Event · Survival mode · Solo

The Horde: the survival mode

Alone in the centre of an arena, you watch heroes come in through its gates: one, then two, then three, then four at a time, each wave tougher than the last. There is no victory to wait for, only one question: how many waves will you hold out? Between two waves, a bonus chosen from three shapes your hero until the end of the fight. Each player’s best fight of the month counts on the leaderboard, and the top three win a prize in USDC.

In short

Where — in the menu, the The Horde button, from 31 October 2026, Halloween: the event window, then “Enter the Horde”. Solo only.
Entry — 1,000 Waris per fight, with the class chosen in the menu.
Waves — heroes played by the game’s best AI, of varied classes, from 24% of a hero’s strength in the first wave to far more than yours later, up to 4 enemies at once.
Bonuses — after each wave defeated, three bonuses drawn from 35; you keep one until the end of the fight. You have 30 seconds to choose.
No healing between waves — your HP only comes back through your bonuses and map pickups: each wave is played with what you have left.
The score — the number of waves defeated. The fight ends when you fall (along with your Reinforcement, if you have one) or when you give up: the waves already defeated count.
Prizes — the month’s top 3 win 20 USDC, 10 USDC and 5 USDC; 31 October counts towards the November ranking. From 31 October to 30 November 2026, every fight with at least one wave defeated can give you a piece of the Zombie collection, epic: the Zombie skin or weapon of the class you play, or the Undead aura. The more waves you hold, the higher the chance: 0.03% after one wave, 0.75% after five, 3% from the 10th on.

How it works

The Horde is Solwaris’s survival mode, taking over from the Kill Race from 31 October 2026, Halloween. A Horde fight cannot be won: it lasts as long as your hero stays standing. You start in the centre of the Horde Arena with the class chosen in the menu, its grimoire and its variants, as in duels. The first enemy is already on the floor. When the last enemy of a wave falls, the wave is defeated: you choose a bonus, and the next one comes in right away.

The enemies are not monsters: they are heroes of the six classes, played by the AI at Legend rank, the best in the game. They read the board, combine their spells, take cover and target the most fragile. What makes them beatable is their HP and damage, reduced at first and growing with each wave. They chain their turns with no thinking time: only the animations separate their actions.

Three enemy heroes come in together through an arena gate, facing the player’s Brute — **Wave 6** comes in as a group through a gate: an Arcanist, a Warrior and a Clockmaker, each at 63% of a hero’s strength. The current wave shows above the timer.

The waves

Each wave has more enemies, or tougher ones. Their strength — the share of a full hero’s HP and damage they get — starts at 24% and has no ceiling: 51% in the fifth wave, 109% in the ninth, where each enemy is already tougher than you, and 128% in the tenth. The number of enemies rises in steps up to 4 enemies, then only strength keeps growing. The table below is computed from the game.

Wave	Enemies	An enemy’s HP and damage (share of a hero)
1	1	24 %
2	1	28 %
3	2	34 %
4	2	42 %
5	2	51 %
6	3	63 %
7	3	76 %
8	3	92 %
9	4	109 %
10	4	128 %
12	4	172 %
15	4	252 %

Different classes — within a wave, enemies are of different classes, each with a randomly drawn spell set: a wave of three can bring together an Arcanist hitting from afar, a Warrior closing to melee and a Clockmaker moving you around.
Their summons — the Flame elemental of an enemy Arcanist, the charges of an enemy Artificer or the Automaton of an enemy Clockmaker have the strength of their summoner.
Zombies — all the Horde’s enemies wear the Zombie skin and weapon of their class. They change nothing about their spells or numbers.
Group entry — each wave comes in together through a gate drawn at random from those around the edge, on the free tiles closest to it, never right next to you. The enemies arrive together and play together.
Fallen enemies fade away — a downed hero disappears from the arena floor after falling: no bodies pile up, and the enemy card, top right, follows those still standing.
The end — enemy strength has no ceiling: sooner or later, the Horde wins. Your score is the number of waves defeated before that moment.

