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How to play AutoArena

This page is the complete rulebook — the same text as the in-game help, with every number taken from the game's own rules. For each unit's stats and abilities see the minis and the heroes.

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The rules

Deck

Build a deck of 1 hero + 4 minis — only those can be deployed in a match. Your opponent brings their own hero and deck of 4.

Heroes

Your hero deploys free at the start of the match and doesn't use a mini slot. Unlike minis, heroes aren't locked in place — drag your hero during any deploy phase to move it anywhere on your half. Heroes can't be starred, but their abilities are mighty.

Deploy

Each round you draw fresh elixir — 8 in round one, then 7 — and any elixir you don't spend carries over. Lose a round and your next draw is 2 higher; win one and it is 2 lower. Both players draw the same 36 over a full match, and the last round pays out whatever is left. Drag minis from the tray onto your half of the board; minis placed this round can be moved until you hit Ready. You can field at most 8 minis and 2 copies of each — spend the rest on stars. Minis persist between rounds and respawn at full health.

Stars

Drop a duplicate on top of your mini to merge and star it up. The first two stars each cost about the mini's price again; the third star costs three times over — and it is the only upgrade that takes a mini to 4× its starting stats (a star is 1.65×, two are 2.3×). Some minis price their stars differently; the Minis screen shows the exact cost. Starred minis wear their rank: steel pauldrons, then gold trim, then an arcane mantle.

Abilities

Every mini charges its mana bar (purple) by attacking and taking damage. At full mana it unleashes its ability. A mini that never got to cast fires its ability with its dying breath — unless it's stunned, which is what a Valkyrie slam or a Ram impact is for.

Openings

Two minis act before the first blow. The Battering Ram charges straight down its column and bowls the first enemy it meets a tile backwards — but hits the far wall and stuns itself if the lane is empty. The Assassin leaps clean over the field onto the enemy back line. A Ram charging up the same column will smash an Assassin out of the air: pick your lanes.

Battle

You have 25 seconds to plan, and the round starts early once both sides are ready. Battles then play out automatically: minis chase the nearest enemy and fight on their own. Archers loose faster the longer a round runs — and faster still per star. If nobody wins within 60 seconds, the side with more total HP takes the round.

Win the match

Matches are best of 5: first to 3 round wins takes it. Between equally ranked players a win is worth +30 trophies and a loss costs 20 — beat someone above you and you take more, lose to them and you drop less.

Ladder & leagues

Trophies place you in a league, from Wood up to Champion. Reach a league and its floor is locked in for the season — you can slide about inside it, but you can't fall out of it.

Seasons

A season is a calendar month. When it ends you bank a season reward, your placing is saved to your season history, and trophies above 400 are halved. Your account level never resets.

Coins & unlocks

Every match pays coins — 100 for a win, 60 for a draw, 35 for a loss, plus 5 per round won. Spend them in the Minis screen to unlock the Battering Ram for 1 coin, the Assassin for 1 coin, the Wizard for 1000 coins. A locked mini can't go in a deck.

Tips

Tanks up front, ranged behind. A Healer doesn't trickle health — it shoots like any ranged mini and saves everything for one big Radiance, so keep it alive to the cast. Spread out against the Wizard, and never line your back row up behind an open column.

Numbers at a glance

Board	7 columns × 8 rows; you deploy on your own half
Deck	1 hero + 4 minis, from 8 minis and 3 heroes
Match	best of 5, first to 3 round wins
Plan clock	25s, ends early when both are ready
Elixir	8 in round 1, then 7, ±2 on the last result; 36 per player over five rounds
Army	up to 8 minis, at most 2 of a kind; minis persist between rounds
Stars	Lv 1 1× · ★ 1.65× · ★★ 2.3× · ★★★ 4×
Battle	automatic; 60s limit, then the side with more total HP wins
Trophies	+30 / −20 between equals, tilted by the rating gap
XP	80 win / 45 draw / 25 loss, +10 per round won; the account level never resets
Coins	100 win / 60 draw / 35 loss, +5 per round won; 100 to start

Leagues

Reach a league and its floor is yours for the season. The season reward is paid on the highest league you reached.

League	From	Season reward
Wood League	0	150 XP
Stone League	300	270 XP
Bronze League	700	390 XP
Silver League	1,200	510 XP
Gold League	1,800	630 XP
Crystal League	2,500	750 XP
Master League	3,300	870 XP
Champion League	4,200	990 XP

Questions

What is AutoArena?

AutoArena is a free tactical auto battler that runs in your web browser — nothing to download, no sign-up beyond a name. Draft a hero and 4 minis, deploy them on a 7×8 board with an elixir budget, star up duplicates, and watch a deterministic battle decide each round of a best-of-5 ranked match. There are 8 minis and 3 heroes, ranked play with leagues and monthly seasons, and a practice mode against the AI when you are offline.

Is AutoArena free? Do I have to download anything?

Yes, it is free, and there is nothing to install. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer at https://autoarena.gg. You pick a name and play; saving your account with an email or Google is optional and can be done later.

How long is a match?

A match is best of 5: the first player to win 3 rounds takes it. Each round has up to 25 seconds of planning (it starts early once both players are ready) and a battle that usually lasts around twenty seconds, with a 60-second limit. A typical match takes about three minutes, and the longest possible around five.

How does the elixir work?

You draw 8 elixir in round one and 7 in each later round, and anything unspent carries over. The draw tilts by 2 on the last round's result — lose and you draw more, win and you draw less — but both players receive exactly 36 over a full five-round match, with the fifth round paying out whatever is left. You can field at most 8 minis and 2 copies of any one mini.

What are stars?

Dropping a duplicate onto a mini merges it up a star level. The first two stars each cost roughly the mini's price again and take it to 1.65× and 2.3× its base health and damage; the third costs three times the price and takes it to 4×. Abilities reach further or last longer per star too. Some minis price their stars differently — the mini pages list the exact elixir.

What does a hero do?

Every deck has one hero. It deploys free at the start of the match, does not use a mini slot, cannot be starred, and — unlike minis, which are locked once placed — can be dragged anywhere on your half in every deploy phase. Each hero has a signature ability: Barbarian King's Iron Slam, Archer Queen's Royal Volley, Guardian's Aegis.

How do trophies, leagues and seasons work?

A win between equally ranked players is worth +30 trophies and a loss −20, tilted by the rating gap. Trophies place you in one of 8 leagues, Wood, Stone, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Crystal, Master, Champion, and reaching a league locks its floor in for the season. A season is a calendar month: at the end you bank a reward, your placing goes into your history, and trophies above 400 are halved.

Is the battle random?

No. A battle is a deterministic simulation: the same deployments and the same seed always produce the same fight, tick for tick. The server runs each battle and both players replay it identically, so nothing is decided client-side and every round can be checked.

Who do I play against?

Matchmaking pairs you with a player of similar trophies. If nobody is in range after a few seconds you face an AI opponent instead; the AI plays a full-strength search-based game from the middle of the ladder upwards. Offline, the Battle button starts a practice match against the AI that awards no trophies.

How do coins and unlocks work?

Every match pays coins — 100 for a win, 60 for a draw, 35 for a loss, plus 5 per round won, and a new account starts with 100. The Wizard costs 1000 coins; everything else is owned from the start or costs a single coin. There are no advertisements and nothing for sale for money.

Go deeper

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