Vard "Astral Dwarf Grand Master" Guide: 5 Star 5 Dark Sorcerer

Hero Review

Vard: The Void Stares Back (And It Hits For 470%)

"Vard is slow, hulking, and absolutely terrifying. As the Grand Master of the Astral Dwarfs, he brings a special skill that deals 470% damage to everyone and permanently withers their stats. If he fires, the match is basically over."

Read Full ReviewIn-Depth Analysis & Strategy

Special Skill

Power of the Void

Mana Speed

Slow

Deals 470% damage to all enemies.
Wither: All enemies get -350 attack and -350 defense.
All enemies get -35% mana generation for 5 turns. (Affects only mana generated from matching tiles or mana gained by the defense team at the end of their turn.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

12Base Tiles

10% Bonus

11Tiles

Family Bonus

Astral Plane - Astral Dwarfs

Bonus for 1/2 Unique Heroes:
* 25% / 50% chance to dispel a random dispellable status effect buff from all enemies at the end of each turn.
* 75% / 100% chance to resist mana reduction and mana status ailments. Each successful resist by this family gives this character 5% mana.

Passives

Inherent Abilities

Passive Skills

Superior Bypass Minions
All damage done by this character bypasses Minions and Mega Minions.
Superior Resist Negative Minion Effects
This character has innate resistance against incoming negative effects and damage from Minions and Mega Minions.
Perfect Accuracy
This character's Special Skill never misses its targets.

Aether Power

Bulwark

At the start of each battle, this Hero gets 15% defense, and a further 1% increase every time they are hit during 6 turns, up to 25% defense.

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

Talents

Class Talent

Master Delay

If this character dealt any damage by the end of its turn, 15% chance to activate the following effects:

Drop the mana generation of the target by 50% for 2 turns.
The target gets -20% attack for 2 turns.

Hero Coach Info

Ascension Support

Hero Coach Date

Available After

Jan 30th, 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

special_damage_reduction_legendary_troop

Royal Sorcerer

status_effect_defense_reduction_legendary_troop

Hunter Mage

Mighty Monk

Arcane Hunter

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Sorcerer heroes of the Purple 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, Vard 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 Sorcerer, 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.

Standard12Tiles

Optimized10Tiles

status_effect_attack_addition_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

8 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 28

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 9

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

5★ Mana Troop Set

10 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 9

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

5★ Mana Troop Set

2 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 10

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Wayward Wizards

Magic Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 11

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 5

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+12%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 23

Need Bonus:20%

Combined bonuses:+21%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Mystic Mages

Mana Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 17

With +4% Emblem Bonus:

LVL 5

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

Vard "Astral Dwarf Grand Master"

Rarity
ElementDark
ClassSorcerer
Mana SpeedSlow
Skill Types
AoE Attackers (Hit-5)Ability Scores Modifiers Mana Reducers or Blockers Minions Counters
SourceAstral Summon
FamilyAstral Dwarfs Family
Aether PowerBulwark
CostumeBase
Release DateJan 30, 2025
Availability
Coach:Jan 30, 2027
HA10:Jan 30, 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	1205	1231	1946	1163
4/85lb1	1298	1327	2097	1244
4/90lb2	1485	1518	2400	1405

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+225 & +3%

Defense

+72

Health

+172 & +3%

Mana

+4%

Crit

+2%

Resource Costs

Emblems

1,740

Master

Food

6,041,800

Iron

6,041,800

+36

+15

+18

+15

+2%

+15

+3%

+18

+15

+36

+18

+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

0v0%

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

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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

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Discussion

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Vard

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

Vard is a 5 star Dark hero (Purple) with legendary rarity.

What is Vard's special skill? +

Vard's special skill is called "Power of the Void". Deals 470% damage to all enemies. Wither: All enemies get -350 attack and -350 defense. All enemies get -35% mana generation for 5 turns. (Affects only mana generated from matching tiles or mana gained by the defense team at the end of their turn.

When was Vard released? +

Vard was released on Jan 30, 2025.

Which family does Vard belong to? +

Vard belongs to the Astral Dwarfs Family. Bonus for 1/2 Unique Heroes:. * 25% / 50% chance to dispel a random dispellable status effect buff from all enemies at the end of each turn.. * 75% / 100% chance to resist mana reduction and mana status ailments. Each successful resist by this family gives this character 5% mana.

What are Vard's passive skills? +

Superior Bypass Minions: All damage done by this character bypasses Minions and Mega Minions.. Superior Resist Negative Minion Effects: This character has innate resistance against incoming negative effects and damage from Minions and Mega Minions.. Perfect Accuracy: This character's Special Skill never misses its targets.

What is the mana speed of Vard? +

Vard has Slow mana speed.

Hero Review

Vard: The Void Stares Back (And It Hits For 470%)

Special Skill

Power of the Void

Family Bonus

Astral Plane - Astral Dwarfs

Passives

Passive Skills

Aether Power

Bulwark

Talents

Master Delay

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

5★ Mana Troop Set

Wayward Wizards

Mystic Mages

General Information

Vard "Astral Dwarf Grand Master"

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 Vard