How Equipment Nodes Work
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.