Dolores: The Investigator Who Shoots First and Questions Reality Later

Overview

Dolores is a 5-star Legendary Holy hero from the Investigator family, originally released as a "Secret Hero" within the Shadow Summon pool in May 2024. She brings a chaotic, high-stakes playstyle to the table, functioning as a powerful damage engine that rewards aggressive team compositions while punishing hesitation.

Think of her as the eccentric detective who solves the case but accidentally sets the police station on fire in the process. She operates on a mechanic similar to Guardian Hippo, dealing damage whenever allies cast their skills, but with the added complication—or thrill, depending on your perspective—of the Insanity status effect. She walks a fine line between decimating the enemy team and losing her mind entirely.

Hero Art & Visuals

Dolores sports a fantastic steampunk-noir aesthetic that sets her apart from the usual knights and wizards. She is depicted as a determined, perhaps slightly unhinged, investigator wielding a massive, ornate firearm that looks like it doubles as a magical conduit. The "Yellow Signs" skill name is likely a Lovecraftian nod (The King in Yellow), fitting perfectly with the "Shadow" and "Insanity" themes. It is refreshing to see a hero who looks like she means business with a firearm rather than a sword, though one has to wonder if that gun is authorized for standard police work.

General Info

Hero Stats

When we look at Dolores's stats in the context of late 2025, the power creep becomes evident. With a base power of 1098 and attack around 1135, she sits noticeably below the modern heavy hitters like the Titan Hunters or the latest Astral Elves, who are pushing 1300+ attack stats.

However, she is far from obsolete. Her stats are "good enough" to survive and do her job, especially when bolstered by her potent family bonus and emblem path. While she may not have the raw stat density of a hero released yesterday, her mechanics are what truly drive her value, making the raw numbers slightly less critical than they would be for a pure sniper.

Special Skill: Yellow Signs

Dolores's special skill is a fascinating engine of destruction. At Fast speed, she sets up a 4-turn buff that triggers a 220% damage hit to a random target and nearby enemies every time another ally casts their special skill.

This is mechanically similar to Guardian Hippo, but with key differences:

1. Random Targeting: Unlike Hippo who hits all, Dolores hits a random target and nearby (effectively Hit-3). This adds RNG but concentrates damage.
2. Insanity Injection: She inflicts Insanity on the enemies she hits. This is a double-edged sword for them; as their Insanity rises, they might cast on their own team, but they also get damage reduction from their own passives if they are from the same "Shadow" families.
3. Self-Sabotage: She inflicts 50 Insanity on herself. This is the "Russian Roulette" aspect. If you are forced to fire her a second time quickly, she risks firing on her own team.
4. Stacking Buffs: She provides a massive ramping buff to Attack and Mana Generation for the whole team.

By the Numbers

Let's break down the potential of "Yellow Signs" assuming a standard 4-turn duration and a team built for speed.

• Mana Speed: Fast. She charges in 8 tiles (or 7 with mana troops/bonuses).
• Damage Potential:
  • Base hit: None (she does not hit immediately upon cast).
  • Trigger hit: 220% to up to 3 targets.
  • If you pair her with 4 very fast allies who fire once each during her duration: 4 triggers * 220% = 880% damage distributed to the enemy team per ally cycle.
  • If you get a cascade and fire multiple allies twice, this number skyrockets.
• Buff Value:
  • Attack Stack: Starts at +20%, caps at +200%. Realistically, in a fast raid, you might see +40% to +60%, which is significant.
  • Mana Stack: +5% to +50%. Even a small +10% or +15% can break mana breakpoints for average speed heroes.
• The Cost: 50 Insanity on self means she has a 0% chance to miss on the first cast (starting from 0), but a coin flip risk on a subsequent cast if not healed (healing reduces Insanity by 10).

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Investigator family and her passives are built to help her survive the very madness she invites.

Family Bonus

The Investigator family bonus is incredibly potent if you can field multiple heroes. A 20%/30%/40% boost to Attack and Health is massive. Even just the solo 20% bonus helps bridge the stat gap between her 2024 release stats and the 2025 meta. This stat boost is permanent for the battle, making her much tankier than her base card suggests.

Passives

Marked by the Old Ones is her survival tool. It provides damage reduction based on her Insanity level. Since she gives herself 50 Insanity immediately upon casting, she instantly gains significant damage mitigation (around 25% reduction). This makes her surprisingly sturdy after she fires, compensating for her average defense stats.

Aether Power

Attack Up is a standard but effective choice. Since her proc damage relies on her attack stat, this directly increases the output of every "Yellow Signs" trigger. It is simple, effective, and plays to her strengths.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

When Dolores was released in mid-2024, she was a chase hero for those who missed out on Guardian Hippo or wanted a Holy equivalent. The "Secret Hero" status gave her an air of exclusivity.

Power Creep Analysis: By late 2025 standards, her direct damage percentages (220% to 3) are acceptable but not earth-shattering. However, the mechanic of out-of-turn damage remains top-tier. Heroes that deal damage without using a turn are timelessly valuable because they break the action economy of the game.

