Clash of Clans Hero Equipment Tier List 2026

With Town Hall 18 and the fast release schedule of Epic-tier hero equipment, making the right upgrade choice is crucial for Free-to-Play and Gold Pass players to maintain account progression.

This guide uses data to help you prioritize blacksmith upgrades. We focus on Versatility Ratios, Synergy Chains, and Ore ROI.

1. What Changed in 2026 (And Why Old Tier Lists Are Wrong)

Supercell rebalanced nine pieces of hero equipment between January and July 2026. If a guide ranks the Giant Arrow as a damage nuke, or calls the Dragon Duke trap-proof, it was written before these patches and its advice will cost you ore.

Here is every change that matters, with the date it landed.

Equipment that got better

Equipment that got worse

2. The Hero Journey: How to Get Epic Equipment for Free

The Hero Journey is a reward track in your Hero Hall that gives you free Epic hero equipment, ore and hero skins as you level up your heroes. It arrived on 16 June 2026 and it is available from Town Hall 7.

This is the single biggest change to hero equipment since it launched, and most tier lists still do not mention it. Before June 2026 there were only three ways to get an Epic piece: pay 3,100 event medals, pay 1,500 Gems at the Trader, or pay 750 medals in the Clan War League shop. Now there is a fourth way, and it is free.

How the track fills up

• Progress is based on your total hero levels added together.
• Every single hero level is one point. It does not matter which hero.
• Unlocking a brand new hero counts too.
• You do not have to do anything special. Levelling heroes fills the track on its own.

What you can earn

What happened to existing players

When the update landed, everyone was placed on the track based on how many hero levels they already had. If you were owed equipment you did not have, the game gave it to you already levelled up. If you owned a piece but it was below the level the track would have given you, it was upgraded automatically. Hero skins and ore nodes you had already passed were paid out too, with a one-time storage overflow allowed so nothing was lost.

3. The SSS & SS-Tier Equipment Analysis

In the current meta, the best equipment helps bypass complex Town Hall 18 defensive layouts. Here are the core equipment pieces you should prioritize.

SSS-Tier

Action Figure

Archer Queen

The Action Figure summons a Giant Giant to tank for the Archer Queen, plus 1 second of invisibility for her. The Giant's level scales with the equipment: level 7 at Action Figure 18, rising to level 10 at Action Figure 27. It also adds passive damage, hitpoints and self-healing to the Queen.

At Level 21, it crosses a key survivability threshold against TH18 point defenses. Raw tanking capability makes this a versatile option.

SS-Tier

Magic Mirror

Archer Queen

Magic Mirror generates up to 2 Queen clones for a full 30 seconds upon activation. This provides immense burst damage and distracts defenses, allowing the Queen to melt base cores instantly.

Level 18 is the optimal breakpoint where the clones reach maximum efficiency. Moving past Level 18 is only recommended for players running exclusive Queen Walk strategies.

SS-Tier

Eternal Tome

Grand Warden

The Eternal Tome provides 8 seconds of invincibility for troops within the Warden's aura. It is a crucial active ability.

Upgrade to Level 15 to secure the full 8-second block. Further levels to 18 only scale minor passive recovery stats and represent a low priority for ore allocation.

SS-Tier

Spiky Ball

Barbarian King

The Spiky Ball targets up to 8 structures at Level 27, dealing 3,250 damage each. It is highly effective for funneling and clearing compartments.

For most players, Level 18 is the ideal stopping point (hits 7 targets for 2,500 damage), as pushing it to Level 27 requires an additional 370 Starry Ore for just 1 extra bounce target.

SS-Tier

Electro Boots

Royal Champion

Despite the mid-2026 balance adjustments (reducing aura DPS to 200 and self-healing to 45 HPS), the Electro Boots remain dominant. Its passive lightning aura clears skeleton traps instantly.

Level 15 is the premier breakpoint, maximizing self-heal efficiency and aura coverage. Pushing it further is a luxury; Level 15 handles all core meta requirements.

SS-Tier

Fire Heart

Dragon Duke

The Dragon Duke is a flying tank that cannot be healed by healers. The Fire Heart is mathematically mandatory to provide self-sustain, giving passive healing and a high active death explosion.

At Level 15, the Fire Heart hits its optimal passive healing tier (+140 HPS, maxing at +150 HPS at Level 18) before the steep upgrade cost spikes. This regen floor is essential for survival.

