How Good is Alexandrine? Empires and Puzzles HotM Review

Screenshot of Alexandrine's Card with Special Skills from the mobile game, Empires and Puzzles

The Empires and Puzzles September 2021 Hero Of The Month is Alexandrine. Read on to find out about her strengths and weaknesses, and just how good I think she is.

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This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, adult comedy, and human error. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.

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Alexandrine’s Element, Class, Special Skills, Passives & Talents

Here are her key stats & facts (written before release and subject to change).

Element: Ice (Blue)

Class: Cleric

Mana Speed: Average

Special Skills: 1) Recovers 18% health for all allies. 2) Recovers an additional 3% health per Ice Shield on the board, up to 42% health in total. 3) Alters the critical chance or accuracy of all Ice Shields on the board. When an attacking Hero casts the Special, the shields become enhanced with +54% critical chance. When a defending Hero casts the Special, the shields become weakened with -47% accuracy. 4) [Element Link] gives +10% increase for any healing received for all Ice allies for 4 turns. This effect can’t be dispelled.

(For those wondering, there’s early information that Alexandrine’s Ice Shield alterations do not stack with Jott’s.)

Passive: 1. RESIST HEALING AILMENTS ~ This Hero has an innate resistance against status ailments that affect Healing. 2. HEALTH RECOVERY PER STATUS AILMENT ~ This Hero recovers 10% health when they receive a status ailment.

Talent: MANASHIELD ~ +35% chance to resist any negative mana status effects or effects that prevent the use of Special Skills.

Legends 2021 Family Bonus: 1/2/3 Heroes: +10%/+15%/+20% critical chance. Bonus for 2+ Heroes: Element Link affects all allies.

Alexandrine Empires and Puzzles HotM

Is Alexandrine worth Levelling? (Empires and Puzzles)

Maybe.

I really liked the last two HotM (Devana and Chakkoszrot), but I’m a little Luke-warm on Alexandrine. Why?

It’s the indecisive nature of her healing.

A question I ask myself when evaluating a new Hero is: Could they get into my Raid, or Defense, team? And with Alexandrine, the answer’s not clear because she’s such a mixed bag.

Let’s start by comparing Alexandrine to some other Out-and-Out (not incremental) 5-Star healers:

HeroMana SpeedHealing %Secondary Skill
Alexandrine Average18% for ALLRecovers +3% for every Ice Shield on the board (Up to 42%), +54% critical chance or -47% accuracy.
GrazulVery Fast22% for ALLAll allies are immune to new status ailments for 2 turns.
Toxicandra Fast 24% for ALL Cleanses status ailments from all allies. All allies regenerate a moderate amount of mana over 3 turns.
ArielAverage40% for ALLDispels status ailments from allies. All allies get +24% mana generation for 4 turns.
DelilahAverage33% for ALLSummons a Minion for each ally.
Mother NorthSlow30% for ALL50% chance to revive fallen allies and summons a Minion for each ally.
Lady of the LakeSlow42% for ALLSummons a Magical Sword Minion that removes -10% mana from enemy target.
KunchenSlow42% for ALLCleanses status of all allies. All enemies get -34% defense for 4 turns.
VivicaSlow44% for ALL Cleanses status of all allies. All allies get +63% defense for 4 turns.
Alexandrine compared to similar healers

Alexandrine… Will she? Won’t she? (Empires and Puzzles)

My main issue with Alexandrine is her low rate of basic healing (18%). -Because I don’t want to be counting Ice tiles mid-battle, in hopes of getting a little more out of her.

I play one healer, and I don’t think 18% basic, is gonna cut it.

When I look at the 5-Star healers listed above, all of them can make a valid argument for being my main healer. But Alexandrine’s best argument is, “If the tiles are right, I’m your girl”.

Even 4-Star Hero, Lady Woolerton, would be a better choice based on healing alone. She’ll give me 40% healing for all allies, no questions asked… and she’s FAST.

So, is that it? Is Alexandrine a dud? Only useful for Red Titans?

No, because there’s more to Alexandrine than just healing.

Related: Empires and Puzzles Jargon Buster

Alexandrine’s Special Skills (Empires and Puzzles)

First, I like the Passive ability she has: This Hero recovers 10% health when they receive a status ailment. So every time the team gets hit with a status ailment, Alexandrine will heal herself for 10%. Not bad.

