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What are Encounters in TFT Set 11 Inkborn Fables

An in-depth look at the new set mechanic for TFT Set 11 and what players should know before diving into games.

The newest Teamfight Tactics expansion has finally been announced. TFT Set 11 will be known as TFT: Inkborn Fables which means that players will get to experience a brand new theme, champions, traits and of course, a brand new set of mechanics. 

Set mechanics make expansions feel different from each other as they affect the core gameplay in a major way. Some set mechanics are so good they end up being implemented into the game permanently like Portals and Augments and some are forgettable. Only time will tell which fate the new TFT Set 11 mechanic will face but here in an in-depth look at the new TFT Set 11 Encounters mechanic. 

What are Encounters and what do they do?

encounter screenshot

The new set mechanic in TFT Set 11, Inkborn Fables are called Encounters. Previously in past sets some examples of a set mechanic included Augments and Portals where players are given something extra and fun with a ton of selections to keep each game fresh from the next essentially giving the game replay value outside of the typical ranked grind.

The Encounter mechanic is sort of like that but eliminates the choice aspect and instead of appearing at set intervals, Encounters are completely random.

During an Encounter, a giant Champion will appear in front of the player and offer them something. The same Encounter happens at the same time for each player so there is no fear that someone will get better Encounters than you.

As for what Encounters give players, the impact they have on the game varies drastically. For example, one encounter is an Irelia who shows up during an early-stage carousel and puts an additional item component on each champion in that carousel.

However, Kayn is an Encounter that shows up at the very beginning of the game and simply leaves only later to return on Stage 5-4 where he kills each player starting with the lowest health to the most health. Effectively, this encounter states at the start of the game, the game will end on Stage 5-4 and the placement you have in the lobby at that time is your final placing.

Almost every Encounter is positive as they will reward the player with something to further help their game plan. Some Encounters will give players a choice of what kind of reward they want, some will just give the player something static. 

When do Encounters show up?

Encounters show up on average anywhere from two to five times per game with a guarantee of at least two encounters and a maximum of five.

Encounters can be found at any point in the game as well. Some encounters might replace the opening carousel or portal pick. They can also be found in future carousels as well with more common ones appearing on the Stage two, three or four carousels.

On top of that, Encounters can also be found at the beginning of a pvp round but will not take the spot of a PvE round which are at the end of each stage.

Players will also know ahead of time if an Encounter will happen during a stage as there will be a talisman on the stage timeline at the top of the screen showing where an Encounter will take place on any given stage. This is neat as it allows players to try and plan for Encounters.

How many Encounters are there?

Riot has mentioned that there are shipping with over 80 different Encounters for players to explore and also said they will not post the full list as they want players to find out the Encounters themselves.