At last, the player momentum for Game of Thrones: Kingsroad has surged past the 200,000 mark. We are looking at a peak momentum of 210,207 this week, a tidy increase of 18,310 from the previous one. Much of this can be attributed to the second week of the Kraken Raid, which has seen players successfully equipping three amulets. Let us dive into the shifting sands of the top-tier rankings.

A Bifurcated Top Tier

If you glance at the top 100 in the momentum rankings, the balance between the three classes seems relatively civil, with the Mercenary trailing only slightly. However, the top 50 tells a much more lopsided tale. The Knight (42%) and Assassin (46%) have essentially carved the territory between themselves, holding a combined 88% share of the pie.

The reasons are manifold. The Mercenary suffers from sluggish attack speed—a cardinal sin in action games—and arguably, the character's reception has been hindered by the lukewarm popularity of their source material counterpart. More importantly, the rather frosty reception during the North American early access phase seems to have left a lasting mark.

Conversely, the Mercenary’s presence in the Elite Hideout rankings holds steady at around 30%. Even in the top 50, they maintain a 24% share—twice that of the momentum rankings. It seems the class-exclusive 'stiffness immunity' allows them to trade blows effectively, a trait that synergizes beautifully with the Elite Hideout content.

The Meta Hardens: Skills Set, Relics Rising

A month into the Asian service, the skill combinations have become quite standardised. Thanks to the diligent research from the North American servers, the primary weapon skill rotations have been fully optimised. Indeed, every top-ranked Knight we surveyed opted for the exact same three two-handed greatsword skills.

Yet, the recent raid content is blowing fresh winds into the meta. With the window to strike the boss becoming increasingly fleeting, skills that guarantee damage have seen a massive spike in preference. Take the Mercenary’s adoption of 'Earth Slam' to mitigate charging burdens, or the Assassin’s 'Dagger Throw' for long-range pokes, as prime examples.

As for the relic setup, the lower-tier Legendary items still reign supreme. Top players have already brought these items to maturity, with most sporting 5-star or higher Legendary relics, and the absolute elite pushing them all the way to 7 stars.

Within this legendary-dominated ecosystem, the Hero-grade relic 'Letter of Corso Scholar' stands out. It is a rare sight to see a Hero-grade item in a list where everything else is Legendary, but the numbers justify the choice.

This relic provides a 0.1% damage increase per point of Fury held. Given the character’s base max Fury is 200, that is a flat 20% boost right off the bat, scaling up to a staggering 40% when fully charged. This is effectively double the punch of most class-specific Legendary relics.

The tiered growth is equally tempting. Hitting 3 stars grants an 8% attack boost upon skill activation, and reaching 5 stars adds a 3.3% critical hit rate buff. While burning Fury temporarily dips the damage bonus, the relic’s own Fury recovery stat ensures you are back to full power in no time.

The only sting in the tail is the abysmal acquisition rate. You have a measly 2.79% chance to pull it from the Altar of Memories, and because it is only Hero-grade, it gains no pity from the 'Scholar’s Scroll'. Considering the 'Scholar’s Scroll' boosts the drop rate of class-specific lower-tier Legendary relics to 7.25%, this 'Hero' item is paradoxically harder to obtain than its Legendary counterparts.