Dynamic Breakpoint & Ore Projection Engine

Select your equipment and current level to calculate the exact Starry Ore required to hit the mathematical utility breakpoint. Do not invest past this point unless you have a massive surplus.

Action Figure

Spiky Ball

Stick Horse

Monolith Arrow

Fireball

Heroic Torch

Eternal Tome

Electro Boots

Frost Flake

Fire Heart

Meteor Staff

Dark Crown

Current Level 1

Target Breakpoint

Level 24

Starry Ore to Breakpoint

480

At Level 24, the summoned Giant's HP crosses the 15,000 threshold required to survive TH18 point-fire.

4. Full Equipment Inventory & Tier Rankings (All 42 Pieces)

To give you a complete picture of the current Clash of Clans meta, here is the full inventory of all 41 equipment pieces across all 6 heroes, categorized with their rarity, max levels, unlocks, and current tier positions.

Barbarian King (8 pieces)

Equipment	Rarity	Max Level	Unlock Requirement	Tier	Notes
Spiky Ball	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	SS	8 targets × 3,250 damage at L27. L18 hits 7 targets × 2,500 damage.
Giant Gauntlet	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	S	Jan 2026 buff: 19s duration (up from 17s), 60% damage reduction (up from 55%).
Stick Horse	Epic	27	Wise Warriors Event	S	Passively enables wall-jumping, +24 speed, and +33% attack speed.
Snake Bracelet	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	S	Passively spawns distraction snakes as King takes damage. Absorbs single-target fire.
Earthquake Boots	Common	18	Blacksmith L1 (TH8)	A	Ground shockwave breaks walls. Niche use; outclassed by Spiky Ball for pathing.
Rage Vial	Common	18	Starter	C	Short speed/damage buff. Outdated compared to newer epics.
Vampstache	Common	18	Blacksmith L3 (TH10)	F	Flat healing per hit cannot outpace TH18 point-defense damage.
Barbarian Puppet	Common	18	Starter	F	Summons fragile Barbarians that immediately trigger giant bombs and die.

Archer Queen (8 pieces)

Equipment	Rarity	Max Level	Unlock Requirement	Tier	Notes
Action Figure	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	SSS	Best single piece in the game. Summons a Giant Giant to tank (level 7 at equipment 18, level 10 at 27) plus 1s invisibility.
Magic Mirror	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	SS	Spawns 2 Queen clones for 30s. Delivers massive core melt.
Monolith Arrow	Epic	27	Anime Fury Event	S	14% max HP extra damage at L27. Scaled by deployment housing space.
Giant Arrow	Common	18	Blacksmith L2 (TH9)	S	Its job changed in May 2026. Damage dropped 25% (2,000 → 1,500 at max), but it now deals double damage to Air Defenses. Bring it to kill Air Defenses, not to nuke the core.
Frozen Arrow	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	B	Passively slows targets by up to 65%. Highly strategy-specific.
Healer Puppet	Common	18	Blacksmith L5 (TH12)	B	Summons 3 healers. Useful for off-flank pushes but falls off at TH15+.
Invisibility Vial	Common	18	Starter	C	Brief invisibility and damage boost. Outclassed by clones and giant tanking.
Archer Puppet	Common	18	Starter	F	Summoned archers are instantly vaporized by splash defenses.

Grand Warden (7 pieces)

Equipment	Rarity	Max Level	Unlock Requirement	Tier	Notes
Eternal Tome	Common	18	Starter	SS	8 seconds of absolute invincibility. Most powerful active ability in the game.
Healing Tome	Common	18	Blacksmith L6 (TH13)	SS	High-volume AoE healing to sustain troops after invincibility fades.
Rage Gem	Common	18	Blacksmith L4 (TH11)	S	+50% passive damage boost. Ideal for ground-based smash attacks.
Fireball	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	S	Trap below L24. Below L24 it cannot one-shot max TH18 defenses.
Life Gem	Common	18	Starter	B	Buffed Jan 2026: troop hitpoint bonus rose from 100% to 120%. Good for ground smash armies, but Apprentice Wardens cover the same job, so it stays a situational pick.
Heroic Torch	Epic	27	Splash Event	A	Grants speed, damage resistance, and wall passthrough. Pathing risk.
Lavaloon Puppet	Epic	27	Mashup Event	F	Buffed twice in Jan 2026 (+1 Lavaloon at L21–27, housing 23 → 21) and still not worth it. The Warden has only two slots, and Eternal Tome, Fireball and Healing Tome all beat it.

