The Colosseum is one of the trickier aspects of the game to master. I'm still trying to figure this out myself. Ha!
What seems entirely random and unpredictable can most times be explained once you see the mechanics in action. This is one reason it is very helpful to watch the battles. It can help you understand the Ultimate Hero Skills a lot more than just reading the descriptions (but definitely read the descriptions).
Which Heroes?
The hero combinations you see often, come up often because they work. You'll see a lot of Rose Knight, Prima Donna, Trickster, Tracker, Demon Slayer, Snow Queen, Child of Light, and Black Crow. Not so much Soul Forger, Elementalist, and Sage of Storms.
It doesn't mean they are good or bad heroes in general; some heroes are just plain better for the Colosseum and others are better elsewhere. A hero that's good in the Colosseum and for hunting (like Trickster), might be a terrible choice to send into battle. A hero that's awesome in the Colosseum and for battle (like Rose Knight) might be a terrible choice to send hunting. It's all about using the right hero for the right job.
Tanks
Heroes with high HP are helpful because they stick around longer. They're going to be in the front working their way back. Either Rose Knight, Child of Light, Death Knight, or Big Guy are usually part of a Colosseum team. They're going to be the ones out front and are typically Cavalry or Infantry. Rose Knight and Child of Light work together very well in the Colosseum in my opinion and can sometimes even replace a healer.
If I were going to buy a hero to be the tank, I'd purchase Berserker. She's got good Hero Skills, but she's got great Battle Skills. So she's great to send to battle or station on your wall. Multitasking is important when you're dropping cash.
Healers
The longer the battle takes, the more HP you're going to need. Sometimes in the Colosseum you can get away with no healer if it's very smashy and quick. But often, you'll want one. Sometimes even two because running out the clock is an option if you're the defender.
I'd say Prima Donna is the most popular F2P healer, and for good reason. She's predicable. Her scatter healing gets everyone at once, and it's easy to see her do her thing. Rose Knight also has a healing skill, but since it isn't her Ultimate and she just does one hero and doesn't heal to full HP, it's easy to miss. Sea Squire is a healer too and in the right circumstances can be outstanding. He's kind of an underrated hero if you ask me, but he is a bit squishy at a lower level/rank/grade.
Lore Weaver is by far the best healer for the Colosseum. Of course, she's also a pay hero. But if you're thinking if investing in a pay hero, she's my favorite. Not only does she have Battle Skills that support Army (as opposed to a single troop type), her Hero Skills are awesome. Her Ultimate Hero Skill restores HP to those in a specific blast radius (you can choose where it's directed in Hero Stages, but the game does it in the Colosseum because auto is locked). And she has two additional healing skills. One skill sends a butterfly around to give your heroes mini HP boosts and another skill gives everyone else who is still alive full HP when she gets killed.
Assassins
Infantry assassins, like Demon Slayer, Shade, and Scarlet Bolt, are great for quickly taking out opposing heroes. Scarlet Bolt is particularly useful against Death Knight. P2P options would be Twilight Priestess or Femme Fatale. Assassins are good in general for trying to take out stunners and healers because they work quickly. The sooner your opponent can't heal or immobilize you, the better your chance.
Stunners
The two most obvious F2P stunners are Child of Light and Snow Queen. P2P is definitely Witch Doll and Petite Devil - both are very good in the Colosseum especially at higher levels/ranks/grades. Their Ultimate Hero Skill makes your opponents immobile. Rose Knight's shield and one of Trickster's Hero Skills can stun too.
The Back Row
Long range attackers can sometimes deal the heaviest damage and tend to stick around the longest. Tracker seems to be a favorite and for good reason; she defo knows how to use that crossbow. Incinerator has the highest MATK and can be very powerful. Black Crow and Trickster can be extremely useful too. As a P2P option, I like Grove Guardian.
Ultimate Hero Skills
These are the skills that activate once the MP bar is full. When you're doing Hero Stages, you can toggle auto battle. Always turn it off. Unfortunately, you do not have that option in the Colosseum. It is locked on auto. So the hero's Ultimate Hero Skill will activate as soon as the MP bar is full and if it's a skill that can be directed, it will direct it for you.
Each hero's Ultimate Hero Skill is very important for the Colosseum. This more than anything else can determine the outcome. Read the descriptions in the hero profiles in the toolbox. Watch the Colosseum battles. Get familiar with how they work, who they target, and what they do.
lt's especially helpful when it's timed right and you stun an opponent just as they start to do their Ultimate Hero Skill. Which is hit or miss when it's on auto. This is one of those factors that can make or break a Colosseum battle and can appear to be unfair. If your Ultimate Hero Skills go off at the right moments, you're golden. If yours gets cut off by someone else, you're... Let's just say not golden.
