What Are Ninja Troops in Empires & Puzzles?
Ninja troops are special Epic (4★) tower troops available exclusively during Ninja Tower events. They are the first tower troop type introduced in the game and remain one of the most sought-after troops due to their unique bypass defensive buffs ability — a mechanic otherwise only available through certain hero special skills or the Ranger class talent.
Ninja troops provide the highest attack bonus among all epic troop types, along with solid defense and health boosts. Their signature stat — bypass defensive buffs chance — allows your tile damage to occasionally ignore the enemy's defensive buffs like defense up, counterattack, and spirit link. This makes them extremely powerful in both PvP raids and wars.
The bypass mechanic is applied on a per-tile basis, meaning each tile in a match has an independent chance to bypass. At higher levels, this chance becomes quite significant, making ninja troops the premium offensive troop for players who want maximum tile damage penetration.
Ninja Troop Bypass Breakpoints
Ninja troops gain +2% bypass chance at specific level milestones, mirroring the mana growth pattern of mana troops. This makes them reach their full potential at similar investment levels:
| Level | Bypass Chance | vs Mana Troop Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5% | Same as base bypass |
| 5 | 7% | +7% mana equivalent |
| 11 | 9% | ★ +9% mana equivalent |
| 17 | 11% | +11% mana equivalent |
| 23 | 13% | ★ +13% mana equivalent |
| 29 | 15% | ★ Max Bypass Chance (+15%) |
How to Get Ninja Troops
Ninja troops can only be obtained during Ninja Tower events. When the event is active, the standard Epic Troop Summon portal is replaced with a Tower Troop Summon. The summon rates are: 83% for Rare (3★), 10% for standard Epic (4★, either mana or crit), and 5% for the Ninja tower troop.
This 5% chance makes ninja troops quite rare — you cannot summon them outside of the event, and there is no other way to obtain them (no Hero Academy training, no conversion). This scarcity is why many veteran players save their Epic Troop Tokens specifically for Tower events to maximize their chances.
Ninja Troops vs Other Epic Troop Types
Compared to mana troops, ninja troops sacrifice the mana generation bonus for bypass capability and higher attack. They're better for raw damage but won't help your heroes charge faster. Compared to crit troops, ninja troops trade critical chance for bypass — both are damage multipliers but work differently.
Styx troops are the most direct competitor to ninja troops, as they also offer bypass defensive buffs plus mana generation. However, styx troops have slightly different stat distributions, and ninja troops retain the highest pure attack bonus.
The ideal strategy for advanced players is to have ninja troops for your primary offense team and mana troops for secondary teams. If you also have magic troops, those often replace mana troops for heroes where the +20% mana boost hits a critical breakpoint.