The player’s Arcanist in the centre, surrounded by four enemy heroes — **Wave 9**: 4 enemies around the Arcanist, each at 109% of a hero’s strength — their sheets, on the right, say it: more HP than yours.

No healing between waves

A defeated wave gives nothing back: you start the next one with the HP you have left. The only healing in the Horde comes from your spells (the Shade’s Lifesteal, the Brute’s Roar), your bonuses and map pickups. Erosion also carries over from one wave to the next: 10% of the HP you lose also comes off your max HP, and no healing restores it.

So that no hero becomes untouchable, two caps hold the defensive bonuses in check. Resistances gained from bonuses never exceed +30%, however many Thick hide you take. And each healing bonus — Regeneration, Composure, Vampirism, Hunter — restores at most 12% of your max HP per turn; taken together, they add up. Second wind, for its part, works at the end of a wave, outside this cap.

End-of-wave bonuses

At the end of each wave, three different bonus cards appear. You pick one with a click; if you have not chosen after 30 seconds, the first card is taken for you. The chosen bonus lasts until the end of the fight, and the next wave comes in right away.

Three bonus cards after wave 3: Brute force, Regeneration and Vampirism — **Wave defeated**: three cards, one common, one rare, one epic. Brute force is stackable and already taken once; the yellow bar underneath is the time left.

The card — at the top, the rarity and its gems (one for common, four for legendary); in the middle, the bonus icon and its family; then its name, its effect with the value in large type, and at the bottom “Stackable”, “Once only” or the number of times you have already taken it. Epic radiates, legendary shines.
Stacking — a stat bonus can be taken again: the second pick is worth 75% of its value, the third and later ones 50%. A bonus counted in points (AP, MP, range, casts, cooldown) rounds, never dropping below one point. All other bonuses can only be taken once.
Rarities — common cards dominate at first, then rare, epic and legendary ones rise with each wave defeated. There are 9 common bonuses for 3 legendary ones: a legendary card stays rare even late in the fight. The table gives the chance that an offered card is of each rarity, and the chance of seeing at least one epic or legendary among the three, before any bonus is taken.

Wave defeated	Common	Rare	Epic	Legendary	At least one epic or legendary among the three
1	48,1 %	46,8 %	4,5 %	0,6 %	14,6 %
2	44,1 %	49,6 %	5,6 %	0,8 %	18,1 %
3	40,1 %	52,3 %	6,7 %	1 %	21,4 %
4	36,1 %	55 %	7,7 %	1,2 %	24,7 %
5	32,1 %	57,7 %	8,8 %	1,4 %	27,8 %
6	28,1 %	60,5 %	9,8 %	1,6 %	30,9 %
8	20,2 %	65,9 %	11,9 %	2 %	36,7 %
10	15,6 %	68,7 %	13,4 %	2,3 %	40,9 %

Pact of challenge forces your luck: the next wave has one more enemy, but the following choice guarantees an epic or legendary card, always the first of the three.

The choice after Pact of challenge: legendary Free spell first, Toughness already taken twice, Momentum — **After the Pact of challenge**: the first card is guaranteed epic or legendary — here Free spell, legendary. Toughness, already taken twice, would be worth half its value.

All the bonuses

They fall into eight families. The table is the game’s, word for word.

