Call of Dragons New Marksman Heroes Ruby and Kaelan Explained

 


Kaelan Builds Pairings and Best Artifacts

Ruby and Kaelan introduce fresh marksman mechanics that broaden tactical options without instantly overturning the prevailing meta. Ruby specializes in short‑burst area volleys that excel at clearing clustered infantry and accelerating merit runs. Kaelan focuses on concentrated normal‑attack burst, ideal for finishing high‑value targets and punishing exposed legions. Both heroes are powerful in the right contexts but require artifacts, pets, and pairings to reach their potential. This guide explains how to use them effectively, when to invest, how to build them, and how to slot them into existing team archetypes.

Understanding the marksman role in the current landscape

Marksmen in Call of Dragons are defined by their reliance on normal attacks and attack‑based mechanics rather than pure skill damage. The game’s current ecosystem still heavily rewards high skill‑damage mages and hybrid commanders who amplify area skill effects. Marksmen therefore tend to carve out niche advantages—faster merit clears, targeted single‑target pressure, and counters to specific troop compositions—rather than replacing core mage strategies.

Ruby and Kaelan expand those niches. Ruby’s repeated area volleys make her a specialist at frontline attrition and merit speed. Kaelan’s burst normal attacks make him a surgical tool for removing priority legions. Both heroes are most effective when they are supported by artifacts that amplify normal attack damage, pets that increase rage or physical output, and pairings that create windows of vulnerability in the enemy formation.


How Ruby works and why she matters

Ruby’s kit centers on rapid, short‑duration area volleys that hit a primary target and nearby units multiple times. The volley cadence and area coverage let her shred infantry clusters and thin out frontlines quickly. In merit farming and large‑scale alliance fights, Ruby’s value is twofold: she reduces the time required to clear merit targets and she creates openings for follow‑up ranged or mage damage to reach the backline.

Key strengths

  • Infantry clearing: Ruby’s repeated AoE pulses are tailored to deal with dense infantry stacks, making merit runs faster and more reliable.

  • Tempo creation: By softening or removing frontlines, Ruby enables high‑value damage dealers to reach priority targets sooner.

  • Sustained AoE windows: Her volley pattern creates repeated damage windows rather than a single burst, which is useful against regenerating or shielded legions.

Limitations

  • Short window: Ruby’s volleys are powerful but brief; if follow‑up damage isn’t ready, the advantage can be wasted.

  • Artifact dependency: She scales strongly with area and skill amplification artifacts; without them she’s less effective.

  • Countered by spread formations: Opponents who spread troops or use formations that reduce clustering blunt her impact.

How Kaelan works and why he matters

Kaelan is a marksman built around concentrated normal‑attack multipliers and burst windows. His kit rewards timing and target selection: when he can unload his enhanced normal attacks on a single high‑value legion, the result is rapid, surgical removal. Kaelan is not a frontline cleaver like Ruby; he’s a finisher and a punish tool.

Key strengths

  • Single‑target burst: Kaelan excels at finishing exposed legions, commanders, or siege units.

  • Synergy with debuffs: He benefits greatly from setups that reduce enemy defenses or increase damage taken.

  • Flexible pairing: Kaelan can slot as a secondary marksman or as a complement to mages that create exposure windows.

Limitations

  • Reliant on setup: Without debuffs, crowd control, or a primary that creates openings, Kaelan’s burst is harder to realize.

  • Less effective in mass infantry clearing: He’s not designed to clear clusters the way Ruby is.

  • Artifact and pet reliance: Like Ruby, Kaelan needs the right gear to scale into late‑game relevance.

When to invest in Ruby and Kaelan

Investment decisions should be guided by your playstyle, alliance needs, and resource availability. Marksman heroes are often situational investments—very powerful in the right hands and contexts, but not universally superior.

Invest in Ruby if:

  • Your alliance runs frequent merit farming sessions that rely on fast infantry clears.

  • You face opponents who use dense infantry formations and you need a reliable counter.

  • You have or can obtain artifacts that boost area damage, skill amplification, and rage generation.

Invest in Kaelan if:

  • You need a reliable finisher to remove high‑value targets in open field or siege.

  • Your roster already includes a primary marksman or mages that can create exposure windows.

  • You can support him with artifacts that increase normal attack damage, crit, and attack speed.

Wait or deprioritize if:

  • You lack the artifact ecosystem to support marksman scaling.

  • Your alliance meta is heavily mage‑centric and you don’t run compositions that exploit marksman strengths.

  • You need more universally useful heroes for alliance or solo progression.