Royal Champion (7 pieces)

Equipment	Rarity	Max Level	Unlock Requirement	Tier	Notes
Electro Boots	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	SS	Rebalanced mid-2026: 200 DPS aura, 45 HPS self-heal. Clears skeleton traps.
Rocket Spear	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	S	10 spears at L18 with +770 damage each. 10-tile range outranges Scattershot.
Frost Flake	Epic	27	Trader Shop / Event	S	Actively freeze up to 7 defenses for 7 seconds. Essential for ground smash.
Haste Vial	Common	18	Blacksmith L8 (TH15)	A	Active speed and attack velocity boost. Pairs well with Electro Boots.
Seeking Shield	Common	18	Starter	B	Active bouncing shield targeting 4 defenses. Niche fast-sniping.
Hog Rider Puppet	Common	18	Blacksmith L7 (TH14)	C	Buffed Jan 2026: one extra Hog Rider at every level, each a level higher. Even so, the hogs still melt to splash damage at TH16+. Good buff, still not worth your ore.
Royal Gem	Common	18	Starter	F	Active heal and passive damage boost. Completely outclassed by Electro Boots.

Dragon Duke (6 pieces)

Equipment	Rarity	Max Level	Unlock Requirement	Tier	Notes
Fire Heart	Common	18	Starter	SS	Rebalanced: 150 HPS self-heal, +23 DPS. Mandatory self-heal for the Duke.
Stun Blaster	Common	18	Blacksmith L9 (TH16)	S	8-tile AoE stun. Disables defenses, heroes, and Clan Castle troops.
Rocket Backpack	Epic	27	Sound of Clash Event	C	Downgraded from A. Nerfed twice in 2026 (level 27 dropped 2,325 → 2,150). Dashes straight into traps and gets baited easily at high Town Halls.
Electro Fangs	Common	18	Blacksmith L10 (TH17)	A	Chain lightning to 4 targets. Effectively doubles Duke's perimeter DPS.
Revenge Deck NEW	Epic	27	Awesome Medal Event (Aug 2026)	B	Passive counter-attack. Anything that damages the Duke gets hit back for 225 and heals him 60 at L27. Great for solo funnelling, weak against traps.
Flame Blower	Common	18	Starter	B	June 2026 nerf: Blows fire in facing direction, breaking Backpack synergy.

Minion Prince (6 pieces)

Equipment	Rarity	Max Level	Unlock Requirement	Tier	Notes
Dark Orb	Common	18	Starter	SS	Active 50% speed/attack slowdown over a wide AoE. Premier support pick.
Meteor Staff	Epic	27	Cosmic Rock Event	S	Infinite range meteor strikes (850 dmg). Best support tool for Dragon Riders.
Dark Crown	Epic	27	Dark Deal Event	S	F2P Trap. Percentage stats are diminished under Legend League modifiers.
Henchmen Puppet	Common	18	Starter	B	Summons Minions and grants invisibility. Standard fallback choice.
Noble Iron	Common	18	Blacksmith L5 (TH12)	C	Quietly buffed Jan 2026: attacks per ability went 7 → 10 at max, plus +1 tile range. A big buff most guides missed. Still hard to line up with Dark Orb, so it stays niche.
Metal Pants	Common	18	Blacksmith L3 (TH10)	C	Active damage reduction shield. Niche use; too situational.

5. Synergy Chains: The End of Isolated Rankings

Equipment effectiveness depends heavily on its pairing, the hero's pet, and the overall army composition.

Synergy Chains happen when two pieces of equipment complement each other effectively. Here are 6 highly effective combinations in 2026:

1. The "Core Diver" (Barbarian King)

Pairing: Spiky Ball (Epic) + Stick Horse (Epic) + Angry Jelly (Pet)

Guided by the Angry Jelly, the Barbarian King targets defensive buildings exclusively. Upon deployment, the Stick Horse's passive jumps let the King leap over walls while gaining a +24 speed multiplier and +33% attack speed. He dives deep into a compartment and activates the Spiky Ball, instantly destroying up to 8 defenses from the inside out and wiping the entire zone.

