🧪 Early Information on Costumes (Formerly Skins) [Part of The Beta Beat v23, v24 & v25]

Gameplay Help & Tactics
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NOTE: Please do not, under any circumstances, share IMAGES OR VIDEOS from Beta in this or any public Forum thread. Violations can cause players to lose their Beta accounts, or threads to be closed down.

This thread is to provide early insights and discussion on the new Costumes feature.

Beta Update – Balance Changes – November 5, 2019

  • Fixed the rounding of stats affected by Costume Bonus.
  • Epic Costumes now require one Rare Ascension Item that can’t be received from map stages instead of 3 Rare Ascension Items that can be received from map stages.

Beta Update – Third Iteration of Costumes – October 7, 2019

A third version of Costumes has entered Beta.

Here are the relevant changes noted in the Beta Release Notes:

In addition to these changes, there seem to be notable changes to Costume Bonuses and the effective HP of many of the Costumes, which don’t seem to be listed in the Beta Release Notes.

Beta Update – Second Iteration of Costumes – September 6, 2019

A second version of Costumes has entered Beta.

Here are the relevant changes noted in the Beta Release Notes:

Costume Quests added:

  • Earn Costume Keys as reward

Other changes:

  • Costume bonus increases every time a costume is ascended and when it is fully leveled up
  • Each rarity has a different costume bonus
  • Costumes inherit parent hero’s talent tree

The Costumes listed as available are the same as last time, and don’t yet cover all Season 1 heroes.

Don’t get too attached

Details from Beta, especially brand-new Beta content, don’t tend to be very reliable for actual release.

It’s incredibly common that features are changed during Beta testing, or sometimes even after testing but before release. That is, after all, the purpose of Beta testing.

So I wouldn’t get too attached to any of this — it’s not unheard of for entire portions of features to be removed or reworked, or for radical changes to functionality to be made.

Costume Chamber, Costume Keys & General Info

Overview

Costumes are like new versions of Heroes, and can change:

  • Design/look for their art
  • Hero Class
  • Hero Stats (attack/defense/HP)
  • Hero Special Skill — NOTE: In the second Beta, the Special Skills were intentionally changed to be the same as the underlying Hero. However, this was subsequently changed back to different Special Skills based on player feedback.

Mana Speed appears unaffected, but that might just be a function of the current Costumes or which ones happen to be in Beta.

Costume Chamber & Costume Keys

Costumes are obtained from the Costume Chamber, which works much like a hybrid of the Epic Hero Summon and Atlantis Summon. You “open the door” to get new Costumes, which looks much like Summoning.

There are two ways to Open the Door for Costumes (i.e. Summon):

  1. Using 5 Costume Keys. These work like Atlantis Coins — if you have 5 of them, you can get a free Summon. The tooltip for Keys currently says they can be received as a reward from Wanted Missions, Titan Battles, Alliance Wars, and Challenge Events. As of the second Beta, there are also now Costume Quests, where you can earn Costume Keys as well.As of November 5, the tooltip says, “This item can be received as a reward from Costume Quests.”

  2. Using Gems. The prices are currently the same as Epic Hero Summons, 300 for a single pull, and 2600 for a 10 pull. There currently is no possibility of getting a HOTM as a Bonus, however.

The Appearance Rates for the Costume Chamber currently match those of the Epic Hero Summonshave been updated (and updated again):

  • Rare Costume: 72%70%
  • Epic Costume: 26.5%26%
  • Legendary Costume *non-featured: 1.5%4.0%2.5%
  • Legendary Featured Costume: 1.5%

The Costume Chamber also shows two “Featured” Costumes, much like the Atlantis Summons Portal, but there’s currently no indication of increased appearance rates for the Featured Costumes. Likely that just hasn’t been developed yet. which now have a separate increased appearance rate, as of the third iteration of Costumes in Beta.

Using Costumes

If you have the Hero that the Costume is for, then you’re able to change the Costume of that Hero in the Hero Roster. You can currently change back and forth between the Costume and regular Hero without any cost or time.

