Knight Guide: Rowan
Rowan the Knight is one of the two heroes you can pick from the very start of Endless Curse. High HP and skills that mostly knock back or stun mean he can stand in the middle of a horde without going down. He's the best hero for your first run.
01Overview
| Name | Rowan (Knight) |
|---|---|
| How to get | Available from the start |
| Role | Melee · Sword and shield, the toughest starter hero |
| HP | 120 |
| Move speed | 98 |
| Attack multiplier | ×1.00 |
| Starting skill |  Cleave |
| Damage elements | Physical |
| Ultimate | Sword Judgement |
| Own legendaries | 15 items |
02How to get the Knight
Rowan the Knight is available from the start. The first time you play, the prologue, "La carta quemada", has you choose between the Knight and the Sorcerer. The other one is already waiting in town, and you can switch at the Campfire any time.
03Playstyle
All of the Knight's skills deal Physical damage, which hits everything except dragons for normal damage, so he works on every stage. His starting skill, Cleave, slashes in an arc in front of him, so early on you want to walk facing the monsters.
Each of his three schools has its own feel: Swordplay is pure damage (Cleave, Sundering Strike, Sword Wave, Impale), all four Shield Wall skills stun, and Warlord is area damage you don't need to aim: War Banner, orbiting swords, Falling Swords and Phalanx. Beginners should go Shield Wall first: stunned monsters can't keep hitting you.
04The Knight's 12 skills
The Knight's skills come in three schools of four. When you level up, cards from the same school as skills you already know show up more often. Once a skill is maxed (Lv5), if you've taken the required stat upgrade card this run and its partner skill is at Lv2, a golden evolution card appears.
Swordplay
An arcing slash at everything in front of you.
Evolves at max level → Devastating Cleave: take the "Power" upgrade card and get Sundering Strike to Lv2
A full-weight blow: slow, short and brutal.
Evolves at max level → Armorbreaker: take the "Vigor" upgrade card and get Cleave to Lv2
Send a wave of steel from your sword that cuts through two enemies.
Evolves at max level → Rending Wave: take the "Reflexes" upgrade card and get Impale to Lv2
A very long thrust that pierces everything in a line.
Evolves at max level → Run Through: take the "Power" upgrade card and get Sword Wave to Lv2Shield Wall
Strike with your shield: knocks enemies far back, stuns them briefly and thrusts the shield's imprint of light forward.
Evolves at max level → Bastion Strike: take the "Armor" upgrade card and get Steel Rampart to Lv2
Throw your shield: it flies out and back, hitting and briefly stunning.
Evolves at max level → Echoing Shield: take the "Reflexes" upgrade card and get Shield Bash to Lv2
Charge shield-first: run over everything in your path and stun it.
Evolves at max level → Unstoppable Charge: take the "Sprint" upgrade card and get Shield Throw to Lv2
Slam your shield into the ground: a wall of spectral shields bursts out in a line, knocking back and stunning.
Evolves at max level → Unbroken Rampart: take the "Armor" upgrade card and get Shield Bash to Lv2Warlord
Plant a banner that sends waves of steel at nearby enemies.
Evolves at max level → Royal Standard: take the "Armor" upgrade card and get Phalanx to Lv2
Spectral swords spinning around you.
Evolves at max level → Blade Storm: take the "Synthesis" upgrade card and get War Banner to Lv2
Giant spectral swords fall from the sky onto enemies.
Evolves at max level → Sword Graveyard: take the "Power" upgrade card and get Dancing Blades to Lv2
A ring of shields around you that damages and slows whoever comes close.
Evolves at max level → Iron Wall: take the "Vigor" upgrade card and get War Banner to Lv205Ultimate: Sword Judgement
Sword Judgement Physical
A rain of giant spectral swords falls on every nearby enemy and stuns them.
Once the Fury orb at the bottom right is full, you can unleash it. Fury builds like this: defeating a normal enemy +1, an elite +6, a boss +30; taking damage gives about +7 for every 10% of HP you lose; and hitting enemies slowly adds more (capped per second). If you go more than 5 seconds without hitting an enemy or getting hit, Fury that isn't full slowly drains away.
Press R or Space to unleash it, or tap the Fury orb on mobile. The higher your level in the run, the harder your ultimate hits (+6% per level).
06Talent tree
After every run, Rowan earns hero experience (more for surviving longer, killing more, and beating more bosses). Each hero level gives 1 talent point, up to level 31, for 30 points in total: exactly enough to fill the whole tree. You learn talents from the Mentor in town and can reset them for free.
The three branches match the three skill schools, and each talent needs the one before it. The third talent in a branch directly boosts the damage of that school. Whichever school your main skills come from, fill that branch first.
