How Good is Ludwig? Empires and Puzzles Knights Review
Ludwig is a new 5-Star Hero from the Empires and Puzzles event, Clash Of Knights. Yesterday, I discovered something crazy about his Special which made him a priority for his own review.
First, though, I just released a complete Clash Of Knights Quest guide, which includes an initial review of all the new Heroes. So, if you’re interested in another Hero, check it out.
As for Ludwig, he’s awesome…
Before we start, please consider sharing a link to this post with your alliance or on social media. It really does help.
This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Ludwig’s Element, Class, Special Skills, & Talents
Ludwig’s core data:
Element: Dark (Purple)
Class: Paladin
Mana Speed: Slow
Family Bonus: Wolf ~ 2/3 Wolf Heroes get a 35% / 50% chance to make a cast buff undispellable
Special Skills (Full Metal Pelt): 1. The caster gets Taunt which prevents enemies from using Special Skills on the caster’s allies for 6 turns. 2. The caster gets +84% defense against Special Skills for 6 turns. 3. Nearby allies receive mana each turn for 6 turns. Received mana increases each turn until the last turn, when 100% mana is received.
Talent: PROTECT ~ +25% chance to get +25% defense for 2 turns after receiving and damage. The effect is applied at the end of the turn.
Is Ludwig worth Levelling? (Empires and Puzzles)
Ludwig is so powerful that there are concerns at SG that he might use his powers to exit the game and pursue a normal life in the physical world.
Yes… I’d level him.
Ludwig’s Special (Full Metal Pelt) Empires and Puzzles
Here’s a table which compares Ludwig with Krampus and Black Knight:
| Hero | Mana Speed | Taunt | Main Secondary |
| Ludwig | Slow | Last for 6 turns, with +84% Defense against Special skills | Nearby allies receive mana each turn for 6 turns. The mana increases each turn until the last turn when 100% mana is received |
| Krampus | Average | Last for 3 turns, with +44% Defense (& a further 10% every time they are hit) | Summons a Minion (10% A&HP) + All allies get +50% attack for 3 turns |
| Black Knight | Average | Last for 3 turns, with 50% chance to drop damage to 1 | All allies get +45% attack for 3 turns, & a further 20% every time they’re hit |
We see that Krampus will benefit from +44% Defense during his Taunt, and Black Knight benefits from a 50% chance to drop all damage to 1. Whereas Ludwig gets no protection from normal damage at all, and only benefits from +84% increased Defense against Special Skills.
His competitors also beat him on Speed; they’re Average, while he plods along at Slow.
But for what little you lose, he more than makes up for.
Straight off, Ludwig’s gonna give you 6 turns of Taunt, which is a significant increase over Krampus and Black Knight.
Next, we have maybe, the most powerful example of Mana corruption in the whole of Empires and Puzzles. See, Ludwig is gonna start boosting the mana of the two Heroes next to him.
And not in a small way…
Look at this:
| Turns | Mana Boost | Nearby Full Mana Charge (without tiles) |
| 1 | +16.67% | No… |
| 2 | +33.33% | Nearly |
| 3 | +50% | FIRE! |
| 4 | +66.67% | Wait a sec |
| 5 | +83.33% | FIRE! |
| 6 | +100% | FIRE! |
I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it, just how powerful Ludwig is.
With no tiles at all, the two Heroes beside Ludwig will fire off their Special Skills on the 3rd turn of his Taunt….
… with zero tiles.
Then, on the 5th turn, they’ll Fire again.
And then again, on the 6th and final turn (assuming there’s anything left to hit).
Still, it’s worth noting that Ludwig doesn’t actually benefit from his mana boost at all. It’s only the two Heroes on either side of him that do.
Oh yeah, the Family Bonus (Ludwig Empires and Puzzles)
Ludwig is a member of the new Wolf family, and they have a Family Bonus perfectly suited to him: the chance to make a buff undispellable.
So, all of that trouble he creates has a 50% chance of being undispellable, for 6 long turns.
Note: He’ll need 2 other Heroes from the same family to get that 50% undispellable chance.