Building Ruby: talents, artifacts, pets, and troops

Ruby’s build philosophy is to maximize her area volley damage and ensure follow‑up damage capitalizes on the openings she creates.

Talents and priorities

  • Prioritize talents that increase skill area damage, skill damage amplification, and rage generation.

  • Secondary talents should boost survivability and attack speed so she can maintain volley uptime.

Artifacts

  • Seek artifacts that increase area skill damage and AoE multipliers.

  • Items that grant additional volley hits, reduce cooldowns, or increase rage on hit are high value.

  • Balance between raw damage artifacts and those that improve uptime or enable follow‑up damage.

Pets

  • Choose pets that boost physical damage, increase rage generation, or provide burst windows (e.g., pets that grant temporary attack speed or crit).

  • Pets that improve survivability are useful if Ruby is being targeted early in fights.

Troops

  • Ruby pairs best with infantry‑heavy legions for merit runs.

  • In open field, consider mixed troops that allow Ruby to create openings while other legions exploit them.

Building Kaelan: talents, artifacts, pets, and troops

Kaelan’s build centers on maximizing normal attack multipliers and ensuring he can reliably land his burst on priority targets.

Talents and priorities

  • Focus on talents that increase normal attack damage, crit chance, and attack speed.

  • Talents that amplify damage against debuffed or exposed targets are particularly valuable.

Artifacts

  • Prioritize artifacts that boost normal attack multipliers, crit damage, and attack speed.

  • Items that grant bonus damage on finishing blows or increase damage against single targets are ideal.

Pets

  • Select pets that increase crit chance, physical damage, or provide short burst windows.

  • Pets that synergize with debuffs or increase damage against specific troop types can be game‑changing.

Troops

  • Kaelan works well with marksman or cavalry legions that can reposition or create exposure.

  • Pair him with troops that can hold the line while he focuses on the priority target.

Pairing and synergy: how to slot them into compositions

Marksmen are rarely solo solutions; they shine when paired with complementary heroes and legions.

Ruby pairings

  • Pair Ruby with mages or ranged heroes that can capitalize on the holes she creates.

  • Use frontline tanks or control heroes to hold enemy attention while Ruby’s volleys thin the front.

  • Consider a secondary marksman or a mage that can follow up with area skill damage.

Kaelan pairings

  • Pair Kaelan with heroes that apply debuffs, reduce armor, or otherwise expose a single target.

  • Use Kaelan as a secondary to a primary marksman or mage that creates the opening.

  • Timing is everything: coordinate Kaelan’s burst with buffs and debuffs for maximum effect.

Tactical play: battlefield roles and micro decisions

Both heroes require tactical awareness and timing to be effective. Here are practical battlefield roles and micro decisions to keep in mind.

Opening the fight

  • Use Ruby early to thin infantry and create a tempo advantage. Her volley windows are best used to force enemy repositioning.

  • Use Kaelan to punish overextensions or to finish a high‑value legion once it’s exposed.

Mid‑fight adjustments

  • If Ruby’s volley window ends without follow‑up, reposition or use crowd control to buy time for another window.

  • If Kaelan is being targeted, use defensive buffs or repositioning to keep him alive until his burst can be delivered.

Large scale engagements

  • Ruby is particularly valuable in alliance fights where infantry clustering is common. Coordinate with alliance mates to ensure follow‑up damage is ready.

  • Kaelan is most effective in coordinated strikes where a target is singled out by multiple allies.

Artifact economy and resource management

Investing in marksman artifacts is a resource decision. Prioritize artifacts that give the biggest marginal gains for your playstyle.

  • If you run frequent merit sessions, prioritize Ruby artifacts that speed clears.

  • If you participate in coordinated alliance strikes, prioritize Kaelan artifacts that increase single‑target lethality.

  • Don’t overcommit to both at once unless you have the artifact depth to support them; focus on one hero to reach a breakpoint where their impact is clear.


Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Players often make predictable errors when adopting new marksman heroes. Avoid these traps.

  • Overinvesting early: Don’t pour G5 tokens into a marksman without the artifacts and pets to support them.

  • Misplaced expectations: Expecting Ruby or Kaelan to replace mages will lead to disappointment; they complement, not replace.

  • Poor pairing: Using Kaelan without debuffs or Ruby without follow‑up reduces their effectiveness dramatically.

  • Ignoring timing: Both heroes rely on windows; failing to coordinate buffs, debuffs, and follow‑ups wastes their potential.

Advanced tactics and niche uses

For experienced players and alliances, Ruby and Kaelan unlock advanced tactics.

  • Merit speedrunning: Use Ruby to create a rotation that minimizes downtime between merit targets. Coordinate with pets and artifacts that reduce cooldowns.

