Phase 1 plays like Glory Arena — pick fights you can win. Later phases are automatic match-ups. Counter default formations early, then counter whatever you used to qualify.
Community tips
Phases
- Multiple phases.
- The first is like Glory Arena: choose enemies you can surely beat.
- All later phases are automatic match-ups you do not need to interact with actively.
Formation
Move your 1st-formation troop to the last slot — that auto full-counters anyone still on default formation in Phase 1.
From Phase 2 on, build the counter to the formation you used in Phase 1. Most players who qualified will now run that same Phase-1 setup.
Efficiency
As F2P, do not spend gems on Phase-1 attempts if you are sure you can qualify for Phase 2 — it is not worth it.
When choosing groups 1–4 at the start, skip Group 1. Most whales casually pick Group 1, so it is usually the hardest bracket (rare exceptions aside).
Like other limited-attempt PvP events with ranking boards, do attempts about 1–2 hours before close. Earlier attempts give others more time to knock you down (−50 points on a loss in round one), and higher ranks show up more often as targets.
In-game help
Duel Festival is a limited-time event in Pop Epoch. Typical rules are below; schedules and rewards can change by season.
Overview
- Chieftains who reach a certain civilization level will be invited to participate in the Duel Festival.
- Participating chieftains will use their own hero lineups to compete in 1v1 duels. After multiple rounds of competition, only the final winner can claim ultimate glory.
- Chieftains who do not advance to later stages can still watch the remaining matches, predict the rankings, and earn prediction rewards.
Duel Festival Shop
- You can earn duel banners by participating in the various stages of the event. Duel banners can be used in the event shop to exchange for various item rewards.
- After the event ends, unused duel banners will not be cleared. You can continue to use them when the next Duel Festival begins.
Grouping Rules
- During the preparation phase, registration will open for multiple groups, and chieftains may freely choose a group to register for. After registering successfully, if you want to switch groups, you must wait until the registration cooldown ends before registering for another group.
- When the event officially begins, venues will be assigned based on each chieftain's registered group. Chieftains who entered the event page during the preparation phase but did not register will be automatically assigned to a random group.
- Group registration will be locked 10 minutes before the preparation phase ends, and manual registration will no longer be available at that time.
Schedule
- The Duel Festival consists of three stages: Knight's Duel, Arena Breakout, and Peak Championship.
- Only chieftains who stand out in each stage can advance to the next stage.
Knight's Duel
- The Knight's Duel stage begins after the preparation phase ends. This stage lasts for 2 days and 22 hours, and challenges can be initiated throughout the stage.
- Each challenge consumes 1 attempt regardless of the outcome. After all attempts are used, a limited number of extra attempts can be purchased with diamonds. Free and purchasable attempts refresh daily.
- For each challenge, 3 opponents of different strength levels will be matched based on the chieftain's power. Winning a challenge grants points, and stronger opponents grant more points. You can choose the opponent that suits them best.
- Achievement rewards can be claimed when points reach certain milestones.
Arena Breakout
- During Arena Breakout, round of matches is held each day.
- In each round, all participating chieftains are randomly divided into several groups. Chieftains compete in a round-robin format within their groups. Based on the number of wins, the top 2 in each group advance to the next round until the Top are determined.
- Rankings within each group are based on the number of wins. If two chieftains are tied, the one with more wins in head-to-head battles ranks higher. If they are still tied, rankings will be determined by the Knight's Duel Rankings.
- During the daily preparation phase, You can view their group assignments and opponents for the day and adjust their lineups. Once the matches begin, lineups will be locked. Any lineup changes made afterward will not be synced to the actual battle lineup until all matches in the current round have ended.
Typical rules as of 18 September 2026. Rewards and schedules can change by season.
