Item Prioritization Guide: What to Focus on for Maximum Impact

If you understand how damage works and how battles play out in Kingshot, it gets a lot easier to choose the right stats for your build.

If you’ve read my guide on Lethality, Health, Attack, and Defense, you already know that Lethality and Health are by far the most important stats in the game.

Once you know that, it becomes way easier to figure out what to get from Shops or special events that give out items like Forgehammers, Charm Materials, Pet Items, and Governor Gear materials.

What to Prioritize (in order):

1. Forgehammers – These are top priority. Used for Mastery Forging Mythic Gear. They boost Lethality and Health, which directly affect your damage.
2. Governor Charms – Also boost Lethality and Health. Super valuable long-term.
3. Pet Refinement Items – They increase Lethality and Health for all troop types. The boost is smaller, but it applies across the board.
4. Governor Gear – These are my least favorite because they boost Attack and Defense, which aren’t as important in the damage formula compared to Lethality and Health. That said, you shouldn’t completely ignore them. For now, focus on getting Artisan’s Visions from the Swordland Shop until they’re added to the Alliance Championship Shop, which usually happens around Gen 3. Once that happens, only use the Swordland Shop to buy Charm items.
5. Widgets – Hero Exclusive Gears are a special case. They can give a massive stat boost with both multiplicative and additive effects, but they’re not long-term and depend on specific heroes. Because of that, I only recommend getting them from Buccaneer Bounty or the Mystery Shop when you see a 70% discount. They are a lot more important for Whales.

Why Forgehammers Are Important

Forgehammers are used to Mastery Forge Mythic Gears, and they give some of the biggest stat boosts in the game. Hero Gear increases both Lethality and Health, which are the two most important stats in the damage formula.

That said, Forgehammers are hard to get, especially at higher levels where forging costs skyrocket. So it’s important to upgrade your Hero Gear smartly. (Check out our “Smart Way to Upgrade Hero Gear” guide for more on that.)

When an event like Mystic Divination is active, go for Forgehammers.

Governor Charms – Don’t Sleep on These

Governor Charms are my second pick, because they also boost Lethality and Health. There are 18 charms total—3 for each of the 6 Governor Gear pieces—so they can add up to a huge boost.

Prioritize Charm items in events or shops like the Swordland Shop when you see them.

Pets – The Most Underrated Boost

A lot of players ignore pets, which is a big mistake. Pet Refinement using Common and Advanced Taming Marks gives solid boosts to Lethality and Health for all troop types (Infantry, Cavalry, Archers).

The increase isn’t as big as Charms or Forgehammers, but it’s spread across all units. Don’t miss out—prioritize pet items when you can.

Governor Gear – Lowest Priority, But Still Useful

Governor Gear boosts Attack and Defense, which are part of the damage formula, just not as impactful as Lethality and Health. That said, don’t ignore them.

Always participate in events that reward Governor Gear items (like Viking Vengeance) and spend your Alliance Championship Tokens on them in the Alliance shop and buy Artisan’s Visions from Swordland Shop until they become available in Championship Shop.

Widgets – Special Case

Most stats in the game are additive. For example, if Jabel’s 3rd expedition skill gives +25% Lethality, and you already have 125%, your new total becomes:

125% + 25% = 150% Lethality

But Widgets work differently—they’re a mix of additive and multiplicative. Let’s take Helga’s Widget as an example, which gives +15% Lethality. If you already have 125% Lethality, the calculation looks like this:

125% + (125 × 0.15) + 15% = 158.75%

That’s a much bigger boost. The higher your base stats, the more powerful the effect becomes, which is why Widgets can make or break your attacks—especially in major events like Castle Battle or Swordland Showdown.

However, there’s a downside: Widgets are not a long-term investment. They’re tied to specific heroes, and every ~80 days, new heroes are released, making older ones less relevant. That means you’d have to start over building new Widgets every generation.

Recommendation:

• Whales: Focus heavily on Widgets—they’re game-changers at the top level of competitive play.
• F2P and low spenders: Only go for Widgets in Buccaneer Bounty or Mystery Shop with a 70% discount.