Rank, Level, and Grade
Aside from a hero's Ultimate Hero Skill, these will be important factors when choosing who to send.
Rank
Something I've found is that rank seems to be the most important characteristic. You can sometimes beat single level higher if your heroes are a higher rank. There are several heroes that you can get to Rank 8 at only level 58. Child of Light, Tracker, Demon Slayer, Snow Queen, Sea Squire, and Incinerator are strong choices if you're stuck at level 58. Go grab those Trophies!
Level
Level seems to be the next important. Not only does it dictate your maximum rank but also the Hero Skill boost. As you descend through the ranks and work your way to number one, you'll get to a spot where regardless of rank, your level 58 heroes just aren't cutting it anymore. The main stat boosts and max rank just become more important. And then it happens again at level 59. Once you're able to bump up your player level so you can increase your hero level, you'll notice a difference.
Grade
Grade seems to be the least important characteristic. Don't get me wrong - it's important. But rank not only unlocks the Hero Skills, but also adds to the hero's main stats. And level not only determines which trophies you can equip and therefore rank, but also provides the boost amounts for all the Hero Skills. Grade does increase the hero's main stats, but it affects Battle Skills more than Hero Skills and the Colosseum is all about the Hero Skills.
Because Grade only affects main stats, it can sometimes be a wild card. Logic wants you to think that the higher the grade, the better the hero. In battle? This is true. But when it's hero vs hero, it's a tricky thing. This is because at the lower grade, the hero fills up MP faster and might be able to use their Ultimate Hero Skill more frequently. But they also have a lower HP, so they might just die before that can even matter. One, sometimes two grades, isn't a sure thing. The difference between common and legendary is usually enough that the higher grade is important.
The Stars
The constellations change and give certain heroes a stat buff. These change every 6 days and you can tell which heroes are affected by a little star on the corner of an avatar.
Something to keep in mind is that while it's definitely helpful to have the stars in your favor, it isn't the end all. Having 5 starred heroes doesn't guarantee you a win if the heroes that are starred are weak in the other areas or if the boost that's being offered isn't particularly strong.
Moving Down
You want to try and get the most Colosseum ranks for each entry that you possibly can. The amount you're able to go down varies depending on how far down you currently are. When you first migrate to a Kingdom, you can easily go down 200-300 ranks with a single battle. When you're in the top 100, you'll be lucky to go down 11.
Hit that change button! It's your best friend for descending quickly. I like to take note of the number it is when it first generates and then click, click, click change until I see what I think is the lowest number it's going to give me. You can gain many ranks doing it this way - especially if you've just migrated.
Might
When comparing a full F2P team to a full F2P team, might is usually the best indicator of who will win. But once there are P2P heroes involved? All bets are off.
High mights can be deceiving. Big Guy is going to give you a great might boost, but once your heroes are Rank 8 and Level 60, Rose Knight is typically a better choice even though her overall might is lower.
Low mights can be even more deceiving. Heroes like Lore Weaver and Witch Doll aren't going to give you much of a might boost, but they are serious competition in the Colosseum.
So don't judge purely on might which team is "the best".
Counters
So... Counters. This is the part I'm still figuring out, so take this at face value and if I'm wrong - someone please correct me!
Demon Slayer typically goes after those in the back - so Prima Donna, Lore Weaver, Snow Queen.
Special note from [R~J]Machined🔥:
Scarlet Bolt tends to stick to the front/middle of the opposite team - so Death Knight, Rose Knight, Sea Squire, Witch Doll.
Demon and Scarlet Bolt can be countered by Tracker and Trickster together. Tracker is usually the last to go down. Against Shade, usually you'll want a tank.
One thing to keep in mind is that you generally don't want to send the exact same team to counter. Then it really turns into chance and the outcome is a little unpredictable and unexpected. It's especially difficult to win a duplicate line up even if your heroes are at a higher grade. (See above under Grade.)
Conclusion
I would encourage you to try different things for yourself!
One of the most frustrating parts of the Colosseum is looking at the surface of a team and assuming it's better. Higher might? Higher grade? It's better! Right...? Not always. Look deeper. Those battles your losing that seem unfair? Check more than might and grade and you'll find a reason.
Waste some entries playing around to see what you can see. The Bonehead Familiar's Elder Skill is extremely helpful for this. Actually doing it and making the observations for yourself is the best guide you'll ever find.