But Alexandrine’s real value pivots on the strength of her secondary Special skills;

  • Alters the critical chance or accuracy of all Ice Shields on the board.
  • When attacking, Ice shields become enhanced by +54% critical chance.
  • When defending, Ice shields become weakened by -47% accuracy.

So in a Raid, for example, Alexandrine will give Ice tiles a +54% chance of critical damage. What’s Critical damage? In short, it’s a chance to do double the tile damage.

And, on a Defense team, Alexandrine will give Ice tiles -47% accuracy, causing them to miss half the time.

But how much difference is that going to make in a standard Raid? Or on Defense?

It would, however, be quite significant against a red Titan, or on a red Quest stage. And her Element link would also come in handy there: +10% increase for any healing received for all Ice allies for 4 turns.

This all leads me to conclude that Alexandrine’s real expertise is harnessed inside a Titan’s lair.

I’m not saying she can’t find a spot on a Raid or Defense team; just that there are better options out there.

September 2021 – Alexandrine Empires and Puzzles Hero Of The Month

My final thoughts:

At the end of the day, Alexandrine’s healing may turn out to be more powerful than expected, based on the average number of Ice Shields on the board at any given time. Also, her secondary skills may feel more worthwhile when you’re actually playing her.

The fun is in speculating how these Heroes will materialise. Truth is, if you need a 5-Star Ice Hero to complete your roster, Alexandrine shouldn’t be sniffed at.

Old Cynic’s Hero Grade: Warrior

What are your thoughts? Did I get it wrong or miss something? Let me know in the comments below.

[Please always check in-game Hero Cards to confirm details and never chase Heroes]



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32 Comments

  1. Hmm, doesn’t sound that hot. I’ll keep taking Jott to titans instead, and as you wrote, her base healing is just too low.

    1. I can imagine on >8* Titans, the extra healing with the critical damage, could come in handy. But that is a specialism right there! I have Jott, and he does his job. If I pulled Alexandrine, it’ll be a lot of feeding for not much pay back (for my specific roster). Thanks for commenting!

  2. Is this an equivalent to “Ranvir was a disappointing upgrade to Wu Kong”?

    I see her as a blue Ratatoskr that substitutes the big tile crit chance in exchange for consistent percentage healing, but still has the potential of hitting the full 42% if there are 8 blue tiles on the board. Alex is better suited as a backup healer, but her primary purpose is to buff the tile damage. (Mostly unrelated, but Grazul’s heal is pretty weak. Even at VF speed, her special’s heal just doesn’t have much impact, it’s the prevention of status ailments that I use it for. So she’s always just a backup for Boldtusk.) I’d probably look at Alex the same way, merely as a supplement for C. Kiril.

    Did beta testing determine whether the +attack% by Jott is better/worse than the +tilecrit% by Alexandrine? If they’re different buffs, why can’t they stack? It’d be like Gregorion’s crit buff being cancelled by Heimdall’s attack buff.

    (ps Just found your reviews recently, and I like your analyses.)

    1. I agree with what you said, and if viewed as a backup (bonus) healer, Alexandrine is definitely more appealing.

      Re. Jott, the last I saw, it didn’t stack as they would overwrite each other. Looking at my Jott, he does +64% crit and -57% attack. But he wouldn’t have the staying power of 5* Alexandrine of course.

      But then, the special itself comes after many of the Ice tiles are used up… so changes are made to the remaining tiles (so would any extra healing). I’m not overly impressed with it. As we see, Grazul is still in the top 100 routinely for her quick (but limited) healing, and that frustrating secondary.

      Thanks for commenting!

        1. Hi Yeti, thanks for pointing out the error in my comment re Jott’s crit vs. att. The details emerging from beta testing is that they are still overwriting each other. That said, it may be that the developers decide to change that. -I’m just reporting what we know. I get my info from the SG forum which is a great resource. I’ll update this post if new info comes to light.

  3. She’s going to be pretty popular, especially for younger players since, besides Ariel, Raffaele, and Aegir, there are no other 5* blue heroes. and none of the 3 other healers mentioned are not everyday 5*s

    1. At the end of the day she’s a blue 5* healer. I’ll be levelling her if I get her (mainly for wars). But I try to base these reviews on the best of the best, rather than my meagre roster. I won’t waste a 5* (unless it’s Justice).

