Hello, Splinterlands warriors.
The beginning of the year is usually synonymous with resolutions, new targets, and promises. Promises to ourselves, to the calendar, sometimes even to our wallets. Some of those promises don’t survive to the end of the month. But this year’s beginning, Splinterlands comes carrying something different. Not promises, but updates. Many of them. And they’re quite noticeable.
This update doesn’t come alone. It arrives as a group. There are avatars, battle intro–outro scenes, a new campaign, and one ruleset that, just by reading its name, was enough to make my forehead crease: Brute Force.
Let’s go through it slowly, like chatting at a coffee stall while waiting for battle energy to refill.
First, about the Brute Force Ruleset.
This is a new ruleset, and honestly, it’s fairly “rude” if we let our guard down. In this ruleset, speed and positioning are no longer the main deciding factors. Only one thing matters: the highest attack power. Whoever has the biggest attack number strikes first. Melee, ranged, or magic—it all counts as attack power.
The example is simple.
If there are two cards, one with 3 attack and another with 4, the one with 4 attack goes first. Period. It doesn’t matter if it’s slow, placed at the back, or usually always moves last.
This is where I felt a kind of “gentle slap”. All this time, my reflex was always to think about speed, positioning, and turn order. Suddenly, a ruleset shows up and says: that’s enough—now whoever is strongest goes first. Even a monster like Grove Doomblade, with only one speed, can immediately strike first because its attack is high.
What’s interesting is that Double Strike and other attack modifiers are not counted. The focus is strictly on the base number. If two units have the same attack power, only then does speed step in as the tie-breaker. Simple on paper, slippery in practice.
I personally haven’t encountered this ruleset very often yet. But that’s exactly where the pleasure lies. Waiting for turns while relearning what “strong” really means. Not fast. Not smartly positioned. Just strong, plain and simple.
Now let’s shift to the visual updates: Battle Intro and Outro.
Before a battle starts, our avatar now appears in an intro scene. And after the battle ends, there’s an outro animation—the winner’s avatar remains standing, while the losing avatar falls off the screen. Symbolic, simple, but it lands. It feels like a closing sentence after the final period.
If you’re the type who just wants to jump straight to the result, don’t worry. This feature can be turned off via Settings > Graphics, by enabling Skip Battle Intro and Disable Avatar Result Animations. Me, personally? I leave it on. Every now and then, a bit of drama is nice.
Another update that I find important but often overlooked is Avatar Customization. We can now buy backgrounds and frames directly from the shop. Avatars can truly be tailored to personal taste. Want to look calm, intimidating, or just “well, this is me”? There’s a way.
In Campaign Mode, there’s now a new chapter called Prologue. It feels like an official front door into the world of Splinterlands, especially for new players. And speaking of new players, they’re now asked to choose a Bloodline right from the start. This choice affects character types and abilities, as well as future playstyle. A small early decision, with long-term consequences.
There’s also an update that seems trivial but matters: improvements to the avatar naming system. Previously, some names appeared strange—missing letters or cut off. Now it’s fixed. Names appear whole and correct. Sometimes, comfort comes from small things like this.
If we put all these updates together, the message is clear: Splinterlands is refining the experience, not just adding more battles. From how a fight begins, how it ends, to how we’re nudged to rethink the meaning of power.
The small lesson I take home from this early-year update is simple: don’t get too comfortable with old habits. The meta changes. Rules can flip upside down. And that’s exactly where the game stays alive.
My short impression of this early-year update: bold, fresh, and forcing us to rethink. It’s not an update that instantly makes you win—but one that makes you learn again. And for a game I’ve been playing for a long time, that’s actually the best kind of gift at the start of the year.
Talk about Splinterlands,
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