All New Merge Tactics Equipment Explained and Ranked

Every New Equipment Explained

The most recent Merge Tactics update dropped a huge batch of Equipment into the game, and knowing what each piece does (and which Troop should be holding it) genuinely swings results. Some of these items are quiet round-winners, one of them is arguably broken, and two of them are barely worth the slot. Picking the right carrier for the right item is the difference between a dead frontline and a carry that deletes the enemy board.

This guide is based on Ricky Royale's video breaking down every new Equipment in Merge Tactics. It covers exactly what each item does, the numbers behind them, the recommended Troops for each piece, which items are top tier, and which ones Ricky Royale considers the weakest of the batch.

How Equipment Works

Equipment is carried by a single Troop on your board and changes how that unit fights: some pieces add raw damage, some add range, some apply a debuff to the enemy, and some only trigger when the holder is knocked out. Because the effect is tied to one unit, the choice of carrier matters as much as the item itself.

Offensive items like the Pekka Sword and the Archer Queen's Cape want your single highest DPS unit.
Debuff and control items like the Controller's Enchantment and the Mage Wand are about board-wide impact, not personal stats.
On-death items like the Lumberjack's Jar and the Battle Healer's Blessing only pay out when the holder dies, so they belong on frontline bodies that are expected to trade.

Key insight: Ricky Royale repeatedly points out that frontline units tend to die early, while backline ranged units stay alive and die last. That single fact decides where most of these items should go.

The Strongest Equipment

Mage Wand

The Mage Wand turns the strongest enemy into a harmless rabbit for 6 seconds. The target can still take every type of damage while transformed, so it is a free deletion window on the biggest threat on the enemy board.

Ricky Royale calls this one of the most broken Equipments in the entire game and says the duration of the rabbit form genuinely needs a nerf.
It is the one item with no recommended holders: the effect is identical no matter which Troop you equip it to, so simply get it onto the board.

Pekka Sword

The Pekka Sword grants +50% damage and +30% lifesteal, so the holder gains health as it chews through the enemy's remaining HP. Ricky Royale rates it as one of the better additions because of how much value it generates.

Best on high DPS units in the frontline that stay in contact and keep healing themselves.
Recommended holders: Golden Knight, Archer Queen, Princess, Musketeer, Wizard, Bandit and Boss Bandit.

Controller's Enchantment

The Controller's Enchantment slows enemy hit speed and movement speed by 35% for 2 seconds. The trick is to put it on a splash unit so the slow spreads across the board instead of landing on one target.

Recommended holders: Wizard, Princess, Bomber, Archer Queen and Executioner.

Pro tip: Ricky Royale says this Equipment alone has won him a ton of games, purely because splash carriers apply the slow to multiple enemies at once.

Archer Queen's Cape

When the holder drops below 50% HP, the Archer Queen's Cape immediately turns it invisible and grants +50% hit speed for 5 seconds. You only get one use per battle, so it has to matter.

The rule is simple: find the highest DPS unit on your board and slap the Cape on it.
Recommended holders: Archer Queen, Golden Knight, Wizard, Bandit, Boss Bandit, Executioner, Witch and the Goblin Machine.

Solid Situational Picks

Dragon Scale

The Dragon Scale gives the holder 30% reduced damage from melee troops and 30% bonus damage to melee troops. Ricky Royale calls it the underdog item of the update: simple, but it has saved him in a lot of scenarios.

It has two distinct jobs: it makes tanks far harder to break, and it turns ranged backline units (especially splash units) into strong anti-melee damage dealers.
Recommended holders: Valkyrie, Wizard, Princess, Musketeer, Golden Knight, Archer Queen, Skeleton King, Bandit, Boss Bandit, Executioner and the Witch.

Thrower's Telescope

A nostalgic piece for long-time players, the Thrower's Telescope gives +1 range plus bonus damage scaled to distance: 15% bonus damage per tile between the holder and its target. It carries 8 charges.

Its unique upside is that a melee unit holding it effectively becomes a ranged unit, which is relevant for Golden Knight, Bandit and Boss Bandit.
Ricky Royale still prefers it on ranged units, because frontline units tend to die early while backline carries stay alive and squeeze far more value out of the charges.
Recommended holders: Princess, Musketeer, Executioner, Archer Queen, Wizard, Golden Knight and the Witch.

Placement trick: with the +1 range from the Telescope, an Archer Queen placed on the second row can still reach the enemy backline.

The Weakest Equipment

Two of the new items share the same on-death design, and Ricky Royale rates both at the bottom of the list. They are still better than nothing in an actual match, but they should be your last pick.