© Tormund ᵃᵏᵃ Ꭲ
What seems entirely random and unpredictable can most times be explained once you see the mechanics in action. This is one reason it is very helpful to watch the battles. It can help you understand the Ultimate Hero Skills a lot more than just reading the descriptions (but definitely read the descriptions).
Which Heroes?
The hero combinations you see often, come up often because they work. You'll see a lot of Rose Knight, Prima Donna, Trickster, Tracker, Demon Slayer, Snow Queen, Child of Light, and Black Crow. Not so much Soul Forger, Elementalist, and Sage of Storms.
It doesn't mean they are good or bad heroes in general; some heroes are just plain better for the Colosseum and others are better elsewhere. A hero that's good in the Colosseum and for hunting (like Trickster), might be a terrible choice to send into battle. A hero that's awesome in the Colosseum and for battle (like Rose Knight) might be a terrible choice to send hunting. It's all about using the right hero for the right job.
Tanks
Heroes with high HP are helpful because they stick around longer. They're going to be in the front working their way back. Either Rose Knight, Child of Light, Death Knight, or Big Guy are usually part of a Colosseum team. They're going to be the ones out front and are typically Cavalry or Infantry. Rose Knight and Child of Light work together very well in the Colosseum in my opinion and can sometimes even replace a healer.
If I were going to buy a hero to be the tank, I'd purchase Berserker. She's got good Hero Skills, but she's got great Battle Skills. So she's great to send to battle or station on your wall. Multitasking is important when you're dropping cash.
Healers
The longer the battle takes, the more HP you're going to need. Sometimes in the Colosseum you can get away with no healer if it's very smashy and quick. But often, you'll want one. Sometimes even two because running out the clock is an option if you're the defender.
I'd say Prima Donna is the most popular F2P healer, and for good reason. She's predicable. Her scatter healing gets everyone at once, and it's easy to see her do her thing. Rose Knight also has a healing skill, but since it isn't her Ultimate and she just does one hero and doesn't heal to full HP, it's easy to miss. Sea Squire is a healer too and in the right circumstances can be outstanding. He's kind of an underrated hero if you ask me, but he is a bit squishy at a lower level/rank/grade.
Lore Weaver is by far the best healer for the Colosseum. Of course, she's also a pay hero. But if you're thinking if investing in a pay hero, she's my favorite. Not only does she have Battle Skills that support Army (as opposed to a single troop type), her Hero Skills are awesome. Her Ultimate Hero Skill restores HP to those in a specific blast radius (you can choose where it's directed in Hero Stages, but the game does it in the Colosseum because auto is locked). And she has two additional healing skills. One skill sends a butterfly around to give your heroes mini HP boosts and another skill gives everyone else who is still alive full HP when she gets killed.
Assassins
Infantry assassins, like Demon Slayer, Shade, and Scarlet Bolt, are great for quickly taking out opposing heroes. Scarlet Bolt is particularly useful against Death Knight. P2P options would be Twilight Priestess or Femme Fatale. Assassins are good in general for trying to take out stunners and healers because they work quickly. The sooner your opponent can't heal or immobilize you, the better your chance.
Stunners
The two most obvious F2P stunners are Child of Light and Snow Queen. P2P is definitely Witch Doll and Petite Devil - both are very good in the Colosseum especially at higher levels/ranks/grades. Their Ultimate Hero Skill makes your opponents immobile. Rose Knight's shield and one of Trickster's Hero Skills can stun too.
The Back Row
Long range attackers can sometimes deal the heaviest damage and tend to stick around the longest. Tracker seems to be a favorite and for good reason; she defo knows how to use that crossbow. Incinerator has the highest MATK and can be very powerful. Black Crow and Trickster can be extremely useful too. As a P2P option, I like Grove Guardian.
Ultimate Hero Skills
These are the skills that activate once the MP bar is full. When you're doing Hero Stages, you can toggle auto battle. Always turn it off. Unfortunately, you do not have that option in the Colosseum. It is locked on auto. So the hero's Ultimate Hero Skill will activate as soon as the MP bar is full and if it's a skill that can be directed, it will direct it for you.
Each hero's Ultimate Hero Skill is very important for the Colosseum. This more than anything else can determine the outcome. Read the descriptions in the hero profiles in the toolbox. Watch the Colosseum battles. Get familiar with how they work, who they target, and what they do.
lt's especially helpful when it's timed right and you stun an opponent just as they start to do their Ultimate Hero Skill. Which is hit or miss when it's on auto. This is one of those factors that can make or break a Colosseum battle and can appear to be unfair. If your Ultimate Hero Skills go off at the right moments, you're golden. If yours gets cut off by someone else, you're... Let's just say not golden.
