Related:

• Best sets to use
• Diminishing returns in gear attributes
• Gear buffs and when to use what gear
• Upgrading gear
• Gear bonus attribute levels
• Gear: Update or Enhance first?

!Scroll down for all available sets!

One of the most interesting updates to Kingdoms of Middle Earth recently has been the addition of Hero Equipment; Pieces of gear that heroes can equip that give them certain bonuses. But where do you find all the information about the gear? Where do you equip them on your heroes? Where can you see all the items’ bonuses and where are the icons explained? And where exactly do you find these items in the game to begin with?

This article will provide answers to all this and more, giving you a complete overview on one of the better additions to this game in months.

>continued

1. Introduction

So basically, Hero equipment are items you either buy or find/craft in the game, which you can equip your heroes with to give them bonuses to for example attack and life of your troops. You can find the Hero equipment menu when you go to your Great Hall, press the Heroes tab, and then press the new “Equip” button displayed below the “+EXP” button for each hero. To Access this feature, your Forge needs to be level 2 minimum.

It is also in this screen you see for the first time a summary of the bonuses per Hero, given by all the equipment that Hero is currently wearing, like my Gandalf and Saruman to the right.

2. Where to find all the information

When you press the Equip button, you are taken to the next screen, which I call the equipment Home screen. From here, you can access all other menus. The numbered pieces are:

1. Equipment slots, for a weapon, shield, cloak, ring and amulet.
2. The Information screen, which shows all equipment and listed bonuses.
3. The “i” button, which brings up the Equipment attributes screen
4. The inventory button, which brings up the Inventory select menu
5. The details button, which brings up the Details screen, showing bonuses for each troop type.
6. An inventory item bar, which just shows all equipment you have by default.

2.1. Equipment slots

The equipment slots display the gear your Hero is wearing. Currently there are five slots: A Weapon, Shield, Cloak, Amulet and Ring slot. To the left is given a summary of the added attack, life and troop limit. To equip an item, keep it pressed and drag it to the correct slot, which will light up. To see a specific item’s bonuses, press it once time and a pop-up menu will show you. Press the screen again to go back. (Don’t press back on your phone, it will set you back to the Great Hall Heroes page…)

Items can have three basic attributes, and up to two bonus attributes, depending on their level. The basic attributes are +Attack (2 crossed swords), +Life (heart) and +Troop capacity. These attributes need to be divided by 100 to give the actual percent bonuses.

The bonus attributes can further improve these stats but also offer some unique bonuses not found in the basic attributes. They are explained in 2.3 below.

2.2. Information screen

The information screen once again shows you all the equipment your Hero is wearing, but this time specifies all the individual bonuses per item as well.

Also given at the top is a summary of the Attack, Life and Troop limit stats, Hero level and experience, and the button to apply Experience items such as Train with Gandalfs.

2.3. Equipment attributes screen

The equipment attributes screen doesn’t show anything related to your heroes or their gear, but instead gives you an overview of the possible bonus attributes each item can have.

An icon for a bonus attributes consists of three parts:

1. The main icon (gold) denotes the bonus type. Crossed swords for attack, heart for life, wings for speed, bag for load capacity, and two troops for troop limit.
2. The small right bottom part of the icon (gold) denotes the troop types to which this bonus applies. Horse for mounted, bow for ranged, greave for foot, little bag for supply, or a T1-4 for all troop types of that tier.
3. The silver bar below the icon specifies the Tiers to which the bonus applies, if not already given by the icon itself.

As opposed to the standard attributes, the bonus attributes are already given in correct values, and need not be divided by 100.

2.4. Inventory select menu

When you press the golden button above the item bar, the inventory select menu is brought up. Here you can narrow down which type of item is displayed in the item bar, by pressing one of the 6 icons in the menu. From left to right, the item types are: Rings, shields, amulets, cloaks, weapons and “all” (default).

The Rare button on the left shows items in ascending or descending order of rarity.

2.5. Details screen

The details screen again gives an overview of the bonuses of your hero and his equipment, but this time lists them per unit in the game. From top to bottom are listed all units in all 5 Tiers, from left to right the percentages bonus to Attack, Life, Speed, and Load capacity.

Numbers from the basic attributes seem to be rounded down percentage wise.

2.6. Item bar

The bar at the bottom of the Equipment home screen just shows all your items by default and is scrollable left to right. What it shows can be narrowed down in terms of item type by selecting an item type from the Inventory select menu (2.4).

Important to note is that the space in the bar is limited. Although you won’t fill it easily, when you do, you can sell your (lowest level) equipment at your Forge (though for really crappy prices) to free up space. In future updates, you will be able to upgrade your Forge to house more items.

3. Where do you find this equipment?

There are basically three ways to gather equipment for your Hero:

1. Get them from campaign directly, such as from Smaug
2. Get Armor scraps from Mirkwood campaign, and craft in Sage Tower
3. Buy pieces or complete sets in the shop

I have no doubt that for many sets, the methods available to acquire them will change over time. If im correct, the starter set “Miner’s” has been on sale a while ago in the shop, but can now be crafted in Sage tower with armor scraps. To get these scraps, just attack levels in Mirkwood campaign levels 3 and higher. Im not sure if they drop from every map or just boss levels, but the Mirkwood(4) boss drops 380 scraps when he drops (~15%-25% drop chance), and you need 1000 scraps for a Miner’s item.

4. Available sets

Note: with the introduction of gear upgrades, I’ve decided to name the bonus attributes based on their level, instead of base bonus %. So *1 to *4. For an explanation of what percentages bonus these tiers translate to at different levels, see this post.

Below are newer sets that were introduced with or after the introduction of upgrading gear and unlockable bonus attributes. While the older sets above were usually based on a blueprint set like Pilfered or Prisoner’s, the newly introduced sets vary much more in their base defense and attack bonuses, making it more difficult to group them together. That said, the sets in general do range from very average to absolutely elite, and sport more varied, higher level bonus attributes in some cases.

