E&P Mag 2: Formation Nerf, New HotM Bonus, No Spend (Oct)

So much has happened in the world of Empires and Puzzles this month! I’ve compiled a long list for discussion. I’ve also got a few things I’d like to share with you, so let’s get started.

Before we start, please consider sharing a link to this post with your alliance or on social media. It really does help.

AGENDA
1. Top 10 E&P Defense Heroes (updated)
2. The Formation Nerf
3. New HotM Family Bonuses
4. No Spend November Protest
5. New Technical Grading System
6. New Empires & Puzzles Tips Page

Wanna read last month’s Magazine?

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

Subscribe

Empires and Puzzles Magazine


Current Top 10 Empires & Puzzles Defense Heroes

On 22nd October 2021, I reviewed the top 50 Empires and Puzzles Defense teams. Based on the data, here are the Top 10 E&P Defense heroes:

10. Cobalt

9. Killhare

8. Krampus ↑1

7. Bera

6. C.Kadilen –

5. Hannah ↓1

4. Frigg ↓3

3. Morel ↑2

2. Odin ↑1

1. Elizabeth ↑1

Here’s last month’s list:

10. Prof. Lidenbrock 9. Krampus 8. Sif 7. Bera 6. C.Kadilen 5. Morel 4. Hannah 3. Odin 2. Elizabeth 1. Frigg

Where, oh where, is our Beloved Sif? She’s now 19th, and likely to be dropping fast.

Not much unexpected otherwise. A slight reshuffle of the top 4?

For the record, Gravemaker is in at #12, Cristobal is at #16, and Wolfgang is at #20.

What’s your opinion?

The Double, and Reverse Double, Formation Nerf (E&P Mag)

This month saw the nerfing of the Double, and the Reverse Double, formations.

Basically, heroes who would normally only affect nearby allies, like Brynhild, were able to affect all allies, if placed as Tank in those formations.

This also went the other way, with heroes who hit 3 enemies, being able to attack the entire enemy squad, if the Defense was in one of those formations.

This change has no doubt caused a re-shuffle across E&P. In my case, Brynhild has lost all of her Emblems, and the privileges which went along with them. She’s also been demoted to the bench… indefinitely.

In my recent review of Ludwig, I suggested that he was the reason for the nerf. And, I suspect we’ll see more heroes just like him, who are super-powerful but only local.

I thought it would be fun to list the Top 5 Heroes who lost out due to the Formation nerf:

5. Master Lepus ↓

4. Hannah ↓don’t count me out

3. Gravemaker ↓needs a costume

2. Brynhild ↓retired

1. Sif ↓1,000

Who’ve you got?

New Hero Of The Month Family Bonus (Empires and Puzzles Mag)

If you haven’t noticed yet, all HotM older than 2021 now have a Family Bonus. And, I think it’s awesome. It gives lots of old heroes a new lease of life, in today’s game.

Since the change, I’d been playing Reuben, who felt pretty poor before. Now, he summons a small Minion for the entire ally team -at Fast. Which is pretty cool.

I’m sure there are other gems, too. And many that will go undiscovered for a while.

Regarding the new Family Bonuses, my first thought was: This is why they Nerfed Devana’s Element Link, which increases mana. Because, she’s about to do it for all allies -pretty powerful stuff.

Anyway, here’s what we have so far (taken from my Tavern of Legends guide):

2017 HotM Family Bonus

  • 1-2-3 heroes from the 2017 class receive +5%, +10%, or +15% mana generation
  • Elemental Link will now affect all allies if you have two HotM on the same team (this is massive)

2018 HotM Family Bonus

  • 1-2-3 heroes from the 2018 class receive +10%, +15%, or +20% defense
  • Elemental Link will now affect all allies if you have two HotM on the same team

2019 HotM Family Bonus

  • 1-2-3 heroes from the 2019 class receive +10%, +15%, or +20% attack
  • Elemental Link will now affect all allies if you have two HotM on the same team

2020 HotM Family Bonus

  • 1-2-3 heroes from the 2020 class receive +10%, +15%, or +20% healing
  • Elemental Link will now affect all allies if you have two HotM on the same team

2021 HotM Family Bonus

  • Coming soon – Jan 2022

What are your thoughts?

Empires and Puzzles No Spend November Protest

This month saw the promotion of No Spend November, a protest (if I’ve understood it correctly) designed to highlight player dissatisfaction over the speed at which we’re seeing new Events and new Heroes.

Also, player-concerns that heroes are much stronger than their predecessors, and that there’s a general lack of resources to Level these heroes, once you’ve actually got them.