Once a Hero is changed to a Costume version, you level up the Costume much like you would level up a Hero. It currently appears that Costumes are leveled up with the same feeder costs and ascension materials required.Costumes are now leveled up with lower feeder costs, and reduced Ascension Material requirements. Please don’t presume this will continue to work this way, as this has changed in each version of Costumes in Beta so far.

A fully-leveled Costume gives a permanent stat bonus for the Hero and all of their Costumes.

Costume Bonuses

NOTE: This changed substantially from the first to second Beta, and may change again.

NOTE: This appears to have changed substantially again in the third Beta, but I need to investigate further to confirm.

From the in-game tooltip: Ascended Costume will give a permanent stat bonus per ascension level for the Hero and all of their Costumes.Costume Bonus permanently increases the stats of the Hero and their Costumes. Costume Bonus can be increased by ascending and fully leveling up a Costume of the Hero.

Second Beta Costume Bonus

In the first version of Beta, the stat bonus was a flat percentage amount, and wasn’t tied to the Ascension or Rarity of the Hero/Costume.

Rarity Attack Bonus Defense Bonus/Ascension Tier HP Bonus/Ascension Tier
Rare 2%/tier (6% max) 2%/tier (6% max) 4%/tier (12% max)
Epic 1%/tier (4% max) 1%/tier (4% max) 2%/tier (8% max)
Legendary 1%/tier (4% max) 1%/tier (4% max) 2%/tier (8% max)

Third Beta Costume Bonus

NOTE: I need to confirm how this is working with leveling/ascension, but this is what the tooltip now says, seemingly regardless of rarity, which is a major change from the second Beta:

Attack Bonus: 5%
Defense Bonus: 5%
Health Bonus: 10%
Mana Bonus: 5%

Costume Classes & Emblems

Costumes aren’t the same Classes as the “classic” version of the Hero.

In the first version of Beta, this was handled by using Emblems of the new Class to unlock nodes on the Talent Grid of the Costume, just like you would do on a Hero. This would mean you’d effectively need to level up the Talent Grid of the Costume starting from scratch. Beta feedback on this indicated this wasn’t a particularly popular idea.

In the second version of Beta, the way Emblems work on Costumes has completely changed. The Costumes are still a different Class, but the Talent Grid from the Hero is “inherited” by the Costume.

Essentially, if your Hero is Emblemed, when you put their Costume on, they’ll have the same Talent Grid level and path as the underlying Hero. So if your Boldtusk is +18, your Chef Boldtusk will be +18 too.

In this new version, the Talent Grid path is also identical for both the Hero and Costume. So if you went left at a particular fork in the path, then the Costume will have that same left fork path too.

Obviously since the Classes of the Hero and Costume are different, having the same Talent Grid path for both is a bit problematic. You may well have preferred a different path for the Costume’s Class than the Hero’s Class.

It’s unclear if this current implementation is just a temporary step along the way to a different implementation, or whether it may remain this way. Feedback so far in this thread and Beta has indicated that players would prefer to have some way of setting a different Talent Grid path for the Costume than the Hero.

If you want to further Emblem the Costume, you can’t do so directly. You currently have to give additional Emblems to the Hero instead. This means that you need Emblems in the Hero’s Class to level both the Hero’s Talent Grid — in that Class — and the Costume’s Talent Grid, in another Class.

In contrast, the actual leveling of Costumes is done much like leveling a Hero, and is independent of the Hero. Leveling the Hero doesn’t level the Costume, nor does leveling the Costume level the Hero.

They’re totally separate, except for two important factors:

  1. Costumes can’t have a higher Ascension Level than their Hero

  2. Emblems won’t apply to the Costume until it’s fully maxed

Costume Quests (New in Second Beta Version)

The Costume Quests are formatted similarly to Class Trials, but without restrictions on which Heroes can be used. I’m unsure whether Player Level restrictions apply, like with Class Trials, but my guess would be yes.

