Viselus Empires and Puzzles HOTM February 23
Viselus is Empires and Puzzles’ February 2023 Hero Of The Month (HotM), and if Xiaotu and Laohu haven’t done enough to nudge this stubborn meta, then maybe Viselus sneaking up behind with baseball bat in hand, might finally get these feisty little Minion Summoners moving along.
It’s a bright winter’s day here in the UK, and I’ve got some great 80s music playing in the background (there must be a higher love, right?), and you know what? I’m ready to go!
Today, I’m also gonna be spilling all kinds of beans, sharing some of my best all-time cheat codes.
Here’s my first… Ready? OK:
🔔 If you purchase chocolate milk instead of normal milk, you can make all your coffees, Mochas.
Boom!
Alright, enough jabber; let’s talk Viselus!
Does he have enough passion in his heart, enough grit in his soul, and enough drive behind his intentions to change his world?
Only time, and a bucketload of words, will tell.
Before we go on, please help me by sharing a link to this post. Thank you!
This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Viselus’ Stats and Special Skills (Hero Of The Month)
Key Facts: Nature (Green), Average, Druid, Legends 2023
Special Skills (Withering Seasons): 1. Destroys all Minions from the target and nearby enemies. 2. Deals 260% damage to the target and nearby enemies. 3. The target and nearby enemies receive 480 Poison damage over 4 turns. 4. [Element Link] All Nature allies get +5% chance to dodge Status Ailments for 4 turns (can not be dispelled).
Passive: 1. HEALTH BOOST ON POISON ~ Boosts health of this character and nearby allies by 2% for each enemy inflicted with Poison at the end of each turn (can exceed max HP). 2. RESIST POISON ~ This character has innate resistance against Poison.
Talent: COMPANION ~ +15% chance to summon a Thorn Minion after receiving any damage. The effect is applied at the end of the turn.
Legends 2023 Family Bonus: 1/2/3 Heroes: +10%/+15%/+20% Defense. Bonus for 2+ Heroes: Element Link affects all allies.
How Good is Viselus? (Empires and Puzzles)
I’ve gotta tell you a story, and I hope the Developers won’t mind. Anyway, in Beta, Viselus was properly weak.
Initially, Viselus hit 3 enemies for 155% damage.
When I first saw him, I was like, “cool, cool; he destroys minions from the target and nearby. Nice”.
“Oh, and he’s Nature, so he’s anti-Miriam and Midnight/Waterpipe, even better.”
But then I saw it; only 155% damage!
I headed straight over to the Beta Lounge, expecting everyone to be sipping on their complimentary Piña Coladas and trying to redeem that free lunch voucher, but no. They had already negotiated a Buff for this guy.
And the Developers Buffed him right there and then!
So Viselus went from 155% damage to 3, to 260% damage to 3.
I was like, “Damn, feels like the 90s again, man. This is awesome”.
That said:
- Viselus still hits like a Teletubby
- The Poison damage was reduced slightly (from 560 to 480)
- And there are no Piña Coladas or free lunch vouchers in Beta!
This is all relevant though, because I believe it shows what Viselus was originally meant to be:
- A budgeted but commonly available anti-Minion Hero
He’s not supposed to be the Best anti-Minion Hero; he’s simply meant to offer a decent chance of competing against the current meta.
Viselus: Impact on Empires and Puzzles
Viselus has a strong anti-Minion Special, and the order of his Special is ideal:
First, he destroys all Minions protecting the target and nearby enemies. Great. Get ’em outta the way.
Next, he lays the smackdown. All 260% of it.
And finally, we have the 480 Poison over 4 turns.
I’m not going to mention that silly Element Link beyond this point. Please refer to my Roughian and Nurgib review for more. But that EL is going to be as invisible in my commentary going forward as it is in the game.
The main problem with Viselus is that his hit is weak, and he’s Average Speed.
-So while all the other elite anti-Minion Heroes are freaking out like my dog on peanut butter, buzzing around like kids on pure cane sugar, Viselus is slower than me getting up off the couch.
And add to that, his Special is Re-active rather than, Pro-active.
With how the meta is, you really need to catch these f#*kers before birth… Not after they’re already out, all festering and touching stuff.
Still, all in all, his Special makes sense and will help with the Cause.
🔔 Life Cheat #2: Most things in life are better out than in. You are solely responsible for what you do with this information.
Viselus Bringing the Pain! (Empires and Puzzles)
Alucard is a great comparison Hero; a good example of elite Vs. not so:
Viselus looks like a poor-mans Alucard, a really poor-mans Alucard.
