Gooric, The Sanctified Slime: A Rollercoaster of Resurrection

Overview

Gooric, the legendary Holy hero from the Slime family, has had quite the journey in Empires & Puzzles. Released in early 2025, he started as a somewhat confusing support hero, evolved into an absolute terror on defense after a massive buff, and then found himself humbled by the nerf hammer in October 2025. He is a Cleric, which fits his theme of "The Pope Slime" perfectly. His primary role is keeping his team fighting through powerful buffs and a unique "Slime Revive" mechanic that allows defeated allies to return as slippery blobs before reforming into their original selves. While he isn't the invincible wall he briefly was, he remains a potent support hero who demands specific counters.

Hero Art & Visuals

Gooric's design is delightful and distinct. He essentially looks like a high-ranking bishop or pope who has been transmogrified into a giant mound of golden jelly. He wears the ceremonial mitre and carries a staff, but his body is translucent goo, with scrolls and artifacts floating suspended inside his gelatinous torso. It is a refreshing break from the usual edgy warriors or high-fantasy elves. The art perfectly captures the "Slime" aesthetic—wobbly, viscous, but weirdly dignified. It is hard to take a blob seriously, until that blob revives his entire team and wipes you out.

General Info

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Hero Stats

Gooric's stats reflect the power creep of early-to-mid 2025. With a base Power of 1172, Attack of 1246, Defense of 1159, and Health of 2051, he is a formidable stat stick.

Comparison to Modern Benchmarks: When we compare him to the very latest heroes like Devyani (released late 2025 with 1233 Power and 1303 Attack), Gooric is slightly behind the cutting edge but remains firmly in the upper echelon. His defensive stats are particularly robust, allowing him to survive long enough to fire his Average speed special. He is by no means "outdated" stat-wise; he can still soak up significant damage, especially when Emblemmed and Limit Broken.

Special Skill: Reviving Touch

Analysis: The "Reviving Touch" is a skill that has undergone significant changes.

The Buffs: Initially, he provides a massive +60% Attack and +44% Mana Generation for 5 turns. This combination alone makes him a threatening support hero. The mana generation allows his allies to fire repeatedly, and the attack buff ensures those hits hurt.
The Slime Revive: This is his signature move. Allies receive a status effect (Slime Revive). If they die with this effect, they don't die; they become a Slime with 100% Health (but reduced Attack/Defense). If that Slime survives for 3 turns, the original hero pops back out with the Slime's current health.
The Nerf (The Catch): As of the October 2025 balance update, the "Slime Revive" status effect can now be dispelled. This was a critical change. Previously, once Gooric fired, you had to kill the enemies twice, guaranteed. Now, a well-timed dispel (from heroes like Sabina, Hippo, or newer dispellers) can strip the revive safety net entirely, leaving the team vulnerable.
The Slime Form: The Slime itself is annoying. It has full health, meaning you have to chew through a 2000+ HP meat shield just to stop the hero from coming back.

By the Numbers

Mana Speed: Average. He requires 10 tiles to fire. With his own +44% Mana Gen buff active, subsequent fires can effectively become Fast or even Very Fast depending on troops.
Buff Duration: 5 turns is a long time in modern E&P. Most buffs last 3 or 4 turns. This extended duration forces the enemy to bring a dispeller or suffer under the weight of accelerated mana and heavy attacks for a significant portion of the match.
Effective Health: The "Slime" effectively adds a second life bar. If an ally has 2500 HP, dies, becomes a Slime with 2500 HP, and then reverts, you potentially have to deal 5000+ damage to permanently kill a single hero.
Attack Buff: +60% is on the higher end of standard attack buffs (usually capped around 50-55% for average speed supports without drawbacks).

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Slime family brings a unique "Mega Minion" mechanic that makes them exceptionally durable.

Family Bonus

The Slime family bonus is less about a direct stat boost and more about the innate nature of being a Slime—often interacting with other Slime heroes, though Gooric functions perfectly well on his own.

Passives

Slime Minion Upon Defeat: This is a fantastic stalling passive. When Gooric finally dies, he leaves behind Mega Minions for his neighbors. These aren't tiny paper minions; they have 50% HP. That is a huge meat shield protecting your flanks.
Slime Minion Split: This is his survival tool. If he takes a massive hit (more than 25% of his max health), he spawns a Mega Minion for himself. This mitigates sniping damage significantly, as the excess damage doesn't spill over from the hit that triggered it, and subsequent hits must go through the minion.