      Thanks for stopping by

  4. Primera vez en tu blog y me gusta bastante lo que dices, no hablo sólo de este héroe. Basas tu análisis en argumentos sólidos, pero a la vez pones al héroe en situaciones imaginarias interesantes (más o menos probables), y profundizas en sus fortalezas y debilidades con ellas. Sin duda me interesa seguir a gente como tú, hay poca gente que realmente me aporte cosas nuevas a lo que ya sé (suena arrogante pero es la verdad). Hay alguna forma de suscribirme o de que me lleguen notificaciones de tus nuevas publicaciones? Enhorabuena por tu blog.

    First time on your blog and I quite like what you say, I’m not just talking about this hero. You base your analysis on solid arguments, but at the same time you put the hero in interesting imaginary situations (more or less probable), and you delve into his strengths and weaknesses with them. Without a doubt, I am interested in following people like you, there are few people who really contribute new things to what I already know (it sounds arrogant but it is the truth). Is there a way to subscribe or receive notifications of your new publications? clicking on “Notify me of new posts by email” is enough? Congratulations on your blog.

    1. Hello Carlos and thank you for your comments. Sometimes it’s not clear if the blog is fun and interesting to people, so I’m glad to hear it is. I do try to complete adequate research before writing, but sometimes I still get it wrong and that motivates me to try harder next time!

      You can subscribe to my blog and mailing list here. Please be sure to tick the boxes you’re interested in (E&P for example). Also, check your Spam-folder in case the first email doesn’t come through.

      Thanks for stopping by, you are always welcome.

      Hola Carlos y gracias por tus comentarios. A veces no está claro si el blog es divertido e interesante para la gente, así que me alegra saber que lo es. Intento completar una investigación adecuada antes de escribir, pero a veces todavía me equivoco y eso me motiva a esforzarme más la próxima vez.

      Puedes suscribirte a mi blog y lista de correo aquí. Asegúrese de marcar las casillas que le interesan (E&P, por ejemplo). Además, verifique su carpeta de correo no deseado en caso de que no llegue el primer correo electrónico.

      Gracias por pasar, siempre eres bienvenido.

  5. I can see her working really well in conjunction with Triton, Glenda, and a defense down player. Their skills seem to compliment each other really well.

  6. The Hotms are to me foremost an addition for monoplayers due to the elemental link, i can easily see Alexandrine in a blitz-monoteam with frosth, Frida and some decent snipers.
    Frosth and Alex together takes care of the survivability, and at the same time add lots to the tile damage and ground support.
    Both have a really great attack value and complete each other in a way a separate main healer with sidekick very rarely do.

    So 18% (+3% per blue tile)heal with a 10% +heal elemental link and a fast meat shield spawner like frosth gives you pretty much the heal a monoteam needs and it will work decent even when your up against heal-choking sand-damage heroes.

    Alex cannot compete for a main team spot since she is up against blue monsters like lim-break/Finleys and such, but on red titans and in monoteams?, -yes i can see that happen =)

    1. That is a really good point, and I didn’t realise until you said it –The Elemental Link. Well, that will change the way I view Hotm in future.

      I’ve always been lucky in pulling them, and sorta assumed they were a balancing agent; used to counter a OP hero elsewhere in the game.

      I’m sure there are lots of players like me, who don’t have many 5* heroes, so Alexandrine will get a shot in many Raid and Defense teams. People will try to get the best out of her!

      Thanks for stopping by

    2. oh.. i field tested mine a little, and what really shines in her skillset is the heal10% when receiving a status ailment..
      10% is a huge heal for a freebie/passive skill.. and when barbarian and sorcerer class randomly cast status ailments, beras minions casts ailments, heck even velas attack leave 2×10% heals from the passive skill she is gonna have a good health income even beyond her special healing skills (also the elemental link adds to the 10% heal)

      1. I’d like to have one of these heroes who heal themselves in that way… Like the Slayers, or the new Magic Tower heroes (see some of their Passives).

        With all the devastation going on in the E&P world, you’re gonna need heroes like these to stand a chance in future: Constantly healing… Soon we’ll see Passive Minions. Not like a Talent Minion, but like a Devana Minion. Or a Passive +64% defense for 3 turns…. I got it, Passive invisibility for 3 turns.

  7. Hi. I think you’re missing the argument of using her as tank, especially in a normal V formation. If opponents discard blue tiles – thank you very much. If they don’t, you’ll basically get max healing every time she fires.