Pickup	Family	Rarity	Effect	Pick
Brute force	Stat	Common	+20% damage	Stackable
Toughness	Stat	Common	+20% max HP	Stackable
Keen eye	Stat	Common	+15% critical hits	Stackable
Thick hide	Stat	Common	+15% resistances	Stackable
Spyglass	Stat	Common	+2 range on spells with modifiable range	Stackable
Light step	Stat	Rare	+1 MP	Stackable
Frenzy	Stat	Rare	+1 cast per turn on every spell	Stackable
Quickness	Stat	Rare	−1 turn of cooldown on every spell	Stackable
Overpower	Stat	Epic	+2 AP	Stackable
Unleashed	Stat	Epic	+2 casts per turn on every spell	Once only
Haste	Stat	Epic	−2 turns of cooldown on every spell	Once only
Second wind	Survival	Common	40% of HP restored at the end of each wave	Once only
Carapace	Survival	Common	Armor worth 25% of max HP at the start of each wave	Once only
Regeneration	Survival	Rare	6% of max HP restored at the start of each turn	Once only
Hard skin	Survival	Rare	Erosion taken halved	Once only
Composure	Survival	Rare	Each spell cast restores 5% of max HP, for −15% damage	Once only
Vampirism	Survival	Epic	15% of damage dealt restored as HP	Once only
Unbreakable	Survival	Legendary	Once per fight, survive a lethal hit with 1 HP	Once only
First strike	Attack	Common	+40% damage on the first spell of each turn	Once only
Impact	Attack	Common	Collision damage +75%	Once only
Executioner	Attack	Rare	+50% damage against an enemy below 30% HP	Once only
Venom	Attack	Rare	Each hit poisons the target: 14 to 18 damage for 2 turns	Once only
Shockwave	Attack	Rare	+35% damage for area spells	Once only
Ricochet	Attack	Epic	40% of a hit's damage bounces to the nearest enemy	Once only
Free spell	Attack	Legendary	Your most expensive spells cost 1 AP less	Once only
Hobble	Control	Rare	Each hit has a 30% chance to remove 1 MP from the target	Once only
Gust	Control	Rare	Your pushes go 1 tile further	Once only
Hunter	Tempo	Rare	Each enemy killed restores 15% of HP	Once only
Momentum	Tempo	Epic	Each enemy killed restores 2 AP	Once only
Pack	Summons	Rare	Your summons, turrets and charges have +50% HP, damage and healing	Once only
Horde Leap	Active	Rare	A single-use spell: teleport anywhere in the arena	Once only
Reinforcement	Active	Legendary	A second hero of a random class joins your side: you control it, and it gets your bonuses	Once only
Pact of rage	Pact	Rare	+40% damage, −15% max HP	Once only
Pact of glass	Pact	Rare	+2 AP, −20% resistances	Once only
Pact of challenge	Pact	Rare	The next wave has one more enemy; the following choice guarantees an epic or legendary bonus	Once only

Stats — the foundation of any long fight: Brute force and Toughness stack, Overpower gives 2 AP more every turn. The cast and cooldown bonuses change how you play your class: a spell cast twice per turn, a shorter cooldown.
Survival — Second wind restores 40% of your max HP at the end of each wave, the only real healing between two waves. Carapace puts up armour worth 25% of your max HP at the start of each wave. Regeneration restores 6% of your max HP at the start of each of your turns. Hard skin halves erosion. Unbreakable keeps you alive once, at 1 HP, on a hit that would have killed you.
Attack — First strike rewards the big spell that opens your turn; Executioner, hits on an already damaged enemy; Shockwave, area spells; Ricochet bounces part of every hit to the nearest enemy, ideal against a bunched-up wave; Venom poisons on every hit; Free spell lowers your most expensive spells by one AP.
Control — Hobble sometimes removes an MP from the target; Gust makes your pushes one tile longer, and Impact makes collisions hurt more: a pair for the classes that push.
Tempo — Hunter restores 15% of your max HP for each enemy killed; Momentum, two AP when you kill an enemy during your turn, enough to chain onto the next one.
Summons — Pack gives your summons, turrets and charges half their HP, damage and healing on top. They also receive all your other bonuses, the ones already taken and the ones to come: damage, HP, resistances, range, pushes, the effects of your hits… Only Unbreakable stays yours.
Active — Horde Leap adds a single-use spell to your hand: for 1 AP, you teleport to any free tile of the arena, without line of sight, then it leaves your hand. Reinforcement, legendary, brings a second hero of another class, drawn at random, next to you, with the ordinary stats of its class: you play it on its turn, like a summon, and it receives all your bonuses, those already taken and those to come.
Pacts — a big gain for a drawback: Pact of rage (damage for max HP), Pact of glass (AP for resistances), Pact of challenge (one more enemy for a guaranteed high card).

