Costumed Roc: The Coolest Bird on the Beach

Overview

Costumed Roc, also known as "Protector of the Beach," takes the original Sand Empire legend and gives him a drastic makeover. Released in 2022, this costume transforms the underwhelming base Roc into a utility powerhouse. He shifts classes from Barbarian to Fighter and swaps his cleansing support role for an offensive debuffer role.

While the base version is often mocked for being weak, the Costume commands respect—or at least it did upon release. In the modern era, he faces stiff competition, but his specific combination of skills (Defense Down + Dispel in Yellow) remains a potent and relatively rare mix.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Gone is the terrifying mythological beast swooping from the heavens. In his place stands a "cool guy" eagle wearing a leather vest, sunglasses, and—most importantly—sipping from a juice box. It is ridiculous. It is campy. It is Empires & Puzzles at its most playful. While some purists miss the majesty of the original, you have to admire the swagger of a giant bird of prey who hydrates responsibly while shredding your defense.

General Info

Hero Stats

Costumed Roc's stats are a significant step up from his base form, but they are starting to show their age. With an attack of roughly 950 and defense/HP around 937/1751 (before limit breaks), he sits in the "average" tier of modern 5-stars.

Compared to the monsters of late 2025 who boast 1300+ stats out of the box, Roc feels a bit soft. However, with the costume bonus and emblems, he can still reach respectable levels of bulk, allowing him to survive long enough to fire his crucial debuffs. He isn't a tank anymore, but he's a sturdy flank or wing.

Special Skill: Beach Party

Analysis: "Beach Party" is a fantastic utility skill that combines three high-value effects:

1. Heavy Sand Damage: Dealing 780 damage over 4 turns is a massive improvement over the base version. That's nearly 200 damage per turn to all enemies. While it's DoT and can be cleansed, it puts significant pressure on the enemy team.
2. Defense Down: -44% defense for 3 turns to all enemies is the star of the show. This is a potent debuff that sets up your snipers and tile damage for devastating hits. It rivals dedicated defense-down heroes like Isarnia or Athena but comes at Average speed.
3. Dispel All: Removing buffs from all enemies is the cherry on top. It clears taunts, defense ups, and counterattacks, ensuring his defense down applies and your team can follow up cleanly.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed Analysis: Average speed (10 tiles). This is acceptable for a hit-all defense down hero. With a Level 23 Mana Troop (and his costume bonus), he charges in 9 tiles, matching Fast heroes who don't have mana troops.
• Damage Calculation: 780 damage over 4 turns is fixed. It bypasses high defense stats, making him effective against modern tanks with absurd defense values.
• Effect Synergy: The Dispel happens after the damage and defense down in the text description, but functionally, dispellers are invaluable. Note: Usually, Dispel order matters. If he dispels last, he might not remove a "Defense Ailment Shield" before applying his own Defense Down. This is a slight mechanical drawback compared to heroes who Dispel first.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Sand Empire bonus (Defense + Healing Boost) is nice but rarely a game-changer unless you are running a themed team (e.g., with Costume Rana).

Passives

Like his base form, Costume Roc lacks modern passive skills (e.g., starting mana, resistance to ailments). This is his biggest weakness compared to 2025/2026 heroes.

Aether Power

Damage Reduction: This Aether power reduces the damage he takes from special skills for the first few turns. It helps mitigate his aging stats and ensures he survives the initial barrage of Fast snipers.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Costume Roc was hailed as the "fix" the hero needed. He finally provided a Yellow defense-down option that hit everyone (unlike White Rabbit or Jackal) and offered utility that rivaled top-tier heroes. He became a war staple for many.
• Power Creep Analysis: While his stats have fallen behind, his utility has not. Defense down is timeless. -44% to all enemies is still a winning move. However, he is now competing with heroes who do this at Fast speed or with massive direct damage attached.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Costumed Roc is Viable. He is no longer top-tier, but he is a solid A-tier hero for War attacks, especially against purple tanks. He serves as a cornerstone for yellow stacks that rely on tile damage.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Comparison to Base: It is a complete blowout.

