How combat works: turns, Crystals and your hand
Combat in Zarhold is a card duel: 6 cards in hand, 1 to 10 Crystals, a coin for whoever goes second, a minute per turn — and what if the deck runs out.
Combat in Zarhold is a turn-based card duel. You play cards from your hand, pay for them with Crystals, and win when your opponent's Health — or that of every enemy — drops to zero.
How a fight starts
- You start with 6 cards in hand.
- Before the first turn you can swap the cards you don't want: mark any of the six, even all of them, and new ones come from your deck. "To Battle!" starts the fight. Live duels have no swap.
- Against creatures you always go first.
- Whoever goes first doesn't draw on their first turn — the opening hand is enough. After that, everyone draws 1 card at the start of their turn.
There's no hand limit, and you can play as many cards per turn as you like — as long as your Crystals last.
Crystals
How many Crystals per turn
- On your first turn you have 1 Crystal.
- Each of your following turns gives one more, up to 10.
- Your pool refills completely at the start of your turn.
- Whatever you don't spend is lost — you can't save Crystals.
Classes call their resource differently — Rage, Mana, Energy, Focus — but it works the same way: the same Crystals from 1 to 10.
The coin
Whoever goes second gets a one-time "coin" — an extra Crystal on their first turn. That keeps both sides on the same curve and the odds even.
Cards aren't the only thing Crystals pay for: your Class Power costs 1 Crystal, your Racial ability 1–3. More in Class Power and Racial ability.
Time per turn
Turn timer
You have 60 seconds per turn; to finish early, press "End Turn" or Space. If time runs out and you did nothing, the turn ends on its own and the next one is shorter: 45 seconds, then 30. A fourth such turn in a row is a defeat. Any action — playing a card or pressing "End Turn" — gives you the full minute back.
In a live duel against another player you also get 60 seconds per turn, and three skipped turns in a row lose the duel. More in Duels.
When your deck runs out
- Against creatures, the cards you've played are shuffled back into your deck and you keep drawing as usual.
- In PvP your deck isn't refilled: every card you can't draw deals you fatigue damage — 1, then 2, 3 and so on.
FAQ
Can I save Crystals for the next turn?
No. Unspent Crystals don't carry over: at the start of your next turn the pool simply refills — one bigger than before.
How many cards can I play per turn?
As many as your Crystals allow. There's no separate limit on cards played or on hand size.
Read next
Card effects: damage, healing, shields, DoTs and control
What cards do: single-target and area damage, healing, shields, DoTs, dispels, stuns. How card numbers grow with Power, what rarity means and what bosses do.
Your deck: what it is made of
You don't build the deck by hand: every class card goes into battle (at least 30, up to 4 copies), plus cards from learned talents and special cards.
Class Power and Racial ability
Two buttons besides cards: Class Power (E), 1 Crystal once per turn, follows your spec; the Racial ability (Q) differs in PvE and PvP and has a cooldown.
Special PvP combat rules
What changes in arena, battlegrounds and duels: max 60% of Health lost per round, healing fades from turn 10, 2-turn shields, fatigue, bandages only.