# \[fixed in 9.4\] Death Ward activated on killing own troops **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug Reports\ **Created:** [August 24, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117 "2026-08-24T18:21:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hunk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/hunk/32/92446_2.png) [@Hunk](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Hunk)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/1 "2026-08-24T18:21:38Z")
**Platform, device version and operating system:** Mobile (ios 26)/Steam Windows 11 **Screenshot or image:** ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/gemsofwar/original/3X/f/a/fa24ae511bba524e560f7b23891ea2dc16cee70b.jpeg) See Second 00:04 of the video **What you were expecting to happen, and what actually happened:** _Casted_ Princess Elspeth on own The Banshee Queen to kill it. But instead Death Ward was activated. **How often does this happen? When did it begin happening?** _20% chance when using this spell since I unlocked Astral Spire’s Death Ward node (in The Mountains)_ **Steps to make it happen again** _cast Princess Elspeth on an own troop_ ---
**Author:** ![Hunk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/hunk/32/92446_2.png) [@Hunk](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Hunk)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/2 "2026-08-24T20:12:55Z")
Happens also on Festival Cow trying to sacrifce herself: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/gemsofwar/original/3X/5/3/5356c903b6b62f23cba9619f7df335d4106dfe10.jpeg) Video: ---
**Author:** ![Jeto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/jeto/32/101682_2.png) [@Jeto](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Jeto)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/3 "2026-08-24T22:15:54Z")
but you still get everything else from the spell it seems, other than the troop being sacrificed? It doesn’t appear to block the other abilities in the spell, except Elspeths summon. ---
**Author:** ![Zuul-Emo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/67e7ee/32.png) [@Zuul-Emo](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Zuul-Emo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/4 "2026-08-24T22:37:31Z")
But if you’re trying to sacrifice the troop to make way to summon something else (immediately in the case of Elspeth), that’s a big problem. Having a troop you don’t want, that you expected to be replaced by a new summon, can massively affect the battle. Even if you get the other effects, you should be able to choose to avoid the effect if you want, when triggering the death yourself, if that’s part of your tactics. ---
**Author:** ![Jeto](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/jeto/32/101682_2.png) [@Jeto](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Jeto)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/5 "2026-08-24T22:48:53Z")
I know, I am just confirming that the other spell features did still happen, because the sacrifice is last in the order. Except for the summon. ---
**Author:** ![Hunk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/hunk/32/92446_2.png) [@Hunk](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Hunk)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 7:08am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/6 "2026-08-25T07:08:13Z")
correct! all other spell effects like mana & gem generation, skill bonuses etc were activated ---
**Author:** ![Theoden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Theoden](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Theoden)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/7 "2026-08-25T17:31:27Z")
Princess Elspeth doesn’t summon if her kill fails even if there is already a space on the team. Her spell should really say so. Vash’Dagon doesn’t summon if his devour fails and his spell does say so. ---
**Author:** ![Hunk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/hunk/32/92446_2.png) [@Hunk](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Hunk)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/8 "2026-08-26T13:52:33Z")
> [@Theoden](#): > > Vash’Dagon doesn’t summon if his devour fails Death Ward doesn’t protect from devour: the description explicitly states “(except Devour)” ---
**Author:** ![Stratelier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@Stratelier](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Stratelier)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/9 "2026-08-26T15:05:31Z")
Why does the description not just say “Lethal Damage” the way troop traits do? ---
**Author:** ![Theoden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@Theoden](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Theoden)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/fixed-in-9-4-death-ward-activated-on-killing-own-troops/90117/10 "2026-08-26T18:51:27Z")
> [@Hunk](#): > > Death Ward doesn’t protect from devour: the description explicitly states “(except Devour)” I know. I was just pointing out the inconsistency between Vash’Dagon and Elspeth. She only summons if her kill succeeds, but her spell doesn’t say so. Vash’Dagon only summons if his devour succeeds and his spell does say so. I guess it could be because there was no way for her kill to fail when she was first introduced. No player owned troops were immune to lethal damage at the time.