Here’s a post I saw on social media:

Spread the word!
The top E&P alliances are uniting for this cause.
Enough is enough SG.
2 week boycott begins October 22nd.
#SlowDownSG #nospend #nospendnovember

Facebook post

What are my views on the issue? Well, I tend to see it from both sides.

A) As a business, I think E&P are doing what they can to improve profits. They’re searching for the upper threshold, and there’s always a risk associated with such exploration.

That’s because the player-base wants perceivable balance. However, I suspect SG are well aware of this and will have a fluid system in place, which allows them to advance and withdraw, as required.

They will likely have analysts, advisors, and experienced members of staff, all trying to make Empires and Puzzles as good as it can be -for the Players, and for the bottom line.

So from a business point of view, I’m not overly concerned. It’s this pursuit that makes the game what it is. In my view, they’re testing the upper threshold, and may have made contact 😂.

B) From a Player point of view there’s no doubt, I’d like to see more rewards in my Chests. It can feel like an anti-climax when you’ve worked to complete them and only receive a little dross.

That goes double for Elemental Chests. I’m sure, I used to get 5-Star Ascension Mats from those in the past? Nowadays, I’m lucky if I get a Troop token.

I’m not too fussed about getting the new heroes though, but if I paid, I’d like better Odds.

And that doesn’t need to hurt F2P players either; if you just increase the odds of pulling, by the number of times you pull?

Again though, I’ve received so many free 5-Star heroes over the years, that it’s not a massive concern. Albeit, they’re not the Magic heroes, but I can still compete.

As a F2P/C2P player, Training Camp 20, Chest rewards, and the odd purchase have got me by fine.

Regarding all the new content? I like it. It adds a Freshness to the game (and also gives me something to write about). -If the developers could add just a little more balance (which I’m sure they will), then I think most people would be happy.

There is a power creep going on, but it doesn’t make a difference if it’s Ludwig receiving Malosi’s tap, or Krampus. -At my level, I’m always fighting above my weight class anyway.

… While I’m on the subject: I think unique player rewards are a good idea, like a badge or symbol for your profile, if you manage to reach #1 in your country, or in the World.

At the end of the day, Empires and Puzzles is one of the best games. Period. I started writing about it because I needed to lean into my habit.

We all know, you can’t please all of the people all of the time, but hopefully, they can satisfy the majority.

What are your thoughts?

Old Cynic’s New Grading System (Empires and Puzzles Mag)

I’ve been posting hero reviews for a while now and wanted to quantify my opinion in some way.

I’m not much interested in precision points, but I do care about how a hero’s going to perform on the battlefield. With that in mind, and with tongue firmly in cheek, I’ve created my own hero grades.

Hopefully, you find it both useful and entertaining.

Old Cynic’s Empires and Puzzles Blog Tips Page

At the suggestion of a subscriber, I’ve created an Empires and Puzzles tips page.

The idea is simple enough: If you have an E&P question, I’ll give you my best opinion. It’s also designed so others can contribute, should they choose.

And with that, we’ve reached the end of another month’s roundup.

Before you go, I wanted to thank everybody who reads this blog. I really appreciate it.

I look forward to your comments!

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



Enjoyed the post? Then please help me, -share it with your alliance!

Want more Empires and Puzzles? Click here.

Don’t forget to check out my Hero Ranking Page!

Looking for a new mobile game (iOS or Android)? Check out my new review section.

Follow me on Facebook: Visit Old Cynic’s page

Copyright: oldcynic.com

Similar Posts

6 Comments

  1. Love the new HoTM family bonuses as well. Curious to see if any teams will make it into higher end of the rankings?
    I swear that kunchen didn’t pass along his elemental bonus to the rest of the team, so I wonder if it’s a little buggy?
    Great posts, keep up the excellent work!

  2. Hello Cynic! I’m perusing your blog to see if you have any posts. Specifically on your thoughts concerning classes.
    I couldn’t find one, but since I noticed some people preferring rogues for instance on their defense teams, I was curious about your thoughts?
    Cheers!

    1. Hey NurglesGift, I think when you hit a certain level and have amassed a large group of elite 5-Star heroes, you can begin to eke out more from your roster by searching for synergy in Classes.

      While I do value some Classes over others, I don’t value that above the rest of the build. And as I normally have a small selection of heroes to choose from, it’s never really a great concern.

      The Classes I prefer in order are:

      Fighter, for revival – this can be really impactful imv.
      Rogue, for dodge.
      Also, Cleric, for Mana protection, and Paladin, for Defense.

      It would’ve been quicker to tell you who I didn’t like!

      Thanks for visiting Nurgles!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.