Random tip: awaken Alex after Charlie, he has an insane rage skill.
All Heroes Guide
Leaders
Elite
Liam is a great early game hero, quite versatile due to leader talents and easy to get strong due to campaign. Focus on rage build-up in leader tree first, then max out skill tree, bar the Double-Edged Sword skill, put the rest into leader. Skill order: 1-3-2-4.
Legendary
Jaden is a pretty decent hero who you can (only) skill up through Memory trip stages and its respective shop. Personally that’s all I would buy in the shop until you awaken him. From my testing in the past he didn’t perform that well against hiveminds, i prefer peggy. He is alright at defeating them, but the reason he isn’t as good as her is that he has much lower rage build-up (attack tree instead of support tree), and takes a lot more damage (peggy has a 15% zombie damage reduction skill).
However, I personally use him for the arena, as a buffer. If you use him for that, first I recommend to get all the rage from the attack tree and leader tree, then max King of War in the attack tree, and the rest into leader. If you’re set on going for zombies/hiveminds with him, get the same rage talents and King of War maxed, but go the rest into the Zombie Hunter talents. Skill order: 1-4-3-2 (You can go 1-4-2-3 if you are focusing on zombies or hiveminds). Only use him as leader, his rage skill makes it necessary,
Lee Seung-won is a great hero for early to mid game, until he gets too frail to reliably battle. His rage skill is an insane debuff, making his assistant do a lot of damage with their rage skill if he is used as a leader. Firstly I would get the rage from the leader and support trees, and put the rest of the talents into the leader tree. Skill order: 5151 (All you need really, unless you spend you don’t need him awakened). Lean towards using him as leader, but he is usable as assistant.
Hank Jannowitz is an alright siege hero, but that is the exact problem with him. Siege heroes are a very costly investment considering they are only used for that, and later on you will have access to heroes that outperform not only in siege, but also everywhere else. If you do have the money to invest in him, he can be good early on, but Master Jin will be outclassing him still, so I’d probably use him instead if you can max him (just a note he costs a lot, but will get to more in his paragraph). First get the rage from the leader tree, then max the skill tree bar Double-Edged sword, and put the rest into the leader tree. Skill order: 1-4-3-2. Always use him as leader, he has the right talents for it.
Peter Karelin… please do NOT make the mistake of investing in him like many people have, he is a siege hero but not well suited for that purpose, and has no use anywhere else. The only use he has is his 2nd skill for squad capacity. I REALLY, REALLY do not recommend investing in him, but if you insist… max the siege tree and put the rest into the leader tree. Skill order: 2-3-1-4. Always use him as leader, since he has the siege tree.
Master Jin is by far the best siege option you have early to mid game. His rage skill has a huge buff to attack and defence, and rage recover, he has damage reduction, he heals, and stats during siege. You could not ask for more in a siege hero at the early stage, he is very good. First max the rage in the support and leader tree, then max Special Defense in the support tree, and put the rest into the leader tree. Skill order: 1-4-3-2. Can be used as leader or assistant, but having him as leader means he buffs the rage skill of the assistant.
Bianca is an amazing hero, due to what she is giving to all your squads. Her rage skill buffs 3 or 5 squads (depending if awakened or not), gives 38% or 42% atk and def for 4 seconds (again depending on if awakened), as well as 60 rage to each squad. On top of that, her other 3 skills are great, a shield to 3 squads, travel speed, atk and def. I would not use her as leader, she is better suited as assistant to an infantry hero. Skill order: 1-4-2-3
Victor is another really good hero, his area of speciality is garrison. He does very high skill damage when garrisoning, and high atk and hp, along with some skill damage reduction. For talents, I would start with getting the rage for the leader tree, garrison tree and defense tree. Then, go for skillful defense and high walls in the garrison tree. After that, Steadfast Defense in the leader tree. Finally, go all the way to damage control in the defense tree. Skill order: 1-2-3-4. Can be used as leader or assistant.
