Maranix – Champion Spotlight

With Halloween creeping up once again, it's the perfect time to revisit the 2022 Halloween Fusion champion – Maranix. Since her release, many champions have joined the game with the Hex debuff, but few can combine Hex and Decrease Defence in a single skill. This makes her a valuable option for players looking for this utility in one of their Hydra teams. Beyond that, she's a capable damage dealer and debuffer, with ways to gain extra attacks from her A1, ignore certain protection effects on Hexed enemies, and a passive that reduces cooldowns while boosting her Attack.

Let's take a closer look at where Maranix shines, how to build her effectively, and the best ways to maximise her potential in 2025!

Excruciate [A2]

This AoE attack places both Decrease Defence and Hex on all enemies while dealing solid damage on a 3 turn cooldown. It's quite rare to see both of these debuffs in one ability – even champions like Michinaki need two separate skills to achieve the same effect. This makes it especially valuable in areas like Hydra and Spider Hard, as enemies under Hex take 2% of AoE damage dealt to their allies, or 10% from single target attacks. Pairing this with Decrease Defence to boost your team's overall damage makes for a strong combination, even in wave based content.

Inexorable End [A3]

Ideally, you'll want to apply Hex with her A2 before using this skill, unless another champion sets it up. Against Hexed targets, Maranix ignores both Shield and Unkillable buffs, making her excellent for eliminating champions like Leorius or Skullcrown, as well as enemies protected by Shields in PvP or wave content such as Cursed City and Faction Wars. When she kills an enemy, she places an Unkillable buff on herself for 2 turns instead of 1, offering a touch of self sustain.

Death's Collector [P]

Whenever Maranix kills an enemy under Hex, her A2's cooldown is instantly reset. While this won't come into play in Hydra, it's incredibly useful for PvP and wave based PvE content, allowing her to push out damage more often. The second part of her passive triggers regardless – for each enemy under Hex, she gains 5% Attack, giving her an ongoing damage boost throughout the fight.

Reaper's Due [A1]

A straightforward double hitting basic attack, but it gains real value against Hexed enemies. When attacking targets under Hex, she has a 50% chance to add up to two extra hits, significantly increasing her damage output – perfect for attacking decapitated Hydra heads or freeing allies from digestion.

This is where Maranix truly shines – bringing a great mix of utility and damage to Hydra battles. She covers the essential Decrease Defence debuff to boost your team's overall damage output, synergises well with Weaken placers, and applies Hex to spread damage across enemies (2% of AoE damage or 10% of single target damage). On top of that, she offers solid direct damage for freeing devoured allies and contributing meaningfully to your overall score.

Like most Hex based champions, a large portion of her total damage will come from the Hex effect over time, though her raw damage still plays an important role. In the example team shown, no Weaken debuff was included, and Maranix only had a 1 star Nature's Wrath blessing and a Malefic Talon Relic equipped. With stronger Relics like Irethi Coronet or Cat's Gaze, and higher Awakening levels, her potential damage can increase significantly.

The question of whether Maranix is right for your team depends largely on your current stage of progression. For example, if two of your Hydra teams are already built around heavy hitters like Titus & Wixwell, or Trunda, and your third team is also well established, she may not be essential. However, she's an excellent option for players looking to strengthen their rosters, especially if you're missing the key debuffs she brings – Decrease Defence and Hex – across all teams.

It's worth noting that Maranix is quite fragile, so she performs best when supported by champions who provide protection or revival, as a Reflect Damage proc or a hit from the Head of Wrath can quickly take her down.

Naturally, as a champion who brings both Decrease Defence and Hex, Maranix is useful in any content where these effects add value. She's great for boosting wave-clearing damage, solid for PvP progression, and even has some niche use against single target bosses – not necessarily for the Hex itself, but to trigger extra A1 hits, support allies who benefit from Hex, and gain additional passive Attack boosts along the way.

Doom Tower: Maranix performs well here, whether it's helping to clear minions on bosses like the Eternal Dragon or dealing with waves and Secret Rooms. Her combination of damage and debuffs, along with the potential to reset her A3 when killing enemies, allows her to maintain strong momentum between rounds.

