Erebus: Styx Family Hero (Empires and Puzzles)
Erebus is a new Hero from Empires and Puzzles Tower of Styx, and as you may know, I’m not a huge fan of Snipers, but let’s see how he fares…
If you’re interested in any of the other heroes in the Styx Family, be sure to check out my complete guide, here!
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This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Erebus’ Stats and Special Skills (Dark Orb)
✨This Hero was buffed after this review. Details have been updated, however, the review remains the same ✨
Element: Fire (Red) Class: Wizard Mana Speed: Styx
Styx Family Bonus for 1/2/3 Heroes: When this Hero receives a Status Ailment affecting Defense they get a 40%/60%/80% chance to cast the received Ailment to all enemies.
… When this Hero casts their Special Skill, they have a 40%/60%/80% chance to inflict -30% Mana generation for 2 turns.
Passive Skill: DECREASE DEFENSE AILMENT DURATION ~ Duration of the Defense Status Ailment this character receives from Special Skills is decreased by 2 turns.
… The Hero has an innate resistance against Defense Status Ailments and Elemental Defense Status Ailments.
Special Skill – Dark Orb:
Charge 1: 1. Destroys all Minions from the target. 2. Deals 470% 520% damage to the target.
Charge 2: 1. Destroys all Minions from the target. 2. Deals 580% 610% damage to the target. 3. The target can not summon new Minions with their Special Skill and receives 150 200 damage for each Minion they attempt to summon for 3 turns.
Charge 3: 1. Destroys all Minions from the target. 2. Deals 645% 675% damage to the target. 3. The target can not summon new Minions with their Special Skill and receives 150 200 damage for each Minion they attempt to summon for 4 turns.
Talent: JINX ~ +25% chance to deal +15% extra damage per each active buff the enemies have. The extra damage applies to both normal attacks and Special Skills.
Is Erebus Worth Levelling? (Empires and Puzzles)
Yes. Absolutely, in my view. But he does have limitations.
If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while you’ll know, I’m not a huge fan of Snipers in general. In fact, there’s only one Sniper I’d really want and that’s Rayne (well, and now Nemesis).
It’s important because Erebus and Nemesis are both effectively Snipers with bells on. But what a great set of bells.
Both are super-Snipers, coz when they hit they could kill. Sounds like some kind of Bug-Killer box warning, but it’s true.
Erebus’ first Charge (470% 520%) requires just 6 tiles (which is faster than Very Fast).
And by the second, he’s already surpassing Dark Lord statistically at 580% (Vs. 550%). -For 9 tiles Vs. Dark Lord’s 8 tiles.
And remember, he destroys all Minions before dropping the People’s Elbow, so it’s gonna look bad… maybe even shocking.
On the third Charge, he’s hitting 645% 675%, which is enough to get him to 2nd place on my Biggest Hitters Countdown (Most Damage to a Single Target) with a total damage score of 5,205.
But what of the Summoners…
Let’s speak freely; Hulda, Arco, and the Three Kingdoms lot, are all p*ss-takers, and Erebus looks well positioned to give them a good shoeing.
Where Penolite hates ALL Summoners she comes across, Erebus seems to be a little pickier; targeting a single Summoner and losing his rag all up in their face.
Now, I don’t think Erebus does enough to make Minion Summoners a non-issue, but at least he’s pulling in the right direction.
Also, he’s in a fantastic Family with one of the best Family Bonuses to date:
Styx Family Bonus for 1/2/3 Heroes: When this Hero receives a Status Ailment affecting Defense they get a 40%/60%/80% chance to cast the received Ailment to all enemies.
… When this Hero casts their Special Skill, they have a 40%/60%/80% chance to inflict -30% Mana generation for 2 turns.
Erebus and his Limitations (Empires and Puzzles):
The problems I see are:
- There are better Minion Controllers out there (Bera is Total Minion Control, while Gefjon is more comparable to what happens on Erebus’ first Charge).
- His first Tier Special doesn’t stop the target from receiving or summoning new Minions.
