Hohenwerf: The Fiendish Gargoyle of Mindless Misery

Overview

Hohenwerf is a 5-star Fire (Red) hero from the Sanctuary of Gargoyles challenge event. Released back in September 2022, he entered the game as a premier fast-speed sniper with a nasty trick up his stony sleeve: the ability to force enemies into a "Mindless Attack" loop via a unique Fiend. While he lacks a costume to update his wardrobe (and stats), his base kit remains mechanically distinct. Think of him as a statue that comes to life not to protect the garden, but to relentlessly annoy your neighbors until they punch their own friends.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Hohenwerf looks like he woke up on the wrong side of the cathedral. He is a hulking, winged beast with a lion-esque face and massive horns, rendered in stone-grey tones with ominous red accents on his armor. It’s a classic "Gargoyle" aesthetic—imposing, ancient, and very much ready to drop a rock on someone's head. Unlike the more elegant heroes of the opera or the beach party, Hohenwerf is here to remind us that sometimes, you just need a big, angry monster.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: Let's not sugarcoat it: by 2026 standards, Hohenwerf's stats are relics of a bygone era.

• Attack (805): In a world where new attackers push 1300+ base attack, 805 is considered low. Even with Limit Breaks, he struggles to compete with the raw damage of modern snipers.
• Defense (801) & Health (1501): These defensive stats are now "paper-thin." A modern sniper breath could accidentally shatter him.
• The Saving Grace: His Stoneskin passive (detailed below) is the only thing keeping him relevant. Without it, he would be unplayable in top-tier content.

Special Skill: Possessor of Penance

Skill Analysis: "Possessor of Penance" is a fascinating skill that prioritizes control over raw destruction.

• The Snipe (450%): At Fast speed, this used to be a kill shot. Nowadays, against 3000 HP enemies, it's more of a "firm tap." Do not expect him to one-shot healthy targets.
• The Fiend (The Real Star): The Gargoyle Fiend is the reason you play Hohenwerf.
  • Mindless Attack: If the target's mana fills while they have this fiend, they cast Mindless Attack on a random ally (wasting their mana). This is undispellable as long as the fiend exists.
  • Healing Thief: It absorbs 30% of the target's max HP in healing. This makes removing the fiend (and thus the Mindless Attack status) difficult without a dedicated overhealer or minion destroyer.
  • The Explosion: After 4 turns, the fiend pops for 150 damage. This is negligible damage, but it means the control is not infinite. However, 4 turns of potential lockdown at Fast speed is excellent.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Fast (8 tiles). With a Lv. 29 Mana Troop (or Lv. 11+ with 4% talent node), he charges in 7 tiles. This 7-tile breakpoint is critical for his viability, allowing him to shut down key threats before they fire.
• Damage Potential:
  • Base Attack: ~805
  • Skill Multiplier: 450%
  • Rough Damage Value: ~3,622 (before defense reduction). For comparison, modern snipers often output 6,000+ effective damage values.
• Control Value: If he hits a healer or a slow hero, he can effectively buy your team 4 turns of safety. That utility often outweighs his lack of damage.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

Analysis: The Gargoyle Family bonus offers immunity to Poison (1 hero), Poison + Burn (2 heroes), or Poison + Burn + Water/Frost (3 heroes). While niche, immunity to Burn helps against the plethora of red damage-over-time heroes.

Passives

Analysis:Gargoyle's Stoneskin is arguably the best defensive passive in the game's history relative to its era.

• The Effect: After casting, the next 3 times he takes damage, it is reduced to 1.
• The Impact: This completely negates three hits, whether they are tiles, slashes, or massive sniper specials. It makes him deceptively tanky if he can fire his skill. If he dies before firing, he's just a statue.

Aether Power

Analysis:Rage gives a boost to special skill damage at the start of battle. It helps patch up his outdated damage slightly, but "Defense Up" or "Dodge" might have been better to ensure he survives long enough to activate Stoneskin.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Hohenwerf was a tactical monster. The ability to lock down "Overpowered" slow heroes (like Alfrike or Khufu) at Fast speed made him a top-tier attacker.
• Power Creep: The stat gap is undeniable. Modern heroes have nearly double his effective bulk and damage. His 450% hit is no longer a threat; it's the Fiend that matters.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche / Utility Only.
  • He is no longer viable on Defense; he's too easy to kill with tile damage before he fires, and minion counters are everywhere.
  • On Offense, he remains a potent tool for War and Tournaments where you need to shut down a specific, dangerous target (like a reviver) quickly. He is a surgeon's scalpel, not a sledgehammer.