PvE Waves: The same strengths carry over into other PvE areas – from Faction Wars and Cursed City to general dungeon progression. She's effective at debuffing and clearing waves while contributing solid damage against bosses. Just make sure she's supported by a reviver or healer, as she's more fragile than many other damage dealers.

PvP: While Maranix isn't a meta-defining Arena champion, she can still be a fun and effective pick for progression or specific team setups. Her main limitation is needing to cycle her A2 to unlock the full potential of her A3, which can be difficult in a meta dominated by sets like Feral, Polymorph, and Stoneskin. In most cases, she works best as a setup debuffer for your main damage dealers or paired with another Hex placer, such as Mithrala, to take advantage of her ability to ignore Shield and Unkillable buffs when eliminating threats like Leorius or Skullcrown.

Spider Dungeon: She can be a great setup champion to run ahead of damage dealers like Gnut, especially in Hard Mode. By applying both Decrease Defence and Hex, she boosts your team's overall damage while ensuring the Spiderlings take splash damage from the single target Hex procs – helping bring down the boss much faster. While several Hex champions can fill this role, Maranix can fit nicely into specific speed tuned setups if your other Hex options are already allocated elsewhere.

How you choose to build Maranix can depend on your stage of progression, where you plan to use her, and whether you want to invest top-tier gear or keep a more general setup. Regardless of your approach, make sure you focus on Accuracy, Speed, Attack%, Critical Damage, and Critical Rate. Here are some build recommendations:

• Savage/Lethal + Perception
  This setup complements Maranix perfectly, supporting both hes damage output and debuffing role. If you don't have access to Lethal gear, Savage is a strong alternative for ignoring 25% of enemy Defence. Pair this with Perception to boost Accuracy and Speed, and consider accessory sets like Feral or Pinpoint to further enhance these key stats.
• Cruel + Perception
  This setup acts as a more budget-friendly version of the one above, with Cruel gear being easily obtainable from Demon Lord Clan Boss chests. Each 2-piece set provides +15% ATK and ignores 5% of enemy Defence, which pairs nicely with Perception for added Accuracy and Speed. It's a solid option for players who don't have access to strong Savage or Lethal gear, or simply want a reliable build for areas like Faction Wars & Cursed City without using their top-tier equipment.
• Merciless
  This build is designed for players looking to get the most out of Maranix, offering a mix of offensive stats and powerful set effects. The bonuses grant extra ATK%, Speed, and Critical Damage, while also providing a 30% chance to reduce a random skill cooldown, 35% Defence ignore, and a 15% chance to gain an Extra Turn at the 9 piece bonus.
• Savage/Lethal + Stoneskin
  A strong setup for PvP encounters, granting Stone Skin at the start of battle for protection while also providing an 25% Ignore Defence bonus to boost her damage output. This setup is best suited for players looking to use Maranix primarily as a damage dealer rather than a debuff support.

BEST BLESSINGS:

• Cruelty
  Whenever this Champion hits an enemy, their Defence is reduced until the end of the round, with the effect applying once per hit. Since Maranix has two AoE abilities and a multi-hit A1, she can reach the cap quickly. However, even if multiple champions share this blessing, a target's Defence cannot be reduced by more than 40% – or 20% against bosses.
• Nature's Wrath
  Increases the damage this Champion inflicts for every debuff they successfully place, excluding those applied by gear sets. As a damage dealer capable of applying two debuffs, Maranix benefits greatly from this blessing – especially in longer fights like Hydra.
• Crushing Rend
  This blessing is the ideal upgrade once you manage to obtain a 6-star soul. At maximum Awakening, it allows you to ignore a percentage of the target's Defence with every hit – 1% for every 10 levels. Over the course of a battle, this adds up to a huge boost in overall damage potential.
• Heavencast
  Increases the damage this Champion inflicts based on the number of active buffs they have. It's a great way to squeeze out extra raw damage, especially in PvP scenarios where allies can set her up with multiple buffs.