Roc: The Eagle Who Forgot to Be Fast

Overview

Roc is a 5-star Legendary hero from the Sand Empire family, originally released during the summer event of 2020. Representing the Holy (Yellow) element, he was introduced as a utility support hero capable of cleansing allies and bleeding enemies dry with sand damage. In his base form, he is a Barbarian, designed to whittle opponents down rather than blast them into oblivion.

This review focuses on the base version of Roc. While his costume gives him a trendy jacket and a juice box (and significantly different skills), the original bird is all about cleansing and healing inhibition. Unfortunately, he is often cited as a prime example of a hero who was "balanced" a bit too aggressively before release, clipping his wings before he ever really took flight.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Visually, Roc is stunning. He is depicted as a massive, majestic bird of prey, a mythological Roc, swooping down with talons bared. The scale is impressive, looking like he could easily carry off an elephant (or at least a very large Goblin). It is a classic fantasy creature design done right—feral, powerful, and imposing. It is arguably some of the best creature art from that era of the game, which makes his lackluster performance sting just a little bit more. You look at him and expect a tempest; you get a gentle sandstorm.

General Info

Hero Stats

Base Stats (No Costume Bonus)

Level	Attack	Defense	Health	💪Power
4/80	762	739	1361	789
4/85lb1	821	796	1467	840
4/90lb2	939	911	1678	943

Costume BonusApply Stats

▶Calculate with Emblems

Simulation: 0 Emblems

Level				💪
4/80	762	739	1361	789
4/85lb1	821	796	1467	840
4/90lb2	939	911	1678	943

To put it bluntly, Roc's base stats are archaic. With an attack of 762, defense of 739, and health of 1361, he is sitting approximately 500-600 points lower in stats compared to modern heroes released in late 2025.

For context, modern 5-star heroes boast attack and defense stats pushing 1300+ and health pools over 2200. Roc's raw power (789) is lower than many modern Limit Broken 4-star heroes. In the current meta, he is extremely fragile and lacks the punch to make his Damage over Time (DoT) threatening without significant emblem and Limit Break investment, which is frankly hard to justify given the alternatives.

Special Skill: Sand Cyclone

Special Skill

Sand Cyclone

Mana Speed

Average

• All enemies receive 324 Sand damage over 3 turns.
• All enemies get -50% decrease for any healing received for 2 turns. This effect can't be cleansed.
• Cleanses status ailments from all allies.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

10Base Tiles

12% Bonus

9Tiles

Analysis: "Sand Cyclone" is a mixed bag of utility that suffers greatly from being Average speed.

1. Sand Damage: Dealing 306 damage over 3 turns (roughly 102 per turn) was underwhelming in 2020. In 2026, it is barely a scratch. It can help finish off enemies clinging to life, but it won't win battles on its own.
2. Healing Reduction: The -50% healing reduction for 2 turns is his most unique offensive trait. It is undispellable, which is excellent, but the duration is pitifully short. At Average speed, timing this to actually block a heal is difficult. By the time you charge Roc, the enemy healer has likely already fired or is just about to, and a 2-turn window is easily waited out.
3. Cleanse: This is his saving grace. Cleansing status ailments from all allies is always valuable. However, doing it at Average speed is often too slow in a meta dominated by Fast and Very Fast ailment casters.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed Analysis: Roc is Average speed, requiring 10 tiles to charge (or 9 with a Level 23 Mana Troop). This is the biggest hurdle for his usability. Had he remained Fast (as he was in Beta), he would be a staple cleanser.
• Damage Calculation: 306 damage over 3 turns is fixed DoT. Unlike direct damage, it ignores defense but doesn't crit. Modern heroes often deal 1000+ damage instantly. Roc's total output is less than a single tile match from a modern titan team.
• Healing Support: He prevents 50% of incoming healing. If a modern healer like Hathor tries to heal 1500 HP, Roc cuts that down to 750. Useful, but again, the 2-turn duration is the bottleneck.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

Family Bonus

Monthly Event - Sand Empire

• Bonus for 1/2/3 Unique Heroes:
• +5%/+10%/+20% defense
• The members of this family have additional perks in the Sand Empire event.

The Sand Empire family bonus provides a defense boost (10%/20%) and a boost to healing received. While extra defense helps his low stats, it requires fielding multiple Sand Empire heroes. Most of the family is outdated, making this synergy rare to utilize effectively in competitive play.

Passives

Base Roc does not possess any innate passive skills, a hallmark of older heroes. This puts him at a disadvantage against modern heroes who often come with two or three powerful passive effects (like mana reduction resist or starting battle with mana).

Aether Power

Aether Power

Dodge

At the start of each battle, this Hero gets 20% chance to dodge Special Skills that deal damage for 6 turns.

In battles with multiple waves, the effect is refreshed at the beginning of each wave.