Speeding Up Ludwig (Empires and Puzzles)
If I pulled Ludwig, I’d only have one question: How do I speed him up?
Because the sooner he fires off, the sooner we can all go home for some cucumber sandwiches and a little Orangeade.
As crazy as it sounds:
This Mana Booster would benefit from working alongside another Mana Booster.
Ludwig is Slow, so you’ve gotta do everything you can to speed him up: Troops, Xnolphod (+20% boost), Ariel (+24% Mana generation), Odin (+8-28% Mana generation), etc., etc..
Fire him off ASAP, then get the drinks in.
Related: Empires and Puzzles Game Review
Ludwig – Empires and Puzzles Clash Of Knights
My final thoughts:
A couple of days ago, the developers removed an in-game function which benefited Heroes who only buff nearby Heroes.
Before, in a Double Formation and a Reverse Double Formation, such a Hero was able to buff the entire team of allies -due to their proximity.
Since then, there’s been general speculation that Ludwig was the reason for the Nerf -because his mana boost would’ve buffed his entire team…
…and that right there my friend, is the line drawn in the sand at HQ.
It’s my Speculation that Ludwig is so powerful, he changed the game (😂).
Old Cynic’s Hero Grade: Deity ⭐⭐⭐
What are your thoughts? Did I get it wrong, or did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below.
[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 -Text and Initial Images: oldcynic.com
Thank you to PlayForFun for explaining how Ludwig works.
Images used by way of review/tutorial – Copyright owned by Empires & Puzzles: Small Giant Games
![The Best TANKS in Empires and Puzzles [Top 10]](https://i0.wp.com/oldcynic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Best-Tank-Empires-and-Puzzles-Feat-1.jpg?fit=768%2C402&ssl=1)
Haha, I agree. This guy would have ended the game if the hit 3 mechanic stayed as it is with double/reverse double formations. I really hope I pull him. I am not sure if he’s balanced though to be honest. If you surround him with a strong AOE hero (even just one) and a strong healer, if he goes off, he’ll be almost unkillable except with an extremely lucky string of tiles between the healer’s heals. Specials won’t hurt him. Imagine putting Alfrike next to him and her going off twice. Game over. Or Bobo, or Killhare, or something like that. Honestly I am not sure if he is balanced. That mana regen may need to be nerfed more.
Hey byzanthia, I was thinking the same about Alfrike… that’s a lot of cubes in your head! I think I’ll need to keep an eye on Ludwig for any nerf before release.
I just summoned it. i always dreamed of having a krampus on my team and here it is. now i just need a purple mana troop. congratulations, your content is as always useful and fun
Hey Valerio, thanks and congrats. It’s great when that happens -and I think you did better. Great result.
I’m pretty much over this game. The constant release of new OP heroes has got me to the point where I no longer want to play and I certainly can’t compete. They have forsaken the earlier heroes that everyone has for this obvious cash grab. I fear the game is nearing its end and this is the final push to extract out as much money as they possibly can before closing down the servers. Shame. With balance this game could have lasted many years more but alas they’re speeding up its demise.
Welcome Yendor, there’s no doubt we’re seeing more heroes, and more powerful ones at that. But it’s difficult to quantify the impact on the longevity of the game from the outside. Do they make more money from new heroes? Yes. But where I’m confused, when hearing it maybe killing the game, is Why? Why buy-out SG for an insane amount of money, to then run it into the ground for a quick cash-grab?
The problem is, we have no data with which to measure the impact on New Players, Vs. those with 1 year in, 2 years, and so on. Anyway, it would be good to get more 5-Star heroes, and to be able to level them in a more timely fashion. But, I’ve never had the best heroes, and matching 3 gems together is addictive. And E&P does it so well. Time will tell of course.
Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your opinion!
I just pulled Ludwig with one pull! I am very pleased! I think this is one of the major heros, like Telly was when she came out. 6 turns of Taunt in and of itself is crazy. Add the mana generation and its just insane.
Hey Terry, you’re absolutely right. Mana boosters really are game-changers. Congrats!
