Helgi: The Dwarven Rage Runner Who Refuses to Let the Party End

Overview

Helgi entered the fray in late 2024 as part of the Untold Tales 2 expansion, representing the fiery depths of the Nidavellir family. As a Rare (3-star) Fire Paladin, he brings a mechanic often reserved for high-end 5-star heroes: the ability to hit random enemies multiple times and, crucially, reset the duration of buffs for his allies.

While he operates at Slow speed, which usually sentences a 3-star hero to the bench outside of Rush Attack tournaments, Helgi's kit is potent enough to warrant a second look. He is essentially a chaotic damage dealer who doubles as a support unit, keeping your team's defensive layers fresh while burning the opposition to a crisp. If you ever wanted a "pocket Gestalt" or a "mini-Congalach" for your 3-star roster, Helgi is applying for the job.

Hero Art & Visuals

Visually, Helgi is exactly what you'd expect from a "Dwarven Rage Runner." He’s stout, armored in what looks like copper and leather, and wields dual blades that seem to have seen plenty of action. The art captures a sense of movement and aggression, fitting for a hero whose special skill involves flailing about at eight random targets. The molten aesthetic ties him perfectly to the Fire element and the Nidavellir lore, though one has to wonder if running with scissors (or dual daggers) is safe in a volcano.

General Info

Hero Stats

When we look at Helgi's stats in the context of late 2025, he sits in a respectable but slightly aging position. With a base power of 499 and an LB2 power of 673, he trails slightly behind the newest 2025 3-star monsters like Ali (who pushes 725 Power).

However, his stat distribution is quite tanky for a damage dealer. His base defense (535) and HP (670) allow him to survive long enough to fire his slow skill, especially when bolstered by his Paladin class talent. While he doesn't have the raw attack stat of a pure sniper, his damage comes from volume (number of hits) rather than single-hit intensity.

Special Skill: Dwarven Flourish

Analysis: The "Dwarven Flourish" is a two-part cocktail of chaos and utility:

1. 130% Damage to 8 Random Enemies: This is the headline grabber. In a standard 5v5 match, this guarantees every enemy gets hit at least once, with three lucky (or unlucky) enemies taking a double tap. As the field thins out, this skill becomes exponentially more dangerous. If you are down to one enemy, Helgi unloads all 8 hits on them for a theoretical 1040% damage. It’s a "clean-up" skill that punishes dwindling teams.
2. Buff Duration Reset (All Allies): This is the sleeper hit of his kit. If your Faiez has active ailments protection, or your Shrubbear has Taunt active, Helgi resets their timers back to the start. In Rush tournaments, this allows for near-infinite uptime on critical buffs without needing to recharge the original caster.

By the Numbers

Let's break down the math behind the dwarf:

• Mana Speed: Slow. He needs 12 tiles to charge. In Rush Attack, this becomes 6.5 tiles (effectively Very Fast), which is where he truly shines.
• Total Damage Output: 130% x 8 hits = 1040% Total Damage.
  • Vs 5 Enemies: Average of 208% damage per enemy (distributed unevenly).
  • Vs 1 Enemy: 1040% damage to a single target. This is "delete button" territory for a 3-star.
• Corrosive Burn (Passive): On top of the direct damage, his Molten Core applies a Corrosive Burn. At max charge, this can deal significant damage (approx 147 damage over 3 turns) and lower defense by -12% per turn. This softens targets up for subsequent hits or tile damage.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Nidavellir family brings a modern complexity to the 3-star arena.

Family Bonus

The Nidavellir bonus interacts with the Untold Tales stages, providing perks there. In PvP, the "Family" identity is less about a stat boost and more about the shared Molten Core mechanic.

Passives

Analysis:

1. Empowered Resist Burn: This is a hard counter to the ubiquitous Toon Jahangir in 3-star Rush tournaments. Not only does Helgi ignore the burn, but he also heals himself for 450 boosted HP (a massive amount for a 3-star) and gains mana. Bringing a burner against Helgi is essentially feeding him.
2. Molten Core: This charges when he takes damage. When he finally fires, he releases a Corrosive Burn. It deals extra damage to minions, making him a decent soft-counter to summoners, though the damage bonus isn't his primary feature.

Aether Power

Attack Up: A simple but effective boost. Since his special deals 130% damage eight times, increasing his base attack stat scales that damage up significantly across all 8 hits.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Released in Dec 2024, Helgi was immediately identified as a "Rush War specialist." He wasn't designed to change the meta of standard speed play but to dominate specific niches.
• Power Creep Analysis: A year later, in late 2025, Helgi is still relevant because mechanics like "Buff Duration Reset" don't age. Stats can be crept, but utility remains king. While newer heroes like Ali have higher raw stats, Helgi's ability to extend the dominance of a Shrubbear or Faiez keeps him in the conversation.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche but Deadly. He is not a hero you take everywhere. In standard raids, he is too slow and unreliable. In Rush Attack 3-star tournaments, he is a top-tier threat, often sitting on the wing to punish teams that can't kill him fast enough.

