High ROI System: Charms often provide more impact than several gear levels. Treat them as a top-tier power upgrade once unlocked.
Charms unlock at Town Center Level 25 and apply directly to gear pieces (see also the gear enhancement guide for transferring upgrades between pieces). Unlike gear XP — which can be refunded through Enhancement — charm materials are permanent. A misplaced charm upgrade cannot be undone, making the priority order here critical.
This guide covers what charms are, why they matter more than most players realise, the correct upgrade cycle, slot priorities per troop type, and the farming sources you should target.
What Charms Do
Each charm adds a flat stat bonus to the gear piece it's attached to. Each gear slot has three charm slots, and each slot provides a different stat type. The stats charms provide are:
- Health Charms — flat troop health increase, most valuable on Infantry gear
- Lethality Charms — increases kill output, most valuable on Archer and Cavalry gear
- Attack Charms — flat troop attack increase
- Defence Charms — flat troop defence increase
Key Insight: Health and Lethality charms outperform Attack/Defence charms in almost every competitive scenario. The reason is the same as in gear stat priority — most players accumulate more Attack and Defence naturally through progression, making Health and Lethality the bottleneck stats that produce the greatest marginal gains.
Why Charms Matter More Than You Think
At Level 5, a single charm provides roughly the same stat boost as upgrading your gear piece by 10–15 XP levels. Since most mid-game players have gear between Level 60 and Level 100, a single maxed charm is equivalent to pushing a gear piece significantly further — often at a fraction of the material cost.
This makes charms one of the most efficient power investments in the game, especially for F2P players who can't easily farm Forgehammers or Mithril for Red gear progression. If you haven't started charm upgrades, you are leaving significant combat power on the table.
How the Charm System Works
Unlocking Charms
Charms become available when you reach Town Center Level 25. Once unlocked, you can access the charm interface through any gear piece's detail screen → "Charms" tab. All gear pieces for all heroes share the same charm slots — charms are tied to your account, not to individual heroes.
Charm Levels
Each charm has 5 upgrade levels. The stat bonus scales roughly as follows:
| Charm Level | Relative Stat Bonus | Materials Required | Cumulative Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 → 2 | +100% | Low | Low |
| Level 2 → 3 | +75% | Medium | Medium |
| Level 3 → 4 | +50% | High | High |
| Level 4 → 5 | +40% | Very High | Very High |
The upgrade cost increases sharply after Level 3. This is why the recommended upgrade cycle prioritises getting all three troop types to Level 3 before pushing any single type to Level 5.
Charm Materials
Charm upgrades require Charm Crystals (type-specific) and Charm Dust (universal). The type-specific crystals are the bottleneck — you'll run out of Infantry Health Crystals long before you run out of generic Charm Dust.
Never convert Charm Crystals from one type to another. The conversion rate is punitive (approximately 3:1), and you will eventually need crystals of every type. Hoard type-specific crystals and use them only on the highest-priority slot for that troop type.
Charm Upgrade Cycle
The recommended upgrade cycle balances power gain with army-wide consistency. Pushing one troop type to Level 5 while leaving others at Level 1 creates an exploitable weakness in events like KvK and Castle Battle where opponents can target your weakest troop type.
Recommended Cycle Order
Balanced Cycle (Recommended for Most Players)
Round 1 — Get Level 3 on all three troop types:
- Infantry Health charm → Level 1 → Level 3
- Archer Lethality charm → Level 1 → Level 3
- Cavalry Lethality charm → Level 1 → Level 3
Round 2 — Push to Level 5 in priority order:
- Infantry Health charm → Level 3 → Level 5
- Archer Lethality charm → Level 3 → Level 5
- Cavalry Lethality charm → Level 3 → Level 5
Round 3 — Secondary stat charms:
- Repeat the entire cycle for the secondary charm stat on each troop type (Infantry Defence, Archer Attack, Cavalry Attack)
This cycle keeps your army balanced and avoids a single weak point in events.