Hey Old Cynic,
Just wanted to say I like your fresh take on the content. Just a thought I had recently but it’d be great to not only hear your perspective on them on your team but what you’d do or what heroes you would take to potentially counter them. I think Ludwig is a great place to start, totally OP if his special goes off and is uncleansable, but heroes that prevent new buffs on enemies, like Onyx or Sabina to name a couple can make his special do absolutely nothing and then this massive meat shield can become something you almost completely ignore.
Hello and thank you! I do try to suggest what types of heroes would counter the subject, but it really depends on where the review is taking me.
If I were to make it a Standard Expectation (that I’d offer the ideal counter), I imagine people would not be satisfied with my suggestions. That’s because, I can only really deal with the minutiae when I have the hero, or have experience playing against them. Otherwise, the end result would be: Me suggesting which hero from My roster would best counter the subject.
To which the reader might reasonably say: That’s not the best counter, So-and-so is. And so, to pre-empt that outcome, I’d end up researching who the best counter was for each hero.
Alas, there is not enough time in my day, and only one Old Cynic 🙂
That said, I’m happy for readers to put their oar in, as some do.
But thank you for the suggestion, and I will still bear-it-in-mind for future reviews! -Oh, and thanks for reading!
I think the best way to counter ludwig will be somewhat obvious, using your standard dispellers or shut down heroes like Malosi and finally if you have him, Mad Hatter to steal all that awesomeness! Malosi and the Hatter will be my primary counters to Ludwig
Hey Paper, thanks for the suggestion. Yea, my Malosi will be tapdancing all up-on Ludwig’s head.
I think Malosi – for those who have him – will be more useful, because dispellers can only dispel the taunt and not the mana regen (not at once anyway)… a bit like with Krampus/Black Knight and their own taunt vs. buffs for the rest of the team.
and C.Sabina (much easier accessible) as per my other comment…
Great blog by the way!
Thank you!
So, I was super excited about him… to the point where I did my first ever “mass pull” – bought all the alliance offers and summoned with all coins and gems from it. Got super lucky: Wolfgang, 2x Quenell, the 3/4 stars and… Ludwig! Was so stoked!!
But… although he’ll be super fun (and powerful) on offense, I’m not too sure on defense… I just had a raid against a team with Ludwig – and Wolfgang (in reverse formation: Milena / C.Kadilen / Ludwig / Emilio / Wolfgang – all 20 emblems and lvl 29 mana troops – TP: 4889) and I beat it pretty easily without losing a hero…. with a TP less than 600 exactly at 4289 with 4x 4-stars and mana troops at levels between 1-17: Cobalt / Gullinbursti / Rigard / C.Sabina / Proteus. Basically Costume Sabina makes a bunch of them a bit irrelevant, and because Ludwig is slow…. I managed to fire Sabina before Ludwig, which was then quite satisfying to see do… nothing when firing his special. I have to say I git a bit lucky that Wolfgang fired his special without making the buff undispellable so Sabina took care of that again… and boom goes the health boost.
This is making me a bit less excited about running it on defense. I think he’s only viable as a tank, with other family heroes to make the buffs undispellable… but even then fire a fairly simple S1 4-star costume beforehand and all the Wolf heroes lose a lot of their power….
Been thinking of options such as running it flanked by the likes of C.Kadilen, Brynhild, Vanda – which I’m lucky to have as well… but I guess this loses the fun of flanking him by a beast of a hero that can annihilate the opposing team…
I guess I’ll have to see how they perform when I’m done with my leveling and put them out there.
But on offense this seems like one of the most fun and powerful heroes out there
Hi Jeje, thanks for the detailed breakdown. I look forward to facing him in raids myself.
As you said, it might be worth sacrificing a monster next to him, for a care giver; a quick healer one side and Alfrike the other? But maybe he just doesn’t work on Defense, guess time will tell (I wish I had him, to try and figure it out with you lot).
As for Quenell, she looks great anywhere. Congrats.
Thanks for stopping by!
