El Duque "Exalted Gargoyle" Guide: 5 Star 5 Fire Monk

Hero Review

El Duque: The Furious Gargoyle Fist of Speed

"El Duque was once the speed demon of the Gargoyles, bringing infinite defense down stacks at blistering Very Fast speed. But in an era where modern heroes have double his health, is his Stoneskin enough to keep him alive, or is he just a fragile relic of the past? We analyze his niche viability."

Read Full ReviewIn-Depth Analysis & Strategy

Special Skill

Fists of Atonement

Mana Speed

Very Fast

Deals 355% damage to the target and minor damage to nearby enemies.
Stack: (Max: 10): The target and nearby enemies get -9% defense.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

6.5Base Tiles

9% Bonus

6Tiles

Family Bonus

Challenge - Gargoyle

Bonus for 1/2/3/ Unique Heroes:
Immune to Poison damage / Immune to Poison and Burn damage / Immune to Poison, Burn and Water damage
The members of this family have additional perks in the Return to Sanctuary event.

Passives

Inherent Abilities

Passive Skills

Gargoyle's Stoneskin
Every time this Gargoyle casts a Special Skill, their Stoneskin hardens. The next 2 times they receive damage, it is dropped to 1. This effect can't be dispelled.

Aether Power

Counterattack

At the start of each battle, this Hero counterattacks with 60% of the damage received for 6 turns.

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

Talents

Class Talent

Master Withstand

30% chance to resist status ailments. If status ailments were resisted, the following effects are also activated:

Cleanses the newest status ailment from this character.

Hero Coach Info

Ascension Support

Hero Coach Date

Available Since

May 12th, 2024

How it works

By utilizing the Hero Coach, you can reach the Maximum Ascension of a Legendary hero instantly. This bypasses the requirement for rare 4★ Materials (like Alpha Aethers and Damaskus Blades) and ignores the traditional leveling time.

Explore Full Coach Roster

Visiting Outfitter Info

Get this costume

Visiting Outfitter Date

🎭

No Costumes Available

This hero does not currently have any costumes in the game. As a result, they do not appear in the Visiting Outfitter events.

Matching Legendary Troops

Mighty Monk

Furious Monk

special_damage_reduction_legendary_troop

Royal Sorcerer

Serene Brute

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Monk heroes of the Red element.

Click here to view the full guide on how to obtain and best utilize these powerful troops!

Mana Optimization Strategy

How it works

By default, El Duque has Very Fast mana speed, requiring 6.5 tiles to charge. Equipping troops with a Mana Bonus can reach specific Breakpoints — the exact percentages where your tile count drops — allowing your hero to fire their special skill faster, with less tiles. Additionally, as a Monk, this hero can unlock a +4% Mana Bonus through Emblems (Talent Tree). These bonuses can significantly lower the troop level required to reach these breakpoints.

Standard6.5Tiles

Optimized6Tiles

status_effect_attack_addition_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

18 Variants Matching

Default6.5 Tiles

Optimized

6Tiles

Required Level

LVL 19

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 1

Need Bonus:9%

Combined bonuses:+9%

Breakpoint Achieved!

status_effect_defense_reduction_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

2 Variants Matching

Default6.5 Tiles

Optimized

6Tiles

Required Level

LVL 20

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 1

Need Bonus:9%

Combined bonuses:+9%

Breakpoint Achieved!

4★ Mana Troop Set

2 Variants Matching

Default6.5 Tiles

Optimized

6Tiles

Required Level

LVL 11

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 1

Need Bonus:9%

Combined bonuses:+9%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

El Duque "Exalted Gargoyle"

Rarity
ElementFire
ClassMonk
Mana SpeedVery Fast
Skill Types
AoE Attackers (Hit-3)Stacking Heroes Debuffers (DEF)Damage Reducers
SourceChallenge - Gargoyle
FamilyGargoyle Family
Aether PowerCounterattack
CostumeBase
Release DateMay 12, 2022
Availability
Coach:May 12, 2024
HA10:May 12, 2024

