Unferth, Hrunting's Bearer: The Very Fast Rogue With A Grudge

Overview

Unferth is a Rare (3-star) Dark hero hailing from the Beowulf family, released in February 2025. As a member of this literary-inspired clan, he brings a mix of straightforward aggression and slightly chaotic utility. He is a Very Fast sniper, a role that is always in high demand, particularly in the 3-star arena where matches can be decided in a blink.

Unlike the classic snipers of old who just hit and quit, Unferth comes with a modern kit that includes conditional extra damage and a lingering "Source of Ailments" mechanic. He is designed to be an opener, punishing healthy targets and then sowing discord among the enemy ranks over the subsequent turns. He's the kind of guy who stabs you first, then spends the next few minutes insulting your armor.

Hero Art & Visuals

Unferth is depicted as a brooding figure, draped in purple and dark leather, wielding a sword that seems to glow with a magical, perhaps ominous, energy. This sword is likely "Hrunting," the blade lent to Beowulf in the epic poem. His expression is one of confident malice, fitting for a character often portrayed as jealous or treacherous in the source material. The art style fits the Norse/Germanic theme of the Beowulf family perfectly, avoiding the cartoonish extremes for something a bit more gritty. The glow on the sword is a nice touch, suggesting that while he is a 3-star, he is packing 5-star heat.

General Info

Hero Stats

Unferth boasts a Power stat of 505, which is extremely competitive in the current landscape of 3-star heroes. For comparison, recently released heroes like Jax (Shadow Summon) and Ali (Temple Summon) sit around the 536-537 power mark. Unferth is right in the mix.

His stats are well-balanced but lean slightly towards Attack. With 537 Attack, he hits harder than many older 3-star snipers like Tyrum (even with costume bonuses) and is comparable to modern hitters. His bulk (759 HP and 521 Defense) is substantial enough to survive a few hits, especially considering he is a Rogue and might just dodge them anyway. In the realm of 3-star heroes, he is stat-heavy and modern.

Special Skill: Tempered Blade

Tempered Blade is a fascinating skill for a 3-star hero. It operates on three layers:

1. The Base Hit: 250% damage at Very Fast speed. This is decent, though not earth-shattering on its own.
2. The Conditional Boost: If the target has more than 70% health, the damage jumps to 300%. This clearly defines his role as an initiator. You want to fire him first.
3. The Generator: The "Source of Ailments" is a newer mechanic. Instead of applying a debuff instantly, he plants a generator that spits out a -50% Defense against Special Skills ailment to a random enemy at the start of each turn.

This randomness is the double-edged sword (pun intended). You cannot control who gets the defense down. However, -50% is a massive drop. Even if it is only against Special Skills, in a 3-star match where special skills often do the heavy lifting, this can turn a tanky enemy into paper.

By the Numbers

Mana Speed Analysis

Unferth is Very Fast. This means he requires 6.5 tiles to charge.

• In 3-star tournaments, you generally cannot use mana troops to break the 6-tile threshold easily (requires significant mana bonuses usually reserved for 5-star setups or specific family bonuses).
• However, charging in 6 or 7 tiles means he is often ready to fire after just two matches.

Damage Calculation

Note: These are estimates based on maxed stats without emblems or limit breaks.

• Base Attack: 537
• Scenario A (Target < 70% HP): 250% = ~1342 damage value (before defense reduction).
• Scenario B (Target > 70% HP): 300% = ~1611 damage value.
• Compared to a classic sniper like Balthazar (approx 295% on ~480 attack), Unferth hits significantly harder, especially as an opener.

Key Passives Impact

• Empowered Resist Mana Reduction: Not only does he resist mana cuts (making him a nightmare for heroes like Pixie or Bauchan), but he gains health (600 boosted HP in the data seems like a placeholder or scaling error for a 3-star, likely scaled down in-game, but the immunity is the key) and 10% mana. If you try to cut his mana, you just make him fire faster.
• Perfect Accuracy: He ignores blind and dodge. This is massive in the Rogue-heavy 3-star meta. He will hit C-Kalø, C-Kelile, or any other annoying dodger.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Beowulf family bonus provides a 75% to 100% chance to cleanse a status ailment from all allies when the hero receives special skill damage. This is an incredible defensive perk. If Unferth gets hit by a sniper or an AoE, he might just wipe the team clean of burns, poisons, or defense downs. It turns him into a passive cleanser.

Passives

We touched on these in the numbers section, but they bear repeating. Perfect Accuracy is a premium passive usually reserved for 5-star Ninjas or Constructs. Having this on a 3-star ensures his snipe always lands. The Mana Reduction Resistance makes him a hard counter to controller-style tanks.

Aether Power

Attack Up fits his role perfectly. As a sniper, you want him to hit as hard as possible. At the start of the battle (for the first 6 turns), his already high attack gets a further boost, ensuring that his opening strike (the 300% one) is likely lethal or crippling.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

Historical Context

Unferth is a relatively new addition (2025). He enters a 3-star meta dominated by Toons, Constructs, and powerful Event heroes.

