Retainer — guide

In short

Retainer is a Rare Dark Elves defense champion whose damage scales off DEF. He heals himself, gains Counterattack, drops Decrease DEF and cuts turn meter, but brings nothing to the team beyond his Faction Crypts aura. Only worth building for Faction Wars — prioritize DEF, HP, Speed and Accuracy.

Strengths

• Split in Two: 40% chance (up to 60% with books) to place Decrease DEF 30% for 2 turns — a usable debuff for Arena and Crypts.
• Stalwart Stance heals him for 40% of MAX HP and grants Counterattack for 2 turns: solid self-sustain for a Rare.
• Hypnosis cuts the target's turn meter by 50% and puts it to Sleep for 1 turn if the meter is empty — control that rare defense champions seldom have.
• Void affinity: he never lands a weak hit.
• Aura: +19% Ally DEF in Faction Crypts, a small survivability boost for the squad.

Weaknesses

• Low base stats: 1 277 DEF, 16 185 HP and only 93 Speed — thin and slow for a tank.
• No team healing, shields or buffs — only the aura and his debuffs.
• Sleep is broken by any damage, and the turn meter cut is only 50%.
• Rated 1.0 in Dungeons, Hydra, Chimera and Hard mode — he has no place there.

Where to use

Faction Wars (2.0) is his best home: the aura and self-heal at least do something. In Clan Boss (2.0) only in a very early team, for Decrease DEF and the turn meter cut. Arena (1.5) and Doom Tower (1.5) are niche — Provoke and Hypnosis against slow targets. Dungeons, Hydra, Chimera and Hard (1.0): don't bother.

Stats and gear

Priority: DEF (aim 2 500+), HP (30 000+), Speed (170–200), Accuracy (150–200, 200+ for Arena and Doom Tower). C.RATE and C.DMG are not a focus — his damage is low, surviving and landing debuffs matters more. Sets: Defense, Accuracy and Speed as the core; Lifesteal or Retaliation if you need solo sustain; Provoke for Arena and Doom Tower control.

Masteries and blessings

Keep it simple: Defense tree for survivability plus Support for Speed and Accuracy, and take Gathering Momentum from the build list. Blessings are not a priority on a fodder Rare — pick a defensive one for survivability if you actually run him in Crypts. The listed relic is Tempus Sanguinis.

Tombs

Book Stalwart Stance first: its level 5 upgrade cuts cooldown by 1, meaning more healing and near-permanent Counterattack. Then Hypnosis (−1 cooldown at level 6), and only then Split in Two up to the 60% debuff chance. Still, books are wasted on fodder — spend them only if you're pushing Dark Elves Crypts.

Verdict

Fodder. Retainer is a decent solo body with zero team value, so build him only for the Faction Crypts aura.