Overview: Differences Between Switch and Mobile AoV?
At long last, the Nintendo Switch version of Arena of Valor is here. Though Arena of Valor itself has been available on mobile phones for anywhere from six months to two years – depending on where you live – its debut on the Switch will surely bring in new fans wondering what all the hubbub is about.
Now, the Nintendo Switch version of Arena of Valor is a bit different from the mobile version of Arena of Valor. That’s because the Switch version was built from the ground up, adding new textures that enhance the graphics. Unfortunately, that also means the game is based on a version of the game from around October 2017. For the new Switch players wanting to know what the mobile version is like (and vice versa), here are the differences – as of the Switch initial release – between the Switch version and the mobile version of Arena of Valor:
Negatives
Heroes
Let’s start with the obvious: there are 39 heroes on the Nintendo Switch version of Arena of Valor, while there are over 70 on most of the mobile servers, including those managed by Tencent. Notably missing are all of the DC heroes, as well as many of the uber-powerful heroes that have been released in the past year (or more). While it took a few months for newer servers to mostly catch up to the hero count of older servers, it still remains to be seen what will be done with the DC heroes.
In addition, a lot of the balance changes that have been made have obviously not been transferred over to the Switch version. Players who select Krixi or Kil’groth expecting the powerhouses they currently are on the mobile version will be severely disappointed when they realize those heroes’ damage output is not nearly what they thought it would be.
Items
The items in Arena of Valor have also undergone massive changes over the course of a year. In particular, May saw the arrival of three new items with unique actives, while August brought on an entire support category of items – not to mention the removal of Ancestral Glory and Asterion’s Buckler. In addition, many items have undergone radical changes that have shifted the meta: the Blitz Blade buff completely reinventing Valhein comes to mind. Hmm, on second thought, maybe this should go under “Positives.”
The Map
In August, the Antaris Battlefield map received a complete visual re-haul, along with functional changes like the addition of an Enraged Abyssal Dragon that added more buffs and essentially split the game’s objective focus between the Abyssal Dragon and the Dark Slayer in the late game. Many view the map change as welcome, opening up new strategies and preventing games from getting too stale.
Skins
The game is mostly devoid of skins, with only about half the heroes having a single alternate skin to use – many of which come from recent promotions on the Valiant server (Malaysia/Singapore/Philippines).
Positives
Graphics
The major selling point of Arena of Valor on the Nintendo Switch from the get-go was the ability to bring superior graphics to the table. By building the game from the ground up and utilizing all that the console has to offer, the game looks much smoother in all aspects.
![](https://samurai-gamers.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif)
Game UI
The layout of the map is much improved from the mobile version, as the existence of buttons allows for different parts of the screen to be moved to more convenient locations. In particular, players can now easily slide their right thumb on the mini-map located in the the bottom right corner. Meanwhile, mobile users have to either stop moving to do it with their left thumb, or reach all the way over the screen with their right thumb to look around the map (yes, there’s a third option using index fingers for extremely dexterous humans, but that’s impossible for us mortals).
Global Server
Though there may always be differences between the Switch version and mobile version, Switch users don’t have to impatiently wait for extra heroes, items, patches, or skins that come first on other servers. In addition, the wait times for matches should theoretically be much shorter as people can potentially enjoy games with players from around the globe.
Past Arena of Valor Nintendo Switch News
- Nintendo Switch Release Scheduled for September (August 21, 2018)
- Arena of Valor Nintendo Switch Review (July 3, 2018)
- Nintendo Switch Closed Beta Date Announced (June 22, 2018)
- Nintendo Switch Summer Closed Beta Announced for North America and Europe (June 1, 2018)
- Nintendo Switch Closed Beta Underway (January 29, 2018)
- Tencent Still Undecided on Switch Cross-Platform Play (January 16, 2018)
- Arena of Valor Finally on Nintendo Switch? EU Server Closed Beta Applications Open (December 29, 2017)
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