Power Creep Analysis

His stats are top-tier. The jump from ~480 attack on classic heroes to ~537 on Unferth shows clear inflation. His passives are where the real power creep lies. Old 3-stars rarely had passives; Unferth has two game-changing ones plus a strong family bonus.

Modern Viability Verdict

Unferth is highly viable. He is a top contender for Dark stacks in Raid Tournaments and Challenge Events. His Very Fast speed makes him relevant in almost every format except perhaps Rush Attack, where everyone is Very Fast (though his specific skills still shine there).

Costume & Costume Bonus

Unferth does not currently possess a costume. This review focuses on his base form.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Assassin Build (Attack > Defense > Health)

• Path: Prioritize Attack nodes, then Defense.
• Pros: Maximizes the damage of his Very Fast snipe. Since he is a Rogue, high attack also benefits the bleed damage if he had it (he doesn't, but high tile damage is good).
• Cons: Slightly squishier, relying on Rogue dodge to survive.

The Survivor Build (Defense > Health > Attack)

• Path: Prioritize Defense and Health.
• Pros: Keeps him alive longer to let the "Source of Ailments" tick multiple times. Makes better use of the Family Bonus (needs to survive the hit to cleanse).
• Cons: His snipe might fail to secure a kill.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Attack path is recommended. Unferth is a sniper. His job is to eliminate a threat immediately. The faster he kills, the less damage your team takes. His Rogue talent provides enough survivability variance.

Strengths

• Speed: Very Fast mana allows him to dictate the pace of the match.
• Opening Burst: Dealing 300% damage to high-health targets punishes the enemy right out of the gate.
• Anti-Meta Passives: Never misses (counters Dodge) and resists Mana Control (counters popular 3-star tanks).
• Passive Cleanse: The family bonus can accidentally save your team.

Weaknesses

• Random Debuffing: The -50% defense against specials is huge, but you cannot control who it hits. It might hit a target you aren't ready to attack, or a healer who doesn't care.
• Damage Falloff: Once the target is below 70% HP, his damage drops to 250%. He becomes less effective as a finisher compared to an opener.
• Specific Debuff: The defense down is only against Special Skills, not tile damage.

Best Game Modes

• Buff Booster Tournaments: His Very Fast speed allows him to fire often, and while he doesn't buff himself, his raw damage output is excellent.
• Bloody Battle: Snipers are kings here. He kills things before they become a problem.
• Events: The "Source of Ailments" can be useful in boss waves to soften up targets for other heavy hitters.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

The "Purple Pain" Mono Stack (3-star)

• Maeve - Unferth - Treevil - Tyrum (Toon) - C-Bjorn
• Explanation: Unferth acts as the opener to snipe a key threat or soften them up for Maeve/Bjorn. Treevil slows everyone down.

The "Specials Only" Team

• Unferth - Noril - Unferth - Sally - Waqas
• Explanation: Unferth's ailment generator lowers defense against special skills. Pairing him with heavy AoE hitters like Sally or Waqas ensures that when the ailment lands, the follow-up AoE wipes the board.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Heroes who reflect status ailments (like the Glass family) can turn Unferth's ailment generator against his own team.
• Anti-Synergy: Avoid pairing him with heroes who overwrite defense down with a weaker version, though his is specific to Special Skills so it often stacks with regular defense down (check standard stacking rules, usually specific stacks with general).

Advice for New Players

If you pull Unferth early, rejoice. He is an excellent sniper who will serve you well through the map stages and low-level raids. He is cheap to level and teaches you the value of speed.

Advice for Veterans

Unferth is a staple for your 3-star tournament roster. He is worth the Limit Break and the Emblems. The second Limit Break (Alpha Aether) is a valid choice if you take 3-star tournaments seriously, as the Attack Up power makes him a fearsome opener.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reaction to Unferth has been generally positive, focused largely on his speed and class.

• One player noted, "5 pulls and he was my only new one. He seems good. A very fast rogue. I will definitely max him."
• Another pointed out his tournament viability: "Great card. He will be used in next tournaments."
• There is some curiosity about his "Source of Ailments" mechanic, with players testing how it interacts with other passives. The consensus is that a Very Fast Rogue is never a bad investment.

Final Thoughts

Unferth is a hero who knows exactly what he wants to be: a nuisance. He hits fast, he hits reasonably hard, and then he leaves a lingering problem for the enemy team in the form of random defense drops. While he lacks the sheer board-wiping terror of a Rush Attack Treevil, he offers consistency and precision. In the rock-paper-scissors world of 3-star combat, Unferth is a very sharp pair of scissors.

Verdict: Level him, emblem him, and let him carry Hrunting into battle. He is a cut above the average 3-star.