receive tidings from Galio and he’ll add a bonus defensive component to champions on the Carousel (in addition to the component they’re already holding).
• Encountering Hwei will have him paint a Carousel full of 5-costs.
• Running into Ornn during Carousel will give each champion an Artifact item.

Next we have Group Encounters. They can occur on the central island and are inserted as bonus rounds into the normal game.

• Meet Ashe and she’ll reveal your next opponent in the following 3 player combats.
• If you’re fortunate enough to meet Kobuko, you’ll be invited to dance with him! The more players join in, the better the reward. /D to XD
• Run into Sivir, and all Tacticians become speedy!

Individual Encounters occur for all players simultaneously, and happen on that player’s board during the planning phase. Some of these give you options to choose from, while others can impart powerful gifts.

• Coming across Teemo will make you guess the outcome of your next fight. Teemo will then grant you a reward if you're right.
• Udyr is a man of simple pleasures. Encountering him will grant four free rerolls that last until used—there’s no rush here.
• Come across the Lovers of the set, and you’ll have to choose: Rakan offers to recombobulate your board, while Xayah will give you gold.

Occasionally, an Opening Encounter will replace the normal Portal selection at the start of the game. When this happens, there will not be a Portal selection process, and the game will start with minion rounds immediately following the Encounter.

• A brush with Bard during the opening of a game will result in all players starting at Level 3 prior to their first PVE round.
• Catch a glimpse of Kayn at the start of the game, and you know it’s going to be an intense one, because at a predetermined stage, he will come back and end the game. Your position at that time will be your final placement, but don’t worry, he’ll tell you right away when (stage and round) it is.
• Enter a dream-like state by running into Lillia, who’s shuffled all Augments to random rounds.

A Note on Returning Mechanics

Portals and Augments continue to be evergreen. For Portals, expect them to sometimes be replaced by opening Encounters. As for Augments, we’ve got over 100 being added that are completely new or were absent during Remix Rumble. With the removal of Headliner, Augments that add one towards a trait, or offer an Emblem have returned, so expect about half of the added Augments to be directly linked to traits, whether that is as Hearts and Crowns, or as a trait-enhancer.

And just like a Kayn encounter, our time together has come to a close—until we requeue or meet in another article. Maybe this one, our gameplay overview… or our Dev Drop which released early March? If not, we’ll see you on the Convergence with the release of Inkborn Fables on March 20th, patch 14.6!