They appear in the Quests screen, and have a mini intro of characters talking when first tapped, much like Class Trials. The Heroes speaking are Costumed versions.

Once the Quest Stages open, there are 3 Stages:

Stage Label TP Recommended :triangular_flag_on_post: WE :key: Costume Keys
1 “Easy” 2500 4 1
2 “Medium” 3500 12 2
3 “Challenging” 4000 20 3

The Stages combine a mix of monsters from other Events and Stages, for instance the Happy Flamingo from Wonderland, and Bamboo Lemur from Season 2.

Currently the enemies from the Challenge Event have Elemental Barriers as usual. It’s not indicated anywhere in the Quest screen to expect that, unlike with Challenge Events, so that may be unintended. I and several others have given the feedback that should be shown in advance of playing if they’re keeping that. It may be the case that the monsters are just placeholders for now, though I personally find the mixing-and-matching of enemies from different sources sort of fun.

The Stages feature Costumed Heroes as the Bosses, either with monsters alongside them, or with multiple Heroes, depending on the Stage.

The Costume Quests are running in endless repetition in Beta currently, so I’m not sure how frequently they’re intended to run, or how many variations there will be.

Costumes

The specific Costumes added to Beta for testing.

  • Legendary Costumes added for Quintus, Lianna, Horghall, Elena, Isarnia, Richard, Joon, and Vivica.
  • Epic Costumes added for Tiburtus, Rigard, Melendor, Skittleskull, Boldtusk, Li Xiu and Sonya.
  • Rare Costumes for Brienne, Hawkmoon, Bane, Gunnar and Tyrum.

Note: these are in the order they appear in the Costume Chamber, because it’s easier that way for me to type and update them.

NOTE: In the second Beta, the Special Skills were intentionally changed to be the same as the underlying Hero. However, this was subsequently changed back to different Special Skills based on player feedback.

Horghall – Wooden Jester

Class: Ranger
Stats: 691690 / 694692 / 15931663
Special Skill: Anger of the Jester

  • Deals 215% damage to all enemies.
  • All enemies get -54% attack for 6 turns.

Gunnar – Brave Blacksmith

Class: Druid
Stats: 415 / 544543 / 696726
Special Skill: Steel Link

  • All enemies share received damage with each other for 5 turns.
  • All enemies get -44% defense for 5 turns.

Lianna – The Noble Guardian

Class: Cleric
Stats: 773772 / 745744 / 13041359
Special Skill: Pure Shot

  • Deals 482% damage to the target.
  • The target gets -34% mana generation for 3 turns.

Bane – Noble Brawler

Class: Ranger
Status: 529528 / 423422 / 548679
Special Skill: Harmonic Bash

  • Deals 280% damage to the target.
  • The target gets -40% accuracy for 4 turns. Chance to miss also applies to offensive Special Skills.

Tiburtus – Duke of Rock

Class: Paladin
Stats: 688687 / 675673 / 10881136
Special Skill: Symphonic Pulverizer

  • Deals 175% damage to all enemies.
  • All enemies get -34% defense for 4 turns.

Li Xiu – Ceremonial Assasin

Class: Rogue
Stats: 660659 / 690689 / 11351184
Special Skill: Slash of Seven Daggers

  • Deals 180% damage to all enemies.
  • Reduces the mana of all enemies by 10%.

Melendor – Mighty Wizard

Class: Wizard
Stats: 698696 / 653 / 10991147
Special Skill: Fog of the Perished

  • All allies regenerate 609 HP over 3 turns.
  • All allies get +46% defense for 3 turns.
  • Dispels buffs from all enemies.

Joon – Fury of the Sun

Class: Fighter
Stats: 782780 / 676677 / 13981459
Special Skill: Solar Strike

  • Deals 488% damage to the target.
  • The target gets -35% accuracy for 4 turns. Chance to miss also applies to offensive Special Skills.

Elena – Captain of Fire

Class: Rogue
Stats: 845843 / 588586 / 14261489
Special Skill: Sword Barricade

  • Deals 172% damage to all enemies.
  • The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 155% of the damage received for 5 turns.

