Holly "Gnome Head Chef" Guide: 4 Star 4 Holy Cleric

Hero Review

Holly Review: Slow Cooked to... Perfection?

"Holly brings a Hearty Stew to the battlefield, mixing healing, minions, and attack buffs into one pot. But with a Slow mana speed and a reliance on tile luck, is this gnome chef serving a Michelin-star meal or just cold leftovers? We taste-test her kit to see if she deserves a spot on your roster."

Read Full ReviewIn-Depth Analysis & Strategy

Special Skill

Hearty Stew

Mana Speed

Slow

Recovers 20% heath for all allies.
Recovers additional 3% health per each Holy shield on the board, up to 44% health in total.
Summons an Elf Minion for each ally with 10% HP and 10% attack inherited from the caster.
All allies get +14% attack, and a further 5% increase per each Holy shield on the board for 4 turns, up to +54% attack.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

12Base Tiles

10% Bonus

11Tiles

Family Bonus

Monthly Event - Winter

Bonus for 2/3 Unique Heroes:
+2%/ +3% health for Minions inherited from their summoner.
+5%/+10% attack for Minions inherited from their summoner.
The members of this family have additional perks in the Santa's Challenge event.

Passives

No passives found

Aether Power

Defense Up

At the start of each battle, this Hero gets 20% defense for 6 turns.

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

Talents

Class Talent

Master Manashield

35% chance to resist negative mana effects and effects that prevent the use of Special Skills. If effects were resisted, the following effects are also activated:

This character and nearby allies recover 10% health.

Hero Coach Info

Ascension Support

Hero Coach Date

🎓

Not Eligible for Coaching

The Hero Coach event is exclusive to 5★ Legendary heroes. Lower rarity heroes are not eligible for instant ascension.

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

Unwavering Cleric

Divine Cleric

status_effect_defense_reduction_legendary_troop

Unstoppable Fighter

Devoted Knight

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Cleric heroes of the Yellow 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, Holly has Slow mana speed, requiring 12 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 Cleric, this hero can unlock a +2% Mana Bonus through Emblems (Talent Tree). These bonuses can significantly lower the troop level required to reach these breakpoints.

Standard12Tiles

Optimized10Tiles

status_effect_attack_addition_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

8 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 28

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 19

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

5★ Mana Troop Set

10 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 19

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

5★ Mana Troop Set

2 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 20

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Divine Wizards

Magic Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 11

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 5

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+10%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

Need Bonus:20%

This Troop:+20%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Monastic Battlemages

Mana Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 17

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 11

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

Holly "Gnome Head Chef"

Rarity
ElementHoly
ClassCleric
Mana SpeedSlow
Skill Types
Buffers (ATK)Healers Minions Summoners
SourceMonthly Event - Winter
FamilyWinter Family
Aether PowerDefense Up
CostumeBase
Release DateDec 1, 2022
Availability
Coach:Dec 1, 2024
HA8:Dec 1, 2024

Ascension Requirements

Tier

Food

Materials

Tier 2Ascension Cost

132K

★★

★★

★★

Tier 3Ascension Cost

273K

★★★

★★★

★★

Tier 4Ascension Cost

442K

★★★

★★★

★★★

★★★

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				💪
4/70	622	716	1298	684
4/75lb1	676	778	1410	736
4/80lb2	784	902	1635	840

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+225

Defense

+90 & +3%

Health

+136 & +3%

Mana

+2%

Healing

+4%

Resource Costs

Emblems

755

Master

Food

2,620,853

Iron

1,588,878

+18

+15

+18

+3%

+15

+3%

+18

+15

+18

+15

+18

+36

+2%

+4%

+50

Community Feedback

0 Strategists Contributing

Explore collective wisdom! Hero discussion and tactical reports have moved to our official Discord Community. You can still contribute intel here, but the main strategy hub has shifted!

DiscordLive Strategy Hub

Overall Grade

Overall performance in the current meta

0v0%

Strong

0v0%

Average

0v0%

Weak

0v0%

Terrible

0v0%

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)

0v0%

Shield path (HP and Def when possible)

0v0%

Node Strategy

Specific node priority strategy

Atk > Def > HP

0v0%

Atk > HP > Def

0v0%

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

0v0%

Defense

0v0%

Titans

0v0%

Tournaments

0v0%

Events

0v0%

Farming

0v0%

Visual Design

What do you think of the visual design?

Amazing

0v0%

Refreshingly new

0v0%

It’s ok

0v0%

It could be better

0v0%

Very bad

0v0%

Discussion

Council Login Required

Awaiting strategic reports...

Be the first to brief the community!

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Holly

What element and rarity is Holly in Empires & Puzzles? +

Holly is a 4 star Holy hero (Yellow) with epic rarity.

What is Holly's special skill? +

Holly's special skill is called "Hearty Stew". Recovers 20% heath for all allies. Recovers additional 3% health per each Holy shield on the board, up to 44% health in total. Summons an Elf Minion for each ally with 10% HP and 10% attack inherited from the caster. All allies get +14% attack, and a further 5% increase per each Holy shield on the board for 4 turns, up to +54% attack.

When was Holly released? +

Holly was released on Dec 1, 2022.

Which family does Holly belong to? +

Holly belongs to the Winter Family. Bonus for 2/3 Unique Heroes:. +2%/ +3% health for Minions inherited from their summoner.. +5%/+10% attack for Minions inherited from their summoner.. The members of this family have additional perks in the Santa's Challenge event.

What is the mana speed of Holly? +

Holly has Slow mana speed.

Hero Review

Holly Review: Slow Cooked to... Perfection?

Special Skill

Hearty Stew

Family Bonus

Monthly Event - Winter

Passives

Aether Power

Defense Up

Talents

Master Manashield

Hero Coach Info

Hero Coach Date

Not Eligible for Coaching

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

5★ Mana Troop Set

Divine Wizards

Monastic Battlemages

General Information

Holly "Gnome Head Chef"

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 Holly