Liu Bei: The Minion Mastermind or Yesterday's News?

Overview

Liu Bei, the Warlord of Shu, arrived with the War of Three Kingdoms event in 2022, introducing a mechanic that still holds a unique tactical niche: minions that grant counterattack. A Nature (Green) Legendary Druid, he was designed to punish AoE hitters by turning their damage against them. While his costume has since arrived to pump him full of modern steroids, this review focuses on the base version—the original tactician. Is there still a place for him, or has the battlefield simply moved on?

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Hero Art & Visuals

Liu Bei’s design exudes calm authority. Clad in regal green robes with gold accents, he stands not as a berserker, but as a commander. The artwork captures the essence of a strategist; he’s not screaming in rage, he’s likely calculating the exact moment your defense is going to crumble. It’s a classic, high-fantasy look that fits the Three Kingdoms theme perfectly, though he looks perhaps a bit too calm for someone whose stats are currently being besieged by power creep.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: To put it bluntly, Liu Bei's base stats are severely outdated.

• Attack (815): This was respectable in 2022, but modern hitters are pushing 1300+. He hits like a wet noodle compared to today's nukers.
• Defense (799) & Health (1450): These durability stats are dangerously low for Average speed. A modern sniper can often one-shot him before he even thinks about summoning a minion.
• Power (836): Sitting nearly 400 points below current top-tier heroes, he struggles to keep up without heavy emblem and limit break investment—and even then, it's an uphill battle.

Special Skill: Call to Arms

Skill Analysis: "Call to Arms" is a tactical Swiss Army knife that has dulled with age.

1. Damage (340% to 3): This is decent coverage, but with his low base attack, it's more of a "soften them up" hit than a kill shot.
2. Shu Soldier Minions: He summons a minion for everyone. This is his core identity.
   • The Good: 5 minions mean 5 meat shields and 5 sources of small damage.
   • The Bad: At 16% HP, these minions are incredibly fragile by modern standards. A single passive tick or a sneeze from a modern hero can wipe them out.
3. Undispellable Counterattack: This is the gem. The minions grant a 60% counterattack to their owner. It’s undispellable as long as the minion lives. This forces enemies to bring minion removal or risk taking recoil damage.

By the Numbers

• Effective Speed: Average. With the Kingdom Family Bonus, he can gain small amounts of mana when minions are summoned, potentially speeding up subsequent casts, but his initial charge is standard.
• Minion Health: With 1450 base HP (unemblemed), a 16% minion has only ~232 HP.
• Counterattack Potential: 60% is a solid number. If an enemy deals 1000 damage to a hero with a minion, they take 600 back. However, since the minion has low HP, it often dies in the first hit, removing the counterattack buff immediately after that hit.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Kingdom Family is all about the swarm.

Family Bonus

Analysis: This is excellent in minion-heavy teams (e.g., paired with Zhuge Liang or Diaochan). Gaining mana and health every time a minion pops up creates a sustain loop. Unfortunately, base Liu Bei often dies before he can get this engine running efficiently.

Passives

Analysis: Base Liu Bei does not have innate passives, a stark contrast to modern heroes who come with two or three paragraphs of bonus effects.

Aether Power

Analysis: Damage Reduction fits him well since he needs to survive to fire. It helps mitigate his outdated defense stat, but it's a band-aid on a bullet wound.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Liu Bei was a menace. He punished the AoE meta (like Frigg and Odin) because hitting his team meant taking massive recoil damage. He was a staple in top-tier defenses.
• Power Creep Analysis: The game has shifted to "Anti-Minion" and "Buff Block" mechanics. Heroes like Ogima, Grimsteel, or anyone with Lunar effects punish minion summoners severely. Plus, his stats simply can't survive the alpha-strike meta.
• Modern Viability: Low. He is largely relegated to Bloody Battle tournaments (where minions act as pseudo-healing) or mid-tier wars. In top-tier play, he is a liability without his costume.

Costume & Costume Bonus

This is where the tragedy of the base hero becomes apparent.

• The Costume Upgrade: The costume pushes his stats into the 1100+ power range.
• Minion Beef: The costume minions have 33% HP compared to the base's 16%. That is literally double the survivability.
• The Trade-off: Base Liu Bei has a slightly higher counterattack percentage (60% vs 55%). However, because the base minions are so weak, they die instantly, removing the buff. The costume's minions survive, keeping the 55% counterattack active much longer.
• Verdict: The Costume is superior in almost every conceivable way solely due to the minion survivability and stat modernization.

Emblem Path Analysis

If you are using base Liu Bei, you are likely using him for the minions.

The Survivor (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps him alive long enough to fire. Boosts minion HP (since it scales off his max HP).
• Cons: His hit becomes negligible.

Final Recommendation

Go Defense/Health. His damage is irrelevant; his value is in the tactical annoyance of his minions.

Strengths

• Undispellable Counterattack: As long as the minion lives, the buff stays.
• Full Team Cover: Summons a minion for everyone, protecting the whole team from snipers (partially) and providing team-wide recoil.
• Family Synergy: Great mana generation in a full Kingdom stack.

Weaknesses

• Paper Thin Minions: 16% HP is too low for 2026. They vanish instantly.
• Outdated Stats: He is squishy and slow by modern standards.
• Minion Counters: He feeds heroes like Ogima or Alucard who thrive on destroying minions.

Best Game Modes

• Bloody Battle Tournaments: Minions provide "healing" and the counterattack punishes enemies who can't heal the recoil damage.
• Auto-Farming: Minions add safety and speed up waves.
• Map Stages: Good for keeping the team alive against bosses.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Stop Hitting Yourself" Team: Liu Bei + Ferant + Azmia. Layering counterattacks (though be careful, standard counterattack buffs might overwrite or conflict depending on the source, but Liu Bei's is tied to the minion).
• The Kingdom Swarm: Liu Bei + Diaochan + Sun Quan. Maximize the family bonus for rapid mana gain.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Grimsteel/Ogima: They destroy minions and deal massive damage to minion owners.
• Eloise: Removes minions from everyone before dealing damage.
• Lunar New Year Heroes: Their passives often punish minion summoners.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled him early, he is a fantastic tank or flank for your level. He will carry you through Season 2 and 3 hard modes effortlessly. Level him, but maybe hold off on Limit Breaking if you have newer green heroes.

Advice for Veterans

Without the costume, he is a benchwarmer. He might see play in a specific 5-star Rush tournament or as a cleanup team member in War, but do not prioritize him over modern heroes. If you have the costume, level the costume immediately.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "I got this guy upon his release, was very excited... but was never able to find a place for him to fit with my play." - A player struggling with his niche even at release.
• The community affectionately (or not) dubbed his minions "Slimy Minions" due to their green, blob-like nature in early discussions.
• "With costume, he is really beast." - The general consensus post-buff. The base version is viewed fondly but acknowledged as retired.

Final Thoughts

Base Liu Bei is a retired general. He has the medals and the war stories, but his armor doesn't fit anymore and his sword is dull. He introduced a cool mechanic, but without the raw stats and minion HP of his costume, he fails to execute his strategy in the modern arena. If you have him, pray for the costume keys.

Verdict: Retired Legend. (Viable only with Costume).