Infantry
Elite
Charlie is one of the best elite heroes, he has really good rage buildup once awakened (do this as soon as possible), and just a neat infantry hero even later on in the game. Focus on rage build-up in infantry squad tree first, then max out the skill tree, bar the Double-Edged sword skill, then put the rest into infantry squad. Skill order: 1-3-2-4. Can be used as leader or assistant, he is very versatile.
Edward is a mediocre infantry hero, who can be used for a while in early game, but I personally do not like him. Go for rage buildup in infantry squad first, then max out everything in defence, then rest into infantry squad. Skill order: 1-4-2-3. Can be used as leader or assistant.
Legendary
Raigoro is the first infantry option you get. He is a pretty solid hero for garrison, as well as arena of doom, but he will be outclassed later on and there is a hero that counters him through shield damage. For the talents, start with the rage from the infantry squad tree, then max the defense tree bar Damage Control. Put the rest into Infantry squad, skipping Gunfire Sentence and Speed Cut, and going straight up to Burning Passion. Skill order: 1-4-2-3 (if you are not focusing on infantry and need a frontline for arena: 1-3-4-2). Can be used as leader or assistant, but do note that he boosts the assistant’s rage skill thanks to his 4th skill.
Tom is the next infantry option you get, through Lucky Roulette. Please make sure you recruit him during this stage (4.2k gems per cycle is enough to get 15 fragments guaranteed). He is valuable throughout the game due to his rage skill buffing all squad’s damage reduction by 15%. The awakened skill changes this from up to 3 squads total, to 5 squads total. For the talents, start with the rage from the infantry squad tree, then max the defense tree bar Damage Control. Put the rest into Infantry squad, skipping Gunfire Sentence and Speed Cut, and going straight up to Burning Passion. Skill order: 1-3-4-2. Can be used as leader or assistant.
Adut is the 1st newer infantry option you get, also through lucky roulette. She is by the far the highest damage dealing Infantry hero currently, and as a result she has less defensive skills, which means she will usually need a bit of support to get going. First get the rage from the infantry squad tree, then max the skill tree bar Double-Edged Sword. Then go for Gunfire Sentence in the Infantry Squad tree, then Infantry Guard, and then finally Infantry Speed. Skill order: 1-4-2-3 (if field focused) or 1-2-4-3 (if arena focused). Preferably use her as leader.
Thunder Peterson comes in the same cycle as Adut, and he is the premier infantry hero for garrison. Start with getting the rage from the infantry squad tree, and then max the Garrison tree. Then max Infantry Guard, and put the rest into Endurance. Do note that you can change garrison tree to defense tree if you would like, but considering thunder is the best garrison hero and therefore he works best with those talents, I’d advise to at least try both and see which you prefer better, neither are the wrong choice. Skill order: 1-4-2-3. Use him as leader most of the time.
Robert is an average leaning towards decent hero. He has a lot of damage, but he doesnt have any tankiness which infantry leans into, except for a shield that has a cooldown. I would rather invest in Adut and now Miyamoto before touching him. First get the rage from the infantry squad tree, then max the skill tree bar Double-Edged Sword. Then go for Gunfire Sentence in the Infantry Squad tree, then Infantry Guard, and then finally Infantry Speed. Robert should always lead because his rage skill debuffs the enemy’s HP by 20%, so he will boost the rage skill of the assistant.
Eddie is the premier siege hero. Anywhere else, he is decent to good at best. I would use him as assistant so there is no need to focus on his talents. Skill order: 1-2-4-3
Miyamoto Doichi is a really good hero. High damage with aoe, hp reduction and skill damage reduction chances. I would usually run him as assistant, but as leader he is fine. First get the rage from the infantry squad tree, then max the skill tree bar Double-Edged Sword. Then go for Gunfire Sentence in the Infantry Squad tree, then Infantry Guard, and then finally Infantry Speed. Skill order: 1-2-3-4
Riven is the most versatile infantry hero, she can run anywhere with good success. There isn’t really a scenario where she would be a better leader than someone else, so I would not bother. Skill order: 1-2-3-4.