Charm Priority by Gear Slot
Not all charm slots are equal. Each gear slot contains three charm sub-slots, and the stat type varies by position. Here's the priority order for which charm to upgrade first within each gear slot:
Infantry Gear Charms
| Gear Slot | Priority Charm | Stat Focus | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry Gloves | Health (Slot 1) | Frontline survival | Gloves are your #1 gear priority — max their Health charm first |
| Infantry Gloves | Defence (Slot 2) | Damage reduction | Secondary benefit for front line |
| Infantry Chest | Health (Slot 1) | Extended survival | Chest is #4 gear priority — charm after Gloves |
| Infantry Chest | Defence (Slot 2) | Stacking defence | Adds to the Gloves defence bonus |
Archer Gear Charms
| Gear Slot | Priority Charm | Stat Focus | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Helmet | Lethality (Slot 1) | Kill output | Helmet is your #2 gear priority — max Lethality first |
| Archer Helmet | Attack (Slot 2) | Damage stacking | Attack and Lethality multiply together |
| Archer Boots | Lethality (Slot 1) | Kill output | Boots are #5 gear priority |
| Archer Boots | Attack (Slot 2) | Damage stacking | Secondary offensive boost |
Cavalry Gear Charms
| Gear Slot | Priority Charm | Stat Focus | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry Helmet | Lethality (Slot 1) | Burst damage | Helmet is #3 gear priority |
| Cavalry Helmet | Attack (Slot 2) | Open field power | Cavalry rely on burst — both stats matter |
| Cavalry Boots | Lethality (Slot 1) | Burst damage | Boots are #6 gear priority |
| Cavalry Boots | Attack (Slot 2) | Open field power | Secondary offensive boost |
Follow your gear priority order: Charm the same gear pieces in the same order as your gear priority (Infantry Gloves → Archer Helmet → Cavalry Helmet → Infantry Chest → Archer Boots → Cavalry Boots). Never charm a low-priority piece before a high-priority one.
Charm Farming Sources
Charm materials come from a limited set of sources. Here's where to focus your farming:
| Source | Material Type | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Store | Charm Crystals + Dust | Daily | Buy every day — this is your most consistent source |
| Governor Gear events | Charm Crystals | Event-based | Save event currency for charm materials when available |
| Alliance Championship | Charm Crystals | Weekly | Championship rewards include type-specific crystals |
| Hall of Governors | Charm Dust | Event-based | Governor Gear stage rewards |
| Daily Quests | Charm Dust | Daily | Small but consistent |
| Castle Battle rewards | Charm Crystals | Weekly | Only if your alliance holds a castle |
Farming Priority
For F2P players, the Alliance Store should be your daily priority. Even if it means spending alliance currency that could go elsewhere, the charm material returns are consistently the highest-value option. Governor Gear events are the second best source — save your event currency specifically for charm materials during these events.
Pitfalls to Watch For
Avoid These Errors:
- ❌ Maxing one troop type's charms while ignoring the others — creates an exploitable weakness
- ❌ Upgrading Attack/Defence charms before Health/Lethality — Health and Lethality produce larger marginal gains
- ❌ Converting Charm Crystals between types — the 3:1 conversion rate wastes materials
- ❌ Charming low-priority gear pieces before high-priority ones (e.g., Infantry Helmet before Infantry Gloves)
- ❌ Pushing a single charm to Level 5 before getting all three troop types to Level 3
- ❌ Forgetting to buy charm materials daily from the Alliance Store
FAQ
Can I move charms between gear pieces? No. Charms are permanently attached to the gear slot. However, if you use Enhancement to transfer a gear piece's upgrades to a better piece, the charms stay with the gear slot and are not lost. See the Gear Enhancement Guide for details.
Should I charm my Expedition gear or Conquest gear? Both. Charms apply to a gear slot, not a specific mode — the stat boost applies in all game modes (Conquest, Expedition, Arena, events).
What's the total number of charms to max? Each gear set has 6 pieces with 3 charm slots each = 18 charms per troop type × 3 troop types = 54 charms total. This is a very long-term goal — focus on the priority order and don't worry about total completion.
Are charms affected by the Rally Leader Rule? Yes. Like all gear stats, charms only benefit the rally leader. If you join others' rallies, your charms have zero effect on the battle. See the Gear Guide rally leader section for details.
Related Guides
- Core Gear Guide: Hero gear priorities and Red gear path
- Governor Gear Guide: Crafting and upgrade strategy
- Gear Enhancement Guide: Enhancement vs Reforge, step-by-step transfer
- Lethality Guide: Why Lethality is the priority offensive stat
- Master Academy Guide: Unlocking Pan and Valora's passive rewards