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Squad Building Fundamentals

Squads · 2026-03-11

How Squads Work

A squad in Last War: Survival consists of 5 heroes arranged in two rows:

  • Front Row (2 heroes) — these heroes take damage first. Place your tankiest, most defensive heroes here
  • Back Row (3 heroes) — these heroes deal damage and provide support from behind the front line

Each hero has a troop type: Tank, Aircraft, or Missile Vehicle. The composition of your squad determines the type bonus you receive.

Troop Type Bonuses

Building a squad where heroes share the same troop type gives stacking stat bonuses:

CompositionBonus
3 same type+5% HP, Attack, Defence
3 of one + 2 of another+10%
4 same type+15%
5 same type (mono squad)+20% HP, Attack, Defence

The 20% mono-type bonus is enormous. Always aim for mono-type squads. A mono squad with slightly weaker individual heroes will usually outperform a mixed squad with stronger individuals.

The Combat Triangle

  • Tanks beat Missile Vehicles — tanks are too durable for missiles to break through
  • Missile Vehicles beat Aircraft — missiles destroy aircraft before they can close in
  • Aircraft beat Tanks — aircraft overwhelm tanks with sustained damage

This triangle matters most in PvP and Alliance Wars. In PvE content, raw squad power is more important than type matchups.

The Three Squad Types

Tank Squads

  • Role: Front-line powerhouses. High durability, strong damage reduction
  • Early game meta: Tank heroes are the easiest UR heroes to acquire, making Tank squads the dominant pre-season choice
  • Key heroes: Kimberly (DPS), Murphy (tank), Williams (tank), Stetmann (DPS), Marshall (support)
  • Playstyle: Outlast your opponent. Win through durability and sustained damage

Aircraft Squads

  • Role: The mid-to-late game meta. Strong burst damage with decent survivability
  • When to build: Once you have a strong Tank squad and start acquiring Aircraft UR heroes
  • Key heroes: DVA (DPS), Morrison (defence shred), Schuyler (CC), Carlie (tank), Lucius (tank)
  • Playstyle: High damage output, mobility, and crowd control

Missile Vehicle Squads

  • Role: Counter-pick specialists. Highest burst damage but most fragile
  • When to build: When your server is dominated by Aircraft squads and you need a counter
  • Key heroes: Tesla (DPS), McGregor (DPS), Swift (support), Fiona (support), Adam (tank)
  • Playstyle: Delete priority targets with massive burst. High risk, high reward

Building Your First Squad

Step 1: Choose a Type

For pre-season, go Tanks. The reasons:

  • Tank UR heroes are available earliest
  • The meta favours Tanks for the first ~70 days of a server
  • Kimberly is the highest DPS hero in the early game
  • Murphy and Williams provide the best damage reduction

Step 2: Fill All 5 Slots

Get 5 Tank heroes into your squad as quickly as possible for the 20% mono bonus. Even if some heroes are SR or SSR, the type bonus is worth it over having a stronger off-type hero.

Step 3: Focus Investment

Do not spread resources across many heroes. Priority order:

  1. Kimberly — your main DPS. Max her level, skills, and gear first
  2. Murphy — your main tank. He absorbs damage so Kimberly can deal it
  3. Marshall — provides critical buffs that boost the whole squad
  4. Stetmann — secondary DPS, AoE damage
  5. Williams — defensive anchor, keep him alive but invest last

Step 4: Optimise Positioning

  • Front Row: Murphy + Williams (or your two most defensive heroes)
  • Back Row: Kimberly + Stetmann + Marshall (your damage dealers and support)

Transitioning to a Second Squad

Eventually the meta shifts from Tanks to Aircraft (around day 70+ on most servers). When that happens:

  1. Do not abandon your Tank squad — it is still strong and useful
  2. Start collecting Aircraft heroes — DVA is the priority
  3. Only invest in Aircraft once your Tank squad is solid (full gold gear on key heroes)
  4. Your second squad does not need to be as strong as your first — it supplements, not replaces

The Murphy Exception

In the late-game Aircraft meta, many top players move Murphy from their Tank squad into their Aircraft squad. Murphy's exclusive weapon and Tactics Cards make him a better pure tank than Carlie, even though you drop from 20% to 15% type bonus. His individual tankiness outweighs the 5% stat loss.

This is an advanced optimisation. Do not worry about it until your Tank squad is fully built and you are deep into Aircraft development.

Common Squad Mistakes

  1. Building mixed squads — you lose the 20% mono bonus. Always go mono-type
  2. Spreading investment across two squads early — one strong squad beats two weak ones
  3. Ignoring the front row — if your tanks die, your back row gets shredded
  4. Putting DPS heroes in the front row — they die fast and deal no damage
  5. Chasing new heroes instead of investing in your core squad — depth beats breadth
  6. Starting Aircraft or Missile squads before your Tank squad is ready — Tank is king in pre-season. Build it first

Wall of Honor

Once your heroes hit 5 stars, they unlock the Wall of Honor — a system where surplus hero shards provide passive stat bonuses to your entire troop type. Attack bonuses should be prioritised first, followed by defence and health. See the Wall of Honor Guide for the full hero bonus table and recommended upgrade order.

Detailed Squad Guides

For full hero lineups, formation diagrams with positioning rationale, gear craft orders, and skill priorities for each squad type, see: