As many of you know, MZ recently decided to throw us all a curveball and released new type-specific gear. More specifically, when you purchase packs containing the new gear set you are offered a choice between the Infernal Soulkeeper (Infantry), Winged Hussars (Cavalry), or Chalcedony Cretan (Ranged) Set Gears. This release puts players in the position of making a decision to either invest heavily in all three gear sets (mixed builds), or to stay firmly rooted in the one-type build that has remained my recommendation as the strongest defensive build in the game. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at the release of these three new gear sets and go back into a comparison of the two most-recent gear sets that are presently available to see if we can help you decide which approach is right for you.
The “only because my editor made me do it” Disclaimer: The stats and gear selections presented in this article are current as of the date of publication. As anyone who plays Dragon Dimension knows, MZ is always releasing new components to the game and sometimes even changes stat functionality without notice. With every release that occurs, the information contained in this article will become staler (unless updated, of course!). None of the stats or gear sets discussed in this article have been tested on the battlefield. Use this information at your own risk!
The New Troop Gear
Here is the blog that MZ released for the Infernal Soulkeeper, Winged Hussars, and Chalcedony Cretan Gear Sets:
As you should all know by now, the stats provided in the blog will not match the stats once the gear is crafted. Again, the Crafting research tree provides an additional boost for any gear that you craft. Here is what the actual stats of the new troop gear will look like once crafted if you have completed the Crafting research tree:
It’s really good that we do not rely on the blog to make our decisions, huh? As you can see, the actual stats for these three gear sets are significantly higher than what was disclosed in the blog! The crafted stats on this gear are a tremendous injection of Type stats into the game and could alter the field of battle significantly once players figure out how to incorporate the gear into their current builds.
One thing that I found interesting in the stats for these three gear sets was the inclusion of Debuffs for the “strong against” troop type. Remember, if you will, the Wheel of Death we continue to talk about when discussing battles. In this wheel, Infantry is strong against Cavalry, Ranged is strong against Infantry, and Cavalry is strong against Ranged. The new gear sets incorporate this concept by attempting to make the gear sets hit even harder against the weaker troop by significantly debuffing the defense of those troops! For example, the Infernal Soulkeeper Set Gear includes 669,760% Enemy Cavalry Defense Debuff, which will significantly reduce the efficacy of a single troop build utilizing Cavalry troops! More on this later!
I would be remiss, of course, if I failed to note the Set Bonus for crafting this Set Gear in Legendary: Attack (181,800%); Defense (224,100%); Health (121,800%); and Debuff (179,400%). As you can see, the gear just becomes even more formidable every time we look at it!
The “Old” Troop Gear
Up to now, the “old” gear sets have focused solely on Empire Defender stats with some march and attack debuffs thrown in for good measure. This has been a tried and true approach for MZ for as long as I can remember. Most of us, of course, have simply accepted that our defense gear would revolve around Empire Defender stats. That approach has not, of course, been limited to defensive players. For attackers, most leads rely upon the gear set providing the highest Empire Assault stats when they attack. This has simply been the formula by which we have played. The release of Hero IV, with its separate skill nodes incorporating the Wheel of Death, however, appears to have been a harbinger of things to come!
Let’s take a refresher look at our two most recent defense gear releases, the Lava Titan and Mythical Hero Set Gears. If you would like to take a deeper look into more defense gear, you can access one of my previous articles here.
Lava Titan Gear Set
The Lava Titan Set Gear consists of the following pieces: Lava Titan’s Protector (helm); Lava Titan’s Mantle (armor); Lava Titan’s Guard (feet); Lava Titan’s Stonefist (weapon); and Lava Titan’s Girdle (accessory). The stats for this set with each piece of gear powered up to Level 10 are shown, below:
The Full Set Bonus for this gear, relevant to defense, is an additional 122,000% Empire Defender Attack, 150,000% Empire Defender Defense, and 80,000% Empire Defender Health. However, you can also raise the Set Gear Level of this gear in the Armory for these additional stats: Empire Defender Attack (295,000%); Empire Defender Defense (198,000%); Empire Defender Health (364,000%); and Enemy Troop Attack Debuff (105,000%).