2. The "Monolith Melter" (Archer Queen Walk)

Pairing: Monolith Arrow (Epic) + Frozen Arrow (Epic) + Unicorn (Pet)

Designed for isolated Queen Charges. The Queen is deployed with minimal army support to keep the housing space counter below 180. The Monolith Arrow deals a massive 14% extra damage per shot based on target health, allowing her to break max-level walls in 5 shots and destroy defensive heroes in 4. The Frozen Arrow staves off defense fire, slowing target attack speed up to 65% to neutralize incoming damage.

3. The "Infinite Aura-Sniper" (Royal Champion Walk)

Pairing: Electro Boots (Epic) + Rocket Spear (Epic) + Spirit Fox (Pet)

The Royal Champion is deployed to snipe key core compartments. When activated, the Rocket Spear allows her to throw 10 high-damage splash-damage spears from 10 tiles away, safely outranging Scattershots and single-target Infernos. As the Spirit Fox turns her invisible, her passive Electro Boots aura continues to deal constant lightning damage, clearing skeleton traps and maintaining her health without drawing defense targeting.

4. The "Pre-Damage Funnel" (Dragon Duke Charge)

Pairing: Fire Heart (Common) + Rocket Backpack (Epic) + Angry Jelly (Pet)

The Dragon Duke is sent to funnel a high-value corner. Guided by the Angry Jelly, he zeroes in on defenses. He uses the Rocket Backpack to dash in a straight line through the defenses, dealing 2,150 damage along his path. Once repositioned, the Fire Heart's passive self-healing (+150 HPS) quickly restores his health while he continues to clear the outer lane.

5. The "Backline Defense Siege" (Minion Prince Support)

Pairing: Dark Orb (Common) + Meteor Staff (Epic) + Phoenix (Pet)

Perfect for Dragon Rider spam. The Minion Prince is deployed behind defense-targeting troops. While he clears non-defensive trash buildings, the Meteor Staff periodically targets the nearest defensive buildings from infinite range, delivering 850 damage per strike. He then launches the Dark Orb, projecting a 50% slow across the core defenses to protect the main army. If targeted, the Phoenix ensures he remains alive to continue raining meteors.

6. The "Warden Smash" (Grand Warden Core Dive)

Pairing: Eternal Tome (Common) + Fireball (Epic, Level 24+)

Designed for ground smash strategies (such as Root Rider + Yeti). The Fireball deletes an entire compartment of core defenses in a single blast (6-tile radius at Level 24). Immediately after, the Eternal Tome is activated, protecting the entire army under 8 seconds of absolute invincibility as they dive into the opened base core.

Synergy Archetype Visualizer

Evaluate how your selected equipment pairs function within current TH18 army archetypes. Green indicates perfect mathematical synergy; red indicates overlapping or contradictory mechanics.

Core Diver Monolith Melter Aura-Sniper Pre-Damage Funnel Backline Siege Warden Smash

6. Situational & Niche Optimization (S & A-Tier)

While the SSS and SS-Tier define the meta, S and A-Tier items provide critical situational advantages. The key is understanding when to use them and acknowledging the opportunity cost of upgrading them over SS-Tier options.

S-Tier Highlights

• Monolith Arrow (Archer Queen): Highly effective for Queen Charges. Dealing up to 14% max HP per hit allows the Queen to break max-level walls in 5 shots and destroy high-health structures quickly. It falls to A-Tier in heavy troop spam due to its deployment-scaling constraints.
• Rocket Spear (Royal Champion): Provides excellent sniper utility, enabling the Royal Champion to destroy heavy core defenses from 10 tiles away—safely outside the range of Scattershots.
• Fireball (Grand Warden): Capable of destroying massive base sections when paired with a high-level Warden Walk, though it is highly situational and requires precise spell and funnel execution.
• Dark Orb (Minion Prince): A 50% movement and attack-speed slow over a massive area-of-effect makes it the premier utility choice for the Minion Prince during core pushes.
• Stick Horse (Barbarian King): Wall-jumping and attack speed multipliers allow the Barbarian King to clear wide outer compartments independently.
• Frost Flake (Royal Champion): A 7-second freeze on up to 7 defenses provides excellent support for ground smash attacks.
• Meteor Staff (Minion Prince): Delivers reliable passive meteor damage from infinite range, making it a premier support tool behind defense-targeting Dragon Riders.

