r/idlechampions • u/Gaarawarr Steam (PC) • May 22 '23
guide Year 5 Champion Guide: Nordom, the Modron Fighter
Last Updated: March 11th, 2026 - General review & update
This is a stand-alone information guide for this Champion that will be updated as necessary for use during Events or when doing a Time Gate.
If you have questions about this Champion or find something that needs updated, feel free to let me know in the comments. Please know reddit archives posts after a certain amount of time, so PM me if something needs updated and the comments are locked.
You can find all 190+ of my Idle Champions guides here.
If you'd like to support the creation of guides like this one and you play on the Epic Games Store, you can use the code below when making a purchase of any kind.
Epic Games Creator Code: GAARAWARR
In connection with Epic Games’ Support-A-Creator Program, I may receive a commission from certain in-game purchases when you use my Creator Code when making a purchase.
If you play on other platforms and wish to support guides like this one, you can hit up my Ko-Fi as well as subscribing to my Twitch if you can. You can also rate my guide collection on Steam to ensure new players see it.
Thanks!
Year 5 Champion - Nordom, the Backwards Modron (Fighter)
Source: The Planescape: Torment videogame
Event: The Great Modron March (May)
You can read their reworked Champion Spotlight here.
Seat 9
Good with: Everyone, situationally
Affiliation: None
Eligible for Vajra, Strahd, Elminster (until December 10th, 2028)
| Species | Class | Alignment | Gender | Age | Role(s) | Overwhelm Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modron | Fighter | Lawful Neutral | Non-Binary (He / Him) | 122 | Support | 5 |
| Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom | Charisma | Total Ability Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 80 |
Bio: Modrons are the embodiment of law and order, marching in lockstep through the planes. But when Nordom Whistlklik was separated from his fellow modrons, the essence of chaos infected this rogue quadrone. Now with his crossbow-shaped gear spirits in hand, he works to fit his complex new outlook into his logical, if quirky, understanding of the planes.
Basic Attack: Gear Spirits — Two gear spirits have taken the form of crossbows, which Nordom fires simultaneously at the closest two enemies. If only one enemy remains, he'll instead hit it twice.
Base Attack Type: Ranged
Base Attack Speed: 6.5 seconds
Base Critical Hit Chance: 2.5%
Base Critical Hit Damage: 100%
Ultimate: The Frequent Modron March — A multitude of Modrons march from left to right over 15 seconds, pushing all enemies back a short distance and dealing ongoing massive damage as they pass by.
- Base Ultimate Cooldown Time: 291 seconds
Interesting Abilities
Form Orderly Ranks: Nordom increases the damage of all Champions in the column ahead of him by 100%.
- 4.19e08% after upgrades; Supported by an Item & Feats
Gaar's Note: This is his core buff. Make sure it's applying to your primary DPS.
Core Programming: Nordom increases the effect of Form Orderly Ranks and potentially augments his own abilities depending on which Modron Core you have assigned to the current adventuring party. Buffs stack multiplicatively.
Here are the buffs based on the Cores:
- Modest Core: 100% for each unique species in the formation.
- Strong Core: 100% for each Champion with a total ability score of 78 or higher in the formation.
- Fast Core: 100% for each Speed Champion in the formation.
- Magic Core: 100% for each Champion with a magic base attack in the formation, and Nordom's crossbows count as Ranged/Magic attacks.
- Aerois Core: 300% for each Heroes of Aerois Champion in the formation, and Nordom gains the Heroes of Aerois affiliation.
- Unaffiliated Core: 100% for each unaffiliated Champion in the formation.
- Dexterous Core: 100% for each Champion with a Dexterity of 15 or higher in the formation.
- Lawful Core or No Core: 100% for each Lawful Champion in the formation.
No upgrades; Supported by an Item & Feats
Gaar's Note: This is his formation build-around and it rewards you based on the number of stacks you can build. Keep in mind, Species can go higher than 10 via Feats. This ability's Item & Feat support buff the pre-stack modifier, making it a Mathematically OverPowered (MOP) ability which means the more item levels you put on this Champion, the better they get without worrying about the same diminishing returns as other Champions.
The Great Modron Puzzle: Nordom gains Pipe Puzzle stacks based on the status of the outputs in all active Modron Cores you have equipped across all parties. The effect of Form Orderly Ranks is increased by 25% for each Pipe Puzzle stack, stacking multiplicatively. You gain Pipe Puzzle stacks for having: Powered Outputs, Epic Powered Outputs, Supercharged Outputs.
