Raid: Shadow Legends – Rare Champions You Absolutely Need to Keep
The question every Raid: Shadow Legends player asks themselves eventually is, “Which of these seemingly endless Rare champions are actually worth keeping?” The simple answer is: Frozen Banshee, Pain Keeper, Warmaiden, Reliquary Tender, Bellower, Renegade, Apothecary, Kael, and Coldheart. These champions offer unique skills and utility that remain valuable even in the late game. Let’s delve into why these Rares are exceptional and how to best utilize them.
The Cream of the Crop: Must-Keep Rare Champions
While Epic and Legendary champions often steal the spotlight, certain Rares provide crucial skills and synergies, especially for newer and Free-to-Play (F2P) accounts. These champions excel in specific areas like Clan Boss, Dungeons, or Arena and can significantly accelerate your progress.
Frozen Banshee: Poison Sensitivity Powerhouse
Frozen Banshee stands out as a premier poison specialist. Her ability to apply Poison Sensitivity makes her invaluable for Clan Boss teams relying on poison damage. By amplifying the effectiveness of other poisoners, she contributes significantly to higher damage output and improved rewards. Early on, she can carry your team until you pull better options.
Pain Keeper: Cooldown Reduction Queen
Pain Keeper’s primary value lies in her skill cooldown reduction. She is the most readily available decrease cooldown champion, making her integral to certain teams focused on rapid skill cycling and consistent debuff application. Her presence allows teams to maintain crucial buffs and debuffs, significantly increasing their effectiveness in prolonged battles. She is a key ingredient for an Unkillable Clan Boss team.
Warmaiden: Defense Down Debuffer Extraordinaire
Warmaiden’s AoE (Area of Effect) Decrease Defense debuff is essential for clearing waves quickly in dungeons and campaigns. This debuff dramatically increases damage dealt to enemies, enabling faster runs and higher efficiency. She is easily accessible and a cornerstone of many early to mid-game teams. You will eventually replace her but you will need her for Faction Wars.
Reliquary Tender: Healing and Debuff Removal Specialist
Reliquary Tender is a valuable support champion due to her healing and debuff removal capabilities. Her ability to cleanse debuffs from the entire team can be a lifesaver in challenging encounters, preventing enemy control effects from crippling your team. She provides healing as well making her a solid pick in many teams.
Bellower: Campaign Farmer and Crowd Controller
Bellower is an excellent choice for farming campaign stages quickly, especially due to his AoE attacks. His skills also provide decent crowd control potential, making him useful in some dungeon content. He can be geared with Lifesteal gear to keep him alive and sustain throughout battles. Bellower is mostly used as a campaign farmer.
Renegade: Turn Meter Manipulation and Buff Extension
Renegade’s kit revolves around turn meter manipulation and buff extension. She can significantly accelerate your team’s turn order and extend the duration of critical buffs, providing a strategic advantage in various battles. She is very useful in speed running some dungeons or Doom Tower rotations.
Apothecary: Speed and Healing Support
Apothecary’s primary strengths are his speed boost and healing capabilities. He provides a significant speed buff to the team, ensuring that they act more frequently. His heal is valuable, especially in the early to mid-game, providing much-needed sustain. He is still useful in certain niche situations.
Kael: The Reliable Starter Champion
As one of the starter champions, Kael remains a solid damage dealer throughout the early and mid-game. His AoE attacks and poison application make him effective for clearing waves and dealing damage to bosses. His early accessibility and consistent performance make him a worthy investment. He is an easy choice for your first champion to fully max out.
Coldheart: The Dungeon Nuke Queen
Coldheart’s Heartseeker skill, which deals massive damage based on enemy max HP, makes her a nuke god in dungeons like Spider’s Den and Fire Knight. Her ability to rapidly burst down bosses makes her an essential component of many dungeon teams. Coldheart is one of the most recommended Rare champions that everyone should try and obtain to clear content.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Should I use Rare champions as food for ranking up other champions?
Generally, no. While it’s tempting to use Rares as food to quickly rank up your stronger champions, many Rares offer unique skills and utility that can be extremely valuable, especially in the early to mid-game. Only use duplicate Rares as food or Rares that you are absolutely sure you will never use.
2. How do I determine which Rare champions are worth keeping?
Consider their skills and their potential to contribute to different areas of the game, such as Clan Boss, dungeons, and Arena. Look for Rares with unique abilities, like debuff application, healing, turn meter manipulation, or specialized damage output.
3. Are there any other Rare champions besides those listed that are worth keeping?
Yes! While the ones mentioned are the most widely useful, some other Rares can be valuable depending on your specific team compositions and needs. Look into: Heiress for Clan Boss speed teams, Doomscreech for turn meter boosting, and Gravechill Killer for Clan Boss teams.
4. When should I consider using a Rare champion as food?
Only if you have duplicate copies of that champion and you are absolutely sure that you won’t need them in the future, especially in Faction Wars. Also, keep in mind that some champions may be buffed in future updates, making them more viable.
5. How important are Rare champions for Clan Boss?
Certain Rare champions, such as Frozen Banshee and Pain Keeper, are crucial for building effective Clan Boss teams, particularly those focused on poison damage or Unkillable strategies. Their unique skills provide essential support and damage amplification.
6. Can Rare champions be used in the Arena?
While Legendary and Epic champions dominate the high-end Arena, some Rare champions can be useful in lower tiers or as part of specific team compositions. Apothecary’s speed boost and Warmaiden’s defense down can provide a significant advantage.
7. What gear sets are best for Rare champions?
It depends on the champion’s role and skills. Speed sets are generally useful for support champions like Apothecary, while damage dealers like Kael benefit from Attack or Critical Damage sets. Accuracy is essential for champions applying debuffs.
8. How should I prioritize leveling and ranking up Rare champions?
Focus on Rares that provide the most significant impact on your overall progression. Champions like Warmaiden for dungeons, Kael as a starter champion, and Frozen Banshee for Clan Boss should be prioritized.
9. Can Rare champions be used in Doom Tower?
Yes, some Rare champions can be surprisingly effective in Doom Tower, especially in specific secret rooms or against certain bosses. Champions with strong crowd control or specialized damage output can be valuable.
10. What is Faction Wars, and why are Rare champions important for it?
Faction Wars is a game mode where you can only use champions from a single faction. Rare champions are extremely important for Faction Wars, especially to clear early stages. The rewards are very beneficial to progress your account.
11. How does the Champion Training Event affect the value of Rare champions?
During Champion Training Events, you need to level up and rank up champions to earn points. This makes Rare champions particularly valuable because they are easier and cheaper to level up than higher rarity champions.
12. What should I do with duplicate Rare champions?
First, consider if you might need a second copy for different content. If you’re sure you don’t need them, they can be used as food to rank up other champions or used in the Tavern to upgrade the skills of other champions.
13. How do I find out more about specific Rare champions and their best uses?
There are several resources available, including the Games Learning Society and other Raid: Shadow Legends communities and websites. These resources provide detailed information, guides, and team compositions for various champions. You can visit GamesLearningSociety.org to find more information about strategy and mechanics.
14. What role does masteries play in improving Rare champions?
Masteries significantly enhance a champion’s performance by providing stat boosts and additional effects. Investing in masteries for key Rare champions can greatly increase their effectiveness.
15. Are there any Rare champions that are useful for end-game content?
While most Rare champions are primarily useful in the early to mid-game, some, like Coldheart, can remain valuable in end-game content due to their unique skills and specialized damage output.
By carefully considering these factors, you can make informed decisions about which Rare champions to keep, ensuring that you maximize your potential in Raid: Shadow Legends.