You’re welcome! And thanks for the blog. I like it. It’s well thought-out and fun at the same time. I think you’re totally right… I’ve been giving it more thoughts and you probably need to compromise somehow on defense. With my roster, I’m thinking Brynhild (mine’s fully emblemed and LB’ed) to flank him – mana gen boost, special skill defense until Ludwig fires and some fast healing… and then the dispel protection as well after he fires. And then a beast on his other side… Alfrike would work quite well (not great against colour stacking I guess)… Mine would be Cobalt.. That mana regen does give a lot of mana which – after trying Ludwig out on the map (my AR farming has been fun and quicker than normal.. even though Ludwig’s only at 2/40 or something…) – get “lost” a bit if the hero is already well charged and gets 80 or 100% mana again… whereas a Charge or Magic hero would be able to store it up in the different levels of charge (ideally all the way to the max to unleash the beast). Thinking about it, Milena is probably a great flank to Ludwig… She does both the healing and the destroying… FWIW I’m imagining running Wolfgang – Cobalt – Ludwig – Brynhild – Costume Vanda in reverse formation, just to try and keep the Cobalt/Ludwig combo alive and ready to fire.. One day, I’ll try.. when I’ve done the leveling up grind haha – dont have stores of food or backpacks, etc.. so cant really power level heroes
Thanks Jeje. Your team looks awesome. I like the idea of Brynhild as the quick healer next to him. And once he fires, she’ll do even more healing and mana generating. Lady Woolerton is another 4-Starer I can think of. And of course, Milena (if the AI behaved) would be cool, too.
That said, I’ll be skipping your team should I see it. Thanks for visiting!
Thought you might want to know.. A Slayer flanking Ludwig is a great synergy.. Not just because the Slayers are slow.. but because of their mana gen stacks increases the amount of mana Ludwig gives them.. Long story short… without making a single match, I fire my Slayer (only Aodhan at the moment) in turns 4, 5 and 6 :)) death by minions.
Hey Jeje, thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I know when people read this post they’ll also find all this good stuff down in the comments.
Now, I just need to pull him next time!
Ludwig is really a game-changer for raiding in offense, especially if going in underpowered in high diamond (you know, facing the likes of Frigg, Odin, Elizabeth, Hannah, Alfrike, Morel, Xnolphod, Emilio, Lidenbrock, etc. more or less all LB +20 emblems and mana troops lvl 29, with a TP of 5000+) Normally I get plastered whatever team I put if I’m not super lucky with opening board (my max TP is probably about 4500 but with no synergy). I actually have been trying different combos but flanking Ludwig with Gullinbursti and mighty old Proteus (cant wait to LB him but right now is just at +20). I just upgraded my highest mana troop to mana break him.. and basically if I can get 9 purple tiles in a a few starting moves, it’s kinda game over.. They can try to dodge (Kadilen Costume), resist (Elizabeth, Bera, Lidenbrock, Skadi), etc.. I just fire Proteus back at them again.. Ludwig as a tank is a piece of cake as well… Even if he’s fired, I just need my dispeller (Seshat) to be ready and then fire Proteus at the flanks and he’s neutralised…
Anyway, they nerfed Proteus with reducing the nearby radius in new formations and since then I could not make ot to Global Top 30, now I can quite easily again..
And the maps.. well they are just a bit too easy now 🙂
You were right: Ludwig is a game-changer! (and mine is not even fully leveled yet)
Hey Jeje, you sound over the moon with it. I’m slightly jealous, though I will be giving it a reasonable go when the Knights (and Magic) come around next time.
Thanks for visiting and sharing, I appreciate it!
Hey, I was just checking the Top 100 -are you Jeje lemon? Currently 24 in the world?
I don’t have him fully leveled. He’s only 4-35. I put him double formation with him on the back end. Not getting hit really affects his slow mana gen so I’ll try regular formation tomorrow. I think he’ll be fine at tank. I know my alfrike was fine at tank until I pulled Bera. But I think maybe a standard formation will work out better to “speed” him up (either mana or death lol). Time will tell!
I have 2 Ludwig, 2 Wolfgang and 1 Quenell. Not yet maxed. Quenell Wolfgang Ludwig Octros Ariel is THE team.