Dodge: This is actually a decent Aether power for him. Since he is fragile, the ability to dodge special skills gives him a lifeline to survive long enough to cast his cleanse. It adds a layer of survivability that his base stats desperately lack.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: When Roc was released, the meta was dominated by the "GTV" (Gravemaker, Telluria, Vela) trio. Players were desperate for cleansers to wipe away the DoT from GM and Vela and the mana slow from Telluria. Roc should have been the answer. However, his shift from Fast to Average speed just before release killed his hype immediately. He went from a potential meta-counter to a "bench warmer" overnight.
• Power Creep Analysis: The power creep has been unkind. His DoT is negligible, his stats are paper-thin, and his utility is too slow. Modern cleansers often come with boosts (Health, Attack) or immunity, and they do it faster or with better stats.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Base Roc is essentially obsolete for high-level play. He serves a niche role for newer players who lack a 5-star cleanser, but he is arguably outperformed by Costume Rigard (a 4-star) who cleanses, heals, and buffs attack. Roc is primarily a collector's item or a depth hero for War of Three Kingdoms.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Comparison to Costume: The Costume (Protector of the Beach) completely changes his role.

• Role Shift: Base Roc is a Cleanser and Heal Blocker. Costume Roc is a Dispeller and Defense Debuffer.
• Damage: The costume deals significantly higher Sand damage (780 over 4 turns vs 306 over 3 turns).
• Utility: The Costume's defense down (-44%) is generally more offensive and universally useful than the base version's healing reduction.
• Verdict: The Costume is vastly superior in almost every scenario. It turns him into a offensive support hero who softens up the enemy team. The only reason to use Base Roc is if you specifically need a Cleanse and have no other option.

Costume Bonus: The costume bonus provides significant stat boosts (Attack, Defense, Health, and Mana). Even if you plan to use the Base version, leveling the costume is mandatory to make his stats somewhat respectable.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Survivalist (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Roc's primary job is to survive long enough to Cleanse. His base defense is low, so he needs every point of bulk he can get. His DoT does not scale with attack stats (unlike bleed or burn in some mechanics, Sand is usually fixed based on the skill level, though barbarian bleed does scale), so Attack is less critical.
• Cons: His tile damage will be weak, but he isn't a sniper anyway.

The Bleeder

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes tile damage and Barbarian bleed damage (if it triggers).
• Cons: He will die to a stiff breeze in modern wars.

Final Recommendation

For the few players using Base Roc, the Survivalist path is the only logical choice. You bring him to Cleanse; he can't Cleanse if he's dead.

Strengths

• Cleanse All: Removes ailments from the entire team, a vital utility against DoT and defense-down heroes.
• Undispellable Heal Reduction: Can stifle heavy healing teams if timed correctly.
• Barbarian Class: Bleed damage can stack with his Sand damage for extra chip damage.

Weaknesses

• Abysmal Stats: Severely outdated stats make him an easy target.
• Average Speed: Too slow for a cleanser who doesn't heal or provide immunity.
• Weak DoT: His special skill damage is negligible in the current era of boosted health.
• Short Duration: The healing ailment only lasts 2 turns, making it easy to play around.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack Wars/Tournaments: At Very Fast speed, his Cleanse becomes much more reliable, and he can keep the healing reduction active more often.
• Bloody Battle: The healing reduction is useless here, but the DoT and Cleanse are still valid. However, he's generally weak here.
• Depth Wars: When you run out of main healers/cleansers in the late stages of war.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Cleanse & Sustain" (Yellow Stack): Roc - Gullinbursti - Joon - Mist - Jackal
  • Why: Roc keeps the team clean of ailments while Gullinbursti provides the overheal Roc lacks. Mist slows down the enemy mana, giving Roc time to charge.
• The DoT Stack (For Fun): Roc - Proteus - Costume Kelile - Vela - Marianne
  • Why: Stack as many different DoT effects (Sand, Poison, Burn, Water) as possible to melt enemies without touching them.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Garnet/Vanda/Hathor (Ailment Blockers prevent his Sand and Heal reduction), Costume Rigard (Cleanses his ailments easily).
• Anti-Synergy: Costume Vivica. She is also yellow, cleanses, and does defense down. They overlap roles awkwardly without enough synergy to justify bringing both.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Roc early in your game, congratulations on the 5-star! He can serve as your primary cleanser if you don't have Rigard or Sabina. Focus on keeping him alive. Do not prioritize him over modern 4-star heroes or stronger 5-star heroes. He is a "use what you have" hero, not a "chase" hero.

Advice for Veterans

Roc serves almost no purpose for a veteran roster unless you are playing in a very deep War of Three Kingdoms roster or specifically need a yellow cleanser for a niche Rush Attack team. He is not worth Alpha Aethers. If you have the costume, use the costume. If you don't, he stays on the bench.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community's relationship with Roc is one of disappointment and "what ifs."

• The Beta Heartbreak: In Beta, Roc was Fast speed. The community widely regarded the change to Average as a "neutering" that killed the hero on arrival. One player lamented, "Super disappointed he was changed to average. This hero needed to be fast to be viable in the age of Telly."
• The "Average" Complaint: Many players compared him unfavorably to Jean-François, noting that JF does similar DoT at Fast speed. "Don’t understand the average nerf at all. Damage is right in line with fast JF who is not really a world beater."
• Art Appreciation: Despite his skills, he wins the beauty pageant. "I don’t care what his power does... I want him because he is absolutely awesome looking. Cracking art whoever did it."

Final Thoughts

Roc is a tragedy of game balance. He is a majestic design trapped in a mediocrity cage built by a pre-release nerf. In his base form, he simply does not do enough to justify a spot on a modern team. He cleanses, which is great, but he does it slowly and weakly. If you have his costume, you have a usable hero. If you only have the base version, you have a very pretty museum exhibit.

Final Recommendation: Bench him unless you are desperate for a yellow cleanser.