So, I think it's about time for a TH10 Hero. A lot of people seem to be thinking along the line of following down the progression (Barb, Arch, Gob, etc.), but I think we should look at a Legendary Dragon.
General:
Now, it would have to be pricey (75,000 - 100,000 DE) to start, and it would just be a big, cool looking dragon. It would have a lot of armor and deal good damage, but maybe instead of making it do a lot of extra damage (beyond that of a normal dragon) they could make it do a wider splash of damage, as to hit more buildings at the same time. This would keep it from becoming too OP, I would think
In terms of a name, I personally think it should be either a playful rip-off of either "Smaug" or any of the named Skyrim dragons. But otherwise the generic "Legendary Dragon" would be cool too.
Attack
Now, I also think that instead of being an all-aerial unit, it should start on the ground and walk. It'd be cool seeing a big mean lizard crawling around the outskirts of the village. And also (like the Barb king alternates between hitting with his sword and punching with his fist [I think that's how it works]) the dragon would have varying attack mechanics (all dealing the same damage) like slashing with its tail, whipping its head, beating with its wings, along with (of course) breathing fire.
Ability
Now, the ability of this dragon should be called something like, "The Flight of the Beasts" or even some Skyrim reference (TBD), and it will do just that:
The dragon will beat its wings (starting splash damage), and roar ferociously (for those who play with audio). Then, it would take off and become an aerial unit.
The roar calls in another dragon (level/quantity to be determined by Level of the Legendary) or maybe a future dragon-like unit.
So then the dragon would buff itself and all other dragons in play (bringing back the all-Drag attack for higher level Town Halls), but this is something I was thinking:
- Instead of just continuing to do its normal straightline, closest structure attack, what if the dragon could circle around the base (maybe like, a 20 tile diameter circle around the center) dealing splash damage to all of the structures in that range for a set period of time? Like, it would offer a new spin on the attack (absolutely all pun intended), it could have huge implications to attacks when you get stuck behind defenses, and it could really beat up on lower level/densely packed Town Hall builds.
After the ability has expired, I was thinking that maybe the dragon should disappear. That would make you have to think strategically of when to use it, and then also it couldn't completely throw off the balance of power.
Defense:
The altar for the dragon would obviously have to be bigger than that of the King/Queen, so maybe like, a 5x5 block would suffice. Now, with the TH10 build running out of room as it is, this might be difficult.
I was also thinking that the Dragon should remain stationary. It would kind of serve as a splash damage Inferno Tower. In context, a giant dragon can't be trudging around a city, so drop it in the middle by your TH or Storages or whatever you please, and he'll serve a good defensive purpose.
Or instead of using its firebreathing it could bite, and that could be splash damage for ground troops or single target for air troops. That would then bounce back on X-Bow placement strategies and modes, and it could revamp the TH10 building strategy, if this were to become a new center.
Now, it would also be treated as a defensive structure, so any buffs or targets that other troops (Hogs, Giants, etc.) have against it still stand.
Other
Maybe the Archer Queen could have a buff against the Legendary Dragon? That would incorporate strategic use of the Queen with this respect, and more careful placement of the Dragon in attacks.
So, that's my idea about a Legendary Dragon Hero. Feel free to send me constructive criticism! Thanks for reading!
= ADDITION =
Now, with the addition of this hero, being able to deploy all three heroes in one attack might give the attacker too much of an advantage. So, I think that if the Legendary Dragon leaves the battle after using his ability, it will make ensure that the odds don't get tipped too far in favor of the attacker.
Ability (Clarification)
My thoughts regarding the Legendary Dragon's ability were a little scattered, I was kind of typing as I was thinking:
The Legendary Dragon starts as a ground unit. It would have the approximate health of a Lava Hound but the attack strength of a mid-high level dragon. It would have a wider splash range (maybe like a 120 degree arc) and would have varying attack animations (slashing, biting, breathing fire).
Once the ability is activated, the dragon takes flight, becoming an aerial unit (and thus it is impacted by air defenses and traps, to keep its strength in check)
Now, this was just a thought, I don't know if game mechanics allow for this, but:
instead of carrying out normal building-by-building attacks (like normal dragon units), the dragon would fly in circles around the map, breathing fire, and dealing its splash damage in this circle.
