Patch 2.9.2 – Great Tengu, 5th Anniversary Event, Divine Protection buff, and more

Patch 2.9.2 Overview – Practical Notes from a Veteran Perspective

Patch 2.9.2 is scheduled to go live on February 5, aligning with the fifth anniversary of Infinity Kingdom. It’s a restrained update by design: one new immortal, an anniversary decoration, and a set of targeted adjustments to competitive modes and long-standing systems.

Nothing here rewrites the meta overnight, but several changes are worth understanding properly—especially if you participate in Throne, Infernal Assault, or plan to invest in the anniversary content.

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New Immortal: Great Tengu

Role and Positioning

Great Tengu is a Chaos, Defense-position, Shieldman immortal. That alone tells us most of what we need to know: he’s designed for the frontline, built to absorb pressure (especially to counter Ares and Alexander builds). His kit reinforces that identity almost entirely.

Skill: Unbreakable Pact

Passive effect
Each time Great Tengu is hit by a normal attack, he gains a stacking Physical Damage increase. At max stacks (20), this becomes a meaningful damage contribution, but only in prolonged engagements. This is not a ramp-up you feel in quick skirmishes or against spell-heavy comps but it will quickly build to max versus Alexanders and Ares’.

From experience, passives like this only shine when the frontline survives long enough to benefit—think sustained Throne fights or drawn-out arena mirrors rather than quick Open Arena clears.

Active effect
The active skill does three things, depending on conditions:

1. Cleanses all debuffs from allies
2. If no debuffs are present, it triggers a heal (scaling with skill level)
3. Grants front-row immortals a counterattack buff for 6 seconds, dealing Physical Damage back to attackers when hit by normal attacks

On paper, this positions Great Tengu as a direct answer to normal-attack carries. Immortals like Ares or Alexander rely on frequent basic attacks to function. Against them, Tengu:

• Gains damage from being hit
• Reflects damage back through counterattacks
• Punishes extended trades rather than burst windows

The fact that Tengu also cleanses all debuffs is incredibly powerful on paper, though it will be very interesting to see precisely what “debuffs” will encompass. We have previously seen dispel effects that work only on specific debuffs and not negative effects or wounds effects for example. If I where to venture a guess, I would think things like Wounds will not be dispelled by this – alas, time will tell. Tengu is looking like a very good counter to high attack speed builds, will he be top meta pick though? I think that will depend on how this active dispel will work in practice. Stay tuned for Tengu to come live!

The Key Uncertainty

The wording also leaves another critical question unresolved: Is the counterattack tied to the “no debuffs” condition, or only the heal?

If the counterattack only triggers when no debuffs are present, its reliability drops sharply. In real combat, frontliners almost always carry at least one debuff—burns, slows, defense breaks, or control effects. In that case, this part of his kit would rarely activate outside of very specific matchups.

If, however, the cleanse → heal check is separate and the counterattack always applies, Great Tengu becomes much more consistent and far more relevant in sustained PvP.

This is something battle reports will clarify quickly once the patch goes live.

Exclusive Artifact: Tengu Mask

The artifact extends the counterattack duration by 3 seconds. Its value depends entirely on how often that counterattack is active in real combat. If the buff is conditional and rare, the artifact is marginal. If it’s reliable, this becomes a meaningful extension in long frontline trades.

Availability

• Obtained through the 5th Anniversary Celebration
• Server age requirement: 178 days

This keeps him firmly out of early-server balance considerations.

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Anniversary Castle Decoration: Hall of Divine Might

This is a straightforward but valuable stat stick:

• Base: +5% Troop Attack, +5% Troop Load
• Max: +15% Troop Attack, +10% Troop Load

There’s no trick here. Troop Attack is universally strong, and Load has obvious utility for PvE, rallies, and logistics-focused playstyles.

Unlock condition is modest (server age ≥14 days), so nearly all active servers will have access.

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Throne of the Supreme – Structural Tightening

At first glance, the Throne changes look generous: 256 players now advance from qualifiers instead of 128. The reality is more nuanced.

• 256 players are split into 32 groups of 8
• Only Top 2 from each group advance (down from Top 4)

In practice:

• More players reach the group stage
• Advancement becomes significantly more competitive once there

If you’re used to cruising through group stages on consistency alone, this change raises the bar. Placement matters more than volume, and bad matchups inside your group are harder to offset.

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Zuma Tower & Rune Factory – More Attempts, Same Systems

Zuma Tower

• Each round now grants 5 free Vision of Zuma packs
• Packs can be saved for future events

This doesn’t reduce risk or alter mechanics, but it does increase long-term attempt volume without spending. Over time, that adds up—especially for players who already understand optimal stopping points.

Rune Factory

• New gem pack: 3 Energy Cores per purchase, up to 20 daily
• Added $0.99 and $1.99 packs

As with Zuma, this increases throughput rather than changing gameplay. Progression pacing remains the same; spending options simply become more granular.

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Infernal Assault – Clear Daily Limits

Gold reward decay now resets daily, with defined brackets:

• 1–60 runs: 100%
• 61–100: 60%
• 101–150: 30%
• 151+: 10%

This formalizes what many players already optimized around. The key difference is clarity and predictability. You now know exactly when further runs stop being efficient on a given day.

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Smaller but Relevant Adjustments

• Open Arena: Level 60 troop templates now available in Legendary Season
• Battle Reports: Kingdom buffs are now visible in statistics
• Troop Balance:
  • Archer HP increased at levels 6–8
  • All troop types gain HP at level 9
• Dragon Skill – Divine Protection:
  • Damage reduction scaling increased, improving late-level survivability

None of these shift metas dramatically, but they smooth progression gaps and improve transparency.

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Final Thoughts

Patch 2.9.2 is intentionally modest. Outside of Great Tengu, most changes refine existing systems rather than introduce new ones. The Throne adjustments tighten competition, Infernal Assault becomes more predictable, and anniversary content adds some universally useful stats.

Whether Great Tengu ends up being impactful depends almost entirely on how his counterattack condition works in practice. If it’s reliable, he’ll find a niche against normal-attack-heavy comps. If not, he’s likely to remain a situational pick rather than a staple.

Overall, this is an anniversary patch that focuses on polish and accessibility rather than upheaval. Useful, measured, and unlikely to disrupt day-to-day play—but still worth understanding before it lands.

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Published: 03-02-2026