EpicDuel is Artix Entertainment's sixth major game, and second MMORPG. The game began development in 2007 under Epic Inventions, LLC, which was purchased by Artix in December 2009. Since it was developed independently from the family of Artix games, the characters and storyline are separate from the world of Lore, and the game does not share NPCs, areas or storylines with any of the other games (with the exception of some staff). A teaser at the end of the Infernal Infiltration War implied a crossover with MechQuest.
The game primarily focuses on player-versus-player action, which takes place on the abandoned mining planet Delta V. Players are exiles who can align themselves with either the Exiles and Oz or the Legion and despotic ruler Baelius. Players spend most of their time dueling other players
This series provides examples of:
- An Ice Suit: A lot of the characters have winter clothes in Frysteland.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Caden.
- Art Evolution: When EpicDuel first went live, this
◊ is what the area called Old Fortune City looked like. This◊ is the same area as it exists currently. - Author Avatar: NPCs Nightwraith, Titan, Charfade, Cinderella and BigTuna represent current and past (in the case of BigTuna) EpicDuel staff.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Nightwraith. He even warns players to "watch the suit".
- The Bad Guy Wins: Before the events of the game, Baelius and the Legion had conquered Delta V, and killed many of the planet's inhabitants. The Exile factions are reportedly fighting back each day with an updated daily War Meter.
- Bilingual Bonus: Juloffenblotten and Frysteland.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Characters align with the Legion or the Exiles, which does not correlate to good and evil but rather order and rebellion, respectively.
- Bribing Your Way to Victory: Originally an example of this with premium currency items being better, the recent game phase known as Omega removed all instances of this. Now, all weapons are virtually the same and can be bought for in-game currency or premium currency, depending on whether you're more willing to shell out cash or spend time farming to earn the weapon. Promo packages still exist and are generally better, but the Developers have created a policy that will release the promo items into the game for everyone to purchase a year from the release date of said item.
- Darker and Edgier: EpicDuel is more aimed at 'mature' players and contains some weapons coated with much red blood and some painfully sharp weapons (which includes cricket bats and bazookas) which can add some terror considering the size of them. Not only that, (instead of respawning) whenever your character loses a battle- they start fainting!
- Dystopia: Delta V is a Crapsack World ruled by Baelius, who posts his image and symbol all over Delta V along with the word "OBEY".
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: The Legion is represented by the colors red and black, where the Exiles are represented by blue and gold. However, since Exile and Legion are more representative of Blue-and-Orange Morality, also is a case of Dark Is Not Evil.
- LEGO Genetics: Boss character "Armor Hazard" was created by transfecting an embryonic Bio Hazard with Armor Beetle genes. This is basically how Alydriah corrupts the wildlife.
- Our Monsters Are Different : Introduced during the War for Frysteland, Delta V's mountain people are known as Krampus, and their costume reflects the more traditional Krampus (the Krampus Trader and Krampus Warrior characters wear goatlike gas masks, and King Alaric wears a giant horned headdress). The Yetis also fall under this trope.
- Our Titans Are Different: The Game Lead and Head Programmer of EpicDuel goes by "Titan", as does his Author Avatar. Titan may be a Physical God. In real life, Titan is the tallest Artix Entertainment staff member at six feet seven inches.
- Pretty in Mink: Alydriah's outfit in Frystland is a coat, hat, and muff of white fur, trimmed with gray fur◊.
- Somewhere, an Entomologist Is Crying: Subversion, since staff member Cinderella is an Entomologist in real life.
Word of God says Insectoid mine worker Kraggor is female, and the design notes feature weekly Insect Facts. - Shout-Out: The game is full of these. April Fools items include a giant spoon (named "Too Big!") and a banana suit, referencing Don Hertzfeldt's "Rejected", achievements include several pop-culture references ("Meltdown in sector 7G", "Somebody set us up the bomb", "It's so delicious and moist!", etc.), and several NPCs reference other media- The Lawman resembles {{Motörhead}} frontman Lemmy Kilmister and shares a name with a Motörhead song, and NPC Slayer is an expy for Artix Entertainment's Galanoth's in-game presence.
- The Other Darrin: Characters get art updates (see also Art Evolution) with no in-game explanation for the change. Character Valestra has undergone two drastic changes in appearance, appearing first as a 40-something bartender, then being revamped to look much younger◊, before being aged up.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Hank and Valestra.
- Who's Your Daddy?: At the end of the Infernal Infiltration War, the Lawman evades arrest and is able to capture the Legion Administrator Silas Auer by threatening Silas and Valestra's daughter Naomi. Valestra's husband Hank had raised Naomi as his own, but Naomi remarked that she'd noticed the Uncanny Family Resemblance between herself and Silas.
- You Mean "Xmas": The game features holiday items, and two events have focused on the Harvest Festival (Halloween/Thanksgiving) which includes the Candy Harvest (Trick or Treating) and the Harvest of Souls (similar to the Day of the Dead) and a winter event called Juloffenblotten.