Rank, Level, and Grade
Aside from a hero's Ultimate Hero Skill, these will be important factors when choosing who to send.
Rank
Something I've found is that rank seems to be the most important characteristic. You can sometimes beat single level higher if your heroes are a higher rank. There are several heroes that you can get to Rank 8 at only level 58. Child of Light, Tracker, Demon Slayer, Snow Queen, Sea Squire, and Incinerator are strong choices if you're stuck at level 58. Go grab those Trophies!
Level
Level seems to be the next important. Not only does it dictate your maximum rank but also the Hero Skill boost. As you descend through the ranks and work your way to number one, you'll get to a spot where regardless of rank, your level 58 heroes just aren't cutting it anymore. The main stat boosts and max rank just become more important. And then it happens again at level 59. Once you're able to bump up your player level so you can increase your hero level, you'll notice a difference.
Grade
Grade seems to be the least important characteristic. Don't get me wrong - it's important. But rank not only unlocks the Hero Skills, but also adds to the hero's main stats. And level not only determines which trophies you can equip and therefore rank, but also provides the boost amounts for all the Hero Skills. Grade does increase the hero's main stats, but it affects Battle Skills more than Hero Skills and the Colosseum is all about the Hero Skills.
Because Grade only affects main stats, it can sometimes be a wild card. Logic wants you to think that the higher the grade, the better the hero. In battle? This is true. But when it's hero vs hero, it's a tricky thing. This is because at the lower grade, the hero fills up MP faster and might be able to use their Ultimate Hero Skill more frequently. But they also have a lower HP, so they might just die before that can even matter. One, sometimes two grades, isn't a sure thing. The difference between common and legendary is usually enough that the higher grade is important.
The Stars
The constellations change and give certain heroes a stat buff. These change every 6 days and you can tell which heroes are affected by a little star on the corner of an avatar.
Something to keep in mind is that while it's definitely helpful to have the stars in your favor, it isn't the end all. Having 5 starred heroes doesn't guarantee you a win if the heroes that are starred are weak in the other areas or if the boost that's being offered isn't particularly strong.
Moving Down
You want to try and get the most Colosseum ranks for each entry that you possibly can. The amount you're able to go down varies depending on how far down you currently are. When you first migrate to a Kingdom, you can easily go down 200-300 ranks with a single battle. When you're in the top 100, you'll be lucky to go down 11.
Hit that change button! It's your best friend for descending quickly. I like to take note of the number it is when it first generates and then click, click, click change until I see what I think is the lowest number it's going to give me. You can gain many ranks doing it this way - especially if you've just migrated.
Might
When comparing a full F2P team to a full F2P team, might is usually the best indicator of who will win. But once there are P2P heroes involved? All bets are off.
High mights can be deceiving. Big Guy is going to give you a great might boost, but once your heroes are Rank 8 and Level 60, Rose Knight is typically a better choice even though her overall might is lower.
Low mights can be even more deceiving. Heroes like Lore Weaver and Witch Doll aren't going to give you much of a might boost, but they are serious competition in the Colosseum.
So don't judge purely on might which team is "the best".
Counters
So... Counters. This is the part I'm still figuring out, so take this at face value and if I'm wrong - someone please correct me!
Demon Slayer typically goes after those in the back - so Prima Donna, Lore Weaver, Snow Queen.
Special note from [R~J]Machined🔥:
Demon Slayer targets the enemy with the highest Intelligence stat - which is why it's usually the healer. But sometimes people use a low healer and a high dps and can force him elsewhere, so it's important to know who on your team will be targeted.
Scarlet Bolt tends to stick to the front/middle of the opposite team - so Death Knight, Rose Knight, Sea Squire, Witch Doll.
Demon and Scarlet Bolt can be countered by Tracker and Trickster together. Tracker is usually the last to go down. Against Shade, usually you'll want a tank.
One thing to keep in mind is that you generally don't want to send the exact same team to counter. Then it really turns into chance and the outcome is a little unpredictable and unexpected. It's especially difficult to win a duplicate line up even if your heroes are at a higher grade. (See above under Grade.)
Conclusion
I would encourage you to try different things for yourself!
One of the most frustrating parts of the Colosseum is looking at the surface of a team and assuming it's better. Higher might? Higher grade? It's better! Right...? Not always. Look deeper. Those battles your losing that seem unfair? Check more than might and grade and you'll find a reason.
Waste some entries playing around to see what you can see. The Bonehead Familiar's Elder Skill is extremely helpful for this. Actually doing it and making the observations for yourself is the best guide you'll ever find.
© Tormund ᵃᵏᵃ Ꭲ
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