IX: Challenges and Crowd Affinity

The challenge banners

Four banners hang around the Arena of IX, one by the entrance of each temple: Danu, Ra, Zeus and Odin. A player knifes the rope of a banner to take it. Each player follows one banner, and a banner holds nine challenges.

Cut the rope of a banner. The challenge shows on the left of the screen. Most challenges are drawn at random, and each one has a time limit of two minutes.
Do the challenge: headshots in a row, melee kills, equipment kills, a full round in the Temple, Zombie Tigers or Gladiators to kill, among others.
Take the reward in the bowl of the challenge podium, in the middle of the Arena, on the side of the chosen god. The next challenge only starts once it is picked up, and a reward never disappears.

The reward of each tier is always the same, whatever the challenge drawn:

Challenge	Reward
1	A free self-revive
2	A Bonus Points power-up
3	A Pack-a-Punched Strife, and the cauldron of the Acid Trap
4	A Max Ammo
5	A Full Power power-up, which fills the special weapon
6	A random weapon
7	An extra perk, beyond the four of the loadout
8	A Max Ammo
9	A Pack-a-Punched Hades, a light machine gun

A banner with all nine medallions unlocks the achievement Skilled Adversary.

Crowd Affinity

The Arena is full of spectators, and they judge the players. A skeletal hand above the points shows their mood, from thumbs down to thumbs up.

Thumbs up

Killing fast raises the mood, Gladiators and Brawlers most of all. At the top, the crowd throws a random power-up into the Arena every round, often a Full Power, and in the quest of the Death of Orion, the golden jar.

Thumbs down

Taking hits, going down, burning in the fire or throwing grenades and Acid Bombs at the stands lowers it. At the bottom, the crowd throws dung: picking it up costs 250 points. In the Arena, the crowd can even hurl objects that hurt.

The dung

The Easter egg needs it: it goes into the fertilizer of Purge the Blight.

In the First Room

Every banner and the podium are in the Arena, so a First Room game can play them. Most challenges can be done without opening a door. The first three rewards are the heart of a First Room run: a self-revive, points, and the Pack-a-Punched Strife, the only upgraded weapon available doors closed. A challenge that sends the player out of the Arena, such as sliding under the blade trap of The Pit, is out of reach; a challenge can be refused at the podium to draw another one.