Learn which epic equipment each Hero Journey node awards, how to predict event shop rotations, and how to strategically plan your equipment acquisition for maximum value.
The Hero Journey track contains roughly 10 equipment nodes spread across its progression. Each node is locked to a specific hero — one might be a Barbarian King node, another a Grand Warden node, and so on.
Here's the critical mechanic: when you reach a node, it awards the oldest epic equipment you don't already own for that hero. "Oldest" means the equipment that was released first chronologically. If you somehow own every epic for that hero already, you receive 50 Starry Ore as a fallback instead.
Equipment from these nodes also comes pre-leveled — not at level 1. The further along the track the node sits, the higher the starting level. This is free ore you never have to spend.
Pro Tip: Understanding the release order for each hero's equipment is the single most important thing for planning. It tells you exactly what the track will hand you before you even get there.
Epic Equipment Release Order
This table is your cheat sheet. The system always checks: "What is the oldest epic this player doesn't own for this hero?" and awards that one.
Hero
Epic #1 (Oldest)
Epic #2
Epic #3
Epic #4
Barbarian King
Giant Gauntlet
Spiky Ball
Snake Bracelet
Stick Horse
Archer Queen
Frozen Arrow
Healer Puppet
Magic Mirror
Action Figure
Grand Warden
Fireball
Lavaloon Puppet
Heroic Torch
—
Royal Champion
Rocket Spear
Electro Boots
Frost Flake
—
Minion Prince
Dark Crown
Meteor Staff
—
—
Dragon Duke
Rocket Backpack
—
—
—
If you own Giant Gauntlet and Spiky Ball on the Barbarian King, the next BK equipment node gives you Snake Bracelet — no exceptions. If you own all four BK epics, you get 50 Starry Ore instead.
Equipment Floor Boost
Separate from equipment nodes, the Hero Journey includes an equipment floor boost that retroactively levels up your existing epics if they're under-leveled relative to your track progress.
The floor level is calculated per hero based on your hero levels. If the system determines your equipment should be at least level 12 based on your progress, any epic sitting below that threshold gets auto-boosted to 12 — for free.
The ore savings here are enormous:
Boost Range
Shiny Ore Saved
Glowy Ore Saved
Starry Ore Saved
Level 1 → 15
~20,000
~1,300
~60
Level 1 → 12
~12,000
~800
~35
Getting five pieces of equipment boosted from level 1 to 15 saves you months of farming across all three ore types. This is one of the most underrated benefits of the Hero Journey.
Pro Tip: Floor boosts apply retroactively — you don't lose them by waiting. There's no penalty for holding off on upgrades if you're planning around event shop timing.
Pre-Leveled Equipment From Nodes
Equipment awarded from track nodes doesn't start at level 1. The pre-level scales with the node's position on the track:
Early nodes (first third of the track): ~Level 3–6
Mid nodes (middle third): ~Level 7–11
Late nodes (final third): ~Level 12–15
A late-track node handing you a level 15 epic means you skip every single upgrade from 1 to 14. Combined with the floor boost on your other equipment, the Hero Journey can jump your entire equipment roster forward in one sweep. Use ClashVault's Ore Calculator to see exactly how much ore each pre-leveled piece saves you.
Event Shop Equipment Cycle
The medal event shop rotates epic equipment on a predictable schedule. Each hero's epics cycle through the shop on roughly an 8-month rotation. To predict what's coming next, check which equipment for each hero hasn't appeared in the longest time.
One important rule: newly released epic equipment doesn't return to the event shop for at least 6 months after its initial release. After that cooling period, it enters the normal rotation.
Barbarian King Shop History (Example)
Month
BK Equipment in Shop
December
Spiky Ball
February
Stick Horse
April
Snake Bracelet
June
Giant Gauntlet
August (predicted)
Spiky Ball
The pattern is clear — each BK epic cycles back roughly every 8 months. Track this for every hero and you can predict the next 2–3 event shops with reasonable accuracy.
