How to Play

THE ARENA

Ebon Crucible is a real-time 1v1 arena combat game set in a dark fantasy world. Two players enter the arena, each controlling a champion with unique abilities. The last one standing wins.

INSTANT PLAY

Play in your browser or on Steam. Jump straight into the arena — no setup, no waiting.

NO PAY-TO-WIN

Every fight is fair. No random elements, no grinding. Pure skill determines the outcome.

PURE SKILL

Ability usage, positioning, and decision-making. Every victory is earned.

COMBAT SYSTEM

Each class has 12+ unique abilities with cooldowns, cast times, and resource costs. Manage your resource while reading your opponent's cooldowns and positioning.

CC

Stuns, roots, silences, fears. Chain them to lock down opponents.

INTERRUPTS

Kick cast-time abilities to prevent healing or burst. Timing is everything.

DEFENSIVES

Shields, damage reduction, immunities, and healing to survive burst.

BURST

Stack cooldowns, CC the opponent, and unload. Knowing when to commit wins games.

POSITIONING

WASD movement. Kite melee, chase ranged, dodge abilities.

THE FIVE CLASSES

Each class plays differently and rewards a unique playstyle. 63 abilities across five distinct combat identities.

VIEW ALL CLASSES →

GAME MODES

COMPETITIVE

RANKED ARENA

Queue up and get matched by skill. Climb from The Broken to The Ascended. Solo 1v1 and duo 2v2 ranked. 3v3 coming soon.

HIGH STAKES

WAGER DUELS

Challenge any player and stake coins. Winner takes all with amplified ELO gains up to 5x.

SOCIAL

CUSTOM GAME

Create a room with a 4-letter code. Share it with a friend to fight on your terms.

PRACTICE

VS AI

Solo and 2v2 practice against AI at three difficulty levels. Learn matchups and combos.

TEAM ARENA

Team up with friends or queue solo for a random partner. Coordinate cooldowns, chain CC, and execute team combos.

2v2

RANKED 2V2

Party with a friend or queue solo. Separate 2v2 ELO rating. Team synergy and communication decide the match.

🤝

PARTY SYSTEM

Invite friends to your party from the Social tab. Queue together for ranked 2v2 as a premade duo.

3v3

3V3 — COMING SOON

The ultimate team arena. Strategy, comp building, and coordinated kills. Currently in development.

SOCIAL & SPECTATING

The Crucible is a community. Chat, spectate, and build rivalries.

👁

SPECTATING

Watch live champion matches from the Rankings tab. See the LIVE indicator when a champion is in an active match.

💬

GLOBAL CHAT

Talk to everyone in the arena. Global chat is always available from the Social panel.

⚔

DUEL CHAT

Private chat channels auto-created for wager duels. Talk trash before and after the fight.

✉

DIRECT MESSAGES

Send private messages to friends. Manage your conversations from the chat widget.

BATTLE PASS — SEASON 1

50 tiers of exclusive cosmetics. Earn season XP from every ranked match and unlock portrait frames, portraits, and titles as you progress.

🏆

50 TIERS

Frames, portraits, and titles unlocked at each tier. Rarity increases as you climb — the top tiers are Legendary.

⭐

SEASON XP

Every ranked match earns season XP. Wins earn more than losses. Progress is tracked in the Pass tab.

💎

COSMETIC ONLY

All rewards are visual. No power, no gameplay advantages. Flex your dedication, not your wallet.

RANKED PLAY

Every player starts at 1500 rating. Win matches to gain rating, lose to drop. The amount gained or lost depends on the skill difference between you and your opponent.

THE BROKEN

<1300

THE PROVEN

1300+

THE EXALTED

1500+

THE DREAD

1800+

THE ASCENDED

2000+

The highest-rated player is crowned the Crucible Champion. Every match at the top is a battle to hold or seize the throne. Upsets are rewarded — beating a higher-rated player earns amplified rating. Losing streaks accelerate your descent.

CLASS MASTERY & PROGRESSION

Every class has its own progression track. Earn XP by playing matches, level up your mastery, and unlock milestone rewards as you prove your dedication to each class.

RANKED MATCH

+100 XP

WIN

0–25 XP

LOSS (BY PERFORMANCE)

VS AI

+25 XP

WIN

0–10 XP

LOSS (BY PERFORMANCE)

AI rewards require Hard difficulty after Account Level 5

MASTERY TIERS

UNINITIATED

Level 0–9

BLOODED

Level 10–19

FORGED

Level 20–29

ASCENDANT

Level 30–39

SOVEREIGN

Level 40–50

🪙

MILESTONE COINS

Earn bonus coins at every 5th level. From 50 coins at level 5 up to 500 coins at level 50.

♛

SOVEREIGN TITLE

Reach level 50 with any class to earn its exclusive Sovereign title — proof of true mastery.

★

MAX LEVEL 50

Each class has an independent progression track to level 50. Master one or master them all.

All match XP also contributes to your Account Level — a global level displayed next to your name that tracks your total experience across all classes.

ECONOMY & BETTING

Every ranked match earns coins. Spend them on cosmetics or wager them on class champions.

COINS

Earn coins from every ranked match. Win streaks and higher tiers multiply your rewards.

SHOP

Portrait frames, portrait styles, and titles. Purely cosmetic, earned through play.

CHAMPION BETS

Wager on whether class champions hold or fall. Losers fund winners; surplus goes to the Crucible Jackpot.

CHAMPION'S CUT

Champions earn 15% of the surplus when bettors wager against them and lose. Defend your throne, profit from doubters.

JACKPOT

Leftover bet coins flow into the Crucible Jackpot — a community prize pool for challenges and events.

WEEKLY CHALLENGES

AI-generated weekly objectives funded by the Jackpot. Complete challenges for bonus coins. New goals every Sunday.

⚔

WAGER DUELS

Challenge a higher-rated player and wager coins. Win the upset for amplified ELO gains up to 3x. Risk it all to prove you belong.

READ THE FULL BREAKDOWN →

CONTROLS

W

A

S

D

MOVEMENT

1

2

3

4

5

6

ABILITIES

TAB

SHIFT

TARGET + MODIFIER

MOUSE

GAMEPAD

READY TO FIGHT?