There are weeks in Empires & Puzzles where you simply log in, collect your loot, and move on—and then there are weeks like this one.
From the return of Hero Coach to multiple overlapping portals and tournaments, this is one of those rare windows where smart decisions can massively accelerate your account. But there’s also a trap here: too many options, not enough value if you don’t know what to prioritize.
This guide breaks everything down cleanly—what matters, what to skip, and where your gems are actually worth spending.
Hero Coach Returns
Let’s start with the headline feature.
Hero Coach is easily one of the most efficient progression systems in the game right now. It allows you to instantly level a hero up to 4/90 using gems—without consuming:
- Ascension materials
- Limit break materials
- Alpha Aethers
That alone makes it one of the highest-value events for mid-to-late game players.
How It Works
- Starts around 1000 gems (less if your hero is partially leveled)
- Only applies to older heroes (2+ years old)
- Only upgrades the base version (costumes must still be leveled separately)
- You can choose only ONE hero
Best Strategy
This is not an event to use casually. Your choice should follow this priority:
1. Core Utility Heroes (Best Choice)
- Mana controllers
- Healers
- Defense down / buff control heroes
These remain relevant longer than damage dealers.
2. Heroes You Already Use Often
If a hero is already in your war or raid teams, pushing them to 90 instantly is huge value.
3. Avoid Pure Damage Dealers
They age faster and are more easily replaced by newer heroes.
Raid Tournaments & Weekly Battles
This week offers two parallel raid formats, which is great for rewards but requires preparation.
Regular Raid Tournament
- 4-Star Bloody Battle
- No Blue Heroes
This format heavily favors:
- Red and green depth
- Sustain and survivability (no healing makes it brutal)
Dragon Raid Tournament
- Buff Booster
- No Yellow Heroes
Buff-heavy teams shine here. If you have stacking buffs, this is your playground.
Portals & Summons
This week is overloaded with portals—but most of them are not worth your gems.
Valhalla Forever (Active Early Week)
Featured:
- Sam Loki
- Bolder
- Thor (with costumes)
Verdict:
Solid heroes, but not essential. Worth pulling only if you lack strong Valhalla units.
Temple Summon (New Hero Introduced)
Featured:
- Deviani
- Baravi Devi
These belong to a scaling family that gains stats every turn.
Verdict:
Good long-term potential, but:
- Slow speed
- Not meta-defining
Recommendation: Skip unless you’re collecting the family.
Wilderness Portal
Featured:
- Gartered
- Dominique
- Leonard
- Rostaflow
Verdict:
Outdated pool overall. Rostaflow is the only standout.
Recommendation: Skip.
Shadows of the Deep
Featured:
- Professor Ambrose
- Cassilda
- Zenis
Verdict:
Decent but niche. Not a must-pull.
War of Three Kingdoms (Starts Saturday – Registration Phase)
Featured:
- Zhang Chong
- Xi Jin
- Li Q
Verdict:
Better value than most portals this week, especially for newer players.
Covenant Summon (Sunday – Big One)
Featured:
- Dankrag (new)
- Arzen
- Glacalt
- Ebellis
- Shar’Kief
- Chit Rangata
Verdict:
This is the best summon window of the week.
If you are saving gems, this is where they should go.
Daily Events & Quests You Shouldn’t Miss
This week is also packed with smaller but important value sources:
- Ancient Underroot (Daily rotation)
- Emblem Quests (Barbarian, Rogue, Ranger, Monk, Cleric)
- Ether Summon
- Free Ascension Materials (Darts quest)
These may seem routine—but missing them slows your progression more than bad summons.
Smart Gem Spending
If you want a clean strategy:
Best Use of Gems
- Hero Coach (Top Priority)
- Covenant Summon (Secondary)
Situational
- Valhalla Forever (only if needed)
Skip Completely
- Wilderness Portal
- Most Pickup Summons
- Temple Summon (unless targeted)
Weeks like this separate casual players from efficient ones.
It’s easy to get distracted by constant portals and featured heroes, but the real gain comes from restraint and timing. If you play this week right, you won’t just improve your roster—you’ll set yourself up for the next major meta shift.
And if you only remember one thing from this guide:
Pick the right Hero Coach target. That decision matters more than every summon combined.