Costume & Costume Bonus

At the time of writing, Helgi does not have a costume. This review focuses on his base form.

Emblem Path Analysis

Helgi is a Paladin, which gives him a chance to boost defense when attacked. There are two schools of thought here:

The "Rage" Build (Attack > Defense > HP)

• Path: Focus entirely on Attack nodes.
• Pros: Maximizes the output of his 8 hits. Since 130% is a relatively low multiplier per hit, every point of Attack helps penetrate defense.
• Cons: He is Slow. If he dies before he fires, his Attack stat is useless.

The "Survivor" Build (Defense > HP > Attack)

• Path: Focus on Defense and Health.
• Pros: Synergizes with his Paladin class and Molten Core charging mechanic (he wants to get hit to charge the core). Ensures he survives long enough to fire and reset buffs.
• Cons: His 130% hits might feel like "tickles" against highly emblemmed modern defenders.

Final Recommendation

For most players, a Balanced/Defensive path is safer. Helgi's primary value is the Buff Reset and the chaos he causes if he fires. Keeping him alive is priority #1. However, if you use him solely for Rush, you might get away with an Attack build.

Strengths

• Buff Duration Reset: A rare and powerful support tool that extends Taunt, Defense Up, and Ailment Blocks from allies.
• Massive Total Damage: 1040% total damage potential is incredibly high for a 3-star.
• Burn Counter: Punishes enemies for bringing Burn heroes (looking at you, Jahangir and Numbskull).
• Finishing Power: Becomes more dangerous as the enemy team dwindles.

Weaknesses

• Slow Speed: painful to use outside of Rush formats or heavy mana support.
• RNG Targeting: You cannot rely on him to snipe a specific threat. He might hit a dying enemy once and a full HP enemy 7 times, or vice versa.
• Vulnerable Before Firing: Like all slow heroes, he can be controlled or killed before impacting the match.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack Tournaments (3-Star): This is his home. He is an S-tier pick here.
• Challenge Events: Potentially useful for clearing waves of mobs due to the 8 hits, though animations can be slow for competitive times.
• Farming: Fun to watch him clear a wave of weak monsters solo.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

1. The "Immortal" Rush Team:
   • Members: Shrubbear - Treevil - Faiez - Helgi - Buster
   • Strategy: Shrubbear protects, Faiez blocks ailments and heals. Helgi fires to reset Shrubbear's Taunt and Faiez's protection, keeping the team permanently buffed while dealing chip damage.
2. The "Burn Ward" Team:
   • Members: Helgi - Rekhetre - Edelaide - Kornel - Bagreg
   • Strategy: Helgi is used here specifically to counter a heavy red defense. His passive converts enemy burns into health for himself, acting as a pseudo-healer.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Joukahainen (removes buffs, negating Helgi's reset value), Kvasir (minions can absorb random hits), Silencers (stop him from ever firing).
• Anti-Synergy: Don't pair him with too many other Slow heroes in standard speed modes; you'll never get the engine running.

Advice for New Players

If you pull Helgi early, he can be a bit tricky. His slow speed makes him hard to use in map stages until you have mana troops (which you won't have early on) or potions. Keep him, but prioritize leveling faster 3-star heroes like Treevil or standard snipers first. He is a "tournament specialist" to level up once your core roster is solid.

Advice for Veterans

You likely have a roster full of 3-stars. Helgi is worth the roster spot specifically for Rush Tournaments. The interaction of resetting buffs is unique enough that it won't be easily power-crept. He doesn't need Alpha Aethers to do his job (reset buffs), but LB1 is recommended to keep his stats relevant against 2025 heroes.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reaction to Helgi was mixed but generally positive regarding his niche.

• One player noted, "The special counters Shrubbear. We’ll see if he can one-shot him like Guardian Elephant does." (Referring to the heavy damage potential).
• Others focused on the passive: "This passive is a funny way to punish Toon Jahangir in Rush tournaments."
• Comparison to big hitters was common: "Looks like 3 Congalach"* and "Poor man's Gestalt."
• However, the randomness frustrated some: "random usually means exactly that. It doesn’t mean he will hit all 5 enemies then 3 more, he could just hit 2 enemies 4 times each."

Final Thoughts

Helgi is not a hero for every battle. In a standard raid, he's a slow, drunk dwarf who might show up too late to the fight. But in a Rush Tournament, he transforms into a tactical genius, extending your team's best buffs and raining fire on the enemy team with reckless abandon. He is a specialist tool—one that you'll be very glad to have in your toolbox when the tournament ruleset shifts to "Very Fast."

Verdict: A must-level for Rush Tournament enthusiasts, a skip for those who hate RNG.

Note: This review reflects the game state as of December 2025.