  • Surgical strikes: Use Kaelan in coordinated ganks where a single legion must be removed quickly to collapse an enemy formation.

  • Hybrid compositions: Combine Ruby’s area thinning with a mage’s follow‑up skill to create layered damage windows that are hard to counter.

  • Counterplay: Use Ruby defensively to force opponents to spread, then punish them with ranged or mage damage.

Measuring value: KPIs to track performance

Track a few simple metrics to know whether your investment is paying off.

  • Merit clear time: If Ruby reduces average merit clear time, she’s delivering value.

  • Target removal rate: If Kaelan increases the rate at which priority legions are removed in coordinated strikes, he’s effective.

  • Win rate in targeted scenarios: Track outcomes in fights where you intentionally used Ruby or Kaelan to see if they shift results.

Transitioning from midgame to late game

As you progress, the artifact and pet ecosystem deepens. Both heroes scale with gear, but their relative value depends on how your alliance evolves.

  • In midgame, Ruby often provides the most immediate value for merit and frontline control.

  • In late game, Kaelan can become a decisive finisher if you can stack crit and normal attack multipliers.

  • Reassess periodically: what was niche in midgame can become core in late game if your alliance builds around it.

FAQ

Will Ruby or Kaelan replace mages in the meta? No. Both heroes expand marksman options and create niche counters, but they do not displace mage dominance. They are best used as complementary tools that exploit specific weaknesses in enemy formations.

Which hero should I awaken first? Awaken the hero who solves your immediate roster problem. If you need faster merit clears and infantry counters, awaken Ruby. If you need a reliable finisher for coordinated strikes, awaken Kaelan.

What artifacts are must‑have for each hero? Ruby needs artifacts that boost area skill damage, volley hits, and rage generation. Kaelan needs artifacts that increase normal attack multipliers, crit, and attack speed.

Which pets pair best with them? Choose pets that increase physical damage and rage generation for Ruby, and pets that boost crit and burst damage for Kaelan.

How do I use them in alliance fights? Coordinate: use Ruby to thin frontlines and create tempo; use Kaelan to finish exposed targets. Communicate windows and ensure follow‑up damage is ready.

Are they good for solo play? They can be, but both heroes shine most in coordinated contexts. Ruby helps solo merit runs; Kaelan is more situational solo unless you can create exposure windows.

How many artifacts should I invest before awakening? Aim to secure at least a couple of core artifacts that directly amplify the hero’s primary mechanic before committing major awakening resources.

Do troop types matter? Yes. Ruby benefits from infantry clustering; Kaelan benefits from compositions that can expose single targets or hold the line while he finishes.

Can they be used together? Yes. Ruby can create openings that Kaelan then exploits, but this requires careful timing and artifact support.

What’s the single best tip for each hero? For Ruby: ensure follow‑up damage is ready when her volley window opens. For Kaelan: time his burst to coincide with debuffs or exposure.

Closing notes and next steps

Ruby and Kaelan are meaningful additions to the marksman roster. They reward players who invest in the right artifacts, pets, and pairings and who coordinate timing in fights. They do not instantly break the meta, but they do create new tactical layers that savvy players and alliances can exploit.

Focused summary: Ruby is your infantry‑clearing marksman for faster merit runs; Kaelan is the single‑target finisher for coordinated strikes. Invest artifacts and pets that amplify normal attack damage, attack speed, and area/skill multipliers to unlock their best roles.

Artifact priorities and exact stat targets

Ruby — prioritize area skill damage, skill area multiplier, rage on hit, and cooldown reduction. Aim for artifacts that give +20–30% area skill damage, +15–25% skill multiplier, and 5–10% rage on hit on core pieces. These numbers are target ranges to reach a reliable volley window in merit runs.

Kaelan — prioritize normal attack multiplier, crit chance, crit damage, and attack speed. Target +25–35% normal attack damage, +20% crit chance, +30–50% crit damage, and +10–20% attack speed on primary artifacts to secure consistent finishing power.

Talent trees (exact priorities)

Ruby talent path: max Skill Area DamageSkill Damage AmplificationRage GenerationSurvivability. Put early points into area and skill nodes to reach a breakpoint where volley windows are long enough for follow‑up.

Kaelan talent path: max Normal Attack DamageCrit ChanceAttack SpeedDamage vs Debuffed Targets. Prioritize normal attack nodes first, then crit scaling to convert raw damage into reliable kills.


Pet recommendations and stat focus

  • Ruby pets

    • Rage Booster: increases rage generation and uptime.

