Thread by @DFKnous

[1] Many new #DefiKingdoms players find it difficult to narrow down their choices to a single first hero, and to determine whether this or that hero is a good buy.

On the #DFK Discord, we've helped literally thousands of people buy their first hero.

Here are some useful tips:

[2] Start by setting a rough price cap for your first hero. It's almost impossible to determine whether X hero is right FOR YOU until you've done that, because heroes are like houses or cars: you can always get more if you spend more.

But roughly how high should the cap be?

[3] Your first #DFK hero purchase will probably not be your best strategic buy. You simply don't know enough yet to make the quick decision necessary to snap up the best deals.

So consider starting with a budget of 50 to 75 $JEWEL for your first hero, avoiding absolute floor...

[4] At this budget, you should aspire to get at least two things on this list:

(1) Advanced class (darkknight, ninja, paladin, or summoner)
(2) Higher level (level 5+ and 10+ prof score)
(3) Desirable class/subclass pairing (enhancing core class stats)
(4) Good class-prof fit

[5] You probably won't get EVERYTHING on this list in this price range.

There is a saying in construction that you can have something done (1) fast and cheap, (2) cheap and good, or (3) fast and good, but not all three.

Such trade-offs are necessary with #DFK heroes...

[6] I often suggest starting by looking for ninja, darkknight, and/or summoner foragers.

Why? Because most new players are fixated on class-profession "match," and these advanced classes are high on the foraging chart. (See excerpt.) But they will also be strong in combat, etc.

[7] "But I thought ninjas are good at fishing?" people often respond.

Well, yes, ninjas have high base agility (AGI) and luck (LCK) growth, so they do appear at the top of the chart for the fishing profession. But you're not the first to notice that, so ninja fishers are pricey.

[8] One common beginner mistake, in my view, is paying a large premium for "the best" when the second- or third-best will give you much more bang for your $JEWEL.

That's the case with ninja foragers: the class has strong growth in dexterity (DEX), so it's good ENOUGH there.

[9] Here's what you do next:

(1) Go to dfkanalytics.com
(2) Filter by classes (ninja, darkknight, and summoner), profession (foraging), and your max $JEWEL price
(3) Once the results appear, sort the rows by Class Score (for higher levels) or Growth Score (for levels 1-3)

[10] Every hero on the list will have SOME perceived flaw.

One might be a higher level but have a seemingly odd subclass (ninja/priest, for example.)

One might have an ideal subclass (ninja/thief, for example) but be pricier.

At 50-75J, commons are most likely -- that's fine.

[11] Many new players try to match profession with the green, blue, and purple stat "boosts." So they look for ninja foragers with green INT and blue DEX, or vice versa.

The blue DEX is nice -- but not because the hero is a forager; rather, it's because DEX is a core ninja stat.

[12] But you don't need or even really *want* an INT boost for a ninja. It's just not an important stat for ninjas, based on what we know now.

So, while green/blue/purple boosts are no longer trivial (in light of Training Quests and more), try to match them with CLASS, not prof.

[13] The key word here, though, is "try." I've never passed on an otherwise great #DFK hero because the green/blue/purple stat boosts weren't perfect.

Subclass probably matters more than these boosts. A ninja/thief with blue WIS (non-useful boost) > a ninja/priest with blue LCK.

[14] But there is another kind of boost that has started to pop up, and it's harder to spot than the green/blue/purple boosts.

Heroes summoned with "enhancement stones" (docs.defikingdoms.com/learn/gameplay…) have a higher starting number and growth in a single stat. This can be significant.

[15] It won't be easy for you to spot these heroes at first, but they do stand out on dfkanalytics.com, even before you click on the details for a hero, because they will often have a higher Class Score and Growth Score than heroes of the same rarity/level/class/subclass.

[16] When you think you've found an appealing hero in your price range, HOLD ON. Many people have wished they had asked for the advice of "True Heroes" on the #DefiKingdoms Discord server before making a purchase that seemed great at the time. Go to #herodiscussion and find us.

[17] There are far more variables to consider than could possibly be listed in a Twitter thread.

I've tried to flag SOME things you should consider, and how to spot them, but it will simply take time and probably a lot of Discord Q&A to get the hang of it.

Worth it.

$JEWEL