All told, this gear set provides the following stats when placed on your Hero: Empire Defender Attack (967,300%); Empire Defender Defense (1,027,200%); Empire Defender Health (815,400%); Enemy Troop Attack Debuff (413,200%); and Stronghold March Speed Debuff (480%).
Mythical Hero Gear Set
The Mythical Hero Set includes the following pieces: Mythical Hero’s Helm (helm); Mythical Hero’s Battleplate (armor); Mythical Hero’s Sabatons (feet); Mythical Hero’s Sabre (weapon); and Mythical Hero’s Grips (accessory). This set also has a special accessory, the Mythical Hero’s Enchanted Artifact, that could be obtained from events and then improved to Level 6 in the Armory. The upgrade materials for this accessory were also available as prizes in events but are also available for purchase in the Black Market. The stats for this set are shown, below:
The Full Set Bonus for this gear, relevant to defense, is an additional 184,600% Empire Defender Attack, 227,000% Empire Defender Defense, and 121,100% Empire Defender Health.
Since the release of my earlier defense gear article, MZ has released Set Gear Leveling to Level 50 for the Mythical Hero Set Gear. With this release, MZ increased the stats for the gear, as follows: Empire Defender Attack: 355,000%; Empire Defender Defense: 438,000%; Empire Defender Health: 238,000%; and Enemy Troop Attack Debuff: 126,000%. The release of these additional stats now makes the Mythical Hero Set Gear the strongest defensive set utilizing Empire Defender stats.
All told, this gear set provides the following stats when placed on your Hero: Empire Defender Attack (1,045,240%); Empire Defender Defense (1,290,480%); Empire Defender Health (703,120%); Enemy Troop Attack Debuff (475,760%); and Stronghold March Speed Debuff (512%).
My Thoughts on the New Troop Gear
My first thought on the new troop gear when I reviewed the release was that it has the potential to be a game changer. Why do I think that? Assuming that Synergy does not change the outcome (which it probably will, quite honestly), there is a strong potential that a “strong against” missile will obliterate single-type builds. If you are a lead, take a look at your Infantry stats and your Cavalry debuffs. Now, increase your Infantry attack stats by 860,520% and your Cavalry debuff by 849,160%. Now, to give you an idea of the stats of the account you are hitting: Cavalry Attack (2,790,000%); Cavalry Defense (3,340,000%); Cavalry Health (1,980,000%); Infantry Attack Debuff (356,000%). Who wins in that scenario? Absent Synergy and/or an insane number of troops to act as a multiplier to the Cavalry Attack stats, the lead wins. This is especially true, I think if the lead uses a high level (Level 185 or higher) Hero II considering that Hero II increased Empire Assault stats to a maximum of 1,422,800! Time will tell if an attack configuration described here is as damaging as I think it will be and I will be sure to report back if it is!
My next thought was that the new gear set would be a dead giveaway for those who use a one-type build. If I am a lead and I see my target in the Winged Hussars Set Gear, I would quickly determine that the player was either a single type build using Cavalry troops or was heavy Cavalry and then send an Infantry missile against the target.
I also think that the new gear sets will provide a significant boost to Hero IV. As you know, Hero IV is perfectly structured for single missile attacks or single type defense builds. The main problem with Hero IV is the absence of Novice Skill points in packs. Anyone who has tried to skill the lower nodes in Hero IV quickly realizes that there are insufficient Novice Skill points laying around to bring Hero IV fully to life!
Based on everything that I have seen thus far with the new troop gear I think it will work both offensively and defensively. Quite frankly, it may be hard to defend against type missiles without the gear! Time, and the tides of battle, will answer whether the gear is the right choice for defensive players.
I am curious to see how these new gear sets will change the game. For my next article, I will delve into the maximum type stats and debuffs available in the game so that we can have a better understanding of how things may be changing as the game moves forward. Watch for my article! In the meantime, let me know how you think the game will change with these new gear sets!
Where to go for Additional Information
Team Real Tips has guides for pretty much all aspects of Game of War. Remember, our beloved game is constantly changing. Thus, the burden remains on YOU to educate yourself on those changes. Read the blogs released by MZ! Ask questions of RealTips writers in our Line rooms! Remember, there really is no stupid question and we are happy to help you understand the stats that you are working with!
Join the Conversation on our community sites!
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