4.1 Legendary gear

I’ve put the recently released hero specific gears here as they do not seem to be part of a full set. Basically, these are legendary items that can be bought in sage tower for Orc ears, which drop in temporary campaign maps and can be bought every now and then in chests. They can be wielded by any hero, but sometimes bestow specific heroes with extra bonuses. Right now, the bonuses seem to be increased TT march sizes only though.

Bilbo:

Sting

The tiny glowing Goblin killer is represented in this game more as Gollum: not sure what it wants to be. With 2000 base attack and 400 base life, plus 150 attack by Bilbo, it seems a reasonable weapon, but the four bonus attributes are both defensive and offensive, as well as useless sometimes:

• 3* Load to all
• 3* Speed to all
• 3* Life debuff to all
• 3* Attack debuff to all

The first two buffs aren’t important, and the last two should have focused on either attack or defense with one being 4* preferably, but as this isn’t the case, do not use this.

Sting I

The upgraded Sting sword has 2400 base attack and 400 base life bonus, plus another 600 attack when wielded by Bilbo. Unfortunately, the 3 fixed bonus attributes are still mixed, so it will depend a lot on the fourth random attribute whether this will be of any use, BUT it is in fact better than standard Void pieces for defense, so if you roll a good life or attack debuff bonus, it could be a pretty good defensive piece.

• 2* Attack to all
• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Sting II

The upgraded version of the Sting I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Bilbo II or higher adding 1200 Attack. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Attack to all
• 1200 Troop limit (5*?)
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Bilbo’s Cloak

The cloak, like Sting, is another Bilbo item that seems balanced and ok, but this is exactly what makes it second tier gear and not top tier. With 1200 base attack and march size it has decent base stats, and the four attributes are also decent but unfortunately both offensive and defensive:

• 3* Life to all
• 3* March size
• 3* Life debuff to all
• 3* Attack debuff to all

It’s too bad that with this game’s battle mechanics, you need to go either full defense or full offense, making balanced pieces like this cloak useless if you have Necro or Replenishing gear…

Bilbo’s Cloak I

Like the upgraded Sting, a mixed set of bonus attributes make this Cloak dependent on the fourth random attribute to be really useful. It has 1400 attack and 400 life base stats, and receives another 300 attack and life from Bilbo. With a 4* random offensive buff it could outperform Necro gear in offensive terms.

• 2* Life to all
• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Bilbo Cloak II

The upgraded version of the Cloak I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Bilbo II or higher adding 600 Attack and 600 Life. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Life to all
• 1200 Troop limit (5*?)
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Beorn’s Axe

The Manbearpigwolf from the Hobbit finally got his own gear in the form of a battle axe which is defensively specced. With 2000 base attack and 400 base life it already scores pretty well, and Beorn can add another 100 attack, life and march size if he wields it. The four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Life to all
• 3* Life to all
• 3* Life to all
• 3* March size

This means it is an excellent weapon for defense and CHS even, being almost similar to the Replenish weapon. In terms of life buff the 3×3* buffs from the Axe are slightly better than the 3* and 4* from the Sword, by 1.3% or 2.3% with Beorn. The Replenish sword however has a 1* and 2* attack buffs as well. The extra 4-5% base attack on the Axe almost negates the 1* buff from Replenish, leaving the Replenish sword with 10% more attack buff.

With full high level CHS gear equipped, it is no surprise the difference is so small as to be almost unnoticable. Many people also suggest it is better for CHS than Replenish. Because it is defensively slightly better I am inclined to agree, but I have not yet tested the Axe to see if the difference in attack is more important. I suspect it is not.

Beorn’s Axe I

The level 1 Axe has 2400 attack and 400 base life bonus, with Beorn throwing in another 200 life and attack, plus 300 troop limit. As with many other level 1 items such as Sting, the Axe 1 is split between offensive and defensive bonus attributes, but a good random one could make this a good weapon, most likely offensively.

• 4* Troop limit
• 3* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Beorn Axe II

The upgraded version of the Axe I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Beorn II or higher adding 400 Atack, Life and Troop limit. The four bonus attributes are:

• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

The One Ring

During an tournament event in August and September 2014, this piece of gear was introduced as the prize. It has returned in the game and is scarcely available for those lucky enough to get it from Sage or tournaments. It has 1200 base attack and life bonuses, and four bonus attributes:

• 3* Speed to all
• 3* Troop load to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all

Making it a pretty sweet ring, and by some even suggested to be the best CHS ring at the moment. Whether that is true  I cannot confirm.

The One Ring I

One of the last updates to level I Legendary gear, the One Ring I transforms the all-round One Ring into a beast of a defensive Ring. Like other level I’s, 1400 base attack and life from this Ring, plus the following bonus attributes:

• 2* Attack debuff to all
• 3* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Again a great level I Legendary which performs even with the crappiest of random buffs!

One Ring II

The upgraded version of the One Ring I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Bilbo II or higher adding 400 Attack and Life, and 800 Troop limit. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Elrond’s Golden Ring

The first of Elrond’s gear to be introduced, the Golden Ring looks very much like the One Ring in terms of bonus attributes, and with 1200 attack and life its base stats are also the same. The four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Speed to all
• 3* Life to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Life debuff to all

As I do not have the ring myself I do not know the bonus from Elrond, nor do I know how it performs, but my guess is that for CHS, the One Ring outperforms this one, while for attack the Necro ring seems better. Not 100% sure here though.

Elrond’s Gold Ring I

A very rare piece of equipment, the Elrond Ring I is one of the best level 1 pieces of equipment seen so far. With the first 3 attributes all offensively specced, a good fourth attribute will make this the best offensive ring in the game atm. It comes with 1400 base attack and life, but I do not know the bonus from Elrond at this moment.

