Högne: The Ice-Cold Executioner of Boosted Health

Overview

Högne, the Dwarven Great Knight, hails from the Myrkheim realm within the Untold Tales (Treasures of Flame and Frost). As a 5-star Ice element Paladin, he was released in early 2025 and has since undergone some significant tuning to keep him competitive. He functions primarily as a sturdy punishing hitter who specializes in dismantling teams that rely on healing and boosted health. While he might look like he’s just returned from a very intense LARP session in a freezer, his kit is designed to counter the fiery meta and sustain long battles.

Hero Art & Visuals

Högne’s design is a striking mix of high fantasy dwarf and frost giant aesthetics. He sports a magnificent, jagged crystal beard that looks like it would snag on every sweater he owns, and a helmet that screams "I am the pointy end of the glacier." The color palette is a cool wash of azures, cyans, and steel greys, contrasting sharply with the warm, fiery background of the Myrkheim realm. His weapon—a massive, translucent ice axe—looks heavy enough to sink a ship. Compared to the more whimsical designs of some recent heroes, Högne feels grounded, brutal, and appropriately cold.

General Info

Hero Stats

Högne enters the arena with a stat distribution that leans towards durability, fitting his Paladin class. With a base Defense of 1200 and Health exceeding 2300, he is built to take a hit. His Attack stat of 1170 is respectable but slightly trails behind the hyper-aggressive snipers released in late 2025 (who are pushing 1300+ attack). However, his stats are still well within the "modern" bracket, ensuring he doesn't melt instantly under tile damage. When Limit Broken, his bulk becomes truly formidable, allowing him to serve as a reliable flank or even a tank in specific war formats.

Special Skill: Glacial Fissure Cleave

Glacial Fissure Cleave is a multi-faceted skill that requires a bit of unpacking. Unlike traditional percentage-based hits, Högne uses the "capped damage" mechanic seen in several Untold Tales heroes. He deals up to 2300 damage to the target and nearby enemies. This damage scales based on his attack stat (modified by Growth) and the enemy's defense (modified by Wither/Defense Down).

The secondary effects are arguably where his true value lies. The 40% extra damage against Fire enemies makes him a specific predator for red tanks or flanks. Crucially, the skill never misses, making him a hard counter to dodge heroes or blind-heavy teams. The massive Max Health reduction (800 base, plus an additional 600 if the target has boosted health) is devastating against overheal teams, effectively deleting their safety net. Finally, the -70% healing ailment ensures they can't recover from the assault easily.

By the Numbers

Let's break down the math behind the dwarf:

• Mana Speed: Average (10 tiles). With a level 29 Magic/Styx troop or sufficient mana bonuses (Bard, etc.), you can drop this to 9 tiles, making him significantly more dangerous.
• Damage Potential: The skill states "up to 2300 damage." In practice, without Growth or Wither support, you likely won't hit this cap against modern high-defense heroes. You can expect a solid hit, but it won't be 2300 flat every time. However, against Fire enemies, that 40% bonus is calculated after the base damage determination, leading to truly massive numbers.
• Health Swing: A single cast reduces the enemy's max HP by 800. If they have boosted health, that reduction jumps to 1400. That is essentially a one-shot kill on a support hero's health bar capacity.
• Healing Denial: -70% healing for 4 turns is a near-total shutdown. A standard 40% healer would only recover 12% health for their team while this is active.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Högne benefits from the Myrkheim family and a set of passive abilities that increase his sustainability and damage output.

Family Bonus

The Myrkheim family bonus provides buffs when multiple family members are present, but for a 5-star like Högne, the primary draw is the Realm effect associated with his "Core."

Passives

Arctic Core: This is his defining mechanic. Every time he casts his special, he charges his core and applies Corrosive Frost to all enemies. This deals damage and lowers their attack by -15% per turn. Over 3 turns, that is a debilitating attack drop, softening the enemy team significantly. It also deals extra damage to minions, giving him utility against summoners.

Empowered Resist Frost: This makes him an excellent counter to other Ice heroes. Resisting frost ailments grants him a massive 450 boosted health and 5% mana. If you bring him against a defense heavy on water damage or frost DoT, he becomes nearly unkillable.

Aether Power

Defense Up: At the start of the battle, he gains a defense buff. This simple but effective power helps him survive the initial onslaught of fast heroes before he can charge his Average speed skill.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

When Högne was first released, he was met with a lukewarm reception due to the "capped damage" mechanic feeling underwhelming at Average speed. However, subsequent buffs to his damage cap (now 2300), max health reduction (now 800), and healing ailment (-70%) have significantly improved his standing.

In the late 2025 meta, pure damage dealers often fall off quickly, but heroes who mess with health mechanics tend to age better. Högne's ability to slash max health is a permanent scar on the enemy team (unless they have a specific cleanser/healer combo). While he isn't the absolute top-tier god of the arena compared to the very latest "Very Fast" monsters, he is a solid A-tier hero who excels in Wars and prolonged battles. He hasn't been power-crept into oblivion; rather, he has found a comfortable niche as a tank-buster and stall-breaker.

