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Duel Mode
May 31, 2026 at 03:46 PM
Initial version (2026-05-31)
Duel Mode is the competitive player-versus-player side of The Hidden Ones. Each player builds a small team and fights for the best of three rounds in fast, focused matches, with full access to the roster and a stated commitment to fair, cheat-free competition.
Rather than picking a single fighter, each player selects three characters for a match. Only one is active at a time; when the active fighter is knocked out, the next one steps in to continue the fight. This makes team composition a real decision, since you are effectively choosing a starting fighter and two follow-ups that have to cover each other's weaknesses.
Team selection is governed by a Doppelganger point budget, the same spectral support-power layer covered on Doppelganger Loadouts. Players spend from a limited pool when assembling their loadout, so a stronger setup has to be balanced against the cost.
A duel runs as a best-of-three. A round ends when one side's active character is knocked out or when the clock runs out. In test builds, a round ran to roughly 90 seconds at most, and a full match landed somewhere around two to three minutes overall. Those figures come from the test builds and may change before release, but they describe a deliberately snappy, high-pressure format.
Element | As Shown in Test Builds |
|---|---|
Team size | Three fighters per player, subbing in one after another |
Round format | Best of three rounds |
Round length | Roughly 90 seconds at most |
Match length | About two to three minutes overall |
Round end | One active character knocked out, or the clock runs out |
Duel features an officially described system called the action roulette, which lets players mix in skills from other characters during combat for an edge. Instead of being locked entirely to the active fighter's kit, you can fold in borrowed skills, adding a layer of unpredictability and customization on top of the core Combat System.
The pre-alpha test offered more than one duel size. Players could compete in 1v1 and in 3v3 formats, alongside multiple match tiers, maps, and team fights. The exact lineup of competitive formats at launch has not been finalized, so treat the 1v1 and 3v3 split as what the pre-alpha test made available rather than a confirmed final list.
A fair and competitive environment is one of the stated pillars of Duel. The developers have called out a zero-tolerance stance against cheating as part of how the mode is meant to run. This anti-cheat commitment sits alongside the broader free-to-play framing of the game, where the goal is for matches to be decided by skill rather than exploits.
Doppelganger Loadouts: the point-budget support powers used to tune a duel team.
Combat System: the attacks, blocks, dodges, and parries every duel is built on.
Characters: the fighters you draft into a team of three.
Game Modes: the hub covering Story, Duel, and Trial.
