Waqas "Pharaoh's Shield" Guide: 3 Star 3 Fire Paladin

Special Skill

Unyielding Protector

Mana Speed

Slow

Deals 205% damage to all enemies.
Reduces max health for all enemies by 450 over 3 turns. The effect is stronger against targets with boosted health. (Max health can't get lower than 30% of the original max health. Any boosted health is reduced by an additional 150 per turn.)

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

12Base Tiles

10% Bonus

11Tiles

Family Bonus

S5 - Sun

Bonus for 1/2 Unique Heroes:
50% / 75% chance to cast -35% accuracy for 2 turns and 196/146/114 (5*/4*/3*) Burn damage over 2 turns on an enemy who deals Special Skill damage to this character.
If the enemy's Special Skill defeats this character, the chance is 75%/100%
The members of this family have additional perks in Season V stages.

Costume Bonus

Bonus Stats

Costume Bonus

attack

+2%

defense

+2%

health

+4%

mana

+1%

Reach the maximum level for this costume to unlock these bonus stats for the base hero and all their costumes.

Passives

Inherent Abilities

Passive Skills

Effects on Special Skill
70% chance to perform the following actions when this character casts their Special Skill
Deals 70% damage to all enemies.
All enemies get -34% attack for 3 turns.

Aether Power

Regen

At the start of each battle, this Hero regenerates 420 health over 6 turns.

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

Talents

Class Talent

Master Protect

If this character received any damage by the end of enemy turn, 25% chance to activate the following effects:

This character and nearby allies get 25% defense for 2 turns.

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

Available After

Oct 15th, 2026

How it works

The Visiting Outfitter is a recurring event that allows you to use Gems to buy the Oldest Missing Costume for a specific hero. This is a guaranteed way to unlock powerful Stat Bonuses and alternate skills for heroes already in your roster.

Explore Costume Catalog

Matching Legendary Troops

status_effect_defense_addition_legendary_troop

Elite Knight

Devoted Knight

Unseen Assassin

Divine Cleric

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Paladin 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, Waqas 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 Paladin, this hero can unlock a +2% Mana Bonus through Emblems (Talent Tree). Also, with the Costume Bonus active, they gain an extra +1% Mana Bonus. 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

2% Emblem + 1% Costume (3%):

LVL 9

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+10%

Breakpoint Achieved!

5★ Mana Troop Set

10 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

2% Emblem + 1% Costume (3%):

LVL 9

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+10%

Breakpoint Achieved!

status_effect_defense_reduction_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

2 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

2% Emblem + 1% Costume (3%):

LVL 10

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+10%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Merciless Wizards

Magic Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 11

2% Emblem + 1% Costume (3%):

LVL 5

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+11%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

2% Emblem + 1% Costume (3%):

LVL 23

Need Bonus:20%

Combined bonuses:+20%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Barbaric Assassins

Mana Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 17

2% Emblem + 1% Costume (3%):

LVL 5

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+10%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

Waqas "Pharaoh's Shield"

Rarity
ElementFire
ClassPaladin
Mana SpeedSlow
Skill Types
AoE Attackers (Hit-5)Max Health Reducers
SourceS5 - Dunes
FamilySun Family
Aether PowerRegen
CostumeBase
Release DateApr 21, 2022
Availability
Coach:Apr 21, 2024
HA5:Apr 21, 2024
Costume
Available

Ascension Requirements

Tier

Food

Materials

Tier 2Ascension Cost

58K

★★

★

Tier 3Ascension Cost

132K

★★

★★

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				💪
3/50	535	472	709	483
3/55lb1	606	535	803	539
3/60lb2	749	662	993	651

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+225 & +3%

Defense

+72 & +4%

Health

+172 & +3%

Mana

+2%

Resource Costs

Emblems

383

Master

Food

1,049,664

Iron

630,971

+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

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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

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Only if you’re Pay-to-Win

0v0%

Yes, but only when featured

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Not Really

0v0%

Not at all

0v0%

Copies to Keep

How many copies are worth keeping and leveling?

None

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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)

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Node Strategy

Specific node priority strategy

Atk > Def > HP

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Atk > HP > Def

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Def > Atk > HP

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Def > HP > Atk

0v0%

HP > Atk > Def

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HP > Def > Atk

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Best Def Position

Best placement in a defense formation

Tank

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Flank

0v0%

Wing

0v0%

None

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Primary Use (Max 3)

Top scenarios where this hero excels

Raids/War

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Defense

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Titans

0v0%

Tournaments

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Events

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Farming

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Visual Design

What do you think of the visual design?

Amazing

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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 Waqas

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

Waqas is a 3 star Fire hero (Red) with rare rarity.

What is Waqas's special skill? +

Waqas's special skill is called "Unyielding Protector". Deals 205% damage to all enemies. Reduces max health for all enemies by 450 over 3 turns. The effect is stronger against targets with boosted health. (Max health can't get lower than 30% of the original max health. Any boosted health is reduced by an additional 150 per turn.)

When was Waqas released? +

Waqas was released on Apr 21, 2022.

Which family does Waqas belong to? +

Waqas belongs to the Sun Family. Bonus for 1/2 Unique Heroes:. 50% / 75% chance to cast -35% accuracy for 2 turns and 196/146/114 (5*/4*/3*) Burn damage over 2 turns on an enemy who deals Special Skill damage to this character.. If the enemy's Special Skill defeats this character, the chance is 75%/100%. The members of this family have additional perks in Season V stages.

What are Waqas's passive skills? +

Effects on Special Skill: 70% chance to perform the following actions when this character casts their Special Skill. Deals 70% damage to all enemies.. All enemies get -34% attack for 3 turns.

What is the mana speed of Waqas? +

Waqas has Slow mana speed.

Special Skill

Unyielding Protector

Family Bonus

S5 - Sun

Costume Bonus

Costume Bonus

Passives

Passive Skills

Aether Power

Regen

Talents

Master Protect

Hero Coach Info

Hero Coach Date

Not Eligible for Coaching

Visiting Outfitter Info

Visiting Outfitter Date

How it works

Matching Legendary Troops

Mana Optimization Strategy

How it works

5★ Mana Troop Set

5★ Mana Troop Set

5★ Mana Troop Set

Merciless Wizards

Barbaric Assassins

General Information

Waqas "Pharaoh's Shield"

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 Waqas