Philomena "Mesmerizing Faun Minstrel" Guide: 5 Star 5 Holy Fighter

Hero Review

Philomena: The Melody That Kills (Eventually)

"Philomena brings a unique twist to the battlefield with her Enchanting Melody. While her stats are starting to show their age, her ability to punish cleansers with a devastating Sleep ailment makes her a tactical nightmare. Is she worth the ascension mats in today's meta? We break down the math and the magic."

Read Full ReviewIn-Depth Analysis & Strategy

Special Skill

Enchanting Melody

Mana Speed

Fast

Deals 500% damage to the target and minor damage to nearby enemies.
Enhanced Defense Ailment: The target and nearby enemies get -50% defense against Special Skills. This effect lasts until the enemy takes damage from a Special Skill once.
After the Enhanced Defense Ailments ends or is removed or replaced, the enemy falls asleep and receives +70% increased damage while sleeping. (A sleeping character cannot gain mana or attack. The sleeping target is woken once it takes damage. This excludes damage from Minions, Fiends, Mega Minions and Mega Fiends. This effect is uncleansable.)

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

8Base Tiles

15% Bonus

7Tiles

Family Bonus

Wilderness Summon - Woodland Fauns

Bonus for 1 / 2 Heroes:
* 75% / 100% chance to resist mana reductions and mana status ailments. Each succesful resist by this family gives this character 15% mana.
* +50% / +100% more damage dealt against Minions and Mega Minions.

Passives

Inherent Abilities

Passive Skills

Minion Blind
All enemies' Minions have -60% accuracy. All enemies' Mega Minions have -50% accuracy.
Resist Insanity
This character is immune to Insanity.
Resist Attack Reduction
This character is immune to status ailments, stacks and Wither effects that affect attack.

Aether Power

Attack Up

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

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

Talents

Class Talent

Master Revive

When receiving a fatal attack, 30% chance to revive at the end of the turn. If revived, the following effects are also activated:

This character gets 25% attack for 2 turns.

Hero Coach Info

Ascension Support

Hero Coach Date

Available After

Apr 18th, 2027

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

status_effect_defense_reduction_legendary_troop

Unstoppable Fighter

status_effect_attack_reduction_legendary_troop

Swashbuckler Fighter

Unwavering Cleric

status_effect_attack_addition_legendary_troop

Battle Master Assassin

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Fighter 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, Philomena has Fast mana speed, requiring 8 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 Fighter, 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.

Standard8Tiles

Optimized7Tiles

Divine Wizards

Magic Troop

Default8 Tiles

Optimized

7Tiles

Required Level

LVL 23

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 17

Need Bonus:15%

Combined bonuses:+16%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Monastic Battlemages

Mana Troop

Default8 Tiles

Optimized

7Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

With +2% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 23

Need Bonus:15%

Combined bonuses:+15%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

Philomena "Mesmerizing Faun Minstrel"

Rarity
ElementHoly
ClassFighter
Mana SpeedFast
Skill Types
AoE Attackers (Hit-3)Debuffers (DEF)Sleepweavers Minions Counters
SourceWilderness Summon
FamilyWoodland Faun Family
Aether PowerAttack Up
CostumeBase
Release DateApr 18, 2025
Availability
Coach:Apr 18, 2027
HA10:Apr 18, 2027

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	1254	1114	2136	1174
4/85lb1	1351	1201	2302	1256
4/90lb2	1546	1374	2633	1419

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+225 & +4%

Defense

+72 & +3%

Health

+172 & +3%

Mana

+2%

Resource Costs

Emblems

1,740

Master

Food

6,041,800

Iron

6,041,800

+18

+15

+36

+15

+3%

+18

+3%

+15

+36

+15

+18

+2%

+4%

+50

Community Feedback

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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

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Philomena

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

Philomena is a 5 star Holy hero (Yellow) with legendary rarity.

What is Philomena's special skill? +

Philomena's special skill is called "Enchanting Melody". Deals 500% damage to the target and minor damage to nearby enemies. Enhanced Defense Ailment: The target and nearby enemies get -50% defense against Special Skills. This effect lasts until the enemy takes damage from a Special Skill once. After the Enhanced Defense Ailments ends or is removed or replaced, the enemy falls asleep and receives +70% increased damage while sleeping. (A sleeping character cannot gain mana or attack. The sleeping target is woken once it takes damage. This excludes damage from Minions, Fiends, Mega Minions and Mega Fiends. This effect is uncleansable.)

When was Philomena released? +

Philomena was released on Apr 18, 2025.

Which family does Philomena belong to? +

Philomena belongs to the Woodland Faun Family. Bonus for 1 / 2 Heroes:. * 75% / 100% chance to resist mana reductions and mana status ailments. Each succesful resist by this family gives this character 15% mana.. * +50% / +100% more damage dealt against Minions and Mega Minions.

What are Philomena's passive skills? +

Minion Blind: All enemies' Minions have -60% accuracy. All enemies' Mega Minions have -50% accuracy.. Resist Insanity: This character is immune to Insanity.. Resist Attack Reduction: This character is immune to status ailments, stacks and Wither effects that affect attack.

What is the mana speed of Philomena? +

Philomena has Fast mana speed.

Hero Review

Philomena: The Melody That Kills (Eventually)

Special Skill

Enchanting Melody

Family Bonus

Wilderness Summon - Woodland Fauns

Passives

Passive Skills

Aether Power

Attack Up

Talents

Master Revive

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

Divine Wizards

Monastic Battlemages

General Information

Philomena "Mesmerizing Faun Minstrel"

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 Philomena