Ranged
Elite
Seo Jin-a is an alright ranged hero, but outclassed by akemi. Early on, you can use her as leader for akemi to boost her rage skill, but after that just use akemi. Start with rage build-up in ranged squad tree, then attack tree. Then max out King of War, and rest into ranged squad. Skill order: 1-3-4-2. Use her as leader, the only use you will get out of her is mentioned above.
Akemi is the best elite ranged hero by a clear margin, all her skills are useful. Focus on rage in ranged squad and attack tree first, then max out King of War, rest into ranged squad. Skill order: 1-2-4-3. Can be used as leader when not with seo, if with seo use as assistant.
Legendary
Nakano Maaya is undoubtedly the worst of the ranged legendaries. I’d even say akemi outclasses her most of the time unless you have her max. You get her fragments for free through top commander so if you rank there, great. She has the skill tree which is very beneficial to have early on if you have invested in her, but if you are not spending, I do not recommend this. Just leave her at level 1 and wait for better options. First get the rage from the ranged squad and skill tree, then max the skill tree bar Double-Edged Sword, rest into the ranged squad tree. Skill order: 1-2-3-4. Always have her as leader so that she boosts the assistant’s rage skill with her attack boost.
Louis comes at the same time as her, but unlike her, he is a superb hero and a must have for any ranged main. He also has uses on most infantry heroes, and situationally on riders, both for his first 2 skills. Get the rage from the skill and ranged squad tree, then max the skill tree bar double-edged sword, rest into ranged squad. Do note that he is better used as an assistant, and legendary rank/level investment can be used on another ranged hero. Skill order: 1-2-4-3
Chun is a really good hero, she does a lot of damage and has the skill tree also. Get the rage from the skills and ranged squad tree, then max the skills tree bar Double-Edged Sword, and go up towards High Precision Blast in the ranged squad tree. Finish with Ranged Defense. Skill order: 1-2-4-3. ALWAYS use her as leader, similar to Jaden, she also loses half her damage if assistant.
Johnny Kerry is a very situational hero, only worth using against garrisons that involve a lot of healing (e.g. Thunder Tom). Otherwise, you’re better off using heroes that do more damage. Get the rage from the ranged squad tree, then max siege, and rest into the ranged squad. Can be used as assistant or leader.
Julia is an amazing hero. Once awakened, she silences the enemy for 3 seconds (unable to use rage skills during that time). She has high tankiness, and high damage also. Get the rage from the skills and ranged squad tree, then max the skills tree bar Double-Edged Sword, and go up towards High Precision Blast in the ranged squad tree. Finish with Ranged Defense. Skill order: 1-4-3-2
Jacob is a great ranged garrison option with alright tankiness and high damage. First, get the rage from ranged squad, garrison, and defense trees. Then take Skillful Defense in the garrison tree. Max the defense tree, and then finally into High Walls in the garrison tree. Skill order: 1-4-2-3. Preferably assistant in field, leader in garrison.
Rider
Elite
Freya is undoubtedly the best elite rider hero, skill tree is really nice to have, but she does not compare to legendary riders. Focus on rider squad rage-build up first, max out the skill tree bar the Double-Edged Sword skill, then rest into rider squad. Skill order: 1-3-2-4. Can be used as assistant or leader.
Park Dong-wook is an alright rider hero, outclassed by freya. Max out field battle bar quick escape, rest into either zombie hunter or rider squad depending on what you will use him for. Skill order: 1-3-4-2. Most of the time should be used as an assistant, but if speed is needed you can make him leader.
Legendary
Cynthia Calamity is the worst legendary rider hero, her only use is with Catherine as assistant for early game to boost each other’s skills, or as a leader to be the current fastest rider hero in the game due to the field battle tree. First get the rage from the rider squad tree, then max the field battle tree, and put the rest into the rider squad tree. Skill order:1-2-3-4. She should be majorly a leader if you use her, to make use of her field battle tree. Only exception to this is if you are running her with Catherine in the early game.
