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Guides Overview/2. Heroes, Tier List & Meta Lineups
#2.5
10 min read

Unlocking the Epic Hero Economy Engine

Brawler, Knight, 3rd Traits & Exchange Shop

How to turn benched Epic Heroes like Brawler and Knight into permanent account-wide Research (+30%) and Soldier Training (+30%) speed engines at 12 Stars (300 Shards), unlock the Exchange Shop at 15 Stars (500 Shards), and avoid the 2,000-Diamond 4th Trait trap.

30-Second Actionable Summary (TL;DR)
Golden Rule #1

Epic Hero Economy Engine: After 7 days, the 8 Epic Heroes sit on the bench outside Queue 1.

  • Unlock their 3rd Passive Economy Trait (Trait 3) at 12 Stars (2 White Stars = 300 Shards) for permanent buffs.
Immediate Action Today

Funnel 100% Universal Epic Shards: Push Brawler and Knight to 12 Stars (300 Shards), upgrading Trait 1 Lv.15 Trait 2 Trait 3 Lv.30.

  • Lock in +30% Research & Training Speed, then push one to 15 Stars (500 Shards) to unlock the Exchange Shop.
Strictly Forbidden

Never unlock the 4th Trait Slot: NEVER spend 2,000 Diamonds on the 4th Trait Slot of Epic Heroes.

  • It only grants +3.00% HP to that benched Epic hero (wasting 16,000 Diamonds across 8 Epics); never pass Trait 1 Lv.15.
01

The 'Hidden Economy Engine' of Benched Epic & Legendary Heroes (Passive Account-Wide Buffs)

Many players replace all Epic Heroes in Queue 1 after Week 1 and neglect the Epic tab—unaware that benched Epics provide the largest permanent economic buffs (+30% speed) in the game.

Epic Hero Economy Engine Loop: 12 Stars (Trait 3) 15 Stars (Exchange Shop)

From daily Tavern pulls to permanent +30% progression speed and a weekly Universal Legendary Shard supply

MED-2.5-03
EPIC SHARD INPUT

Tavern Pulls & Events

Funnel 100% of Universal Epic Shards into Brawler & Knight via Single-Target Funneling

Branch 1: 12-Star Milestone (2 White Stars = 300 Epic Shards)
300 EPIC SHARDS
Trait 1 Lv.15 Unlock Trait 2 Bridge
PREREQUISITE BRIDGE

Stop Trait 1 strictly at Lv.15 and keep Trait 2 at minimum to save 100% of shards

Max Out Trait 3 to Lv.30
ECONOMY TARGET

Brawler (+30% Research) & Knight (+30% Soldier Training) active 24/7 from the bench

Activates +30% Permanent 24/7 Castle-wide Economy Buff without deploying the hero

Branch 2: 15-Star Milestone (5 White Stars = 500 Epic Shards)
500 EPIC SHARDS
Push First Epic Hero to 15-Star Cap (5 White Stars)
MAX STAR TREE

Costs 200 additional shards from 12 Stars for 500 cumulative Epic Shards total

Recycle Excess Shards in the Weekly Exchange Shop
UNLOCK EXCHANGE SHOP

Trade excess shards for Universal Legendary Shards, Universal Epic Shards, and Meat

Unlocks Exchange Shop to snowball your 2nd Epic hero and farm Universal Legendary Shards weekly

Tavern Pulls & Epic Shards
STEP 1: COLLECT

Combine natural shard drops with Universal Epic Shards funneled into a single target

Priority #1: Brawler & Knight
Hit 12 Stars (2 White Stars) Unlock Trait 3 Lv.30 Chain
STEP 2: 12 STARS (300 SHARDS)

Upgrade Trait 1 Lv.15 (Bridge) Unlock Trait 2 Max Trait 3 Lv.30

+30% Permanent 24/7 Economy Buff (Active Without Deployment)
Push to 15 Stars (5 White Stars) Unlock Exchange Shop
STEP 3: 15 STARS (500 SHARDS)

Convert all excess Epic shards from Tavern pulls into weekly Exchange Shop currency

Trade for Universal Legendary Shards, Universal Epic Shards & Meat weekly

Note: 12 Stars (2 White Stars) = 300 cumulative Epic Shards; 15 Stars (5 White Stars) = 500 cumulative Epic Shards.