That’s pretty serious stuff right there. Quenell’s gonna break some bones.
It’s crazy, i’m envy that you have Quenell. A really monster.
My LUDWIG is LB with some emblems. Central position. Left flank WOLFGANG. right flank QUENELL. Both maxed with some emblems. Right wing ARIEL. The logic is Ariel provides mana boost. I might use XNOLPHOD but still 3-70. Goal is to charge faster. Once Ludwig charged, he will charge his neighbours extrêmement fast, even without tiles. WOLFGANG brings healing overboost. QUENELL brings Huge attack. Left wing I use GM or GEFJON. I initially tried OCTROS he is a beast too, but not yet maxed (only one ring away). However, I realized that this setup is not optimized. Reason is that WOLGANG charges too fast to trigger his HP boost after 4 turns. So, as soon as OCTROS gets maxed, the lineup could be: WOLFGANG OCTROS LUDWIG QUENELL ARIEL. Also the 3 wolves provide a 50% chance to make ANY of their specials undispellable, which is Huge.
And I think Oldcynic is right when he says that SG removed the wide coverage of the W and M formations bécasse of LUDWIG. Just try to figure out what the result would have been with my team above. Just insanely OP.
Hi! I need your help/comment on priority leveling between Ludwig and Senan. I only had total 2 heroes for these two categories of event.
Thanks for your time to help!!!
Hey there VJ, I see you have a real problem on your hands.
Look, we know both of those guys are super-stars. This is my thinking, for wrong or right:
Senan is exactly the type of hero you want next to Ludwig; a SLOW hero who can cause maximum chaos and destruction. But to do that, you’ve gotta level Ludwig first.
Basically, you might be able to replace Senan with another monster, but you won’t replace Ludwig so easily.
I think Senan is a beast, as seen in my review. But, as both are Slow (without the Family Bonus), I see more roster growth with Ludwig.
Now, let me relinquish any legal responsibility: Do whatever is best for you.
Thanks for visiting – hope it helps.
L is definatedly the prime choice. He will make you enjoy this GAME.
LUDWIG IS A BEAST. I’ve got 2 and, with my 2 Seshat Alfrike Xnolphod they all are top of the crop dark heroes.
Congrats Richard, he’s absolute top drawer!
Hi! Enjoy your posts! Need your opinion. I have the chance to get either Ludwig or Caitlin from soul exchange. I would pick Ludwig but I currently have Senan (he is my strongest dark hero) and wondering whether I should get Caitlin instead for the Slayer bonus? I am trying to form a formidable defense team and Lidwig is still suspect when being attacked by mono yellow or with strong heroes that can debuff. Thoughts? For context, I also have Jequn that will be my most powerful yellow on defense (currently using white rabbit w/ NO costume).
Hello Kevin, I’ve just posted my picks for the November Soul Exchange here.
I can see your problem. First, let me say, this isn’t advice just my personal opinion.
Second, your reasoning sounds valid and correct to me. Synergy on Defense sounds ideal… BUT there is no way I’m gonna tell you to take Caitlin over Ludwig 😄. I’m not taking that responsibility off your already ladened shoulders.
Caitlin is a handsome Hero for sure. I think we both agree Ludwig is better.
I can’t tell you to take Fun/Power over Synergy.
It is a problem cause he may not fit into your Defense as you say… I would seek other opinions but ultimately, you gotta go with your gut!
Good luck Kevin!
Thanks! Love the suggestions and your post on soul exchange (Very timely)! Leaning toward Ludwig now. Would flank it with Jequn and Rafael (need a better blue but that is the best I have and he is a healer) and have Tahir and Costume Kadilen on the wings. Unfortunately, Senan will have to be taken off my defense team once Ludwig is fully leveled and limit break.
Tried this dark team in rush war: Alfrike, Ludwig, Aramis, Ludwig, Alfrike. All LB, one Ludwig and Aramis LB2. All fully emblèmes. just crazy!
😆 Sounds awesome, never seen 2 Luds working together!