• 2* Life debuff to all
• 3* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Elrond’s Gold Ring II

The upgraded version of the Elrond Ring I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Elrond II or higher adding 1200 Attack. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Gandalf’s Staff

The staff of Gandalf is a 3 attribute legendary staff with amazing base stats: 1900 attack and 300/450 life. 300 In the hands of a normal hero, 450 in the hands of Gandalf. Being wielded by Gandalf also increases TT marching size. Available in Sage for a mere 1250 Orc ears, its bonus attributes are:

• 3* Troop load to all
• 3* Troop speed to all
• 4* Attack to all

Especially the last one is worth keeping in mind. Although it would seem hard for this staff to outperform the Necro sword in attack, diminishing returns make this one of the best attack weapons to wield at the moment.

Gandalf Staff I

The upgraded version of the Gandalf Staff. As expected, the base stats are upgraded to 2400 attack and 400 defense. Equipping it on Gandalf adds 1200 to march size. Additionally, it gains a fourth bonus attribute. Unfortunately, the staff I seems pretty crap unless by chance you get a good fourth attribute, but even then the upgrading seems not worth it, and we have to hope the level III and IV staffs are going to be better.

• 4* March size
• 4* March size
• 4* March size
• random

So for robbing banks or moving about a lot of troops it’s handy, but it has no value in combat whatsoever.

Gandalf Staf II

The upgraded version of the Staff I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Gandalf II or higher adding 2400 Troop limit. The four bonus attributes are:

• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Troop limit
• 1200 Troop limit (5*?)
• random

Gandalf’s Cloak

The Gandalf Cloak is a legendary, 3 attribute piece of gear, available in Sage for 1350 Orc ears. The base stats are 1100 attack and 800 march size, but in the hands of Gandalf, the attack number increases to 1550, pretty decent. The bonus attributes:

• 3* Troops speed to all
• 3* Troop load to all
• 4* Life to all

Gandalf’s Cloak I

Similar to the Gandalf Staff I, the Cloak I seems to be a bank robbing piece only, discarding the only useful life debuff from the base staff for troop limit. The Cloak I has 1400 base attack and life plus 1200 Troop limit from Gandalf.

• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Troop limit
• random

Gandalf Cloak II

The upgraded version of the Cloak I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Gandalf II or higher adding 2400 Troop limit. The four bonus attributes are:

• 4* Troop limit
• 4* Troop limit
• 1200 Troop limit (5*?)
• random

Radagast’s Staff

Radagast’s staff is a slightly crappier legendary weapon to be used preferably by Radagast. It has 1800 attack and 200 life base stats, but in the hands of Radagast another 50 attack, life and march size is added. Available for 1000 Orc ears in Sage. The bonus attributes are unfortunately a bit useless:

• 4* Load to all
• 4* Speed to all

Farmer’s weapon I guess…

Radagast’s Staf I

The new Radagast staff is an improvement from the standard staff, but still a far cry from a good piece of equipment. With 2400 base attack and 400 base life bonus, its base stats are pretty good. Radagast hands it another 200 attack and life, plus 400 troop limit. It has reasonable bonus attributes, both defensively and offensively, so once again, it will depend on the random attribute whether it will be usefull to you.

• 4* Troop limit
• 3* Attack buff to all
• 3* Life buff to all
• random

Radagast’s Staff II

The upgraded version of the Staff I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Radagast II or higher adding 400 Attack, Life and Troop limit. The four bonus attributes are:

• 4* Troop limit
• 3* Attack to all
• 4* Life to all
• random

Smaug’s Tooth

A legendary amulet and the first legendary item to be introduced. This one however, does not have a bonus for a specific hero. It has 1200 attack and life bonus as base stats, but somewhat disappointing bonus attributes (four of them). Available in Sage tower for 100 Orc ears. Its bonus attributes are:

• 2* Troop load to all
• 2* Attack to all
• 2* Life to all
• 4* March size

This makes the amulet come short in becoming preferred in both defending and attacking…

Smaug’s Tooth I

Again a great upgrade of an otherwise undecided gear item, the Tooth I is without doubt offensively specced. With 1400 base attack and life, even a crappy 4th random attribute makes this Amulet better than most and will surely replace Necro.

• 2* Life debuff to all
• 3* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Smaug Tooth II

The upgraded version of the Tooth I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Bilbo II or higher adding 2400 Troop limit. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Smaug’s Claw

Smaug’s Claw is the legendary weapon in the Smaug set of legendary gear. It can be purchased in the Sage Tower for 2000 Orc ears. It has 2000 base attack and 400 base life bonus, with no additional bonuses for specific heroes. Its four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Troop speed to all
• 3* Troop load to all
• 3* Life to all
• 4* Attack to all

Offensively it is identical to the Gandalf Staff, but defensively it is slightly better when fully upgraded, and especially so if in the hands of someone else than Gandalf.

Smaug’s Claw I

The first of the Smaug gear to receive a level I upgrade, the Claw I comes out as a pretty good offensive weapon. It has 2100(2500?) base attack and 100(500?) base life value, and wielded by Bard I gives it another 600 attack.

• 2* Life debuff to all
• 3* Life debuff to all
• 4* Attack to all
• random

Smaug Claw II

The upgraded version of the Claw I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Bard II or higher adding 1200 Attack. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Life debuff to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• 4* Attack to all
• random

Smaug’s Scale

The Smaug Scale is the shield in the legendary Smaug set. It can be purchased in the Sage Tower for 2000 Orc Ears. It has 400 base attack and 2000 base life, with no bonuses to specific heroes. Its four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Troop load to all
• 3* Troops speed to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 4* Life to all

Together with Thorin’s Oakenshield and the Replenishing shield one of the best Shields in game.