A-Tier Utility

• Giant Arrow (Archer Queen): Slipped from S-Tier due to high-level damage nerfs, but its 2× damage multiplier against Air Defenses and 75-tile range keep it highly viable for air attacks.
• Giant Gauntlet (Barbarian King): Still reliable for core entries, though modern spread-out base layouts have reduced the value of its active splash damage.
• Snake Bracelet (Barbarian King): Highly effective for outer-lane tanking, spawning distraction snakes that absorb single-target Inferno and Monolith fire.
• Haste Vial (Royal Champion): Highly synergistic with Electro Boots for rapid core dives.
• Heroic Torch (Grand Warden): Provides excellent mobility for slow ground smashes, though improper timing can split the main army's pathing.
• Rocket Backpack (Dragon Duke): Slipped to A-Tier due to damage adjustments, but remains a useful positioning tool to bypass defensive dead zones.
• Life Gem (Grand Warden): Essential for Mass Thrower attacks to buffer troop health against heavy splash damage.

7. The "Trap" Investments (B, C & F-Tier)

A "trap" investment is a piece of equipment that looks good on paper or in lower Town Halls but mathematically fails in the TH18 ecosystem. Investing Starry Ore here will actively harm your progression.

8. The Defensive Counter-Meta (For Base Builders)

Understanding optimal offensive equipment is only half the battle. If you are designing TH18 war bases for Clan War Leagues (CWL), you must mathematically counter these equipment synergies to prevent easy 3-stars. High-level base building in 2026 revolves entirely around "Equipment Hijacking."

Countering Giant Arrow + Rocket Backpack (Sniping Meta)

Spacing Principle: Space out Air Defenses and Air Sweepers to ensure they cannot be lined up and sniped in a single Giant Arrow trajectory. Place Invisibility Spell Towers and Multi-Archer Towers offset from common entry paths. Avoid placing high-value targets in straight, continuous corridors to prevent Rocket Backpack flights from pre-damaging a clean path.

Countering Monolith Arrow + Frozen Arrow (Extended AQ Walks)

Exterior Buffers: Place high-HP non-defensive structures (Storages, Hero Hall) on the base exterior. Stall the Queen outside while defenses lock onto her, forcing early spells. Position Firespitters and seeking air mines near outer compartments to target her healers. Keep single-target Infernos and the Monolith protected in deep, narrow compartments to overwhelm healer output once her Monolith Arrow is outranged.

Countering Spiky Ball + Stick Horse (King Dives)

Open-Wall Compartments: Build compartments with a deliberate 1-tile opening. The King's Stick Horse AI pathing will make him walk a longer distance around the walls instead of jumping over them, wasting the ability's speed and duration. Place high-damage single-target defenses (Monoliths, Single Infernos) adjacent to these compartments to quickly melt the King.

9. Ore Economy: Exact Data & Upgrades

Upgrading Epic-tier equipment represents the primary resource bottleneck for competitive Clash players. This section breaks down monthly ore yields, cumulative costs, and progression limits.

Monthly Starry Ore Income (F2P vs P2W)

Income Source	F2P Monthly Yield	P2W Monthly Yield	Details & Requirements
Star Bonus	60 Starry	120 Starry	Legend League (2/day). P2W includes Prospector.
Clan Wars	~60–70 Starry	~60–70 Starry	Constant wars (15/month) at TH16–18 against TH10+ bases.
Trader Shop	40 Starry	40 Starry	10 Starry/week purchased via Raid Medals (350 Raid Medals for 5 Starry).
Clan War Leagues	30–35 Starry	30–35 Starry	Regular CWL participation (50% win rate).
Events / Chests	20–30 Starry	~100–140 Starry	Average monthly yield from event passes and lucky chests.
Total Monthly	~210–235 Starry	~350–405 Starry	Highly active players, maximizing all daily systems.

About the Prospector: the "P2W" Star Bonus figure assumes you are running the Prospector, a Gold Pass helper unlocked at Town Hall 10. He converts one ore type into another once per work day, and his Starry output is capped at 2 per conversion. He also only stays until the season ends. So treat him as a way to patch a small Shiny or Glowy shortfall, not as a serious Starry Ore source — and ignore any guide claiming that converting Starry away will wreck your account. At 2 per day, it mathematically cannot.

Note: Casual F2P players who do not optimize Raid Medals or war constantly can drop to as low as 101 to 150 Starry Ore per month. P2W players can also convert Gems at a rate of 1 Starry Ore = 35 Gems (not recommended).