Let’s compare Viselus against Alucard and a couple of other Minion destroyers:
| Hero | Mana Speed | Damage | Additional |
| Viselus | Ave (10 tiles) | Deals 260% damage to target & NB | Destroys all Minions from target & NB, and inflicts 480 Poison damage to target & NB (EL is MIA) |
| Alucard | Very Fast (6.5 tiles) | Deals 250% damage to target & NB | Destroys all Minions from target & NB, and all allies get 10% health + 3% Mana for each Minion destroyed |
| Costumed Gefjon | Fast (8 tiles) | Deals 335% damage to target & NB | Destroys all Minions from the target and NB |
| Eloise | Ave (10 tiles) | Deals 270% damage to all enemies | Destroys all Minions from all enemies, and if they had some, stops them from getting more for 4 turns |
| Grimble | Ave (10 tiles) | Deals 235% damage to all enemies | Destroys all Minions from all enemies, and all allies get a small amount of mana for each Minion destroyed |
Viselus Vs. the Other Minion Killers
Costumed Gefjon’s a monster.
But the problem for all of these Heroes is that prevention is always better than cure.
And that’s why I’ve always held Bera in such high esteem. And, why I T-3’d the two new Lunar Heroes.
With all that said, where does it leave Viselus?
Viselus DOT and Passive Skills (HotM 2023)
Before I wrap this up, I wanted to cover the Damage Over Time and Passive Skills.
Costumed Roc made me a huge fan of Damage Over Time. Mine does 764 damage over 4 turns, and in-game, it really can contribute to the destruction of the opposing team.
Without emblems, C. Roc inflicts 660 Sand damage over 4 turns.
In contrast, Balur, the pointless Dec HotM, does 252 Bleed damage over 3 turns, and Klaern, the other recent pointless HotM, does 205 Water damage over 5 turns.
All of that makes me think that Viselus’ 480 Poison damage over 4 turns is actually pretty decent. And with emblems, that should improve nicely.
As for his Passive Skills? HEALTH BOOST ON POISON ~ Boosts health of this character and nearby allies by 2% for each enemy inflicted with Poison at the end of each turn (can exceed max HP). 2. RESIST POISON ~ This character has innate resistance against Poison.
It’s great. A little something extra to benefit from while he’s poisoning the opposition.
Of course, this is the part of his skillset that screams for synergy:
Do you have another Poison Hero who you could Stack with Viselus?
(Bera would make a great partner to utilize his Passive, but of course, if you had Bera you wouldn’t need Viselus!)
🔔 Life Cheat #3: Some joggers/runners are drug addicts 😲. For some, me included, after about 20 minutes or so, the body produces chemicals that provoke a euphoric bliss. Problem is, you gotta be in decent shape to find out if it works for you. And then, you have to stay there to keep benefiting from this natural buzz. -A simple injury, or gaining weight, could mess it all up. And then what? Well, I’m not saying it’s a gateway drug, but just be careful.
(Please take professional advice before starting out on a new exercise routine, coz, legals.)
Viselus Empires and Puzzles – Hero of the Month February 23
My final thoughts:
What do I make of Viselus?
I think he’s a jumped-up C. Gormek!
I’m grateful to the testers who got him a little Buff from Beta, but it’s still not enough to make him what he could’ve been.
If it weren’t for the current Minion situation, he’d be a dud! And once all these Summoners have been put in their place, Viselus is gonna be lost to history.
~Point is, without a Summoner in front of you, he’s a Warrior!
However, as it stands, he’s likely the best new HotM you could hope for.
He’s Green and ideally placed to Stack against two of the most troublesome Minion Summoners in the game (M&M/Waterpipe (Blue)).
It’s easy to downplay the benefits of having a solid anti-Minion Hero when you’ve got one. But today’s Minions will heal, set up Counterattack, and steal your Mana/Buffs…
Sometimes you’ve got zero chance of winning a battle without a proper, grass-fed, 5-Star Hero to counter.
And Viselus is that.
With any Hero of the Month, I want to highlight the key skills that could help you turn over an elite squad, and he could.
Is he ideal? No.
But could his Special change the outcome of a battle? Deffo.
And it’s all predicated on that Minion disposal.
If you’re getting stuck with the Summoners, I wouldn’t ignore Viselus.
Sure, he doesn’t guarantee an easy win against an elite Summoner, but he will give you something to work with.
Now, you’ll know if you’ve got a better option on payroll, in which case, you’ll know that Viselus isn’t important to you.
But you’ll at least agree that he’s a decent piece to have on the battlefield, representing a chance to counter the endless waves of Minions that are currently stifling a large portion of players.
…And that Passive has loads of potential.
Anyway, this is just my opinion, and I welcome you to share your own in the comments below.
Have a great week!
Hero Grade for Viselus (Empires and Puzzles)
So for my grading, the question is:
Is this Hero’s Special capable of/likely to change the outcome of a battle? Yes.