Smaug Scale I

A great offensive shield comes in the form of the upgraded Smaug Scale. Sporting 400 base Attack and 2400 base Life, giving it to Bilbo adds another 600 base Life, which is a bit of a shame as it is completely offensively specced, like the Tauriel Bow I:

• 2* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• random

Smaug Scale II

The upgraded version of the Scale I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Bilbo II or higher adding 1200 Life. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• random

Thorin: Orcrist

Orcrist is Thorin’s weapon in the movies, and now your KoM heroes can wield it as well, if you have the 2000 Orc Ears it costs in the Sage Tower. It has 2000 base attack and 400 base life, BUT in the hands of Thorin it receives an additional 200 life bonus. It has four bonus attributes:

• 4* Troop speed to all
• 4* Attack to all
• 2* Life to all
• 2* Life to all

At the moment one of the best, if not THE best offensive weapons in-game, and certainly in the hands of Thorin. Then again, the Gandalf staff is offensively comparable for a much lower prize.

Orcrist I

Another great upgrade from an otherwise lesser standard Legendary gear piece, although arguably, Orcrist used to be one of the better offensive weapons before the Tauriel Bow. The level 1 Legendary Orc slaying sword is specced fully defensively, and sports 2400 base attack and 400 (1000 in the hands of Thorin) base life attributes:

• 2* Attack debuff to all
• 3* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Hands down one of the best defensive weapon in the game at the time of introduction. What is especially cool is that it focuses on attack debuff and not on life, making it perfect in almost all defensive set-ups. Defensively, we have had to work with Life buffs for a long time, adding lesser Void pieces to the mix to overcome DR, and with Oakenshield 1, we yet again had a Life buff heavy piece, so the introduction of an (almost) all attack debuff piece is great news!

Orcrist II

The upgraded version of the Orcrist I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Thorin II or higher adding 1200 Life. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• random

Oakenshield

The iconic shield of Thorin in the movies, even giving him his name, and now available in the Sage Tower for 2000 Orc Ears. It has 400 base attack and 2000 base life bonus, plus an additional 200 attack in the hands of Thorin himself. It has four bonus attributes:

• 4* Troop load to all
• 4* Life to all
• 2* Attack to all
• 2* Attack to all

With these stats it is one of the better defensive shields in-game, but also scores decent as an offensive choice.

Oakenshield 1

Following the Elrond Ring 1, the Oakenshield 1 seems to be another Legendary piece of gear which is top notch independent of the fourth random attribute. With 400 base attack and 3000 base life it already is a nice shield, but the three life buff bonus attributes make it ideal for any defensive set-up. Thorin adds another 600 Life.

• 2* Life to all
• 3* Life to all
• 4* Life to al
• random

Oakenshield II

The upgraded version of the Oakenshield I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Thorin II or higher adding 1200 Life. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Life to all
• 4* Life to all
• 4* Life to all
• random

Thorin’s Fur

An underwhelming Cloak from this dwarf that is not good defensively or offensively, and seems primarily useful for farming and robbing banks. It has 1200 base attack and march size bonuses, but when worn by Thorin the Fur receives an additional 100 attack and life. Its four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Speed to all
• 3* Load to all
• 3* March size to all
• 3* Attack to all

As said, useless for TK or campaign, but might have some use in farming banks.

Thorin’s Fur I

The upgraded Fur from Thorin continues the defensive theme of his other level I items and seems to make it really worthwhile to use Thorin as your defensive Hero, with a total of 18% Life bonus when equipping Orcrist I, Oakenshield I and the Fur I on Thorin, as the Fur also gives 600 Life bonus on top of the base 1400 Attack and March size.

• 2* Life to all
• 3* Attack Debuff to all
• 4* Life to all
• random

Thorin’s Fur II

The upgraded version of the Fur I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Thorin II or higher adding 1200 Life. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Life to all
• 4* Attack debuff to all
• 4* Life to all
• random

Tauriel’s Bow

Portrayed as a more than capable fighter in the films, Tauriel’s Bow attempts to reflect this in the game. At the time of its introduction it was the strongest offensive weapon with ease. It abandons virtually all defensive options for a maximum punch.

With 2000 base attack and 400 base defense (700 when equipped by Tauriel) it is nothing weak already, but the bonus attributes make it really frightening:

• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Speed to all

Making it offensively better compared to Orcrist, but at the cost of some defense.

Tauriel Bow I

Another great level I Legendary, the Tauriel Bow I continues the offensive theme of the original bow and enhances it even further. With 2400 base attack and 400 base life this bow rivals other Legendary I gear, and Tauriel gives it another 600 attack.

• 2* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• random

Making it a killer offensive weapon in and of itself, and really special when you get that last attribute correct!

Tauriel’s Bow II

The upgraded version of the Bow I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with Tauriel II or higher adding 1200 Attack. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• random

Bard’s Gear

Bard the Bowman is an iconic character from the Hobbit book and films, in which he is portrayed by Luke Evans, and with the introduction of the human populated Lake-Town, he became a hero for that city. Along with his introduction was the introduction of special gear for him in the form of a seemingly complete set.

Bard’s Bow

Bard’s weapon with which he tackles Smaug, the bow is a good weapon with both defensive and offensive specs. It has 2000 base attack and 400 base life, and in the hands of Bard the player receives an extra 160 attack. It has four bonus attributes:

• 3* Life to all
• 3* Life to all
• 4* Troop size
• 3* Attack to all

Bard’s Black Arrow

The iconic Black Arrow which can pierce a Dragon’s skin is also available for your heroes to wield…. as a shield, and the first multi-tiered gear item. With 2000 attack and 400 life it has the same base stats as the bow, but with a  300 life bonus in the hands of Bard. The four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 3* Foe life debuff

This shield is one of the most powerful shields currently in the game, easily outclassing Necro gear.