- To elaborate upon the idea of this circle, imagine tying a string to the dragon and connecting it to the center point. The dragon will fly in this defined circle (I was thinking 20 tiles in diameter [10 tiles out from the center point]) around the map. This would deal a lot of damage to all of these peripheral buildings in the range of this attack, and it would create a whole new strategy about using this ability. If it was used earlier on it could deal heavy damage to these buildings, allowing for more effective support unit attacks. It could also be used to deal this damage later on if troops were hung up on support buildings while getting pummeled with splash damage from the core of the base. Or maybe it takes down that one Wizard Tower that's gearing up to take out all of your archers. Also, since he will trigger traps in his encircling, using the ability early could clear the way of some of the Air Traps that would damage other aerial units (particularly Minions and Dragons)
HOWEVER, it is key to note that the Legendary Dragon will leave the battle once its ability has expires. So, if you use the ability early, that means you lose the support of the dragon for the battle itself. However, he does not regenerate health with this ability, so if you wait too long until he is too injured, once he is airborne and thus susceptible to air defenses, the life of the ability may be cut short.
Stats of the Ability
Fire in the Skies (Level 1)
Duration: 12 seconds
Damage: +25%
Speed Increase: +10
Summoned Units: 1 (Level/Quantity increases based on Ability Level)
Buff: All other dragon-type units on map receive a 20 second +40% damage increase and +300 HP
In the heat of the battle, the Legendary Dragon roars to a new vigor, beating its mighty wings like a hurricane (shameless Smaug reference), taking to the skies to help clear the way for his troops. Spewing fire and brimstone, this beast flies circles around the enemy base, torching the perimeter of the town and softening up defenses for his allies.
(Thought note: These are just example stats, hopefully they help to elaborate. Since the Legendary Dragon would be flying in its circle, an area of effect buff for the other dragons wouldn't be effective, so they just get a temporary passive buff.)
Other Stats:
Here's a quick table to summarize my thoughts on costs:
Build: 100,000 DE
Upgrade to Level 2: 70,000
2-15: +10000 [Level 3 is 80,000, Level 10 would be 150,000, Level 15 would be 200,000]
Ability unlocks at Level 10, then levels every 5 levels.
(Thought note: This would carry over nicely into TH11 (if that exists someday), because 200,000 is the topping out point for TH10, and this would leave you with a Level 2 ability, which won't be unreasonably overpowered for TH10, but leaves much to be desired at TH11. Plus, since it's pricey, it makes it tough to get the ability, but not impossible. As usual, I welcome suggestions and critiques!
Other Notes:
The Dragon would take 90 minutes to regenerate back to full health (increasing by 4 minutes per level [I don't want that to be too unreasonable for defensive purposes), but the the ability will take 4 hours to regenerate (increasing by 30 minutes per Ability Level). This would prevent players from spamming the ability in their attacks, reserving it for big raids and Clan Wars.
Brought to my attention was that the concept of new Hero Types may fall under rule-out. I get that, if it does, but I elaborated on the role that the dragon plays in the gaming experience of most clashers, and it gives an alternate look at adding the Legendary Dragon as a new hero.
My comment reads:
"I don't know about you, but I know when myself and a bunch of my friends first started playing, we couldn't wait to get to up to the big, bad, TH7 so we could get the mighty Dragon and just destroy everything in our paths. One dragon made us invincible, let alone to brew up a whole mess of them. To romanticize it a little, an aspiration of low level players is to get to the Dragon. Like, for me, I couldn't have cared less about PEKKAs when I first started out, I thought the idea of that tanky of a unit was actually kind of foolish. I just couldn't wait to get to Dragons. I mean, now I love my tanky little PEKKAs, but to look at it from the perspective of lower level players, a unique Dragon that can torch your opponent's city would just be really cool."
And I'll stand by that. I also remember thinking, "whoa, how cool would it be to have a Barb King!" and I'm thinking right now, "Whoa, I need to get 40,000 Dark Elixir in the next 8 days of Town Hall building to get my Archer Queen!" So why not have this epic Dragon unit to aspire to all the way until TH10?
Thanks for checking in on the add-ons! More will follow if I receive more constructive thoughts! Thanks!
