Thread by @DFKnous

[7] Yes, the knight and the thief have higher growth in some stats than their closest advanced-class equivalents. And the #DFK devs have made clear that every class will be useful (and will likely have unique skills, as in #FinalFantasy and most #RPGs.)

Still, advanced > basic.

[8] One could say MUCH more on this topic -- and I will expand on it later, addressing the three new #Crystalvale classes -- but this has conveyed the broader point: higher-tier classes tend to be "better," in part because of stat growth (especially in key stats.)

$JEWEL #DFK

[9] But class tier is TOTALLY SEPARATE from another important variable: the RARITY of a #DefiKingdoms hero.

This is a common source of confusion among new players. One can encounter a common thief (basic class), a common sage (elite), a legendary paladin (advanced), and so on...

[10] As noted above, there are four class tiers (basic, advanced, elite, exalted); there are five rarities (common, uncommon, rare, legendary, mythic). Since any class can be any rarity level, people's next question tends to be "which matters more, #DFK class tier or rarity?"

[11] The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is "it depends."

A basic-class mythic (like the wizard, below) is probably better than an elite-class common (like the sage shown earlier and again below.) Not always, but all else equal.

Why? Because mythics get amazing stat bonuses...

[12] A common #DFK hero gets stat improvements every level, just like a mythic. And those improvement are higher, on average, for heroes at higher class tiers. But a mythic, whatever its class, gets an ADDITIONAL +10 points, allocated randomly, at levels 5, 10, 15, and so on...

[13] "So I'll take a mythic exalted class," you might say.

Well, only TWO of these exist (shown below), and they're not currently for sale.

"A mythic elite, then?"

There are 62 of those (sages and dragoons), but unsurprisingly, they cost A LOT.

"Mythic advanced?"

Maybe...?

[14] You don't necessarily need a mythic (though having one becomes an obsession for some people.)

You don't even need a legendary, or a rare.

What you DO need is to understand what you're paying for, and why, and when the value is better for a hero that might be less glittery.

[15] The chart below is thrown around a lot in the #DFK community, and it's helpful in many ways. It aspires to project average growth in stats for each combination of class tier and rarity, at various levels.

Useful, but it doesn't tell the whole story...

$JEWEL #DefiKingdoms

[16] After a break, I'll explain WHY it doesn't tell the whole story, and try to make my way through more components of a "good" hero:

-Level
-Stats for class/level
-#PJ survivor
-Summons
-Genes

But it would really be MUCH easier if you just joined the #DefiKingdoms Discord...

[17] One thing about the chart in the previous message is that it doesn't indicate how the extra points are ALLOCATED.

Rarity bonuses are distributed among stats according to a largely random method. But of the eight hero stats, only some are *really* useful for a given class.

[18] This mythic wizard got the largest chunks of its Level 5 +10 rarity bonus in STR and VIT -- *not* a wizard's core class stats. Yes, VIT is somewhat useful to all classes (because it increases health points -- to be discussed later), and it got +2 in INT. But STR? Not useful.

[19] Compare this regular level-up on a sage -- the elite-class caster in #DFK.

Because the level isn't 5, 10, 15, etc., there is no rarity bonus despite it being legendary. But sages, as an elite class, have higher chances of stat increases, in core caster stats and elsewhere.

[20] IDEALLY, one will get the best of both worlds: a high class tier AND a higher rarity level. This sage got an above-average level-up, especially in core sage stats, even WITHOUT the Level 5 rarity bonus... and then 5 of the 7 legendary bonus points fell on core class stats!

[21] But again, heroes like this are few. There are only 107 legendary sages (fewer with a similar subclass like Priest; more later) and they cost a lot, for good reason. At higher levels, they cost even MORE. And a matching profession like foraging adds to that $JEWEL price.

[22] So, to return to this chart, if you look at the intersection of "Elite" (sage) and "Legendary" (rarity), you will see roughly how this hero's stats should grow.

IMPORTANTLY, the higher class tier adds more FOCUSED points, while the higher rarity adds RANDOM points.

$JEWEL

[23] So it's a mistake to look for ANY mythic. A basic mythic is indeed a good hero, with +10 bonuses, but those points fall randomly. A rare elite hero might APPEAR to have fewer total points on this chart, past level 20, but the points it does have will be more class-relevant.

[24] In short, both class tier AND rarity impact the overall strength of a #DefiKingdoms hero. But there are many other factors, including:

-Level
-Stats for class/level
-#PerilousJourney survivor
-Summons (but LOW gen)
-Genes

At this point, I'll have to tackle those tomorrow!