Tartarus the Oarsman: how his kit works and where he shines

Tartarus the Oarsman is a Legendary Defense champion from the Argonites faction, with Void affinity. He comes from the Void Shard, and his kit is built around fights where somebody has already fallen.

What his skills do

His passive, Death hath No hold, is the centrepiece. He cannot die until an enemy has killed at least one of your champions, and this happens once per round. It also denies one enemy revival attempt. When he denies a revival he gets an Instant Turn and a Berserk debuff for 1 turn that cannot be removed, resisted or blocked.

Oar Pummel, his basic attack, has a 75% chance of placing a Stun for 1 turn. Once any ally or enemy is dead, that Stun cannot be resisted.

Deemed Unworthy has a cooldown of 5 turns. Before attacking, it places a 60% Increase DEF buff on all allies for 2 turns and a Taunt on himself for 2 turns. It ignores 25% of the target's DEF, plus any Block Damage and Shield buffs. If anyone is dead, it ignores 50% of DEF instead and adds an extra hit.

Unfit to Live is the heavy hitter, also on a 5-turn cooldown. It gives him a Keen Sight buff for 2 turns and ignores 50% of the target's DEF, along with Stone Skin and Unkillable buffs. With anyone dead, it ignores 100% of DEF. It can hit enemies under Veil or Perfect Veil, and it grants an Extra Turn if it kills.

Strengths and limits

He is not a clean turn-one farmer. Much of his value depends on someone dying first, and his aura of 120 RES applies only in Arena. In a drawn-out fight, though, the passive keeps him standing through the opening exchange, and his DEF ignore, Stun and revival denial all improve as casualties mount. A kill with Unfit to Live can chain straight into another turn.

Where he is useful

The star ratings in the game data for him are:

• Phantom Shogun: 5 stars out of 5
• Campaign, Demon Lord, Hydra, Chimera: 4 stars
• Fire Knight, Dragon, Ice Golem, Sand Devil: 4 stars
• Dragon Hard: 4 stars
• Doom Tower: 4 stars against the Magma Dragon, Celestial Griffin and Eternal Dragon
• Arena and Faction Wars: no stars

He needs 11 tomes for his A2 and A3 upgrades, and he is rated A for early to late game use. For blessings the recommendations are Crushing Rend at 6 stars awakened, Heavencast at 1 to 5 stars awakened, and Lightning Cage at 1 to 6 stars awakened.

Should you chase him?

If you are short of a Phantom Shogun answer or want a durable Void champion for Hydra and Chimera, he is worth a look. If you mostly play Arena, his rating there is low. Be aware that his own Arena aura is the only place he helps your team's RES. His 11.80 changes are listed in the patch notes, so check them before building.