Shards of the Past Review | Hero Wars Alliance

Welcome back, Guardians — this Shards of the Past Review takes a fresh look at one of the most controversial events currently running in Hero Wars: Alliance. If you watched our review last month, you already know we weren’t exactly impressed.

In fact, many players felt that Shards of the Past was a step backwards compared to the events it replaced. The rewards weren’t particularly exciting, some of the requirements felt excessive, and overall the value simply wasn’t where many players wanted it to be.

But things are changing. Slowly. This month’s version has received some adjustments, and that’s exactly what we’re here to discuss today. The question is whether those improvements are enough — or whether your resources would be better saved for the major event overhaul Nexters has already promised for next month. Let’s break it all down.

The Eight Task Chains in This Month’s Shards of the Past Review

There are eight task chains in this month’s version of the event: Login, Get VIP Points, Spend Emeralds, Fight in Grand Arena, Fight Hydra, Spend Runestones, Earn Guild Activity, and Kill Realm Monsters. Here’s a quick snapshot before we go through them one by one.

Login

The Login task is exactly what you’d expect. Simply log in each day and collect some Battle Pass trophies and Artifact Coins. Easy, free, and no complaints there.

VIP Points

This task is aimed at spenders and rewards additional Artifact Coins alongside a small number of Relic Shards for reaching certain thresholds. Nothing particularly surprising here.

Spend Emeralds

The Spend Emeralds task follows a similar structure, handing out Artifact Coins and Battle Pass trophies as you progress through the milestones. This is where planning becomes important, though. There are currently no major sales attached to this event, so unless you’re specifically targeting something from the Talisman Shop, we wouldn’t recommend spending huge amounts of Emeralds simply for event progress.

If you are chasing a Talisman, then the Reward Box on the right side of the event screen is probably your best option. On average, players can expect roughly one Talisman Coin per Emerald spent, although luck will always play a role. Remember one important detail, too: most of these Talismans are already available through the Eternal Frontier Merchant for 700,000 coins whenever they rotate into the shop. Before spending real money, make sure you’re not paying for something you could obtain later through regular gameplay.

Grand Arena

Next we have the Grand Arena task. Players can complete up to fifteen Grand Arena battles during the event to earn Battle Pass trophies and Rune Spheres. The rewards are decent — the problem is the cost. You receive five free Grand Arena battles per day, so to fully complete the task chain you’ll need to spend additional Emeralds every day. For some players that’s acceptable. For others, it may not be worth the investment.

Hydra

Hydra, on the other hand, is a very welcome addition. It’s free-to-play friendly, easy to complete, and rewards players with Artifact Coins, Battle Pass trophies and even some Relic Shards. Nine Hydra attacks across the event is a very manageable requirement, making this one of the better task chains available.

Spend Runestones

Then we reach what remains one of the event’s biggest disappointments: the Spend Runestones task. Unfortunately, this hasn’t changed at all from last month. Players are still expected to spend 500,000 Runestones to complete the chain, and Guardians, that’s a significant investment.

The rewards include Artifact Coins, Battle Pass trophies and Talisman resources, but the value proposition still feels questionable — especially when we already know that Nexters plans to completely overhaul events next month. That creates a real decision. Do you spend those resources now, or wait to see what the future brings? Only you can answer that question based on your account’s needs, but it’s certainly worth considering.

Guild Activity

Now let’s talk about the biggest improvement in the entire event: Guild Activity. Last month, players were asked to train enormous numbers of troops. The requirements were excessive, the rewards weren’t impressive, and many players simply ignored the task altogether.

This month, that task has been replaced by a daily requirement to earn Guild Activity, and Guardians, this is a huge improvement. It’s easier, it’s more realistic, and it fits naturally into what players are already doing every day. The task also provides Relic Shards, making it one of the more attractive chains in the event. Credit where it’s due — this is a genuinely positive change.

Realm Monsters

Finally, we arrive at the Realm Monsters task. If you’ve been following our recent event reviews, you’ll know we’ve been critical of many Realm-related objectives, since the requirements were often far too high for the rewards being offered. Thankfully, this task has also improved.

Instead of asking players to defeat fifty-five monsters every day, the requirement has been reduced to just twenty-five monsters across the entire three-day event. That’s a dramatic improvement. The rewards include Rune Spheres and Relic Shards, making the task worth completing. If Relic Shards are your priority, you can even stop at nineteen monsters and still collect the most important rewards. Honestly, this is exactly the type of adjustment players have been asking for: reasonable requirements, reasonable rewards, reasonable effort.

Shards of the Past Review: Final Verdict

So where does that leave us? Shards of the Past is still not a fantastic event — let’s be honest about that. But it is better than it was. The Guild Activity change is a major improvement, the Monster task is significantly more reasonable, and overall the event feels less frustrating than its previous version.

Does that mean you should spend heavily? Not necessarily. Because looming over all of this is the biggest question of all.

The Bigger Question: Next Month’s Overhaul

Nexters has already confirmed that the event system will undergo major changes. We know the current format isn’t staying forever, new structures are coming, and the old events aren’t returning. That turns this Shards of the Past Review into a question of patience versus immediate value.

Do you take the resources available today, or save and wait for whatever arrives next month? Whatever you decide, make sure it’s part of a plan. Smart resource management remains one of the most important skills in Hero Wars. Stay tuned, stay sharp — and as always, salute and friendship!

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• Nebula Talisman Guide
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