Swordplay
- Sharp Edge max 3 pts
+4% all damage (per point) - Fury max 3 pts
+3% crit chance (per point) - Swordplay Mastery max 3 pts
+8% Swordplay skill damage (per point) - Executioner max 1 pts
+10% all damage, +5% crit chance
Shield Wall
- Thick Skin max 3 pts
+10 HP (per point) - Bulwark max 3 pts
−3% damage taken (per point) - Shield Mastery max 3 pts
+8% Shield Wall skill damage (per point) - Unbreakable max 1 pts
+40 HP, −5% damage taken
Warlord
- Discipline max 3 pts
−3% cooldown (per point) - Second Wind max 3 pts
Regenerate 0.3 HP per second (per point) - Warlord Mastery max 3 pts
+8% Warlord skill damage (per point) - Warlord max 1 pts
−5% cooldown, +8% all damage
07Elemental matchups: who to hit hardest
- Physical, 12 skills: no race it's especially strong against; only ×0.6 against Dragon
The table below shows how much damage this hero's elements deal to each stage boss (×1.6 strong, ×0.6 resisted, and two types multiply together). For the full chart, see elemental matchups.
| Boss | Race | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Butcher Shady Forest | Human | Physical ×1 | — |
| Plague Lich Deep Cavern | Undead | Physical ×1 | — |
| Frost Lord Frozen Plains | Undead, Ice type | Physical ×1 | — |
| Mirror King Forgotten Ruins | Human | Physical ×1 | — |
| Abyss Lord Burning Crypt | Dragon, Fire type | Physical ×0.6 | — |
| The Cow King Secret Cow Level | Beast | Physical ×1 | — |
08Beginner builds
Your starting skill always comes along; pick the other four slots from the builds below. When you level up, take the build's skills first, then fill in the stat cards their evolutions need.
Shield Wall control (best for beginners)
CleaveStarting skill · PhysicalShield BashSkill slot · PhysicalSteel RampartSkill slot · PhysicalShield ChargeSkill slot · PhysicalPhalanxSkill slot · PhysicalShield Bash, Steel Rampart and Shield Charge all stun, and Phalanx slows monsters that get close. Shield Bash and Steel Rampart are each other's evolution partners, and both need the Armor upgrade card, so grab Armor whenever you see it.
Evolutions this build can reach: Shield Bash (Armor), Steel Rampart (Armor)
Swordplay damage
CleaveStarting skill · PhysicalSundering StrikeSkill slot · PhysicalSword WaveSkill slot · PhysicalImpaleSkill slot · PhysicalFalling SwordsSkill slot · PhysicalYour starting Cleave pairs with Sundering Strike, and Sword Wave pairs with Impale, so all four evolution requirements stay inside the same set. You hit a whole row of monsters in front of you, and late-game damage is very high.
Evolutions this build can reach: Cleave (Power), Sundering Strike (Vigor), Sword Wave (Reflexes), Impale (Power)
Beginner tips
- Fight a bit up close early on: Cleave only hits an arc in front of you.
- Put your first talent points into the Shield Wall branch: the HP and damage reduction are there, and dying less means leveling faster.
- Don't fire Fury the moment it's full. Save it for when a boss enrages or you're surrounded: Sword Judgement stuns nearby enemies.
09The Knight's own legendary gear
The Knight has 15 legendaries of their own. They only drop while you play the Knight, and each one changes how a skill plays. For effects, numbers and combos, see the full Knight legendary list.
Sword Wave fires 2 more waves in a fan.
Shield Bash, Shield Throw and Steel Rampart stun for 1 s, and the Rampart has 2 more shields.
Near your War Banner you deal 30% more damage. Falling Swords drops 50% more swords.
Phalanx: +30% radius, and it slows by 50%.
10FAQ
How do I get the Knight?
Available from the start. In the prologue you set out as the Knight or the Sorcerer; the other one waits in town, and you can switch at the Campfire.
Can I play the Knight as a woman?
Yes. Open the hero screen at the Campfire in town and choose Male or Female. It only changes the look; abilities are identical.
How do I use the Knight's ultimate?
Defeating enemies, taking damage and hitting enemies all build Fury. When the Fury orb is full, press R or Space (or tap the Fury orb on mobile) to unleash Sword Judgement.
What's the difference between the Knight and the Paladin?
The Knight deals Physical damage, normal damage against most enemies. The Paladin deals only Holy damage: devastating against undead and dragons, but resisted by beasts. Beginners can play the Knight without thinking about matchups.
Want to see the other heroes? Go back to the hero overview to compare all seven, or head to the Endless Curse home page to learn about the game.
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