Bard’s Black Arrow I

The Black Arrow I is the second Tier for this item and is signified by a star on its icon just like with legendary Heroes. It can be obtained in Sage tower by trading in normal Arrow and a Damaged Smaug Scale, farmed from the Lake-town campaign map.

The base stats increase from the normal Arrow to 400 base attack and 2400 base life, as well as an increased bonus for Bard of 600 life. The four bonus attributes are switched around a bit, with the fourth one becoming random:

• 2* Attack to all
• 3* Attack to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Now whether this Arrow I is any good depends on a lot of luck in getting a favorable fourth attribute. If it is Speed or Load or something like that it is pretty useless to most. The most hoped for random buffs are a 4* Life debuff or Attack to all, but these are very rare. This is also why you need to keep at least one normal Arrow for your attack Heroe(s) before sacrificing them all!

Bard’s Black Arrow II

The upgraded version of the Arrow I, keeping the same bonuses but being even stronger. It comes with ? base Attack and ? base Life, with BardII or higher adding 1200 Life. The four bonus attributes are:

• 2* Attack to all
• 4* Attack to all
• 4* Life debuff to all
• random

Bard’s Leather Coat

The scampy brown coat Bard always seems to wear has made it into the game as well. With 1200 base attack and troop limit, plus 200 extra attack when worn by Bard, it has some of the highest base stats in the game. It’s four bonus attributes are specced defensively:

• 3* Life to all
• 3* Life to all
• 3* Troop limit
• 2* Life to all

Making it defensively similar to Replenish, but lacking the offensive capabilities of that set.

Bard’s Amulet

Bard’s Amulet is predominantly defensively specced ring with 1200 base attack and life, raising troop limit by 200 in Bard’s hands. It feels more mediocre compared to some of the other Bard items. It’s four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Life to all
• 3* Troop limit
• 3* Life to all
• 2* Attack to all

Bard’s Ring

Bard’s ring fares far better compared to the amulet. Virtually completely defensively specced, this could be an interesting piece of gear for CHS. It sports the same 1200 base attack and life bonus, adding an additional 300 in Bard’s hands. It’s four bonus attributes are:

• 3* Life to all
• 3* Life to all
• 4* Troop limit
• 3* Foe attack debuff

4.2 Post Gear upgrading sets

Alliance designed gear sets

New custom created sets from KoM alliances who won a cross world tournament series, similar to the Filthy Few set. More info being gathered atm…Announced sets:

• Night Stalker’s
• Fully Loaded
• Worst Ally Ever
• Black Death

Lieutenant’s Set

A purple set that drops from extraordinary caves and premium on very rare occasions. This set is marked by great base stats coupled with horrible attributes, just like the Scorched set. Base stats are 2000/400 for weapon and shield and 1200/1200 for the other pieces.

• 4x (semi) random attributes (sword usually has attack, shield life, etc..)

• Lieutenant’s Weapon
• Lieutenant’s Shield
• Lieutenant’s Amulet
• Lieutenant’s Ring
• Lieutenant’s ….(Cloak?)

Replenishing Arms

Replenishing is a great defensive set that has been released just now (aug 2014), by far the best in defensive stats right now for TKing and campaigning. It has four very useful bonus stats.

The first and second attributes are a 1* and 2* attack bonus to ALL your troops. The third and fourth stat make it really worthwhile in defending: a 3* and 4* life bonus to ALL troop life. If you can get your hands on this set, be sure to upgrade and equip it!

• The Light
• The Shelter
• The Well
• The Peak
• The Spirit

Necromantic Armament

The Necromantic set is the offensive equivalent of the Replenishing set, with four great offensive bonus attributes. Unfortunately, this set is also difficult to come by still, but if you can get it, it is the best for attacking right now!

The first two attributes are a 1* and 2* attack debuff for ALL enemy troops. That’s great, but even better are the third and fourth attributes: 3* and 4* life debuffs to ALL enemy troops. Once again, the best offensive set available as of now!

• The Leech
• The Sanctuary
• The Veil
• The Chasm
• The Lace

Victory

The Victory set is an extremely rare set only bestowed upon a few. It could be won in the first season of the “TK/tournament” server 200. This is a temporary server with different rules, such as not being able to hide your troops and constant back-to-back tournaments. Don’t know the exact rules, but I believe the best alliance at the end of the season got this set as a reward. It has the same base stats as the Arcane set (45% att/36% life) and 4 bonus attributes. Unlike most other sets, the attributes vary wildly between pieces, and since I have seen only one set, I cannot tell if and which attributes may be random. To keep things clear I’ve put the individual bonuses beneath each piece.

Lastly, the set in itself is not THAT exceptional, but due to diminishing returns from other sets it can be worthwhile to equip in combination with other top sets for best results.

• Blade of Victory
  • 1* speed T3F
  • 2* att T1-2-3-4M
  • 2* att T5R
  • 4* att ALL
• Protector of Victory
  • 1* life T1R
  • 1* life T3-4M
  • 2* life T3-4S
  • 4* life ALL
• Gown of Victory
  • 1* speed T3S
  • 2* trp lmt
  • 2* trp lmt
  • 4* att ALL
• Medal of Victory
  • 1* -foe life T2-3-4-5M
  • 1* -foe life T2-3-4-5M
  • 3* speed T2R
  • 4* att ALL
• Circle of Victory
  • 1* load T5F
  • 1* load T2-3R
  • 2* load T2-3-4-5F
  • 4* att ALL

Cursed Watcher’s set

The Cursed Watcher’s set is a new medium level set dropping form the extraordinary mines on the world map. It’s base stats are 1000/400 weapon and shield, and 700/700 for the other pieces. It is a mixed set between offensive and defensive attributes, but they are too low to be of real use with other sets such as Necro and Replenishing. The attributes are (shield and amulet confirmed):

• 2* Life to T3
• 2* Life to T4
• 2* Life to T5
• 2* Attack to all

Making it really mediocre and unsuited for attacking with the ratio friendly T1 troops or TT, but T3 is ok as well for ratios. It has the looks of the Marksman/Guardian set.