If not, do they still bring enough to the party to help defeat the deities? N/a.
Old Cynic’s Hero Grade: Archangel
[Please always check in-game Hero Cards to confirm details and never chase Heroes]
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Higher Love reference = Steve Winwood – Higher Love
When looking at newer heroes I nowadays always check the passives first, and this one was kind of meh. Then I checked his actual abilities and my initial feel for the guy was confirmed: still meh. Like Balur, I’m suspecting he’s so lackluster because there’ll be a bunch of events this month that will attract a lot of summoning (Soul Exchange + Valentine’s) which means there will be a lot of Viseruses around, so he can’t be so good that he’ll affect the meta. It’s not his fault, he was just born at the wrong time.
Hey Yorka, he was born at the wrong time. The goal was to get another widespread Minion remover out there, and he does that… in the most minimalist fashion possible. Thanks for sharing!
I did a 150 summons today and haven’t pulled him yet. Didn’t get LNE heroes either. But with another season event I should have more attempts.
Wow, good luck f5alcon. Thank goodness for the SE!
Yeah I have 9 heroes to exchange, so getting 1 more in the next couple of weeks would be nice. got 2 more fated heroes out of it (onatel and tyr), and I got lady of the lake during the challenge event. I want to try to do an annoying mana control team.
onatel-ferrant-Lotl-C. alasie-morax
got 2 viselus on my next 2 pulls
happy end!
Hey Old Cynic,
As usual, I really love your posts.
I would however include Eloise in your comparison. She removes minions, blocks the attachment of new bugs à nd does 270% damage to all (with an attack stat of 1004 at LB+20).
I am not impressed with this Viselus guy, but as you indicated, he is a very good counter to M&M or Waterpipe. Disadvantage is that he is not protected against mana reduction by the nasty Waterpipe insects.
Thanks JanG. I’ve added Eloise, that is a great comparison. You’re right, an anti-mana reduction Passive would have gone a long way here.
I think they’ve done close to the bare minimum possible for a new anti-Minion HotM. But then, I assume they didn’t want a HotM slapping up some pretty top-drawer Heroes, either.
I would be checking all my Poison Heroes for compatibility if I got him to try and utilize that 2% health Boost.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by!
Hmmm…I’m in a spot in the game where I really need to weigh the ROI of time and resources invested in each hero. This guy just seems too niche for my tastes. I’d rather use my limited resources towards a more well rounded hero vs one that works nicely in the current meta. Minions don’t appear to be going anywhere soon, but still, I feel many of us have access to helpful heroes vs. Chasing a HOTM. Gormek, Gobbler, Diamonds dude, Grimble and Poseidon may see more counter minion use. Come to think of it, these heroes are exactly why I’m not a fan of Viselus…all one trick ponies. Only used vs. Minions.
I recently struggled with finally starting to level Eiora and Fluffy vs. Francine(my only 5* greens). Eiora won out because I wanted a 5* anti minion hero, but I’m reluctantly feeding Eiora and her tiger friend my dwindling stockpile of heroes. Maybe I should switch to Francine??….
Anyhow, Viselus’ poison and passives could be fun to maximize, but just not sold on devoting resources to counter the current meta.
Thanks as usual for your posts. I hope you’ve been well.
Thoughts on Hippo and Costume Gazelle?
Hi Nurgles, I hear you. And this guy’s not a guaranteed win anyway. But I’ve started stacking green due to the current top teams, and he would fit in and get the minions outta the way. He’s decent, made above Ave by the current meta.
I don’t think it’s going anywhere either (the minions), so having a decent option is better than none!
As for Hippo, I was asked the same question on another thread and I’ll share my thoughts here:
She single-handedly changes the value of most of the heroes on her squad… imv, heroes like Ludwig have the same presence, just that Guardian Hippo is Fast. Fast heroes are, of course, gonna work better with her because that three-turn limit can be hard to catch. But overall, there’s loads of crazy synergy for her to find.
imv, the game has long moved away from heroes like Zengar (designed to punch a hole through one side of the defense) and towards, quick kill-all monsters. Timing on D is always gonna be a problem for her, and Control options are available for the Raider.
But at the end of the day, elite rosters can protect against allsorts and offer so many problems that they can simply overwhelm. And Hippo just adds to those problems. The silent killer.
When I tested Hippo, I stuck her on the Wing for raids, and it was silly. With so much potential damage, I’d rank her highly. If pushed, and without crunching numbers, a T-3. Now, can I have one?
And C. Gazelle looks awesome, too.
I never think people should chase Heroes, the odds are just absurd. But maybe in your normal everyday activities… in which case, Viselus is a real ‘bonus’ in my eyes!
Take it easy!