Ascension Requirements

Tier

Food

Materials

Tier 2Ascension Cost

273K

★★★

★★★

★★

Tier 3Ascension Cost

442K

★★★

★★★

★★★

★★★

Tier 4Ascension Cost

708K

★★★★

★★★★

★★★★

★★★

Limit Break Requirements

Tier

Materials

Limit Break 1Unlock Cost

★★★★★

★★★★

★★★

LB 1 LevelsTotal Cost

★★★

★★★

Limit Break 2Unlock Cost

★★★★★

★★★★

★★★

LB 2 LevelsTotal Cost

★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★

★★★

Stats & Emblems

Simulation: 0 Emblems

Level				💪
4/80	832	780	1481	841
4/85lb1	896	841	1596	897
4/90lb2	1026	962	1826	1009

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+225 & +3%

Defense

+90

Health

+136 & +3%

Mana

+4%

Crit

+2%

Resource Costs

Emblems

1,740

Master

Food

6,041,800

Iron

6,041,800

+18

+15

+18

+3%

+15

+2%

+18

+15

+18

+15

+18

+36

+3%

+4%

+50

Community Feedback

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Overall Grade

Overall performance in the current meta

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Strong

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Average

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Weak

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Terrible

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Summon Value

Is this hero worth your gems and tokens?

Yes, Absolutely

0v0%

Only if you’re Pay-to-Win

0v0%

Yes, but only when featured

0v0%

Not Really

0v0%

Not at all

0v0%

Copies to Keep

How many copies are worth keeping and leveling?

None

0v0%

1 Copy

0v0%

2 Copies

0v0%

3+ Copies

0v0%

Limit Break Priority

Priority for applying Limit Breaks

LB2 (Alpha)

0v0%

LB1

0v0%

None

0v0%

Emblem Path

General emblem path preference

Sword path (Attack when possible)

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Shield path (HP and Def when possible)

0v0%

Node Strategy

Specific node priority strategy

Atk > Def > HP

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Atk > HP > Def

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Def > Atk > HP

0v0%

Def > HP > Atk

0v0%

HP > Atk > Def

0v0%

HP > Def > Atk

0v0%

Best Def Position

Best placement in a defense formation

Tank

0v0%

Flank

0v0%

Wing

0v0%

None

0v0%

Primary Use (Max 3)

Top scenarios where this hero excels

Raids/War

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Defense

0v0%

Titans

0v0%

Tournaments

0v0%

Events

0v0%

Farming

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Visual Design

What do you think of the visual design?

Amazing

0v0%

Refreshingly new

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It’s ok

0v0%

It could be better

0v0%

Very bad

0v0%

Discussion

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions about El Duque

What element and rarity is El Duque in Empires & Puzzles? +

El Duque is a 5 star Fire hero (Red) with legendary rarity.

What is El Duque's special skill? +

El Duque's special skill is called "Fists of Atonement". Deals 355% damage to the target and minor damage to nearby enemies. Stack: (Max: 10): The target and nearby enemies get -9% defense.

When was El Duque released? +

El Duque was released on May 12, 2022.

Which family does El Duque belong to? +

El Duque belongs to the Gargoyle Family. Bonus for 1/2/3/ Unique Heroes:. Immune to Poison damage / Immune to Poison and Burn damage / Immune to Poison, Burn and Water damage. The members of this family have additional perks in the Return to Sanctuary event.

What are El Duque's passive skills? +

Gargoyle's Stoneskin: Every time this Gargoyle casts a Special Skill, their Stoneskin hardens. The next 2 times they receive damage, it is dropped to 1. This effect can't be dispelled.

What is the mana speed of El Duque? +

El Duque has Very Fast mana speed.

Hero Review

El Duque: The Furious Gargoyle Fist of Speed

Special Skill

Fists of Atonement

Family Bonus

Challenge - Gargoyle

Passives

Passive Skills

Aether Power

Counterattack

Talents

Master Withstand

Hero Coach Info

Hero Coach Date

How it works

Visiting Outfitter Info

Visiting Outfitter Date

No Costumes Available

Matching Legendary Troops

Mana Optimization Strategy

How it works

5★ Mana Troop Set

5★ Mana Troop Set

4★ Mana Troop Set

General Information

El Duque "Exalted Gargoyle"

Ascension Requirements

Limit Break Requirements

Stats & Emblems

Simulation: 0 Emblems

Community Feedback

Overall Grade

Summon Value

Copies to Keep

Limit Break Priority

Emblem Path

Node Strategy

Best Def Position

Primary Use (Max 3)

Visual Design

Discussion

Join the Hero Discussion

Council Login Required

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about El Duque