Lumberjack's Jar

When the holder is knocked out it drops a rage jar, splashing a rage spell within 2 tiles: allies in range gain 30% hit speed and 30% movement speed for 5 seconds.
Ricky Royale calls it one of the least useful items and wishes it got a slight buff to both the hit speed value and the rage radius.
It still has a niche on units that benefit from an ability, such as the Archer Queen and Bandit.
Recommended holders are frontline bodies: Giant Skeleton, Knight, Prince, Barbarian, Valkyrie, Royal Ghost and Bandit.

Battle Healer's Blessing

On KO, the holder heals 500 HP to allies within a 2 tile radius.
It is functionally the same design as the Lumberjack's Jar with healing instead of rage, so Ricky Royale recommends essentially the same holders: units that are expected to die first.

⚠️ Neither item does anything while the holder is alive, so never put them on the unit you are building your damage around.

Picking The Right Holder

Across every item, the same names keep appearing, and that tells you where your Equipment should be concentrated.

Archer Queen, Wizard, Princess, Executioner, Musketeer and Witch: backline carries that stay alive long enough to use every item well.
Golden Knight, Bandit and Boss Bandit: high DPS bodies that want the Pekka Sword or the Archer Queen's Cape, and can be converted to ranged with the Thrower's Telescope.
Valkyrie, Knight, Prince, Barbarian, Giant Skeleton and Royal Ghost: frontline units that suit the on-death items.
Bomber, Wizard, Princess and Executioner: splash units that multiply the Controller's Enchantment slow.

Strengths

✅ The Mage Wand removes the enemy's best unit from the fight for 6 seconds with zero setup and no holder requirements.

✅ The Pekka Sword gives damage and sustain in one slot, which is rare value for a high DPS carry.

✅ The Controller's Enchantment scales with splash, so one item can slow multiple enemies at once.

✅ The Dragon Scale works on both tanks and ranged damage dealers, so it is almost never a dead pick.

Weaknesses

❌ The Lumberjack's Jar and Battle Healer's Blessing only trigger on death, making them low impact compared with everything else.

❌ The Thrower's Telescope has only 8 charges, so a holder that dies early wastes most of it.

❌ The Archer Queen's Cape is one use per battle, so a bad holder choice throws the whole item away.

⚠️ The Mage Wand is strong enough that Ricky Royale expects a nerf to the rabbit duration, so do not build your entire plan around it.

Key Units & Traits

Archer Queen: The most universal Equipment holder: recommended for the Cape, Telescope, Pekka Sword, Dragon Scale and Controller's Enchantment.
Princess: Splash backline carry that spreads the Controller's Enchantment slow across the enemy board.
Wizard: Splash damage dealer listed as a recommended holder for almost every offensive item.
Executioner: Another splash unit that turns the Controller's Enchantment and Dragon Scale into board-wide value.
Golden Knight: High DPS body for the Pekka Sword or Archer Queen's Cape, and can go ranged with the Thrower's Telescope.
Boss Bandit: Top damage carrier for the Pekka Sword, the Archer Queen's Cape and the Dragon Scale.
Witch: Backline option recommended for the Dragon Scale, Thrower's Telescope and Archer Queen's Cape.
Valkyrie: Frontline unit that suits the Dragon Scale for melee resistance and the on-death items.

TL;DR

✅ Mage Wand is the standout: it turns the strongest enemy into a harmless rabbit for 6 seconds and works on any Troop.
✅ Pekka Sword gives +50% damage and +30% lifesteal: put it on your highest DPS unit.
✅ Controller's Enchantment slows enemy hit and movement speed by 35% for 2 seconds, and splash units spread it everywhere.
✅ Archer Queen's Cape triggers once per battle below 50% HP for invisibility and +50% hit speed: only on your best carry.
✅ Thrower's Telescope adds +1 range and 15% bonus damage per tile, and it works best on backline units that survive the full fight.
❌ Lumberjack's Jar and Battle Healer's Blessing only pay out on death and are the weakest of the batch.
⚠️ Never put an on-death item on the unit you are building your damage around, and expect the Mage Wand to get adjusted.

The new Equipment batch is a real power addition to Merge Tactics, but it is far from evenly balanced. The Mage Wand is the clear outlier and Ricky Royale openly says it needs a nerf, while the Pekka Sword, Controller's Enchantment and Archer Queen's Cape are consistently strong when you match them to a high DPS or splash carrier. The Dragon Scale is the quiet all-rounder that fits both tanks and ranged units, and the Thrower's Telescope rewards good placement more than any other item. Only the Lumberjack's Jar and Battle Healer's Blessing feel like filler. If you are climbing, work out which of your Troops is the real carry each game and give it the offensive items first: that habit alone will win you rounds you were previously losing.