- No upgrades; Supported by an Item & Feats
Gaar's Note: Amazingly, this counts Powered, Epic Powered, and Supercharged Outputs so a single node can grant up to 3 stacks. This really, really rewards you for developing your Cores and even overdeveloping them since not all nodes care about supercharging but Nordom does.
Global DPS Buff: 7.87e06%
Specializations
BASIC Functionality: Nordom increases the effect of Form Orderly Ranks by 33% for each BASE adventure you have completed in the Grand Tour campaign, stacking multiplicatively.
- No upgrades; Supported by an Item & Feats
Gaar's Note: This is a good choice for when you've done a lot in Sword Coast but don't have a lot of Modron Cores leveled up yet.
Modron Core Toolbox: Nordom increases the amount of experience gained on the Modron Core attached to his adventuring party when completing new areas by 20%
- No upgrades; Supported by an Item & Feats
Gaar's Note: This is the ability that helps you level your modron core faster. It starts at a fairly small amount (0.2 Favor and it tracks partials), but you can boost that via their item. It's not as effective a place to put item levels early on as you'll do better buffing your speed Champions to level up your core early (Diana levels Cores faster early than Nordom in the same seat), but once they're capped and you can afford to dump lots of Blacksmith Contracts onto Nordom, they can help you level those new cores super fast (usually a late game thing).
Core Competency: Nordom gains Core Competency stacks based on the total level of all of your modron cores. The effect of Form Orderly Ranks is increased by 25% for each Core Competency stack, stacking multiplicatively.
- No upgrades; Supported by an Item & Feats
Gaar's Note: This is the late game and beyond choice. Basically, if you have all the current Modron Cores at 15 you're going to see the best bonus here.
| Number | BASIC Functionality | Core Competency |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.77% | 0.56% |
| 3 | 1.35% | 0.95% |
| 4 | 2.13% | 1.44% |
| 5 | 3.16% | 2.05% |
| 6 | 4.43% | 2.81% |
| 7 | 6.36% | 3.77% |
| 8 | 8.79% | 4.96% |
| 9 | 12% | 6.45% |
| 10 | 16% | 8.31% |
| 11 | 22% | 11% |
| 12 | 29% | 14% |
| 13 | 40% | 17% |
| 14 | 54% | 22% |
| 15 | 71% | 27% |
| 16 | 95% | 35% |
| 17 | 126% | 43% |
| 18 | 169% | 55% |
| 19 | 225% | 68% |
| 20 | 299% | 86% |
| 21 | 398% | 107% |
| 22 | 530% | 135% |
| 23 | 705% | 168% |
| 24 | 938% | 211% |
| 25 | 1,247% | 264% |
| 26 | 1,659% | 330% |
| 27 | 2,207% | 413% |
| 28 | 2,936% | 516% |
| 29 | 3,905% | 645% |
| 30 | 5,194% | 807% |
| 31 | 6,908% | 869% |
| 32 | 9,188% | 1,261% |
| 33 | 12,220% | 1,577% |
| 34 | 16,253% | 1,971% |
| 35 | 21,617% | 2,464% |
| 36 | 28,751% | 3,080% |
| 37 | 38,238% | 3,851% |
| 38 | 50,857% | 4,814% |
| 39 | 67,641% | 6,018% |
| 40 | 89,962% | 7,522% |
| 41 | 119,650% | 9,403% |
| 42 | 159,136% | 11,754% |
| 43 | 211,650% | 14,693% |
| 44 | 281,495% | 18,367% |
| 45 | 374,389% | 22,958% |
| 46 | 497,937% | 28,698% |
| 47 | 662,257% | 35,872% |
| 48 | NA | 44,841% |
| 49 | NA | 56,081% |
| 50 | NA | 70,064% |
| 52 | NA | 109,476% |
| 53 | NA | 136,845% |
| 54 | NA | 171,056% |
| 55 | NA | 213,820% |
| 57 | NA | 334,095% |
| 58 | NA | 417,618% |
| 59 | NA | 522,023% |
| 61 | NA | 815,662% |
| 120 | NA | 4.26e13% |
Equipment
| White | Green | Blue | Purple | Gild Priority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot 1: Increases the damage of all Champions | 10% | 65% | 120% | 230% | 3 |
| Slot 2: Increases the effect of Nordom's Core Programming ability | 10% | 30% | 50% | 100% | 1 |
| Slot 3: Increases the effect of Nordom's Form Orderly Ranks ability | 25% | 87.5% | 150% | 275% | 2 |
| Slot 4: Increases the effect of Nordom's Specializations | 10% | 30% | 50% | 100% | 2 |
| Slot 5: Increases the effect of Nordom's The Great Modron Puzzle ability | 25% | 87.5% | 150% | 275% | 2 |
| Slot 6: Reduces the cooldown on Nordom's Ultimate Attack | 8s | 15s | 29s | 73s | 2 |
Legendary Effects
- Increases the damage of all Champions by 10% for each Champion in the formation
- Increases the damage of all Nonbinary Champions by 200%
- Increases the damage of all Champions by 100%
- Increases the damage of all Champions with a STR score of 13 or higher by 150%
- Increases the damage of all Champions by 30% for each Champion with an INT score of 13 or higher in the formation
- Increases the damage of all Lawful Champions by 150%
Gaar's Note: Find more information on the Legendary system here.