Map pickups and Vigor

Four map pickups (two in duels) appear at random on the arena floor on each of your turns, and disappear at the end of the turn: healing, armour, AP, MP, or Vigor as soon as erosion has worn you down. In the Horde, they are yours alone: enemies never pick them up, and the floor is empty during their turns. Vigor is worth double here: it restores 120 max HP lost to erosion, instead of 60 max HP outside this mode. In a fight with no healing between waves, every Vigor picked up counts.

A Vigor and an AP pickup on the floor, near the player’s Shade — **Vigor** (the heart) and an AP pickup, placed for the Shade’s turn: here, Vigor restores 120 max HP lost to erosion.

The Horde Arena

A colosseum fallen to the undead. On the ravaged track, among open graves, smashed barricades and overturned carts, a green mist creeps and the braziers burn with a green flame; in the ruined stands, the dead sway. You start in the centre. Waves come in through the gates around the edge, from every side: there is no wall to put your back to, and the gate of the next wave is never known in advance.

The whole Horde Arena: the ravaged track, the obstacles, the ruined stands, the hero in the centre — The Horde Arena, fallen to the dead: the hero in the centre, the first enemy at a gate on the edge, the green braziers all around.

Two rings of obstacles surround the centre: broken pillars, columns, wall sections and dead trees, graves, crosses, coffins, cart wrecks, crates and rubble. All of them block movement and line of sight. They give cover at every step without ever closing off a lane: you fall back from obstacle to obstacle towards the centre, break a ranged attacker’s line of sight there, and force a melee enemy to go around.

The centre of the arena, its graves and broken pillars, and two enemies approaching — The centre and its first ring of obstacles — graves, broken pillars, dead trees: the Arcanist breaks the lines of sight of the two enemies coming from the right.

The ravaged track of the Horde Arena: open graves, a cheval de frise, mist and green braziers — **The surroundings**: the ravaged track, its open graves and trails of blood, the green-flamed braziers along the wall.

The interface

The menu button — the Horde’s ember logo; it shows your record wave and your place for the month, or the prizes until you are ranked.
The event window — on the left, the top 3 prizes in crystal digits, the countdown to the end of the month, your place and the Zombie collection; on the right, the three steps, the rules, then the month’s podium and the rest of the leaderboard. At the bottom, the yellow “Enter the Horde” button, with its price.
In combat — the current wave shows above the turn timer; after each wave defeated, the three cards and the bar of time left.
The end screen — the waves defeated in crystal digits, the turns played, “New record!” when it applies, your place for the month, the bonuses taken during the fight, and the Zombie item if one dropped. “Play again” starts a new entry with the same class.
The leaderboard — a “The Horde” tab in the leaderboard window, next to duels, the weekly boss and staking.

The game menu, with the Horde button and its record wave — **The menu button**: your record wave and your place for the month.

The Horde window: the prizes, the countdown, the steps and the month’s podium — **The event window**: the top 3 prizes, the countdown, the Zombie collection to win, the three steps and the month’s podium.

The end screen of a Horde fight: 7 waves defeated, new record, 4th place, the bonuses taken — **The end screen**: 7 waves defeated in 31 turns, a new record, 4th place for the month, the Bloody Mace dropped, and the bonuses taken during the fight.

The monthly leaderboard and prizes

Each month has its own leaderboard. It keeps each player’s best fight: the most waves defeated; on a tie, the fewest turns played; then the earliest fight. A worse new fight never costs you your place.