Catherine Calamity is by far the best option you have for riders early game, but she comes at the cost of having to buy vip 1-10 gifts to awaken her. She has superb skill damage, some rage buildup in one of her skills, some travel speed, and plenty of attack. Really scary to face at the start when there are little hero options. First get the rage from the skill and rider squad tree, then max the skill tree bar Double-Edged sword, and put the rest into the rider squad tree. Skill order: 1-4-2-3. Can be used as assistant or leader.
Bella is a superb rider hero, best for combat as of now. She’s particularly good in sieges against shields (raigoro). Get the rage from the skill and rider squad tree, max the skill tree bar Double-Edged Sword, and then the rest into the rider squad tree. Skill order: 1-4-3-2. Should be used as leader to increase the damage of the assistant’s rage skill.
Sven is another really good rider hero, the best one for sieges. He has a lot of damage reduction. First get the rage from the support and rider squad tree, then max Special Defense in the support tree, and put the rest into rider squad. Can be used as assistant or leader, but usually better as assistant.
Elena is a great rider hero, great for flanking enemies.
Overall
Elite
Peggy is the best elite hero for zombie hunting and hiveminds. Great awakened skill, gives permanent construction speed. The stamina reduction and resource packs are also valuable. Start with the support tree, and go for the 2 rage skills first, then for healing and skill damage reduction. Rest into zombie hunter. Skill order: 1-2-3-4. Can be used as assistant or leader.
Captain Russell is easy to skill up from the Russell’s salvation event, nothing outstanding apart from his zombie EXP boost. Start with the support tree, and go for the 2 rage skills first, then for healing and skill damage reduction. Rest into zombie hunter. Skill order: 1-3-2-4. Only useful as a leader.
Alexander Sokolov is one of the best elite heroes, purely because of his rage skill. Awaken him as soon as you can after Charlie, he is insane for arena. He is purely a gathering hero or an assistant so just get him to lv44 and max the gathering tree. Skill order: 1-2-4-3. In combat, only useful as assistant.
Jeremy is debatably the best gathering hero, 40% for wood gathering, 30% for anything else. Gathering talents to lv44. Skill order: 2-3-4-1. No use, bar pairing him with alexander to move fast.
Xia is another great gathering hero, who gives bonus resources after being awakened. Gathering talents to lv44. Skill order: 2-3-4-1. Can be used as an assistant in the early arena, otherwise not at all.
John Sunderland is a bad siege hero, don’t use him at all. If you really want to for some reason, skill order is 1-4-2-3. Neither is ideal, really, don’t have a recommendation…
Legendary
Maxine Wincott is a very good gathering hero, but don’t use her for anything else. Make sure you buy her 10 fragments weekly in the radar station shop after you get the 2 legendary fragments, so you awaken her as soon as possible for her great skill. Get her to 44 if desired, and max the gathering, but I recommend leaving her at rank 3 so you don’t waste resources. Instead, I recommend using an elite, common or uncommon hero as leader instead. Skill order: 2-4-1-3. Use her as an assistant for the reason I mentioned above.
Martin is a healer and nothing more, so I would not put any investment into him, just gradually get fragments from the police station and events. Get the rage from the support tree, max recovery pill, and then put the rest into zombie hunter. Skill order: 1-3-4-2 (If you are prioritising zombie hunting with him), or 1-2-4-3 (if you are prioritising combat/ arena of doom). Use him as an assistant majority of the time when zombie hunting, never leader if in combat.
Hero Order
Top Commander
- Near the start, after Regionia: Peter for 2 cycles, Raigoro for 3
- Around day 90: Nakano for 3
- Around day 110: Sven for 3, Thunder for 3, Johnny for 3
- Around day 230: Jonathan for 3, Eddie for 3, Jacob for 3, Victor for 3
Lucky Roulette
- Near the start, after Regionia: Cynthia for 2, Tom for 3
- Around day 90: Louis for 3
- Around day 110: Bella for 3, Adut for 3, Chun for 3
- Around day 230: Elena for 3, Robert for 3, Julia for 3, Bianca for 3
Great guide and commends. However, if there’s a possibility for you to include Mai Shiranui and other new ones, I would really appreciate it.