Epic Equipment Upgrade Costs (L1 → L27)

Epic equipment costs Starry Ore only at every third level, starting at Level 9. Common equipment costs no Starry Ore at all.

Here is the part that changes how you should think about upgrades: the cost is identical for every piece of the same rarity. Maxing the Action Figure costs exactly what maxing the Lavaloon Puppet costs. So the price is never the question. The only question is which piece earns it.

Blacksmith Level Caps per Town Hall

Town Hall Level	Max Blacksmith	Max Common Level	Max Epic Level	Key Meta Unlock
TH12	Level 5	15	18	Healer Puppet & Noble Iron unlocked
TH13	Level 6	15	18	Healing Tome unlocked
TH14	Level 7	18	21	Hog Rider Puppet unlocked; Epic cap rises to 21
TH15	Level 8	18	24	Haste Vial unlocked; Dragon Duke unlocked at Hero Hall 9
TH16	Level 9	18	27	Stun Blaster unlocked; Epic cap hits 27 — the real finish line
TH17	Level 10	18	27	Electro Fangs unlocked. No cap or storage increase — build this last
TH18	Level 10	18	27	No new Blacksmith level. Caps unchanged from TH17

10. Free-to-Play Upgrade Roadmap

For F2P players, spreading ores across the entire roster is a critical mistake. The optimal strategy is to build a single, highly synergistic meta army and focus on critical breakpoints before attempting the long, brutal march to level 27 epics.

11. Breakpoints: Optimal Stopping Levels

To optimize the ore economy, F2P players should park their equipment at high-value breakpoints. Upgrading past these levels yields diminishing returns relative to the massive Starry Ore costs.

Equipment	Optimal Breakpoint	Strategic Rationale	Starry Cost to Reach
Action Figure (AQ)	Level 21	Giant HP crosses the survivability threshold for TH18.	210 Starry
Magic Mirror (AQ)	Level 18	Clone HP + duration at optimal value. Only push to 27 for exclusive Queen Walks.	110 Starry
Eternal Tome (GW)	Level 15	8s invincibility secured. Further levels only scale passive recovery.	0 Starry
Electro Boots (RC)	Level 15	Max efficient self-heal + aura diameter. Clears skelly traps.	60 Starry
Spiky Ball (BK)	Level 18	7 targets × 2,500 damage. Final 9 levels (+1 target) cost 370 Starry — not worth it early.	110 Starry
Fire Heart (DD)	Level 15	Hits the optimal passive healing tier (+140 HPS) before the cost spike.	0 Starry
Monolith Arrow (AQ)	Level 21	13% extra damage + 8% damage reduction. Viable for TH18 charges.	210 Starry
Rocket Spear (RC)	Level 18	9 spears, +770 damage each. Level 27 only adds 1 extra spear.	110 Starry
Fireball (GW)	Level 24 (MINIMUM)	Useless below L24. Can't one-shot max defenses. 220+ Starry required.	330 Starry
Dark Orb (MP)	Level 15	Provides a massive 45% defense slowdown for a full 15s.	0 Starry
Electro Fangs (DD)	Level 15	Unlocks the bulk of the chain-lightning damage boosts.	0 Starry
Stick Horse (BK)	Level 18	24s duration, +21% attack speed, +171 passive DPS.	110 Starry
Stun Blaster (DD)	Level 15	Offers highly optimal stun duration and health recovery boost.	0 Starry

12. Conclusion & Strategic Roadmap

If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember these four things.

1. Cost is never the question. Every Common piece costs the same to max, and so does every Epic. The only decision is which piece earns your ore.
2. Level 18 is the smart stopping point for most Epics. Levels 21, 24 and 27 cost 370 Starry Ore between them, which is 77% of everything that piece will ever need.
3. Check the Hero Journey before you buy anything. It gives Epic equipment away free as you level heroes, so you may already be owed the piece you were about to spend 1,500 Gems on.
4. Balance patches matter more than tier badges. Nine pieces changed in 2026. A guide that has not been updated since May is ranking gear on numbers that no longer exist.

Want the exact stopping level for a specific piece? Jump back to Section 11: Breakpoints. If you are working on the Dragon Duke specifically, our Dragon Duke hero guide covers his pets, loadouts and Royal Rampage positioning in detail. And if Starry Ore is what is holding you back, the Starry Ore farming guide breaks down every income source month by month.