RISE OF CASTLES - HEROES

Saladin has arrived to redefine what it means to play Cavalry. He is not just another damage dealer or support – he is a force multiplier, designed to accelerate battle tempo, dismantle enemy defenses, and turn enemy healing into a weapon against them.

But to unlock his full potential, you need to understand how the battle engine actually works, which combos are valid (and why), and – perhaps most importantly – what are the weaknesses of this playstyle.

This guide is based on the game's battle engine source code (roc_battle_engine) and practical testing. No more guesswork: let's get to the truth of the numbers.

1. What Makes Saladin Special?

Saladin is not a pure burst hero, nor a tank, nor a passive support. He is a tempo controller with three pillars:

What this means in practice: Saladin accelerates your entire team, amplifies damage taken by the enemy, and punishes any healing attempt. He is the engine that makes Cavalry work at high RPM.

2. The Battle Engine: Turn Order, Range, and Effect Resolution

Before building any team, you must understand how the game actually processes actions.

2.1. Turn Order (Combat Speed)

In the engine code (buildTurnOrder), turn order is defined exclusively by each squad's speed attribute:

javascript

buildTurnOrder(){     const groups={};     for(const s of this.alive())(groups[s.speed]=groups[s.speed]||[]).push(s);     for(const spd of Object.keys(groups).map(Number).sort((a,b)=>b-a)){         // ... adds to the turn queue from highest speed to lowest     } }

Golden rule: The squad with the highest Combat Speed acts first in the round. This is absolutely critical for Saladin, because he needs to apply Devour Mend before any healing block (Cyrus, Don Quixote) or healing reduction (Attila). If he is slower, attrition is nullified or reduced.

2.2. Effective Range (inRange) – The Corrected Formula

The engine calculates the distance between attacker and target as:

text

distance = 1 + rowIndex(attacker) + rowIndex(target)

Where:

• FRONT = 0

• MID = 1

• BACK = 2

Critical implications:

• A hero in FRONT with range 2 hits FRONT and MID enemies, but NOT the BACK (needs range 3).

• A hero in MID with range 2 only hits the FRONT enemy (distance 2). To hit MID, needs range 3; to hit BACK, needs range 4.

• A hero in BACK with range 3 only hits the FRONT enemy. To hit MID, needs range 4; to hit BACK, needs range 5.

This completely changes positioning recommendations. Heroes with range 2 (Hannibal, Warden) must be in FRONT to reach the maximum number of targets. Heroes with range 5 (Saladin, Thorvi, Cyrus, Attila) can be in any row, but BACK is the safest.

2.3. Devour Mend (Attrition) – The Code Truth

The heal_ function in the engine shows the exact resolution order:

javascript

heal_(n){     // 1. FIRST: Check if Attrition (Devour Mend) is active     if(this.buffs?.attrition?.rounds>0){         const rate = this.buffs.attrition.rate ?? 1.0;         const dmg = Math.floor(n * rate);         // apply damage...         return 0; // ⬅️ EXITS HERE. DOES NOT CHECK ANYTHING ELSE.     }     // 2. ONLY THEN checks Anti-Heal (Cyrus/Don)     if(this.buffs?.antiHeal) return 0;     // 3. ONLY THEN applies normal healing }

Irrefutable conclusions:

1. Attrition overwrites, it does NOT stack. buffs.attrition is a single object. If Saladin applies 25% and Thorvi applies 50% later, the final effect is 50% (Thorvi overwrote). If Thorvi applies 50% and Saladin applies 25% later, the final effect is 25% (Saladin halved the team's attrition!). Therefore, in teams with Saladin + Thorvi, Saladin MUST act first so that Thorvi can overwrite with the higher 50%.

2. Attrition precedes Anti-Heal. If Saladin applies Devour Mend before Cyrus applies the healing block, healing is converted to damage first, and the block only cuts the excess. There is no anti-synergy if the turn order is correct.

3. Healing reduction (Attila) reduces attrition. Attila applies recovReduce, which decreases the amount of healing that reaches heal_. Therefore, Saladin's attrition damage is proportionally reduced. This is a cost you must consider.

3. Valid Combos and Correct Positioning (Based on the Range Table)

Remember: each row has only one hero. You cannot place two in the Back. Below are the strongest combos with optimized positioning, based on range and synergies.

3.1. Maximum Attrition – Hannibal (Front) + Thorvi (Mid) + Saladin (Back) – S+ Tier

Why it's the best:

• None of the three block or reduce healing → Devour Mend works at 100%.

• Hannibal in Front with Range 2 hits Front and Mid enemies with Crescent Tactics (+20% damage taken, Breakout, Sober). This is sufficient because most carries are in Mid or Front. The enemy Back (usually support or archer) is not affected, but Hannibal compensates with Taunt (Skill 2).

• Thorvi in Mid applies 50% attrition after Saladin (if Combat Speed is adjusted), overwriting to the maximum value.

• Saladin in Back accelerates skills and amplifies damage.