- None of his other Tiers represents a ‘General’ solution for Minion Control as they only target a single hero.
- He has little value on Defense (save for the Family Bonus… well, and that grotesque hit!).
That said, I think Erebus is a great supplementary hero to have. He offers quick Minion support, and his Charge 2 Special Skill will be formidable when facing Monster Summoners as mentioned above.
And that shouldn’t be taken lightly, because many teams are glued together by a Minion Summoner and killing them could be the key to unlocking the Defense.
Erebus Review (Empires and Puzzles)
My final thoughts (Updated):
I originally graded Erebus an Archangel, explaining that for me, Erebus wasn’t a Deity but is rather specifically designed to destroy them. One at a time.
That, while he could sway the course of a battle, he was situational… Basically, while on Offense, and with a Hulda type in front of you.
But in fairness, there were 2 points that did deserve more credence:
- The fact that Minion Summoners are on a reasonable proportion of mid-level Defenses, and more importantly,
- That the current Arms Race at the top is dominated by Minions. Specifically, the Three Kingdoms heroes, C. Freya, Hulda, Arco, etc.
And to that second point, Erebus will seem like a Knight in shining armour, charging into the fray!
For those reasons, I will upgrade him to Deity: Tier-1.
Hero Grade for Erebus (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: Deity ⭐★★
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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Hi. If Hohenwerf, Emilio and Erebus, what you think is the best hero to level up?
Wow, that’s a nice group. I’ve updated this post so check that out.
Just my 2c: It’s between Hohenwerf and Erebus. I would go Hohenwerf for his general use, but if you’re fighting near the top, Erebus is a handy weapon to have. Do you have Bera or another Minion Controler? If so, definitely Hohenwerf.
I got Topaz. Is that shouldn’t level up both of similar function heroes? Thank you for your advice.
Ultimately, I would level both of them. If it were a matter of priority, with a strong anti-Minion hero already on the books (Topaz), I would prioritise Hohenwerf first. (But the choice is yours).
Thank you •ᴗ• Really appreciate your help and advice. Looking for your more tips and reviews. Support!!
I’m fortunate because I pulled him yesterday (alongside Hypnos), and I was a bit disappointed when I first read his special. But I didn’t read it well actually, and when I understood that he punishes the target for EACH minion it summons (and not for each minions it is supposed to get itself) I was like : wow, that’s not bad after all !
Hi Kiwano! He is a great hero who will really mess up a Minion Summoner. Thanks for visiting and leaving feedback.
Hi again, mr Cynic! 😉
As i mentioned i free pulled one yesterday at release and seeing red omega came in around midnight i intend to see how far i can push this bugger with talends and LB.
First out there seem to be a gender conflict in the translation of the card.. in swedish he is called Godess of the deep dark.. and the card seem a little lady like if one were to zoom in. (if some curious gamer were to do that…).
But again the heroes seem to travel in pairs genderwise and Hotms are boy-girl-boy-girl.. not that it matters since the card itself has no preferred pronoun. but anyways…
As you said (as i sum it up) she is no real gamechanger, but i would be so bold to say she is a very powerful specific tool with a decent bread/butter function even withpout minions.
Albeit powerful both Erebos and Nemesis has one fundamental flaw, and that is that everything they do besides the raw damage can be cleansed, and for example Milena does that cheaper than very fast, even on defense.
As for Erebos, in the role i intend to play her, she will be amazing… Diaochan and hulda are gonna exit the battlefield with serious nosebleeds, and the entire 3k roster will have to reevaluate their career choices.
Nemesis seems to be stronger statistically just looking at stats, but as us old grumpy gamers know from experience the wizard class vs paladin will make up for it, we havent seen any real killsniper of paladin class yet, and i doubt SG are to change their philosophy this late into the game.
This far Erebos is coming along pretty fine, the animation is a little weak (no dark lord) but all in all she has travelled in touristclass and choked a pair of Krampus and Beras and i can imagine this is gonna pick up speed once shell gets more levels/skill/lb..