• Cursed Watcher’s Shiv
• Cursed Watcher’s Buckler
• Cursed Watcher’s Disguise
• Cursed Watcher’s Talisman
• Cursed Watcher’s Loop

Guard’s

As far as I can see a great set in base stats with 4 bonus attributes and the look of the Void and Arcane set. Unfortunately, I know little about the complete set, and have only recently seen the second item: the cloak. The set has great base stats, on par with Replenishing, Necromantic and Void gear, i.e. 1600/400 weapon and shield, and 1000/1000 rest.

Unfortunately though, the bonus attributes suck really hard. From memory, the cloak and shield have the same bonuses: a 1* load attribute, and 2*, 3* and 4* bonus to march size. I wish these attributes would mean anything at all in the game, but the way it is, only attack and defense based attributes really count, which this set seem to lack completely. A great replacement if you have something like Pilfered, but that’s about it…

• Guard’s Shield
• Guard’s Cloak
• …

Mystic King’s

The Mystic King set is a very offensive oriented set, which lacks perhaps a bit in its base stats, but more than makes up for it with its bonus attributes. It has three similar bonus attributes: A 1*, 2* and 3* life debuff to ALL enemy troops. Although there is some discussion on this point, it seems the King’s gear outweighs the Wartorn gear for attacking, so if you have King’s, equip it when you do not have Necromonger gear.

• Mystic King’s Sabre
• Mystic King’s Targe
• Mystic King’s Mantle
• Mystic King’s Strand
• Mystic King’s Eye

Void

The void set is a good mixed defensive/offensive set that sports 4 bonus attributes. Depending on the item, the first and last attributes are fixed for offense or defense.The first is a *2 attack or life bonus to T4 or T5 (2%-9.6%). The second and third attributes are random. The fourth attribute is probably the most useful: a *4 debuff to ALL enemy troop’s attack or life(- 8%-37%)!  Short of Mystic King’s and Replenishing the best defensive set. In short the attributes again because it can be confusing:

1. 2* life to T5 (Shield, Ring, Amulet) OR 2* attack to T4 (Sword, Cloak)
2. 1-3* random
3. 1-3* random
4. 4* life debuff to ALL (Shield) OR 4* att debuff to ALL (Sword, Amulet, Cloak,Ring)

Assuming you do not fight with T4 or T5, this means the Shield is an OFFENSIVE gear item, while the Sword, Amulet, Cloak and Ring are DEFENSIVE gear items!

• Steel of the Void
• Tower of the Void
• Chain of the Void
• Mark of the Void
• Cloak of the Void

Avari/ Arcane

The Avari set is a top tier set with higher base stats compared to Pilfered (45% attack and 36% defense) with 3 bonus attributes. The set is aimed at Tier 5 units and crippling your enemy armies.

The first attribute is a *1 bonus to T5 attack (1%-5%). The second is a *2 bonus to T5 life (2%-9.6%). The third attribute is a *2 debuff on a Tier of enemy troops’ life. The bonus seems random ( I have T3 amulet, T5 ring and T2 cloak), but it could also be that, similar to Wartorn Champion’s, each set item focuses on a specific fixed Tier.

• Dagnir of the Avari/ Arcane sword
• Thand of the Avari/ Arcane shield
• Cloak of the Avari/ Arcane cloak
• Shine of the Avari/ Arcane amulet
• Ring of the Avari/ Arcane ring

Eldar/ Elven Elder

The Eldar is another high end gear set, which looks like a slightly lesser version of Avari for T4 (Eldar has 40% base attack, 32% base defense). The three bonus attributes mimic the Avari set bonuses pretty closely. The first attribute is a *1 bonus to T4 attack. The second is a *2 bonus to T4 life.

The third attribute is a *1 debuff to enemy Tactical troops’ life. This makes the set useful for attacking open cities that have a lot of Tactical troops, and in fact I have seen this set attacking with an army of woodmen to quite some devastating results.

• Dagnir of the Eldar/ Sword of the Elven Elder
• Thand of the Eldar/ Shield of the Elven Elder
• Cloak of the Eldar/ Cloak of the Elven Elder
• Shine of the Eldar/ Amulet of the Elven Elder
• Ring of the Eldar/ Ring of the Elven Elder

Axe Thrower’s/Archer’s

The Axe/Archer set is a Pilfered level (35% attack, 28% defense) gear set with 3 bonus attributes, but sporting the Prisoner’s graphics. Nothing special to really mention about this set, it is frequently won in Alliance Boss chests. I advise to only use these for upgrading other gear.

The 3 bonus attributes seem to be random, ranging from *1 to *3 and varying in effect, but it do appears as if each gear item has an affection for a certain type of bonus. The Sword seems to focus on attack and speed, the shield on life and load, the amulet on speed, the ring on load, and the cloak on march size, with the second attribute looking more random.

• Axe Thrower’s/Archer’s Weapon
• Axe Thrower’s/Archer’s Shield
• Axe Thrower’s/Archer’s Cloak
• Axe Thrower’s/Archer’s Amulet
• Axe Thrower’s/Archer’s Ring

Wartorn Champion’s

This set has quickly grown to be a favorite among TK’ers, due to its high attack oriented bonus attributes, of which this set has no less than 4. This makes up for the somewhat lower base stats, which might give the false impression this set is of average quality. Base stats are 30% attack and 24% defense, identical to Prisoner’s.