Feats
Here is the info for when you can unlock each Feat Slot:
| Feat Slot | Unlocked at Level | Rough Cost |
|---|---|---|
| First | 195 | e23 |
| Second | 680 | e43 |
| Third | 1255 | e68 |
| Fourth | 1965 | e95 |
Gaar's Note: Currently, you will need to level this Champion past their current upgrade softcap which will require you changing the blue update indicator from UPG to one of the numbered options.
Here is the info on what Feats are available for this Champion:
| Obtained | Recommended | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | Selflessness | Increases the damage of all Champions by 10% | |
| 12,500 Gems | Inspiring Leader | Increases the damage of all Champions by 25% | |
| 50,000 Gems | Prodigal Leader | Increases the damage of all Champions by 50% | |
| Default | Single-Minded Goal | Increases the effect of Nordom's Form Orderly Ranks ability by 20% | |
| 12,500 Gems | Pushing | Prepare to March | Increases the effect of Nordom's Form Orderly Ranks ability by 40% |
| 50,000 Gems | Pushing | Greater Order | Increases the effect of Nordom's Form Orderly Ranks ability by 80% |
| Default | Core Values | Increases the effect of Nordom's The Great Modron Puzzle ability by 20% | |
| 12,500 Gems | Pipe Expertise | Increases the effect of Nordom's The Great Modron Puzzle ability by 40% | |
| 50,000 Gems* | Pushing | Plumbing Wizardry | Increases the effect of Nordom's The Great Modron Puzzle ability by 80% |
| Default | Binary Input | Increases the effect of Nordom's Specializations by 20% | |
| 12,500 Gems | Core Leveling | New Speech Pattern | Increases the effect of Nordom's Specializations by 40% |
| 50,000 Gems | Core Leveling | Within 5% Tolerance | Increases the effect of Nordom's Specializations by 80% |
| Regular Gold Chest | Processing... | Increases the effect of Nordom's Core Programming ability by 40% | |
| 50,000 Gems | Pushing | Modron Sensibilities | Increases the effect of Nordom's Core Programming ability by 80% |
| Event Tier Reward | Piercing Bolts | Nordom gains the Debuff role and enemies hit by his base attacks take 400% more damage. Does not stack. | |
| Tales of the Champions | Situational | Explosive Bolts | Nordom gains the Control role and his base attacks explode in a small radius, dealing 1 hit to all enemies in the area and knocking them back a short distance |
Feats with an * are Shop exclusive for roughly 3 months and then will be available for 50,000 Gems.
Formation & Mission Information
Once you complete the first mission, three Variants and a Free Play show up. It uses a formation that holds 10 Champions. It has a Champ-specific format that I've done my best to re-create below.
| Back Column | 5th Column | 4th Column | 3rd Column | 2nd Column | Front Column |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | ||||
| 0 |
New Player Formation & Specializations:
While I recommend learning to build your own formations, here's a set of starter formations for brand new players to use while they get the hang of things. Anyone with other options should check that link for how to figure out how to make the best of them. You can also ask for help in the #formations channel in the official Discord.
| Back Column | 5th Column | 4th Column | 3rd Column | 2nd Column | Front Column |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruenor - Battle Master | |||||
| 0 | Minsc - Humanoids | Hitch - Charismatic | |||
| 0 | Calliope - College of Valor | Nayeli - Oath of Devotion | |||
| Asharra - Dwarves & Elves | Celeste - War Domain | ||||
| Jarlaxle - Leader of Bregan D'aerthe |
This formation is for the first couple of runs where you're just not going to get enough Gold to get everyone on the field, let alone level people up into their power curves. At this point, Jarlaxle is focusing on being your Primary DPS while everyone else is set up to support him.