Emblem Path Analysis

As a Paladin, Högne has access to the strong "Protect" talent. Your emblem choice should depend on where you use him.

The Frost Juggernaut (Defense Focus)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his survival, making him a tough nut to crack on defense teams. Synergizes with his high base HP and Aether power.
• Cons: His special skill damage relies partly on his attack stat to reach that 2300 cap. Lower attack means lower damage output.

The Glacier Breaker (Attack Focus)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Pushes his attack stat higher to help his "Glacial Fissure Cleave" get closer to its damage cap. Makes his DoT slightly stronger.
• Cons: Slightly less bulky, though his base stats are forgiving enough to handle this.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Attack Focus path is recommended. Högne is bulky enough naturally. To make his Average speed special worth the wait, you want it to hit as hard as possible, especially since he never misses.

Strengths

• Anti-Boosted Health: One of the strongest counters to overheal in the game, punishing teams that rely on extra HP.
• Reliability: The "Never Miss" attribute is invaluable against the Dodge meta.
• Element Hunter: Deals massive extra damage against Fire heroes.
• Debuff Utility: Simultaneously cripples enemy healing (-70%) and enemy attack (via Passive).
• Survivability: High base stats, innate defense buff (LB1), and a passive that heals him when resisting frost.

Weaknesses

• Average Speed: In a Very Fast meta, 10 tiles can sometimes be too slow to impact the match before it's decided.
• Capped Damage: Without external Attack buffs (Growth) or Defense Down on enemies (Wither), he may not reach his theoretical max damage potential against high-defense tanks.
• Cleanse Vulnerable: His Max Health reduction is permanent (mostly), but the Healing ailment and the Corrosive Frost can be cleansed.

Best Game Modes

• Alliance Wars: Excellent against Red tanks or teams using Boosted Health healers. Good in Rush Attack due to his devastating special.
• Events/Towers: His capped damage hits hard against bosses, and max health reduction is great for high-HP enemies.
• PvP Raids: A solid offensive pick to dismantle stall teams.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Högne shines when paired with heroes who can help him reach his damage cap or capitalize on his debuffs.

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Growth" Spurt: Pair Högne with heroes that provide Growth (e.g., Goblin heroes like Acidfire or Pepperflame). Growth directly modifies the Attack stat used for his damage calculation, allowing him to hit that 2300 cap easily.
• The Anti-Heal Clamp: Pair him with other healing reducers or blockers. If Högne applies -70% healing and a teammate adds another reduction or blocks healing entirely, the enemy simply cannot recover.
• Blue Stack vs Red Tank: Högne + Frida + Morel/Sobek. Frida provides Elemental Defense Down, Morel provides regular Defense Down. When Högne fires last, the damage against a Red tank is catastrophic.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Fast cleansers (like Costume Ariel or standard cleansers) can remove his healing debuff and passive DoT. However, they cannot reverse the Max Health reduction easily.
• Anti-Synergies: Avoid pairing him with heroes that overwrite his specific ailments with weaker versions, though his -70% healing is hard to beat.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Högne early, congrats! He is a carry hero. Focus on leveling him up. His ability to hit three targets and keep himself alive makes him great for map stages. Don't worry too much about the "capped damage" mechanics yet; just know that he hits hard and stops enemies from healing.

Advice for Veterans

Högne is a tool for specific jobs. He is your answer to those annoying overheal defenses or heavy Fire teams. Is he worth Alpha Aethers? If you lack a premier Blue hitter, yes. His passive immunity to Frost ailments and the defensive buff make him a safe bet. However, if you have the latest "hit-all" Very Fast Blue slayers, Högne might be a secondary option for War depth rather than your primary raid hero.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community was initially skeptical of Högne.

• "Average mana speed, hit 3... not a good reason to spend money," one user lamented upon release.
• However, after his buffs, opinions shifted. "2800 damage against Bearnadette is no joke," noted one player, highlighting his potential against Fire heroes.
• Another player pointed out his deceptive utility: "What people tend to overlook is that... he’s lowering the attack of every opponent by 15% round for round."
• The "capped damage" remains a point of contention, with some players feeling it limits his scaling with troops and buffs, while others appreciate the high floor it provides.

Final Thoughts

Högne is a dwarf who demands respect. He isn't the flashy, fast-twitch hero that ends a match in 3 turns, but he is the inevitable glacier that grinds the opponent into dust. With his buffs, he has transitioned from "meh" to "menacing." His kit shuts down two of the most potent defensive strategies: dodging and overhealing. If you need a reliable executioner who can swing a giant ice axe with surgical precision, Högne is your dwarf.

Verdict: A solid, reliable powerhouse who has aged like fine mead—getting stronger with time (and buffs). Keep him close when the fire heroes come out to play.

Note: Currently, Högne does not have a costume. His base form is robust enough to stand on its own, but keep an eye out for future Myrkheim updates.