And again, no gamechanger, just great specific role.. and eventhough the other Styxers seems nice i cant see myself having more than one in a team especially more than one sniper.
Hey Cougar, thanks for the input. Re. the gender, you’ll be surprised by how often there is confusion with the cards. I try to go by the forum or Wikipedia/legend.
Re. the Special Skills, I have updated the grading to a Deity: Tier-1 following feedback and consideration. It is true that I always undervalue Snipers, period. On reflection, I think Erebus will be a lot more popular the better the team you’re facing, and that should be reflected in the grade.
He still has his work cut out for him, to be worthy of a place on the starting grid without a Minion Summoner opposite, but again, in the current Meta, that’s not sooo situational.
I hope he will now go forth and live up to the prestigious grade he has been granted and doesn’t show me up. 😄
Oh, I should share this for the gender. As there was confusion on the forum I went to my fallback, Wiki. It says he was a brother and a father. But if the artist/SG/any other source, says this hero is female, then I’m happy to update!
Nice review.
One additional plus for him as a minion-killer is that when up against the ever frustrating Lady of the Lake (on of my favorites in my own deck) the charge mana effect is of great importance. That means that he will over-charge first or second charge, get some mana stolen, but can still use his special.
To me this is a situational offensive hero, but there are many of these situations in top-level raiding/waring
Hey Tobov, you’re right in what you say. He has an important job to do, and does it very well. Thanks for providing the info!
I was fortunate enough to pull Erebus today. I’m currently working on Sekhmet, but only have enough rings for one. Should I switch to Erebus first?
Hi Janet. My opinion is Erebus over Sekhmet, but you have to decide what’s best based on your playstyle and roster. So, I’ll offer some thoughts:
According to reports, Sekhmet will heal in the area of 400HP. If that’s the case, it’s great healing for Fast. She’s also a Season 5 hero with their wonderful Passives (in her case, 50% chance to inflict damage and -34% att to all enemies). Overall, I think she’d make a useful all-rounder. A hero who hits and heals is always going to fit into any lineup. And even Defence.
Erebus is a Specialist, and lone Minion Summoners are his prey. Minions are prominent in the current Meta of the game (and life-cycle I would suggest at this stage). So, he would offer you real Sniping prowess when dealing with them. Also, his Family Bonus is really powerful (40% chance to cast received Defense Ailment back to all enemies). But, he is the more offensive of the two. He’s a Specialist, but in a subject which is quite prevalent.
I hope that helps you make your decision. Be sure to speak to your Alliance too as I’m sure there’s lots of experience there too.
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your reply. I had left Tahir at 3/70 to switch to Sekhmet. I’ll progress her up to 3/70 and then switch to Erebus. The only anti-minion hero I have is Eloise, but she’s only anti-minion after the opponent fires. Erebus seems like he’ll be more effective with his preemptive strike. I tend to face more teams with a single annoying minion maker (e.g. Hulda or LotL) than ones with multiple (at least for now).
I can level up Erebus or Ruby. Which route do I go first?
Hi Kurt, that’s a tough choice, and Erebus was just Buffed to be even stronger! He’ll deffo stop the Summoners after the fact, but Ruby will stop em before.
No one can tell you which way to go because it’s up to you. But Ruby is the better all-around Damager/Controler imv so Personally, I’d level her first. She’s more versatile.
Good luck with your decision!
Hi OC, great review as usual. I’m very happy with Erebus so far and would love to pull a couple more Styx 5*s to take full advantage of the excellent fam bonus. Speaking of which, have you considered doing a review/guide of Best Family Bonuses? I’m partial to Starfall myself but also like Wolf and Slayer (as well as the aforementioned Styx). I know you get a lot of requests for reviews but I think one on fam bonuses would be especially beneficial to experienced players who are trying to squeeze every little bit of an edge out of their rosters to combat the Power Creep, and it would be helpful for less experienced players as well in the form of general E&P knowledge
Hey Dharion, sorry for the late reply. It’s a great idea, just a matter of time. I’ll add it to the list for 2023 which is maybe best, as more Families are on the way.
Thanks for stopping by!