Zengar (Costume): The "Cultivating Beast"

Overview

Zengar's "Farmer" costume (C1) is one of the most drastic glow-ups in Empires & Puzzles history. Released in August 2025, it reimagines the crazed barbarian as a... crazed farmer? He swaps his class to Druid, his axe for a "Great Frost Hoe," and his stats for something that can actually survive a modern raid. Unlike his base form, which was strictly an anti-Fire specialist, Farmer Zengar is a universal threat who just happens to really hate weeds (and Fire heroes).

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Hero Art & Visuals

The art team had fun with this one. Base Zengar looked like a generic fantasy berserker. Costume Zengar is shirtless, wearing denim overalls (or close enough), and carrying a basket of vegetables while wielding a high-tech hoe. It’s ridiculous, campy, and wonderful. It fits the "Cultivating Beast" moniker perfectly. You can almost hear him shouting "GET OFF MY LAWN" as he casts his special.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: The difference is night and day.

• Health: 2525! This is a massive leap from the 1700s of the base version. He is now a meat shield.
• Attack: 1216 is respectable and allows his damage to actually sting.
• Power: At 1226, he fits comfortably into the 2025 meta, even if he's not quite at the 1280 peak of the newest Tower heroes. He is no longer a liability on the team.

Special Skill: Great Frost Hoe

This skill is the "fix" the community asked for.

• The Big Change: He now deals 450% damage to the target unconditionally.
  • Base Zengar did 200%. That's a 125% increase in raw multiplier, not counting the huge attack stat boost.
  • 450% at Fast speed is sniper territory.
• The Bonus: If the target is Fire, he still deals 400% to nearby enemies.
• The DoT: 1020 Frost damage over 3 turns (340 per turn!). This melts enemies. If the target is Fire, the neighbors get 693 Frost damage.

Analysis: You can now bring Zengar against any team. Hitting a blue/green/purple/yellow hero for 450% + 1020 DoT is a death sentence for most. But if you catch a Red hero? It's a team wipe. The flexibility is incredible.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Fast.
• Base Damage (Raw): 450% x 1216 Attack ≈ 5,472 damage. (Compared to ~1,700 for the base). This is a 3x damage increase.
• DoT: 1020 over 3 turns = 340 damage/turn. This is higher than many dedicated DoT heroes.
• Passives: The Troop Mastery is upgraded to +150% extra damage against weak elements. His tiles against Red enemies are basically nuclear bombs.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

Standard Super Elemental bonus. Free damage gems are always welcome.

Passives

• Troop Mastery: Now +150% (up from 100%). If you ghost three blue tiles into a Red hero, they might just evaporate from the passive alone. The defense reduction (-25%) makes him surprisingly tanky against Nature heroes.

Aether Power

Counterattack: A bit of an odd choice for a sniper/DoT dealer. He isn't a tank, but having a cheeky counterattack can punish AoE hitters who try to soften him up.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Base Zengar was a joke. Costume Zengar is the punchline that knocks you out.
• Power Creep Analysis: He leapfrogged two years of power creep. His stats are competitive with the "Construct" and "Astral" heroes of late 2025.
• Modern Viability: High. He is a premier offensive hero. He works as a sniper in any stack and a sweeper against Reds.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Comparison to Base:

• Base: Niche anti-Red tool. High risk, medium reward.
• Costume: Universal sniper. Low risk, extreme reward (vs Red).
• Verdict: There is absolutely no reason to use the base version if you have the costume. The costume does everything the base does, but better, and works against non-Red targets too.

Emblem Path Analysis

Zengar is a Druid in costume.

The Harvestbringer (Attack Path)

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: His primary job is damage. 450% multiplier scales beautifully with high attack. The DoT also benefits from high attack stats indirectly (as dead enemies can't cleanse).
• Cons: Druid minions add survivability, so you can afford to neglect defense slightly.

Final Recommendation

Attack Path. You want him to kill the target instantly or let the massive DoT finish them off.

Strengths

• Versatility: No longer restricted to hunting Red tanks. 450% snipe works on anyone.
• Massive DoT: 1020 damage is enormous. It puts immense pressure on cleansers.
• Tile Damage: +150% elemental damage passive is arguably the strongest tile passive in the game.

Weaknesses

• Cleansers: His damage potential relies partially on that juicy DoT. A fast cleanser (like a Toon Costume Vivica) can neuter 30% of his output.
• Aether Power: Counterattack is "meh" compared to "Attack Up" or "Special Boost" which would have suited him better.

Best Game Modes

• Raids/War Attack: A staple in any Blue stack.
• Titans: The +150% passive makes him a titan god against Red Titans.
• Buff Booster: The fast speed and high damage shine here.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The Frosty Farm: Costume Alasie - Farmer Zengar - Sobek. Three fast/average blues that hit hard. Alasie slows them down, Sobek softens them up, Zengar executes the survivors.
• The "We Hate Red" Club: Camilla - Farmer Zengar - Lord Loki. Use Loki to copy the Red tank (if interesting) or just tile them out with Zengar's passive.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Ailment Immunity: Heroes like Hathor or Aramis who block ailments prevent his massive DoT.
• Gargoyles: Stoneskin reduces his 450% hit to 1 damage.

Advice for New Players

If you pull this costume, max him immediately. He is a carry hero. He is sturdy enough to be your tank in mid-game and strong enough to be your main sniper in endgame.

Advice for Veterans

He replaces your older snipers like Magni or Alice completely. He competes with the likes of Waterpipe or Quintin for a spot, but offers more raw damage output against Reds. He is worth the Limit Break materials for the stats alone.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "Zengar is Roz's older brother?" - Fans noted the family resemblance.
• "Zengar looks like he creates crystal of something that is definitely not ice." - The "Breaking Bad" jokes were rampant with his base art.
• "I played with Anzia during the elemental challenge and she is AWESOME." - While Anzia got the early hype, Farmer Zengar is the late bloomer who stole the show.

Final Thoughts

Zengar went from "Zero" to "Hero" (or rather, "Farmer"). It's rare to see a costume fix a hero's fundamental design flaws so perfectly. He retains his anti-Fire identity but stops being useless against everyone else. Plus, killing a dark lord with a hoe is the kind of humiliation we play this game for.

Verdict: Excellent. A must-level if you have the costume.