The first 3 bonus attributes are special in the sense that each gear piece targets a specific type of troop (mounted,foot,ranged). The first attribute is a *1 bonus to T2 attack. The second is a *2 attack bonus to T3. The third is a *2 bonus to T4 attack. The item specifics are as follows:

• Sword and shield buff foot troops
• Ring and amulet buff ranged troops
• Cloak buffs mounted troops

So for example, the WTC ring buffs T2, T3 and T4 ranged troops’ attack. The fourth and last bonus attribute is also the best: a *2 attack bonus to ALL your troops. This is why this set is popular among TK minded people. Great overall attack bonuses (be sure to upgrade your gear though) and nice additional bonuses for mixed armies. Especially Tier 3 and 4 benefit twice from this set, and make Filthy and Havoc sets redundant.

• Wartorn Champion’s  Great Sword
• Wartorn Champion’s Tower
• Wartorn Champion’s Cover
• Wartorn Champion’s Charm
• Wartorn Champion’s Band

Nomad Rider’s

The Nomad set was introduced a while ago during a special Campaign event, in the temporarily available Nomad map. The set’s 3 bonus attributes greatly improve your supply troops in their daily business of farming, and only that. It quite simply is a major upgrade from Thieves gear in term of attributes. Base stats are identical to Prisoner’s/Thieves: 30% attack and 24% defense.

The first bonus attributes is a *3 bonus to march size for all troops. The second is a *3 bonus to Supply troop speed, which is basically all you get from Thieves. The third attribute is a *3 to Supply troop load.

Important to note is that I haven’t heard whether this set shares the same attribute as Thieves in that gold can be taken without needing to send fighting troops. Like with Thieves, the Supply troop speed bonus seems partially useless if they’re needed, so I suspect it also applies to Nomad’s.

• Nomad Rider’s Dagger
• Nomad Rider’s Guard
• Nomad Rider’s Shawl
• Nomad Rider’s Pendant
• Nomad Rider’s Circlet

Artisan’s

The Artisan’s set is another really average set, sitting between Prisoner’s and Marksman in terms of base stats (25% attack, 20% defense). It has 2 semi-random bonus attributes. Like Archer’s/Axe Thrower’s, one of the attributes always seems to be attack for sword, life for shield, speed for amulet, load for ring and marching size for cloak, while the second is more random. Use this set only for upgrading other gear, or sell for storage room.

• Artisan’s Weapon
• Artisan’s Shield
• Artisan’s Cloak
• Artisan’s Amulet
• Artisan’s Ring

Alliance Warrior

This is the set (or part of it) with which equipment upgrading was introduced, namely with the amulet: the Annihilation amulet. I destroyed it a long time ago, so do not know what the stats are, but suffice to say, other sets are far better at the moment. The ring I haven’t seen yet, but both items are for sale in the alliance shop for over 15000 points, so please do not bother.

• Annihilation amulet
• Retribution ring

Shapeshifter’s Arms

Whether to call this a set I do not know; so far, only the cloak has been unveiled, for sale in the alliance shop, for a whooping 15000 points. I bought one out of sheer curiosity, but wish I didn’t. It is crap. It has Pilfered level base stats, and three bonus attributes: a 1* speed bonus to 1 troop type (catapult wagons in my case ….),  and two 1* troop limit bonuses. Whether these are fixed or random, I do not know, just……don’t buy this…

• Deceiver of the Shapeshifter

4.3 Pilfered based sets

These are were the top sets before the introduction of upgrading gear. They share in common (mostly) the same base stats as the Pilfered set, which drops from Smaug. In-game graphics also match (mostly).

Pilfered

The Pilfered set is the original top set that dropped from Smaug from the moment gear was introduced. It has a base 35% attack and 28% life bonus. For a long time, this has been the best set to have, but since a while, other sets have appeared that are more suited to specific tasks (such as Ent for campaigning).

Because the set, together worth the Prisoners set, is relatively easy to come by -simply by farming Smaug long enough- this is still the default set for many players. It has two bonus attributes, which are random.

• Smaug’s Pilfered Weapon
• Smaug’s Pilfered Shield
• Smaug’s Pilfered Cloak
• Smaug’s Pilfered Amulet
• Smaug’s Pilfered Ring

Ancient Armament

The Ancient Armament set is a good sister set to the Pilfered set. Identical in stats, this set is geared towards increased army sizes: Each piece adds 200 points (2x *1) to possible marching size. I do not know whether this means 200 troops or translates to 2% increase per piece, as I do not use this set myself (but I suspect the latter).

• Bane of Melkor
• Defender of the Ainulindale
• Cape from the War of Wrath
• Fine Valar Necklace
• Sigil of Melkor’s Guardian

Filthy_Few

The Filthy_Few set was created in light of the cross-world tournaments a while back, which the Filthy_Few alliance won. Again similar to the Pilfered set, this set is geared towards Tier 3 attack. Each piece has two *1 bonus attack to Tier 3.

• Filthy_Few Sword
• Filthy_Few Shield
• Filthy_Few Cloak
• Filthy_Few Amulet
• Filthy_Few Ring

Unsung Orc

This set was just recently released during the Easter campaign event. It could be traded in Sage Tower for eggs/bunnies, and can be found since in premium sales. Although it is very similar in base stats to Pilfered, it slightly different, making it’s stats unique. Where the Pilfered sword has 12% attack and 2% life bonus, the Orc sword has 11% attack and 3% life bonus. The same change can be seen in the Shield attack and life bonuses. The cloak, ring and amulet are identical however. Curiously, the in-game graphics are different from other Pilfered based sets, matching the Prisoners set graphics instead.

What makes this set really interesting though are its bonus attributes. It is the only set so far which has 3 bonus attributes, and they are fixed. Each piece gives *1 life to all, *1 attack to Tier 4, and *2 speed to Tier 4. This made the set really powerful and very useful for campaigning, replacing the Ent set as preferred equipment. This is because of the higher base stats of the set, which basically means the 1% life bonus per piece is is enough to offset the 2% bonus per piece form Ent gear. Only the cloak is 1% worse. With the introduction of gear upgrading, the balance has shifted once again.