• Base Roc: Cleanser, Heal Blocker, Weak DoT.
• Costume Roc: Dispeller, Defense Debuffer, Strong DoT.
• Verdict: The Costume is superior in 90% of situations. Defense down is the best offensive debuff in the game. Unless you are desperate for a Cleanse, you keep the sunglasses on.

Costume Bonus: The bonus provides approximately:

• +17% Attack
• +17% Defense
• +30% Health
• +5% Mana This mana bonus is critical, allowing him to break the 9-tile threshold with lower-level troops.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Juice Box Juggernaut (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps him alive. His primary role is applying Defense Down. If he dies, your snipers hit like wet noodles.
• Cons: Lowers his tile damage slightly.

The Sand Blaster

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Increases tile damage and potentially scales his Fighter revive heal (if based on health). Note: Sand damage is fixed based on special skill level, so Attack emblems don't boost the DoT.
• Cons: He becomes squishy.

Final Recommendation

Defense/Health. He is a support hero. Survival is key.

Strengths

• Defense Down All: -44% is a massive debuff that enables team wipes.
• Dispel All: Clears the path for the rest of your team.
• Fighter Class: The chance to revive can steal wins in close matches.
• DoT Pressure: 780 damage is enough to force enemies to use cleansers or healers prematurely.

Weaknesses

• Dispel Order: He dispels after applying ailments (or simultaneously), which can be problematic against Ailment Reflection or Protection buffs (like Garnet or Hathor).
• Average Speed: Fast wars leave him behind sometimes.
• Aging Stats: He takes heavy damage from modern snipers.

Best Game Modes

• War Attack: Essential for yellow stacks to break high-defense tanks.
• Titans: -44% Defense down is excellent for Purple Titans, boosting your score significantly.
• PvE: His Sand damage and defense down chew through bosses with high HP.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Yellow Brick Road" (War Attack): Costume Roc - Rhys - Costume Joon - Anne - Zekena
  • Why: Rhys gives attack buff and tiles. Roc applies Defense Down. The snipers (Joon, Anne, Zekena) obliterate the softened targets.
• The "Slow Burn" (Rush War): Costume Roc - Alfrike - Kalø - Heimdall - Costume Rana
  • Why: At Very Fast speed, Roc creates a defense-down opening for Alfrike and Kalø to wreck havoc, while Rana adds Water DoT to Roc's Sand DoT.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Hathor/Garnet (Block his defense down), Cleansers (Remove his sand and defense down), Monks/Clerics (Might resist the defense down).
• Anti-Synergy: White Rabbit. Rabbit applies defense down to fewer targets but resets duration. Roc overwrites Rabbit's defense down on all targets, which can be a waste if Rabbit just fired.

Advice for New Players

If you have the Costume, you have a gem. Prioritize leveling him. He will be your go-to hero for Titans and Raid attacks for a very long time. His utility is universally good.

Advice for Veterans

You probably have him maxed. He is likely slipping out of your primary war teams but remains a solid depth hero for the 4th or 5th war flag. He is a great candidate for Limit Break 1 (Level 85) to keep his stats relevant, but think twice before using Alpha Aethers unless you lack modern Yellow options.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• The "Juice Box" Meme: The art is the most discussed aspect. Some love the absurdity; others hate the break from immersion. "It's like an eagle wearing a leather jacket... ridiculous. However, I think he's a really good hero unfortunately."
• The Redemption: Players recognized the costume as the buff Roc always needed. "This costume bonus is what he needed... he's doing way more damage than before... I'm kind of excited about this."
• The Comparison: He is often compared to White Rabbit. While Rabbit is Fast, Roc hitting all enemies is often preferred in slower, grindy matches.

Final Thoughts

Costumed Roc is the redemption arc of the Sand Empire family. He sheds the mediocrity of his base form to become a legitimate threat. While he isn't the stat monster he used to be relative to the field, his utility—shredding armor and stripping buffs—is timeless. Plus, he does it all while drinking juice. That's a level of unbothered cool we should all aspire to.

Final Recommendation: A solid investment for anyone needing Yellow defense down. Level him, emblem him, and enjoy the beach party.