    Also, will the Claric last emblem node, 4% extra healing , give alexandrines passive 14% extra healing or 10.4% extra healing?

    1. Hi Drubas, welcome. I may have got Alexandrine wrong, I hope so because my wife pulled her. But the benchmark I hold the heroes to is quite high; I’m basically asking myself -Is this a top 10/20 hero? -offering the occasional nod to Titan hunters.

      Re. Tank. I think she makes a poor Tank because you need events to unfold as you suggest for it to work. Otherwise, you get 20/30% healing and -50% accuracy for blue tiles (if you’re running a Rainbow Defense). I agree that as Tank, green tiles are likely to be used up, so there should be more blue tiles on the board. But still I don’t think the max 42% is impactful enough. Ariel gives 40% as an Average, plus +24% mana generation.

      I just think Alexandrine is more situational.

      Re. the 4% healing. I would imagine that it’s 14%. The wording on the Path is 4%, and the wording here is 10%. If anybody knows better, please feel free to share.

      Thanks for stopping by, and for commenting!

  8. I have both fully leveled Jott (and limit broke at 85) and fully leveled Alexandrine. I must be missing something because I am not impressed with Jott at all and Alexandrine is amazing. Every battle/raid/Titan I have had Jott in, he is the first to die while Alexandrine died her job and does it very well. Please help me understand all the hype surrounding Jott.

    1. I don’t run the Jott fan club here! 🙂 I think it’s just a matter of comparison and opinion. I actually think Alexandrine is over-hyped, but she is still a 5-Star hero who will last, as you say. I pulled Alexandrine and also own a levelled Jott, and must say the bit of healing she offers is welcomed.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  9. I have been super unlucky in getting a 5 star blue healer. She is going to work out great when I get my next scope. My best blue healer is Kiril and he just can’t hang with the big boys for very long. I also find Jott being one of my first ones out on Titans. I use Wu -( Kiril/Jott) – Magni – Athena and Nordri. Now with ALex, I get the best of both worlds. Super excited to get her fully ascended and in action.

  10. OC, I think you have mis-understood this hero. The healing is not the main skill for me. For me the critical chance on tiles is the best skill and if it falls right with adjacent charged tiles it will usually take out a defensive hero. I do think it is situational in terms of your line up, and I only use her on offense with my mono blue team. The team is Finley +20 (limit broke), Costume Magni +7, Krampus +20, Vela +19, Alexandrine +15. I find that Finley, Magni and Vela charge first with 9 tiles, and if I can get Krampus to fire next, his taunt and massive defence it will buy me enough time to fire Alexandrine and if her critical chance goes off it will usually swing the battle in my favour. I really like her and even think she is slightly over-powered, but do not think she would be as effective if I didn’t have Krampus to buy that extra time!

    1. Hello! I take your points, but even you point out how much value Krampus brings to that line-up (Solid line btw!).

      Alexandrine and Krampus would make a great defensive double-team, and if you said that every Alexandrine came with a Krampus, I’d call her a Deity for sure.

      I’ve been using her on 3/70, but still wouldn’t back off this review -but then, I don’t run an Ice team, with Krampus 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your point of view. -just because she’s not a superstar in my eyes, doesn’t mean she can’t be in yours.

  11. I couple of thoughts having used Alexandrine for a few months now.
    – I run a mono blue stack, so there usually aren’t that many blue tiles available when her special comes up. The typical value is 3 tiles.
    – That healing on ailment bonus is crazy against Bera. You can find the Bera/Alexandrine hack on youtube, but I can tell you it is real. I’ve used Alexandrine by herself to take out all five heroes several times when the defense uses Bera. It takes care and patience but it’s almost like a free win in wars and raiding.

    1. Thanks for the update Fast,

      I watched that vid too and she definitely looks broken against Bera, -if she’s the best choice for your team synergy, then it all works.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  12. I pulled Alex, but I think I’ll just keep Jott instead. It’s really nice having access to 3/4 star heroes that can fill the role of a 5 star. It feels good to free up ascension mats for other heroes. Melia can achieve crit damage to all allies at fast speed without having to wait for good tiles.

    1. Yes, I’ve got her on 3/70 and sadly remain a little unimpressed. I still have Rigard as my #1 healer, despite now having a few 5-Star healers.

      … I also have Jott fully levelled as you say.

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