Skittleskull – Candy Witch

Class: Cleric
Stats: 778776 / 631629 / 9881031
Special Skill: Candy Vines

  • Deals 175% damage to all enemies.
  • All enemies get -39% attack for 6 turns.

Vivica – Magician Supreme

Class: Sorcerer
Stats: 739 / 735733 / 14081469
Special Skill: Omnicure

  • Recovers 44% health for all allies.
  • All enemies get -44% defense for 4 turns.
  • Dispels buffs from all enemies.

Isarnia – Ice Witch of Glaceholm

Class: Sorcerer
Stats: 869867 / 659658 / 12341288
Special Skill: Glacial Explosion

  • Deals 255% damage to all enemies.
  • All enemies get -34% defense for 6 turns.

Richard – Axe of Justice

Class: Barbarian
Stats: 682681 / 862860 / 12991356
Special Skill: Cloud Axe

  • Deals 435% damage to the target and minor damage to nearby enemies.
  • The target and nearby enemies get -34% attack for 4 turns.

Sonya – Viking Champion

Class: Druid
Stats: 646645 / 762760 / 10501099
Special Skill: Purifying Strike

  • Deals 345% damage to the target.
  • Dispels status ailments from all allies.

Hawkmoon – Ascendant Chief

Class: Sorcerer
Stats: 492491 / 470471 / 675704
Special Skill: Wind Gospel

  • All allies regenerate 243459 HP over 3 turns.
  • All allies get +30% attack for 3 turns.

Rigard – Dapper Noble

Class: Ranger
Stats: 633631 / 702701 / 12101266
Special Skill: Regeneration

  • All allies regenerate 609 HP over 3 turns.
  • All allies get +48% attack for 3 turns.
  • Dispels status ailments from all allies.

Brienne – Shaman of Concordia

Class: Cleric
Stats: 466465 / 468467 / 715748
Special Skill: Jungle Fury

  • All enemies get -41% defense, and a further -4% decrease every time they are hit for 4 turns.

Quintus – Electro Scientist

Class: Monk
Stats: 804802 / 663662 / 14051467
Special Skill: Shock Ultimatum

  • Deals 235% damage to all enemies.
  • All enemies get -34% attack for 4 turns.

Tyrum – Roman Remnant

Class: Rogue
Stats: 415 / 446445 / 891930
Special Skill: Purifying Hit

  • Deals 310% damage to the target.
  • Dispels status ailments from all allies.

Boldtusk – Cast Iron Chef

Class: Monk
Stats: 619620 / 736734 / 11741226
Special Skill: War Feast

  • Recovers 37% health for all allies.
  • All allies get +30% attack for 4 turns.

Important Recommendations Based on Current Beta

As this feature is very new, and very likely to change, I can’t recommend much yet.

What I will say is that the initial Costumes appear to follow through on what Tim said during the AMA in March, that they’d focus on Season 1 Heroes. All of the Costumes currently in Beta are for Season 1 Heroes — though not all Heroes have been added.

That would seem to indicate that at least initially, this feature will enhance Season 1 Heroes, so that may affect some people’s thinking on the value of using Season 1 Heroes after Costumes are released.

As this feature is extremely likely to change, and new Costumes are likely to be added eventually, I wouldn’t recommend taking any particular action based on what’s in Beta so far.

For a full list of items currently in Beta testing, as well as their related threads, please see:

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OMG

According to rumors

Vivica in her magician’s costume is a SORCERER!

This is game changing for Class Quests and emblems.

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Is there a way to acquire costumes without gems???

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Yes, as I mentioned in the notes above, you can use Costume Keys.

Please expand the notes under Costume Chamber, Costume Keys & General Info and read the section on Costume Chamber & Costume Keys, where it says, “There are two ways to Open the Door for Costumes (i.e. Summon),” and then explains.

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How does class change work if they are already +X? Do you have to reset all emblems before that or what?

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The Emblems on the existing Hero remain unchanged, but you need new Emblems (of a different Class) for the Costume.