At the end of the month, the top three win 20 USDC, 10 USDC and 5 USDC. Prizes are paid in USDC to the wallet linked to the account, after the month closes and the fights are checked: link a wallet before the end of the month to be able to receive yours. The leaderboard resets on the 1st of each month.

The month’s podium in the Horde window, with the player’s place — **The month’s podium**, then the rest of the leaderboard: your row is framed.

The Horde tab of the leaderboard window — **The “The Horde” tab** of the leaderboard: waves, turns and prizes, and your place.

The Zombie collection is the event’s reward: for each class, a Zombie skin and a Zombie weapon — green skin, glowing eyes, open skull, stitches and wounds —, and for every hero, the Undead aura. All of them are epic. From 31 October to 30 November 2026, every fight in which you defeated at least one wave can give you one piece: the skin or weapon of the class you are playing, or the aura, at random. A piece you already own makes way for the others; if you own all three, nothing drops. None can be bought or comes out of a crystal: to complete the collection, play all six classes.

The chance follows the waves defeated. It rises faster and faster the longer you hold, up to 3% from the 10th wave on: 0.03% after one wave, 0.27% after three, 0.75% after five, 1.92% after eight. A fight lost quickly brings almost nothing: you complete the collection by holding out a long time.

Warrior — Zombie Legionary and Bloody Mace, with the Horde shield
Brute — Zombie Orc and Barbed-Wire Club
Arcanist — Zombie Pyromancer and Severed-Head Staff
Shade — Zombie Prowler and Gutting Katana
Clockmaker — Zombie Clockmaker and Dead Man's Foot, which floats and spins in front of him
Artificer — Zombie Artificer and Bleeding Heart, in place of the bomb

The Zombie Legionary, Orc and Pyromancer, armed, up close — **Up close**: the Zombie Legionary and his Bloody Mace, with the Horde shield; the Zombie Orc and his Barbed-Wire Club; the Zombie Pyromancer and his Severed-Head Staff.

The Zombie Prowler, Clockmaker and Artificer, armed, up close — **Up close**: the Zombie Prowler and her Gutting Katana; the Zombie Clockmaker and the Dead Man’s Foot, floating in front of him; the Zombie Artificer and her Bleeding Heart, in place of the bomb.

The Undead aura — a grave split by veins of poison, hands that burst out of the earth, claw and sink back, a revenant who raises its head behind the hero, souls drifting as will-o’-the-wisps. It is the same for every hero: once won, it can be worn with any class.

The Warrior wearing the Undead aura: green hands come out of the grave at his feet — **The Undead aura**, in combat, at the scale of the cell: the grave opens at the hero’s feet and the hands come out.

The six classes as Zombies, armed, in the centre of the Horde arena — **The Zombie collection**: the six classes as Zombies, armed. Each one’s skin and weapon are epic: from a 0.03% chance at the 1st wave to 3% from the 10th on, from 31 October to 30 November 2026.

How to last as long as possible

Keep AP for the next wave. The next wave comes in as soon as you have picked your bonus, during your turn if it is still running: killing the last enemy with AP and MP to spare means you can reposition, or strike first, before it plays.
Take a bonus that restores HP early. With no healing between waves, Second wind, Regeneration, Vampirism or Hunter make the difference from the third wave: a fight is lost to attrition more often than to a big hit.
Pick up Vigor. Here it restores 120 max HP. A two-tile detour for a Vigor is often worth more than one more hit.
Fight in the centre, in cover. Waves come in through the gates on the edge: the centre and its two rings of obstacles give you time to see where they come from and to break their lines of sight.
Kill one enemy at a time. A half-wounded enemy hits as hard as an untouched one. Focus your hits to cut the number of enemies as fast as possible, starting with the one hurting you most.
Specialise. Stackable bonuses are worth more taken early, and a well-filled family weighs more than three scattered bonuses: bet on what your class does best, area damage, melee hits or summons.
Beware of pacts. Pact of rage and Pact of glass cost you every wave; take Pact of challenge when the next wave is still within your reach, not when you are out of HP.