• Beheader
• Asylum
• Shroud
• Glint
• Adorned

4.4 Prisoner based sets

These sets are based on the Prisoners set. They are still pretty good, and serve some good purposes, but with the Unsung Orc set introduced, the Pilfered based sets are slightly better.

Prisoner’s

The Prisoners set is the second set that drops from Smaug. The set has, similar to the Pilfered set, 2 random bonus attributes. The bonus per set piece differ from Pilfered 0-2%, which brings the total base stats for this set at 30% attack bonus and 24% life bonus.

• Smaug’s Prisoner’s Weapon
• Smaug’s Prisoner’s Shield
• Smaug’s Prisoner’s Cloak
• Smaug’s Prisoner’s Amulet
• Smaug’s Prisoner’s Ring

Ent

The Ent set has long been THE set to do campaigning with. This is due to the 2% (2x 1*) life bonus each piece gives your troops (10% base total), which helps lowering deaths in attacking Goblins, which in turn increases your campaign high scores. Only the shield of the set was not worth swapping, as the Pilfered shield has the same base life bonus, but slightly higher attack.

• Slicer of the Ents
• Bark of the Ents
• Leaf of the Ents
• Wreath of the Ents
• Blossom of the Ents

Havoc

The Havoc set was introduced some time ago. It’s two bonus attributes are fixed, and aimed at increasing Tier 4 attack. With 2% (2x *1) attack per piece, it brings Tier 4 attack bonus to 40% at gear level 1. Although this bonus is pretty sweet, attacking with Tier 4 gives bad ratios in general, so I am not sure how useful the set actually is, but when attacking large armies with Tier 4 units, be sure to equip it! Additionally, the Unsung Orc set is better than Havoc in every aspect, so if you have Orc gear, don’t even bother with Havoc anymore.

Curiously, there are two versions of the Havoc set. One version, which I believe to be older, has slightly lower base stats (e.g. weapon has 9% attack instead of 10%), while the other has the ‘normal’ Prisoner’s base stats.

• Force of Havoc
• Protection of Havoc
• Disguise of Havoc
• Vanity of Havoc
• Possession of Havoc

Thieves

The Thieves gear is another Prisoner’s based set, which specializes at improving resource farming. It does this by providing 4% (2x *2) speed bonus to all supply troops per piece, totaling 20% speed increase. Attack and defense wise it is reasonable, but nothing spectacular, like most Prisoner based sets.

One interesting rumor about this set is that it allows you to take someone’s gold, without the need for sending extra fighting troops, which you would normally need to ‘breach’ a wall. This seems logical, as the supply troops speed bonus would be wasted otherwise, but I do not know for sure if this is the case.

• Silent Night Sword
• Buckler of Thieves
• Mantle of the Unseen
• Lucky Charm
• Shadestone Circlet

4.5 Lower sets

Below are other sets, which are available in-game, but inferior to Prisoner or Pilfered based sets. Basically, these should only be used when you have no other option, and since not attacking or opening is always an option, don’t. Sell these sets if you need room in your Forge for more equipment, but don’t sell all of it, because these might be needed to craft or forge better equipment in future updates.

Marksman

The Marksman set is a medium set of gear. It has one random attribute per gear piece. The base stats of the set are 20% attack bonus and 16% life bonus. Nothing special really.

• Sword of the Marksman
• Buckler of the Marksman
• Cloak of the Marksman
• Necklace of the Marksman
• Ring of the Marksman

Guardian

The Guardian set has been with us for a while, and is identical to the Marksman set, with 20% attack and 16% life basic stats, plus 1 random bonus attribute per gear piece.

• Sword of the Guardian
• Buckler of the Guardian
• Cloak of the Guardian
• Necklace of the Guardian
• Ring of the Guardian

Trader’s

The Trader’s set is the second lowest set I have seen in the game so far. Might have been useful at the introduction of gear, but no more. Basic stats of 15% attack and 12% life bonus, plus 1 random attribute per gear piece.

• Trader’s Weapon
• Trader’s Shield
• Trader’s Cloak
• Trader’s Amulet
• Trader’s Ring

Miner’s/Arborist

The Miner’s and Arborist sets are the lowest and most worthless sets in the game. As the basic gear set, they can be exchanged in the Sage Tower for armor scraps which can be found in campaign. They sport a wooping 7% base attack and 6% base  life bonus, with no or 1 bonus attributes.

• Miner’s/Arborist’s Weapon
• Miner’s/Arborist’s Shield
• Miner’s/Arborist’s Cloak
• Miner’s/Arborist’s Amulet
• Miner’s/Arborist’s Ring

4.6 Overview

The Images below show the sets I have side by side and their stats from in-game as well as in excel. I will update these as more sets become available.

Outdated:

Additionally, the latest game-update mentions the addition of more sets, and craftable and up-gradable gear, so stay tuned for more info on this as well!

4.5 What’s the best set right now?

This question has been handled in other articles. Please see this article for the best current sets, and this article on when to use what gear.

5. Afterthoughts

All in all, the sets are a great addition to the game, and luckily they are made available to non-paying players as well. There could however be some improvements to the system, but Im sure they will come:

1. More sets and items, obviously. Perhaps sets that consist of fewer items, such as a weapon/shield set.
2. More item slots. Why not add a helm, pants and boots? 🙂
3. Set bonuses. Bonuses dependent on how many items of a set you have equiped. Worked great in for example Diablo, and really makes you wanna complete sets.
4. More diversity in set attributes. Right now, the set attribute relations are basically all the same, with one set just being better than the other. What I would like to see is more specialized sets, such as one focusing only on extra attack with little extra life, or one “defense” set which gives great life bonus but less attack. The current sets are too all-round and offer no real choice. Perhaps a bonus specific to a certain Hero as well?

Well that’s it for now. As new items will undoubtedly be added very soon, I will try to update this article as soon as something comes out. Have fun people!