In Brief:
- Rune Hero launches Season 0 on April 6, running through April 26, as the game’s first full seasonal experience ahead of its second closed beta.
- Players earn Soul Shards through gameplay, convert them to Season Gems and receive a share of a USDT reward pool based on their holdings at season’s end.
- Battle Pass purchases and progress carry into CBT2, meaning Season 0 participants start the next phase with advantages unavailable to those who skip it.
Rune Hero is launching Season 0 on April 6 at 12:00 AM UTC, giving players a three-week window to test the game’s complete seasonal loop before the second closed beta. The season runs through April 26 and is available for download on itch.io.
The studio framed Season 0 as more than a playtest. It’s the first full seasonal cycle, with a live economy, competitive structure and real rewards.
How the economy works
The core loop runs on two currencies. Soul Shards are earned through gameplay and can be converted into Season Gems. At the end of the season, USDT rewards are distributed proportionally based on each player’s share of total Season Gems in circulation. The more Gems a player holds, the larger their cut.
A lottery runs every three days, awarding USDT, Soul Shards, rare materials and NFTs. Only Battle Pass holders can claim lottery rewards.
Leaderboard and first day rewards
The top 50 players on the Season Treasure leaderboard earn Crystal NFTs, with the top 50 receiving two each and ranks 51 through 500 getting one. A separate First Day Rush event offers $1,000 in USDT across the top 30 players ranked by level and experience within the first 24 hours. First place takes $200, second gets $150 and third earns $100, with the rest distributed in tiers down to $10.
Partner guilds receive additional Crystal NFT rewards distributed independently to their members based on ranking.
CBT2 carryover
Battle Passes purchased during Season 0 automatically activate in CBT2. The team stated plainly that players who don’t participate in Season 0 will start the next phase without these advantages.
Invite rewards
An invite system pays out for each successful referral, looping every five invites with no cap. Inviting 10 players nets $60 in rewards.
Rune Hero previously completed pre-alpha and alpha testing. Season 0 marks the first time the game’s full gameplay loop, including dungeons, raids, arena, guild systems, life skills and the Outland PvEvP mode, runs alongside a live seasonal economy.