If you switch back and forth between the regular Hero and Costume, their stats from Leveling/Ascension and Emblems change accordingly.

So you don’t lose any progress, this is almost like a new Hero to level up.

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Oh man, god knows how I love this game but I’m confused, very confused about those weird costume thing. Let’s see where this ends…

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It’s definitely confusing, even when looking at it. It’s a pretty notably complex new feature, I would say on par with the addition of Emblems and the Talent Grid.

So I think it will be hard for me to fully convey how it works, and I’m still figuring it out myself.

I’m sure as soon as I understand it all, it’ll change, since that’s how Beta goes. :slight_smile:

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Can you get costume for a hero that you don’t have yet? In case the answer is yes, do you need to get the basic version of that hero to use the costume?

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You can get a Costume for a Hero that you don’t have, but you can’t use it. You need to have the Hero too.

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Do the costumes take up roster space or is there a maximum of costumes one can possess?

What about duplicate costumes? Can the be sold or otherwise used?

Oh, and even if this might change anyway and you probably don’t want to give away too many details, but… Is there a chance that we get a yellow 4* healer costume? Same with defense down for green and/or yellow 4* heroes :thinking:

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That seems rather strange in my opinion, if you need to level it pretty much like a new hero wouldn’t it have been better just to add new heroes to tc20? If they stay as they are now (I know it’s beta and very much likely to change), you’ll need to get a hero first, and then be lucky enough to get his/her costume. For 3/4* it could be easy, but for a 5*… well, I don’t find it a good solution to revamp older heroes, imo.

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They live in your Inventory, so they don’t take extra Roster space.

It appears they can be used to level up the same Costume, with an added chance to increase the Special Skill, like with duplicate heroes.

Not that I’ve seen so far.

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More RNG on top of RNG. So I drew Thorne a while back, who seems to be almost universally hated as one of the worst legendaries, but I’m going to level him because I have him and not the heroes most people would prefer over him. Costumes are potentially a chance to make him better, but now I’m going to have to a) be lucky enough to draw a legendary costume (1.3% chance) and b) hope it is the right one for Thorne (1 out of howevermany chance). So I could theoretically hold one of the most hated legendaries without the costume that would make him better, while simultaneously drawing a “legendary” costume for someone like Quintus, who apparently also sucks, but who I don’t have, so I’ve got this useless costume lying around that I can literally do nothing with. So I can spend my gems chasing heroes that are mostly duplicates or I can spend them for costumes for heroes I probably don’t have? This might be worse than the mess that was made with the Alchemy Lab. Game improvements are only improvements if you can actually use them.

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What about its effect on war? If I already use the hero and then I put the costume on, can the hero be used again in its costume?

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I know that somehow I’ll end up pulling a Renfeld costume :laughing:

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That certainly would have been an option.

I can see a couple things that are different about this approach (and not necessarily all good):

  • You need to also have the Hero, so there’s a double rarity to getting, for example, a 5* Costume and the 5* Hero to go with it

  • They don’t take more Roster space

  • The Costumes are similar to the hero; while there are changes, their Special Skills are thematically similar, so new heroes added with these skills would have been somewhat duplicative

  • Leveling up the Costume also gives Stat Bonuses to the Hero

  • They can add multiple Costumes for each Hero over time

  • The current design allows for a new revenue source

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Excellent question, and I don’t know the answer to this.

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Some of the initial feedback in Beta is similar. :slight_smile:

It’s entirely possible that everything about this feature will change, and it’s essentially a certainty that at least some things about it will change.

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I used to hate Thorne as well. Now I have him and I’m quite pleased with him both on attack as well as in Alliance War defense :blush: He isn’t a top hero but he isn’t terribly bad either.

Yes, to get the right legendary costume you need to be very lucky but one out of four costumes will be epic, so I rather see it as a chance to widen my 4* roster while the very rare 5* costume would be the icing on the cake (and if it turned my Thorne or Quintus into a monster I would of course be delighted)

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