Strategic Planning: Track + Event Shop Synergy
This is where competitive players gain their edge. The track and the event shop are two separate sources of epic equipment, and coordinating them lets you double your acquisitions instead of wasting overlap.
Strategy 1: Skip the Shop, Claim From Track
You know from the release order table that Fireball is the oldest Warden epic you don't own. That means the track's Warden equipment node will award Fireball automatically.
So when the August event shop offers Fireball, don't pick it. Choose a different epic or the newest equipment release instead. Result: you walk away with Fireball from the track and something else from the shop. Two epics instead of one.
Strategy 2: Grab From Shop First, Shift the Track Reward
Say you want both Fireball and Lavaloon Puppet for the Warden. If you do nothing, the track gives you Fireball (the oldest missing) and you'd have to wait months for Lavaloon Puppet to rotate through the shop.
Instead, buy Fireball from the event shop before you reach the Warden node on the track. Now the track checks again — Fireball is owned, so the oldest missing epic is Lavaloon Puppet. The node awards Lavaloon Puppet instead. You've manipulated the track into giving you exactly what you want.
Strategy 3: Avoid Wasting a Track Node
Spiky Ball is predicted for the August event shop. If you're about to hit the BK equipment node on the track and Spiky Ball is your oldest missing BK epic, that node is about to give you something you could get from the shop in a few weeks.
You have two options:
Delay — slow down track progression so the event shop gives you Spiky Ball first, then the track node awards the next epic in line (Snake Bracelet)
Accept and redirect — take Spiky Ball from the track and pick something else from the shop instead
Neither option is wrong, but the worst outcome is claiming Spiky Ball from the track and having no better option in the shop — that's a wasted opportunity.
Pro Tip: Strategy 2 is the highest-value play for most players. Buying from the shop first gives you control over what the track awards, effectively letting you choose your free epic.
What NOT to Do
Don't rush equipment nodes blindly. Every node you claim without checking event shop timing is a potential missed optimization. Five minutes of planning can save you months of grinding.
Don't ignore the 50 Starry Ore fallback. If you own all epics for a hero, the fallback reward is decent — but it's almost always less valuable than a free pre-leveled epic. Prioritize filling gaps in your collection first.
Don't panic about floor boosts. They apply retroactively based on your hero levels and track progress. Waiting to claim a node or holding off on an event shop purchase doesn't cost you any floor boost value. The system recalculates whenever you progress.
Don't forget release order matters for newer heroes too. Dragon Duke only has one epic (Rocket Backpack), so its node is basically guaranteed — but Minion Prince with two epics still follows the oldest-first rule.
Your Planning Checklist
Follow this before every event shop and before you approach equipment nodes on the track:
Audit your collection — Open the Hero Hall in-game and note which epic equipment you own for each hero
Identify gaps — For each hero, list the epics you're missing
Check the release order table — The oldest missing epic per hero is what the track will give you
Predict the next event shop — Look at the shop history and estimate which epics are due to rotate back
Compare and decide — Will the track give you something the shop is about to offer? If so, buy from the shop first to shift the track reward, or save your medals for something else
Calculate your ore savings — Use ClashVault's Ore Calculator to compare the value of pre-leveled equipment vs. upgrading manually
TL;DR
Equipment nodes award the oldest epic you don't own per hero — learn the release order to predict exactly what you'll get
Pre-leveled equipment from later track nodes can start at level 12–15, saving thousands of ore
Floor boosts retroactively level up under-leveled epics based on your hero levels — potentially saving 20,000+ Shiny Ore per piece
Event shops rotate each hero's epics on ~8-month cycles, and you can predict what's coming next
The real strategy: coordinate track claims with event shop timing to maximize total epics acquired — buy from the shop first to control what the track gives you, or skip the shop if the track already covers it
Two epics are always better than one. Plan ahead, don't just click.
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Founder of ClashVault & competitive Clasher since 2014. Active TH16 & TH17 player focused on data-driven progression modeling, ore planning algorithms, and reverse-engineering upgrade dynamics.