Modern Viability Verdict: Dolores remains highly viable in offense, particularly in wars and raids. She is less dominant in defense because the AI cannot manage the Insanity risk effectively. In PvE and Titans, her stacking attack and mana buffs make her a staple for high scores, provided you can keep her from going insane and attacking your own team. She has transitioned from a "mysterious secret weapon" to a "high-skill technical tool" for veteran players.

Costume & Costume Bonus

As of this review, Dolores does not have a costume. She relies entirely on her base kit. Given the trajectory of Secret Heroes, a costume might eventually appear to update her stats to modern standards, but for now, she stands on her own two feet (and one big gun).

Emblem Path Analysis

Dolores is a Cleric, which grants her the Manashield talent. This is excellent for a fast hero, as resisting mana control allows her to fire and start her damage engine.

The Survivor (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps her alive longer to keep the buff active. Her passive damage reduction synergizes well with high health/defense.
• Cons: Slightly lowers the damage per proc.

The Gunslinger

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes the 220% damage hit and the Attack Aether power.
• Cons: She might die before your allies can cast enough skills to make it worth it.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Survivor (Defense/Health) path is recommended. Her primary job is to exist and maintain the buff while your other heroes do the casting. Dead investigators solve no crimes.

Strengths

• Passive Damage Output: Deals significant damage freely when allies cast specials.
• Team Buffing: Provides very strong, undispellable (via dispel, though stacks have their own rules) Attack and Mana generation stacks.
• Survivability: Passive damage reduction kicks in immediately after she casts.
• Titan Utility: High attack buff ceiling and mana speed increase are great for Titans.

Weaknesses

• Insanity Risk: A second cast carries a high risk of hitting your own team unless you have managed her Insanity level.
• RNG Targeting: Hitting random targets can sometimes leave high-priority threats alive.
• Dependency: She does nothing on her own; she requires active allies to deal damage. If she is the last hero standing, she is nearly useless.

Best Game Modes

• Raids & Wars (Offense): Excellent in stacks where you control the timing of specials.
• Titans: The attack and mana stacks are invaluable for high scores.
• Towers/Events: Great for clearing waves quickly if paired with mana potions or fast heroes.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

The key to using Dolores is speed and synchronization. You want her to fire first, followed immediately by as many allies as possible.

Sample Team Ideas

1. The Holy Gatling Gun:
   • Composition: Dolores - Fast Holy Healer - Fast Holy Hitter - Fast Holy Hitter - Holy EDD
   • Why: A mono-Yellow or 4-1 team ensures that when tiles align, everyone charges at once. Dolores fires, then 3-4 other heroes fire, triggering her damage 3-4 times instantly.
2. The Insanity Management Team:
   • Composition: Dolores - Goldie/Ptolemy (Ailment Blockers/Healers) - Damage Dealers
   • Why: Healers reduce insanity. Fast healers can keep Dolores "sane" enough to cast a second time safely. Note that ailment immunity prevents the application of some negative effects, but Insanity is often unpreventable; check current mechanics as they update, but generally, raw healing is the only way to reduce the Insanity counter.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Taunt Heroes: If Dolores goes insane and targets allies, a Taunt hero on your team might force her to hit them, saving the rest of the team. Conversely, enemy Taunt heroes absorb all her "random" hits.
• Silence/Mana Control: If she cannot cast, she is dead weight.
• Slow Heroes: Do not pair her with Slow heroes. By the time they charge, her 4-turn buff might have expired.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Dolores early, congratulations. She is a powerful tool but requires a specific team to work. Do not use her as your only damage dealer. She is a force multiplier. Build a team of Fast or Average speed heroes around her. Be very careful about casting her special a second time in the same battle; check her Insanity percentage first.

Advice for Veterans

Dolores is a fun, high-ceiling hero for war depth. She is not the set-and-forget auto-win button that some modern heroes are, but she rewards manual play. Is she worth Alpha Aethers? Probably not unless you use her daily in your main raid team or on Titans. Save the Alphas for heroes with better base stats or game-breaking defensive passives.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

When Dolores first appeared, the community was split. Some called her a "Holy Hippo," excited about the damage potential. Others were terrified of the Insanity mechanic, calling it "Russian Roulette with worse odds." One player notably lamented, "She is not overpowered because insanity is Russian roulette... maybe taunt is the way to go." Another joked about her name reminding them of a certain hated Harry Potter character, hoping she would be just as annoying to enemies. The consensus has settled that she is powerful on offense but a liability on defense due to the AI's inability to calculate risk.

Final Thoughts

Dolores is the kind of hero that makes Empires & Puzzles fun. She breaks the monotony of "charge and fire" with a mechanic that requires risk assessment. While her stats are showing their age in late 2025, her unique ability to turn your team into a machine gun of holy damage ensures she has a place in many rosters. Just remember: there is a fine line between a brilliant investigation and a complete mental breakdown, and Dolores dances right on top of it.

Value of Costume: N/A

Verdict: Keep her, level her, but maybe don't let her hold the map during important alliance wars.