Tips by class

Warrior — solid and steady, he lasts. Plant the War banner in the centre: it blocks a tile and gives you +20% damage as long as it stands. Lunge hits three tiles at once against a bunched-up wave, Taunt pulls the enemy to kill first out of the group, and Warrior’s leap gets you out of an encirclement. Toughness and Vampirism make everything last longer.
Brute — built for groups. Quake and Stomp hit several enemies at once, and Shockwave boosts them; Stoneskin soaks up the turn when the whole wave lands on you. Roar heals and removes MP, Intimidate weakens the most dangerous one: save them for the enemy hurting you most.
Arcanist — the biggest area damage, on one of the most fragile heroes. Aim at the wave as it comes in, still bunched up, with Comet and Blast; Shockwave and Ricochet turn them into wave-clearing weapons. The Flame elemental, boosted by Pack, holds off melee while Blink puts you back at range. Take Toughness or Carapace early.
Shade — the Shade prepares the ground. Her traps, invisible to enemies, go between the gates and the centre; Creeping venom then Quick dagger, stronger on a poisoned target, finish off one enemy at a time. The Venom bonus poisons on every hit: every Quick dagger benefits. Lifesteal and Shadow veil save you from a bad turn.
Clockmaker — he takes waves apart before they strike. Hourglass removes AP, and with Hobble your hits remove MP too; Reversal and Pivot put enemies back where they bother you least, and Reflection gets you out of an encirclement. The cast and cooldown bonuses give him his moves back more often.
Artificer — a field of charges in the middle of the arena. Lay your Explosive charges on the wave’s path and set them off with Ignition as it passes: Shockwave and Pack, which boosts your charges, make them the best weapon against a group. Shove pushes an enemy three tiles, and Gust and Impact make every push more dangerous.

Common mistakes

Ending your turn in the open. A wave of three or four enemies hits in a row, with no pause: a hero visible from every gate can fall in a single Horde turn.
Ignoring Vigor. Erosion does not come back on its own, and nothing heals between waves: without Vigor, your max HP melts away wave after wave.
Letting the choice timer run out. Once time is up, the first card is taken for you, maybe the least useful of the three.
Spreading your hits. Wounding every enemy halfway lets the whole wave hit on the next turn; killing one means one less enemy playing.
Going all in on attack. Enemies grow with no ceiling: a hero without a single survival bonus falls fast past the fifth wave, whatever their damage.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Horde be played with others?

No: the Horde is played alone. Each fight is yours, and the leaderboard compares each player’s best fights.

How much does an entry cost?

1,000 Waris per fight. The entry is paid when the fight starts, whatever wave you reach.

What happens if I give up?

The fight ends and the waves already defeated count, as if you had fallen: giving up costs you nothing on the leaderboard.

What does Reinforcement do?

A second hero of another class, drawn at random, joins your side next to you. You play it on its turn, it receives all your bonuses, and the fight goes on as long as one of you two is standing: it can win you waves after you fall.

Does my HP come back between waves?

No. Only your spells, your bonuses (Second wind at the end of a wave, Regeneration, Vampirism, Hunter…) and map pickups restore HP; Vigor restores max HP lost to erosion.

Do enemies pick up map pickups?

No. In the Horde, map pickups are yours alone: the floor is empty during the enemies’ turns.

How are prizes paid?

In USDC, to the wallet linked to your account, after the month closes and the fights are checked. Link a wallet before the end of the month to be able to receive yours.

How do I get the Zombie collection?

From 31 October to 30 November 2026, every Horde fight in which you defeated at least one wave can give you the Zombie skin or weapon of the class you played, or the Undead aura. The more waves you hold, the higher the chance: 0.03% after one wave, 0.75% after five, 3% from the tenth on. None can be bought or comes out of a crystal: for the full collection, play all six classes.