Costume & Costume Bonus

As of this review, Hohenwerf does not have a costume. This is his biggest drawback. Without the stat boost from a costume bonus, he falls further behind with every new hero release.

Emblem Path Analysis

Because Hohenwerf relies entirely on his Special Skill to survive (via Stoneskin) and be useful (via Fiend), staying alive is priority number one.

The Survivalist (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his chances of surviving the initial board movement to fire his skill once. Once he fires, Stoneskin takes over.
• Cons: His snipe damage becomes negligible, serving only as a delivery system for the Fiend.

The Glass Sniper

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Tries to keep his 450% hit relevant.
• Cons: Extremely risky. With ~1500 base HP, a modern hero breathing on him might kill him before he gets 7 tiles.

Final Recommendation

Go Defense/Health. You aren't bringing him to kill people with damage; you are bringing him to shut them up with a Gargoyle.

Strengths

• Fast Mana Control: The ability to block an enemy special skill and drain their mana (via Mindless Attack) at Fast speed is elite utility.
• Stoneskin Durability: Once active, he becomes temporarily invincible to direct damage, allowing him to tank hits that would kill modern heroes.
• Healer Counter: The fiend absorbs healing, making it doubly effective against healers (who can't heal it off easily) and preventing them from cleansing the effect.

Weaknesses

• Ancient Stats: His survivability before casting is terrible. He is a liability if the board is bad.
• Fiend Immunity: Monks, Clerics, and heroes with "Resist Ailments" can resist the Mindless Attack effect or the Fiend itself.
• Minion/Fiend Counters: Modern heroes who destroy minions/fiends or prevent them (like Lunar New Year heroes) completely neuter his kit.
• 4-Turn Limit: Unlike the original Mindless Attack (which lasts until mana is full), the Fiend expires after 4 turns, meaning the control isn't truly "infinite."

Best Game Modes

• War Attack: Excellent for neutralizing a specific threat (e.g., a Mother North wing or a Khufu flank).
• Tournaments (Rush): In Rush Attack, his stoneskin makes him annoying, though he faces stiff competition.
• Tournaments (Bloody Battle): God Tier. In Bloody Battle, healing is blocked, so the Fiend cannot be healed off (unless destroyed by a special skill). The Mindless Attack threat remains active until the fiend naturally expires.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Red Control" Stack: Hohenwerf + Tetisheri + Gestalt.
  • Why: Fast mana generation. Tetisheri provides mana, Gestalt hits hard, and Hohenwerf locks down the survivor or the healer.
• The "Anti-Healer" Squad: Hohenwerf + Any Anti-Heal Hero (e.g., Perkin).
  • Why: If you block healing, the Fiend stays.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Garnet/Vanda (Ailment Block), Grimble/Bera/Eloise (Minion/Fiend Destroyers), Monks/Clerics (Resist the effect).
• Anti-Synergy: Minion Blockers. If you use a hero that prevents everyone from getting minions/fiends, Hohenwerf does nothing.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled him early, rejoice! He is a game-changer for map stages and early raiding. His stoneskin will let him cheese bosses that should surely kill him. Level him immediately; he will teach you the value of mana control.

Advice for Veterans

Hohenwerf is a luxury tool. Do not Limit Break him (especially LB2) unless you lack modern red options. His utility works at 4/80 for the most part. If you face a team with 6000+ Team Power, leave him on the bench unless you can protect him or guarantee 7 red tiles instantly.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• The "Infinite" Dream: When first previewed, players feared an "infinite mindless attack loop." The 4-turn explosion limit was added to prevent him from permanently locking down a hero with zero counterplay.
• The Zocc Comparison: Players often compared him to Zocc (Green). The consensus was Hohenwerf is better because "he hits harder and doesn't give mana to the enemy," though Zocc's control is technically separate from a fiend (so harder to block with anti-minion tech).
• User Quote: "I hate gargoyles... mindless attack... alfrike is super light." - A frustrated summoner realizing the annoyance potential.

Final Thoughts

Hohenwerf is the definition of "Old but Gold" mechanics trapped in a "Bronze Age" body. His ability to turn an enemy's mana bar against them is timeless, but his stats are undeniably dusty. He is a fantastic hero to have in your depth chart for War, ready to tag in when you see a reviver that needs to be silenced immediately. Just don't ask him to arm-wrestle the new dragons or goblins; he'll crumble.

Verdict: A tactical gem for offense, but keep him away from the defense team.

Comparison to Base: N/A (No Costume)