Aether Power

Damage Reduction is the ideal Aether Power for a tank or support hero. It ensures he takes less damage for the first few turns of the battle, increasing the likelihood that he fires his special skill at least once.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

Historical Context: Upon release, Gooric was widely considered underwhelming. Players joked he was the "worst hero in the game." Then came the May 2025 buff, adding the mana generation and increasing durations. Suddenly, he was everywhere. He became the premier tank in Top 100 wars, creating "unwinnable" scenarios where teams would endlessly revive and regenerate mana.
Power Creep & Nerf: The October 2025 nerf brought him back down to earth. By making the Slime Revive dispellable, he lost his "god mode" status on defense.
Modern Viability Verdict: Today, Gooric is a Strong but not Broken hero. On offense, he is excellent because you can time his buffs perfectly. On defense, he is risky; if the attacker brings a dispel, Gooric does very little. However, if the attacker lacks a dispel or fails to charge it in time, Gooric can still snowball a match into a victory. He is no longer the "must-have" tank, but he is a very capable flank or offensive support.

Costume & Costume Bonus

As of this review, Gooric does not have a costume.

Emblem Path Analysis

Gooric's job is to stay alive to cast his buffs and to survive long enough for his passive Mega Minions to be annoying.

The Divine Wall (Recommended)

Path: Defense > Health > Attack
Pros: Maximizes his tankiness. The higher his defense and health, the harder he is to kill before he fires. High health also benefits the Mega Minions he spawns.
Cons: His slime form attack and tile damage will be lower.

The Holy Striker

Path: Attack > Health > Defense
Pros: Increases tile damage and the attack stat of the Slime form (since it inherits 50% of the caster's stats).
Cons: Makes him squishier and less likely to fire his crucial buffs.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Divine Wall (Def/HP) path is recommended. Gooric is a support hero; his value comes from his skills, not his tile damage.

Strengths

Dual Buffs: +60% Attack and +44% Mana Gen is a potent offensive cocktail.
Resurrection Safety Net: Keeps your team in the fight even after they fall.
Passive Durability: The Slime Split passive makes him surprisingly resistant to heavy snipers.
Stalling: Between the revive mechanics and the Mega Minions on death, Gooric buys a lot of time for your team.

Weaknesses

Dispellable (Post-Nerf): His main gimmick, the Slime Revive, can now be wiped away by a simple dispel.
Passive Playstyle: He doesn't deal direct damage or heal immediately. If he fires when your team is at low health, they might die before the revive/buffs matter (especially if dispelled).
Timing: The Slime Revive is a preventative measure. If allies die before he fires, he can't bring them back. He is not a true resurrection hero like Mother North; he is a "pre-surrection" hero.

Best Game Modes

Rush Attack Wars/Tournaments: At Very Fast speed, Gooric is a nightmare. He fires constantly, keeping the mana and revive buffs active 100% of the time.
Tower Events: His buffs help your team sustain through long waves, and the revive acts as insurance against boss snipes.
Map Stages: Great for auto-farming or hard stages where you need survivability insurance.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

The "Undying" Rush Defense:
- Composition: Mother North - Gooric - Ludwig - Kalø - Heimdall
- Why: In Rush wars, this is pain. Gooric buffs mana and pre-revives. Ludwig charges everyone. If anyone dies, MN and Heimdall bring them back. Kalø punishes you if you manage to kill them.
The Offensive Steamroller:
- Composition: Gooric - - - -
- Why: Fire Gooric first. Your hitters now have +60% attack and regenerate mana rapidly for a second volley.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

Counters: Dispellable heroes are his kryptonite now (e.g., Sabina, Melendor, Domitia, Timmius). Buff Blockers (e.g., Mist, Franz) prevent the revive buff from landing. Malosi can block him from casting buffs entirely.
Anti-Synergies: Be careful pairing him with too many other passive heroes. You need someone to actually deal damage with that +60% attack buff.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Gooric, you have a fantastic support hero. Focus on keeping him alive. Don't worry about his damage; use him to make your 4-star hitters punch like 5-stars. He can carry you through difficult map stages by ensuring your team gets a "second life."

Advice for Veterans

Gooric has lost his luster as a top-tier war tank, but he is still a valuable tool for Rush wars and depth in War teams. Do not strip him of emblems unless you have a desperate need for Cleric emblems on a god-tier hero. He doesn't need Alpha Aethers anymore to be effective; LB1 is likely sufficient for offense.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community's relationship with Gooric has been... volatile.

"He went from trash to god to trash in 6 months," lamented one player after the October update.
Before the nerf, threads were titled "Gooric is ruining the game" and "The Pope Slime is unbeatable."
One user noted during his peak: "I’d rather face triple toon defenses than one Gooric. At least the toons die when you kill them."
Post-nerf, the sentiment shifted to: "Slime revive being dispellable kills his entire utility. He's back to the bench."

Final Thoughts

Gooric is a cautionary tale of balance in Empires & Puzzles. He is a hero who swings between "useless" and "broken" based on a few lines of code. Currently, he sits in a comfortable middle ground. He is annoying, sticky, and supportive, but no longer a game-breaking menace. He brings a lot of utility to the table, provided you can keep his buffs from being wiped clean. If you like playing with your food and winning via attrition and overwhelming buffs, the Pope Slime is your guy.

Final Verdict: A solid offensive support and Rush war specialist, but no longer the king of defense. Keep him, level him, but maybe don't build a shrine to him anymore.