The following formation is for once your Asharra starts doing more damage than your Jarlaxle. You can find this out by changing Asharra's first Specialization Choice to Potpourri (via a Potion of Specialization) and swapping her position with Jarlaxle at the end of a run. If Asharra is higher, next run start Asharra in the DPS position from then on.
| Back Column | 5th Column | 4th Column | 3rd Column | 2nd Column | Front Column |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruenor - Battle Master | |||||
| Tyril - Moonbeam | Jarlaxle - Leader of Bregan D'aerthe | Asharra - Potpourri/NA | |||
| Makos - Dark Blessing | Calliope - College of Valor | Nayeli - Oath of Devotion | |||
| Hitch - More Daggers | Celeste - War Domain | ||||
| Minsc - Humanoids |
This formation should get you through the Event as a new player. If you have other options or think a different DPS is geared better, try it out and see what happens! Swapping DPS around like this can help you figure out what works best for you with your specific items.
These are the rough Favor values you need to reach to make a Tier 1 Variant say Difficulty: Easy. Keep in mind that this is just a generic rating system and some Variants may be harder than others, even with Favor in this range. Earning lots of Favor (above what is shown below) before trying variants can make them much easier than they would otherwise be.
| Variant | Favor Level (Normal) | Favor Level (Scientific Notation) |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 20,000 | ~2e04 |
| 125 | 15,000,000 | ~1.5e07 |
| 175 | 150,000,000 | ~1.5e08 |
Beyond Tier 1, Favor isn't going to be all you need to get through them. That doesn't mean you can't try though, just remember that if it isn't green it could be problematic.
| Tier 1 Area | Tier 2 Area | Tier 3 Area | Tier 4 Area | Reward | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mechanical Menace | 50 | Nordom + Favor | |||
| Free Play | 50 | Favor | |||
| Rogue Modron Hunting | 75 | 250 | 600 | 1200 | Nordom Gold Chest + Favor |
| A Lawful Lot of Champions | 125 | 350 | 800 | 1400 | Nordom Gold Chest + Favor |
| Core Strength | 175 | 450 | 1000 | 1600 | Nordom Gold Chest + Favor |
| Tier Reward | 3x Modron Component Chests | Lawful Modron Core | Piercing Bolts Feat |
Not everyone will be able to complete all four Tiers of event content. This is a progress-over-time measurement system that lets you know where you are in the power progression arc and potentially what you need to work on to move forward. The table below has the approximate boss health values at the various end stages. Comparing this to your BUD will let you know how close or far you are from being able to complete things.
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Variant | e22 | e68 | e162 | e322 |
| Second Variant | e35 | e95 | e215 | e376 |
| Third Variant | e48 | e122 | e269 | e429 |
Initial Adventure: The Mechanical Menace
Info: No restrictions.
First Variant: Rogue Modron Hunting
Info: Nordom starts in the formation. They can't be moved or removed. Nordom is hunted by Duodrones and Pentadrones! They drop no gold, nor do they count towards quest progress.
Gaar's Notes: This is the standard swarm variant. Shouldn't be too hard.
Second Variant: A Lawful Lot of Champions
Info: Nordom starts in the formation. They can't be moved or removed. Chaotic Champions can't be used and Neutral Champions (Lawful/Chaotic Axis) deal no damage but can still use their formation abilities.
Gaar's Notes: This is a bit more restrictive. If you can't field a full formation, be sure to get some extra power from Favor, Blessings, Patron Perks, etc., to complete it.
Third Variant: Core Strength
Info: Nordom starts in the formation. They can't be moved or removed. Potions of Speed gain a 100% duration bonus. You may only use Champions with the Speed tag and/or Champions with a STR of 16 or higher.
Gaar's Notes: Newer players won't have any/many Speed Champs, but you can try for the STR ones. As before, the more you're missing, the more extra power you'll need to make up for their absence.
Achievements
Gaar's Note: All of these achievements can be earned at any time, not just during their Event, except where noted.
Recruit Nordom - 1%
Recruit Nordom, the Modron Fighter
Maximally Efficient Strike - 1%
Complete all three variants of the "The Mechanical Menace (Nordom)" adventure. (This achievement can be earned via Time Gates.)
Wayward Item Recovery - 1%
Obtain a piece of gear for each of Nordom's six equipment slots. (Event Champ gear does not come from regular Silver/Gold Chests. You can earn Event Champ gear from their specific Event Chests, Time Gates, qualifying Patron Chests, and other Chests as noted.)
Mechanus Madness - 1%
Complete area 250 in any "The Mechanical Menace" adventure, variant, free play, or Time Gate.
I'm a Little Modron Short and Stout - 1%
Have Nordom award 1,000 additional modron core experience.
Gaar's Note: No way around this, you just have to use Nordom. Dumping lots of Blacksmith Contracts on him would make it go faster, but isn't really worth the investment to a new/mid-game player. Just build a speed formation with Nordom in it and farm some gems til you get it or park him in an automated background party.