1.1

The 12-Star Milestone (2 White / Silver Stars = 300 Epic Shards): Unlocking Traits & Prerequisite Chain

300 SHARDS = TRAIT 3
  • Unlocking the 3rd Trait Branch (Trait 3): When any Epic or Legendary Hero hits 12 Stars (2 White Stars = 300 Shards), the Traits tab unlocks the Trait 3 branch.

  • Permanent 24/7 Global Passive (Active Without Deployment): Upgrading Trait 3 to Lv.30 grants +30% speed (Research, Training, Gathering, Healing) 24/7 WITHOUT deploying the hero!

  • Prerequisite Chain (Trait 1 Lv.15 Trait 2 Trait 3 Lv.30): Stop Trait 1 strictly at Lv.15 and keep Trait 2 at minimum unlock level to funnel 100% of shards into Trait 3 Lv.30 first!

1.2

The 15-Star Milestone (5 White / Silver Stars = 500 Epic Shards): Unlocking the Exchange Shop

500 SHARDS = EXCHANGE SHOP
  • Completing the Star Tree at 15 Stars (5 White Stars): Pushing any single Epic Hero to the 15-Star cap (500 Epic Shards total) completes their star tree and unlocks the Exchange Shop.

  • Turning Excess Epic Shards into Universal Legendary Shards: Every excess shard of a 15-Star Epic hero pulled from the Tavern trades weekly for Universal Legendary Shards, Epic Shards, and Meat!

02

Optimal Epic Hero Upgrade Roadmap for F2P & Low-Spenders (Single-Target Funneling)

Never spread Epic shards evenly across all 8 Epic heroes in your bag (leaving zero heroes at 12 Stars = 300 Shards or 15 Stars = 500 Shards in Month 1).

  • Execute the Single-Target Funneling strategy in 3 strict steps:
STEP 1 — UNLOCK ENGINE #1 & EXCHANGE SHOP
Week 1 – Week 3 (Absolute Priority)

Push Your #1 Epic Hero (Brawler or Knight) Straight to 12 Stars (300 Shards) 15 Stars (500 Shards)

Pick whichever hero has more natural shards between Brawler (Horde, +30% Tech Research Rate) and Knight (League, +30% Soldier Training Speed).

  • Funnel 100% of Universal Epic Shards to hit 12 Stars (300 Shards) for Trait 1 Lv.15 Trait 2 Trait 3 Lv.30, then push to 15 Stars (500 Shards) to open the Exchange Shop.
STEP 2 — SNOWBALL ENGINE #2 VIA EXCHANGE SHOP
Week 3 – Week 5 (Immediately after Exchange Shop opens)

Use the Exchange Shop Weekly to Push the Second Hero in the Brawler / Knight Pair to 12 Stars & Max Trait 3 Lv.30

Once your first hero hits 15 Stars (500 Shards), trade their excess shards in the Exchange Shop every week for Universal Epic Shards.

  • Funnel them directly into the second hero of the Brawler / Knight pair to hit 12 Stars (300 Shards) and max Trait 3 Lv.30 IMMEDIATELY for both +30% buffs.
STEP 3 — EXPAND TO GATHERING & HOSPITAL HEALERS (+90%)
Week 5 Onward (Preparing for GAR & KvK)

Expand to Ranger (+30% Ruby Gathering), the 3 Hospital Healers (+90% Healing Speed) & Rogue / Outlaw

After locking in both Research and Training engines, push Ranger (+30% Ruby Gathering Speed) and the 3 Hospital Healers Minister + Priestess + Dancer (+90% Healing Speed for KvK).

  • Finally, upgrade Rogue (+30% Stone Gathering) and Outlaw (+30% Timber Gathering) to 12 Stars 15 Stars.
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