    • Area Damage Pet: boosts AoE multipliers.

    • Survivability Pet: grants sustain during volley windows. Pets should emphasize +rage/sec, +area damage, and HP to keep volley uptime high.

  • Kaelan pets

    • Crit Enhancer: raises crit chance and crit damage.

    • Burst Window Pet: grants temporary attack speed or damage buff.

    • Targeting Pet: increases damage vs single targets. Prioritize +crit chance, +crit damage, and +attack speed stats.

Sample builds by mode

Merit runs (Ruby focus)

  • Artifacts: area skill damage set + rage on hit.

  • Talents: area → skill amp → rage.

  • Pets: Rage Booster + Area Damage Pet.

  • Troops: infantry‑heavy legions to maximize clustering.

Open field (balanced)

  • Artifacts: mixed normal attack and area pieces for both heroes.

  • Talents: Ruby area first, Kaelan normal attack first.

  • Pets: one sustain pet and one burst pet to adapt to skirmishes.

Siege and coordinated strikes (Kaelan focus)

  • Artifacts: normal attack multiplier, crit sets.

  • Talents: Kaelan crit and attack speed prioritized.

  • Pets: Crit Enhancer + Burst Window Pet.

  • Play: use debuff windows from allies before committing Kaelan.

Short in‑fight checklist

  • Open with Ruby volley to thin infantry and force reposition.

  • Confirm follow‑up ready (mage or ranged damage queued).

  • Trigger Kaelan burst only after debuffs or exposure applied.

  • Swap pets/artifacts if target resists; adapt to troop types.

Quick summary: Ruby needs area skill damage, rage generation, and uptime artifacts to dominate merit clears; Kaelan needs normal attack multipliers, crit, and attack speed to reliably finish targets. Below are focused artifact shopping priorities and a clear, step‑by‑step talent allocation for each hero.

Ruby artifact shopping list and stat targets

Core priorities — look for pieces that boost area skill damage, skill multiplier, rage on hit, and cooldown reduction. Aim for these stat ranges on primary pieces: +20–30% area skill damage, +12–20% skill multiplier, +5–10% rage on hit, 5–10% cooldown reduction. Recommended slots to prioritize

  • Weapon/Offhand: area skill damage or additional volley hits.

  • Chest/Armor: cooldown reduction or rage generation.

  • Boots/Accessory: movement or attack speed if available to improve volley cadence. Shopping tips — trade for artifacts that explicitly add extra hits or extend AoE duration; avoid single‑target artifacts unless they also add rage or cooldown benefits. Fallback pieces — if you can’t get perfect area pieces, pick artifacts that increase overall skill damage and HP so Ruby survives long enough to deliver volleys.

Kaelan artifact shopping list and stat targets

Core priorities — seek normal attack multiplier, crit chance, crit damage, and attack speed. Target ranges: +25–35% normal attack damage, +18–25% crit chance, +30–50% crit damage, +10–20% attack speed. Recommended slots to prioritize

  • Weapon: normal attack multiplier or crit damage.

  • Helmet/Chest: crit chance or attack speed.

  • Accessory: bonus damage vs single targets or finishing blow multipliers. Shopping tips — prioritize artifacts that trigger extra damage on finishing blows or against debuffed targets; these convert Kaelan’s burst into consistent kills.

Ruby talent point allocation (step‑by‑step)

Start by unlocking the Skill Area branch, then follow this sequence as you gain points:

  • Put first 10 points into Skill Area Damage nodes to hit the volley breakpoint.

  • Next 8 points into Skill Damage Amplification to raise per‑pulse damage.

  • Allocate 6 points into Rage Generation to ensure repeat volleys.

  • Invest 4 points into Cooldown Reduction to shorten windows between volleys.

  • Place remaining points into Survivability and Attack Speed to maintain uptime and avoid being bursted before volleys land.


Kaelan talent point allocation (step‑by‑step)

Prioritize normal attack scaling and crit conversion:

  • First 12 points into Normal Attack Damage nodes to establish base burst.

  • Next 8 points into Crit Chance to make bursts reliable.

  • Put 6 points into Crit Damage to amplify each crit.

  • Allocate 6 points into Attack Speed so Kaelan can deliver his enhanced normals quickly.

  • Use remaining points on Damage vs Debuffed Targets and Targeting nodes to maximize finishing potential.

Pets and micro priorities for shopping

Limit bullets but keep focus:

  • Ruby pets: prioritize rage generation and area damage; a secondary pet for HP/sustain is useful.

  • Kaelan pets: prioritize crit chance, crit damage, and short burst buffs that stack with his normal attacks.

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