Interesting about Hippo. I look forward to seeing her in action during a raid or war.
Also, mentioned Poseidon as a specific counter for waterpipe. At least I figured he helps?
Anyhow, have an amazing day!
Try to.pair Viselus with Agrafena (5 tiles and her poison start working… Viselus start healing)
Perfect synergy of both.
Thanks for that Mac!
I think your rating is a bit too generous. I mean. Alucard is Deity T2; C.Gefjon is Deity T2, and this dude is -like you said- a cheap rip-off of Alucard. No way he is T1. Probably an Archangel for me.
Hi Udee, that sounds reasonable. I do think I was more generous with Zengar and it’s possible that trickled over to Viselus. But anti-Minion Heroes are so rare I figured he needed to be elevated above the other HotMs!
Thanks for visting and sharing, Udee!
Hey Old Cynic!
I always absolutely love reading all of these interpretations on hero’s from your point of view especially since you were beta so you’ve seen them at their worst and best lol
So…question..
What are your specific thoughts on Grimble and Viselus?
I mean them together in a lineup if they were to ever be paired together, what would you consider as their 3 other allies in the lineup should be? Also I ask being given that Grimble came out at a time that there were maybe one or two hero that had any sort of minion capabilities.
I also see that you mentioned how Viselus was mentioned as sort of an amped up c.Gormek(which on the inside I kinda screamed at that because I have cGormek at his full potential with leveling and emblems but my poor guys burger lasts long in wars so I was so so so so happy to see that we had a nature hero come out with this special.
Also another question kind of off-topic but still related lol, will you ever make yourself your own platform of heroes and their stats?
The way you explain heroes and compare and contrast them to both their counterpart heroes and similarly skilled heroes, is really refreshing and most of all, noninvasive and giving us the good the bad and the ugly. We need it! Lol
Thanks for your or time bud and hope you have fun with the many many MANY more yet to come😅😉😀
Thanks bud
Take care O.C!
~Kiki
Hi Krissie, I am so grateful for the support!
Grimble Vs. Viselus: Grimble’s Special is clearly better. It’s hard to weigh up the extras, like Viselus’ 2% Health Boost, but then you have Grimble’s resistance to Blind (pretty important to make his one-shot count) and Mana.
Considering the Power Creep and Grimble (from 2019) doesn’t do too badly: 615 ATT | 824 SH | 1425 HLT -Vs- Viselus’ 708 ATT | 817 SH | 1495
Looking at it, Grimble would be the more preferable of the 2 because his main function is better operated than Viselus (5 Vs 3). That said, Viselus offers more versatility and overall damage to 3 targets, with his Poisoning/Health Boost.
Grimble is hard to come by tho!
‘Also another question kind of off-topic but still related lol, will you ever make yourself your own platform of heroes and their stats?’ No, nothing more at the moment. This is more than enough to keep me busy!
Thank you again for all the support.
Hey , Old Cynic!
I would like to know your opinion !
I don t know who to choose to upgrade next between : Bennu, Cao Cao, Isarnia with both costumes, Skadi, Frida !
I pulled also Aegir costume but read some reviews and doesn t seems so good…
I already have upgraded to the max and with emblems : Magni 2nd costume, Tinsel, Raffaele, Glenda, Theobald, Snow White costume, Alexandrine, Athena costume and Alasie costume !
Let me know what u think …
Thank you !
Having just come back to the game after a 3 year break, my Viselus that I pulled yesterday is a welcome addition. I got nuttin else that deals with minions (where the hell did all these come from??)
I’m rocking 2019 heros, but have started to get some of the new costumes and pulled a Nurgib last month !
Could you maybe do a post on returning players, and what they should focus on? (Hero academy hello ! where was this 3 years ago)
Love your blog !
😄 Why are you returning after sooo long? Why did you leave in the first place? (that’s how addictive this game is, that I cud ask why you left…).
The Power Creep is strong now and the new meta is ‘Quick everything’.
Welcome back, Jeff!
I left due to the grind at the time. Ascension mats were muuuuuch harder to get. And there was no soul exchange or hero academy….so the game got a bit stale. As a C2P person, it took forever to get heros up to snuff. My good guild also disbanded, and I bounced around sadly looking for a new one only to be disappointed over and over again. So, I uninstalled and quit. Not sure how I ended up finding it again, but the game seems fresh and new. Found another guild, and it’s great to be back. Most of my heros are on your “garbage” list tho 🙂
Your disdain for snipers is funny; I love them. But…all the 2018 snipers are meh…
Don’t forget Ogima, who hits ALL heroes fast for 275% after wiping out all minions, and does bonus damage and generates mana for each minion killed. I have him, so I have zero use for Viselus who is on the SE trading block.