Impackt: Merry Christmas

Now with 100% more reindeer

Blueprints

Filling in a gap in the low-tier gauntlets the Santa’s Guard Gauntlets offers a nice little boost in survivability for your levelling Fighters. The Steel cost can be reduced slightly but only via ascension – instead the mastery track has 2 time reduction milestones where that would normally go.

From a crafting perspective

Like the Crystalice Targe from the previous seasonal pack the Holy Night Lance isn’t the greatest option in terms of wood crafts (although a lot easier to work into a rotation.) The Jewel cost can be dropped by 10 with ascensions and you only require the first milestone to trigger the 1.25x value bonus – fortunate, as with it requiring Sunken Temple components you might not be in rush to spam craft it.

From a meta perspective

With it’s Light-affinity the Holy Night Lance has a place among heroes – the bonus is welcomed by Lords and potentially Bishops if you can live with the attack downgrade.

That’s about it by the way in terms of situations I would recommend this weapon. The other spear-wielding classes have better options.

Scenarios you should consider using Holy Night Lance

• You’re a Lord or a Bishop

Scenarios you should consider not using Holy Night Lance

• You’re not a Lord or a Bishop
• You are one of the above but don’t need the affinity bonus.

Decorations

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Avatar Items

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Superior Pack

Blueprint

From a crafting perspective

Whilst there’s nothing that makes them a super “wow this is fantastic to craft” item, the Santa’s Guard Boots do have an interesting mastery setup – the first 2 milestones lower the resource costs instead of them being later on. You can drop the jewel cost to 24 with ascension, though as with the Holy Night Lance the use of Precious Shells can be a bit unpalatable.

From a meta perspective

Although they offer slightly more defence than the Star-Spangled Greaves, the attack increase from Santa’s Guard Boots is not really enough to justify the loss of HP. It has some potential use for Samurai to help boost their first strike damage and for a team-based Conquistador, though it is a shame there’s no affinity bonus to take advantage of – this which would have helped them be more viable.

Scenarios you should consider using Santa’s Guard Boots

• Boosting the first strike damage of a Samurai/Daimyo
• Using a team-based Conquistador build

Scenarios you should consider not using Santa’s Guard Boots

• Everything that’s not the above 2 points

Flooring/Wallpaper

Summary

• Deliver some festive punches to your enemies with the Santa’s Guard Gauntlets
• Holy Night Lance has avoided the usual trap of spears by having reasonable attack and an affinity bonus (but it’s still a spear.)
• Santa’s Guard Boots join the Staff of Merriment in what I like to call the Disappointing Christmas Collection (DCC.)
• Embrace the deer.

Final Score

Mega Pack: 4/10
Superior Pack: 3/10