Condition: Saladin must have Combat Speed > Thorvi, so that Thorvi overwrites with 50%. If Thorvi is faster, she applies 50% and Saladin reduces it to 25% – a disaster.

3.2. Burst + Attrition – Cyrus (Front) + Thorvi (Mid) + Saladin (Back) – S+ Tier

Why it works:

• Cyrus in Front (though not a natural tank) has Range 5, so he hits everyone. He applies antiHeal after Saladin and Thorvi apply Devour Mend (if they are faster).

• Thorvi overwrites attrition with 50%.

• Cyrus's damage (Skill 2: 550% with 100% chance to skip preparation, thanks to Saladin's bonus) is devastating.

Risk: Cyrus in Front is fragile. You need support (Theodora, for example) or trust that the enemy team will die before taking him down.

3.3. The Game's Recommended Combo – Cyrus (Front) + Attila (Mid) + Saladin (Back) – S Tier

Why the game suggests this combo, even with anti-synergy?

• Attila reduces healing by 60%, which reduces Saladin's attrition, but also reduces enemy healing.

• The raw damage of Cyrus + Attila is so high that they kill the enemy before attrition becomes necessary.

• It's a burst combo, not an attrition one. Devour Mend is a secondary bonus.

Future: It is almost certain that Attila's future skin will modify his healing reduction mechanic to eliminate or transform this anti-synergy.

3.4. Extreme Damage – Don Quixote (Front) + Cyrus (Mid) + Saladin (Back) – A+ Tier

Conflict: Don Quixote and Cyrus block healing. Saladin needs to be faster than both for attrition to work. If Don or Cyrus are faster, Devour Mend is nullified. This is a high-risk, high-reward team.

3.5. Evasion Loop – Warden (Front) + Thorvi (Mid) + Saladin (Back) – S Tier

Why it works:

• Warden in Front with Range 2 buffs Thorvi and Saladin in Mid/Back with extra attacks, but does NOT reach the enemy Back. This is not a problem because the team's focus is attrition and evasion, not necessarily killing the Back first.

• Thorvi dodges → reduces everyone's cooldown (Skill 8).

• Evasion + attrition loop. Extremely consistent in long battles.

4. The Cavalry Weakness: The Archer Dominance

Now, the truth many ignore: full Cavalry teams, even with Saladin, are naturally weak against well-built Archer compositions. This is not an opinion – it's a direct consequence of the type triangle and game mechanics.

4.1. Why Archers Beat Cavalry

4.2. Archer Combos That Destroy Cavalry

• Sakura Blossom (Front) + Al-Hawra (Mid) + Henry II (Back) – Sakura deals area damage on round 2, Al-Hawra amplifies and repeats, Henry II focuses the marked target. Cavalry has no time to scale.

• Ramses II (Front) + Al-Hawra (Mid) + Henry II (Back) – Ramses reduces physical damage in the first rounds (which doesn't affect archer skills) and increases Fatal Blow, while Al-Hawra and Henry II execute.

4.3. How to Mitigate This Weakness

5. Build and Attribute Guide

5.1. Attribute Priority

Hero Priority Attribute Reason

Saladin -> Combat Speed->Must act before Cyrus/Thorvi to apply Devour Mend first.

Thorvi->Combat Speed (2nd)->Must act after Saladin to overwrite with 50% attrition.

Cyrus->Damage / Might->Naturally fast; focus on maximizing Skill 2 damage.

Attila->Resistance / HP->Needs to survive to apply healing reduction and Pain.

Hannibal->Resistance / HP->Team tank; must stay alive to maintain Taunt and buffs.

Theodora->Resistance / HP->Front line sustain.

5.2. Items and Emblems

• Saladin: Use items with Combat Speed and Skill Damage bonuses. Speed emblems are mandatory.

• Thorvi: Balance Speed and Physical Damage. She needs to be fast, but not faster than Saladin.

• Hannibal: Prioritize Resistance and HP. Tank items.

6. Conclusion: Saladin is the Future, but Requires Planning

Saladin is one of the best-designed heroes of recent seasons. He is not a magic solution – he requires strategic thinking and fine-tuned attributes.

Key takeaways:

1. Turn order is everything. Combat Speed defines whether attrition works or not.

2. Attrition does not stack. Saladin (25%) and Thorvi (50%) overwrite each other. The last to apply defines the rate.

3. Cyrus and Attila reduce attrition (one blocks, the other reduces base healing). Use them if you want burst, not attrition.

4. Hannibal + Thorvi + Saladin is the purest and most effective attrition combo.

5. Archers are the biggest counter. Invest in Theodora, Warden, or Don Quixote to mitigate this weakness.

6. Attila's future skin will likely correct the anti-synergy, making the Cyrus + Attila + Saladin trio unbeatable.

Saladin is not a hero to simply slot into a team and forget. He is a hero to build the team around. If you do that, Cavalry will once again become a dominant force in the meta.

Now go to the battlefield and show the Sultan's power.

This guide is based on the game's battle engine source code (roc_battle_engine) and practical testing. All data is subject to game updates.

Want to contribute to this analysis? Reach out to the RiseOfCastles.net team.