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Hero Guide (Season 1)

Heroes · 2026-03-12

What Changes in Season 1

Season 1 brings several major hero changes that shift the tier list:

  1. Mason upgrades from SSR to UR — becomes a legitimate A-tier Tank DPS
  2. Exclusive Weapons become widely available — heroes with strong weapons jump in value
  3. Aircraft meta dominance — Aircraft heroes increase in priority
  4. Multi-squad building begins — investment priorities must account for second squads

For the core hero mechanics (rarities, skills, star upgrades, Tactics cards), see the Pre-Season 1 Hero Guide. This guide focuses on what changes in Season 1.

Season 1 Hero Tier List

S-Tier (Top Priority Investment)

HeroTypeRoleWhy S-Tier in Season 1
DVAAircraftSingle-Target BurstEnergy Master Exclusive Weapon makes her the strongest DPS in the game. The Aircraft meta is her meta
KimberlyTankAoE DPSRocket Shadow Exclusive Weapon keeps her competitive. Still the best Tank carry and excellent in PvE
MurphyTankDefence/SupportMitigation Master Exclusive Weapon elevates him to S-tier. Enables the Murphy Exception in Aircraft squads — the only hero used across squad types
TeslaMissileDPSEssential counter to Aircraft meta. Lightning Chain stacking and Electric Grid Lockdown backline nuke
FionaMissileAoE DPSRadiation DoT becomes more impactful against better-geared opponents. Co-carry alongside Tesla

A-Tier (Strong Investment)

HeroTypeRoleWhy A-Tier in Season 1
WilliamsTankDefencePercentage-based damage reduction scales with enemy strength — as Aircraft opponents hit harder, Williams provides more value
MasonTankDPSUR promotion in Season 1 is a massive power spike. Replaces Stetmann as Tank secondary DPS. Excellent PvE hero
CarlieAircraftTankStill the Aircraft squad's dedicated tank. 40% energy damage reduction. Exclusive Weapon coming in Season 2 makes collecting shards now worthwhile
MarshallTankSupport16.5% attack buff and 30% cooldown reduction remain universally valuable. Exclusive Weapon in Season 3
SchuylerAircraftCrowd ControlStuns become more impactful as enemy DPS heroes hit harder. Essential CC for Aircraft squads

B-Tier (Situational)

HeroTypeRoleNotes
MorrisonAircraftDefence ShredArmor-Piercing Shot amplifies DVA's burst. Essential for Aircraft but lower individual impact
LuciusAircraftTankSilver Armor and Knights Spirit for front-row defence. Stays in formation even with Murphy Exception
McGregorMissileDPSFront-row secondary DPS for Missile squads. Steady targeted damage
StetmannTankAoE DPSReplaced by Mason in the standard Tank formation. Still viable if heavily invested from pre-season
ScarlettTankDefenceCollect shards for her Season 3 UR promotion. Not a priority investment now

Key Tier Changes from Pre-Season

Murphy: A-Tier → S-Tier

Murphy's Exclusive Weapon (Mitigation Master) is the single biggest tier jump in Season 1. He goes from a strong Tank hero to the most versatile hero in the game:

  • Tank squads: still their best tank with even better survivability
  • Aircraft squads: enables the Murphy Exception — the optimal late-game Aircraft formation
  • Cross-type flexibility: the only hero regularly used outside his own type's squads

Investment priority: Murphy is now a top-3 investment across all squad types. If you run Aircraft, his Exclusive Weapon is as important as DVA's.

Mason: B-Tier → A-Tier

Mason's UR promotion transforms him from a decent SSR placeholder to a strong UR squad member:

  • Higher stat ceilings make his skills hit harder and his team damage reduction more effective
  • Replaces Stetmann as the standard Tank secondary DPS
  • PvE specialist with massive zombie bonus damage — best hero for campaign and boss content
  • Accessibility — if you collected shards during pre-season, the UR promotion is free power

DVA: S-Tier → S-Tier (Even Higher)

DVA was already S-Tier, but Energy Master Exclusive Weapon puts her in a tier of her own for PvP:

  • The Aircraft meta is her meta — everyone is building the squad she leads
  • Her burst with Exclusive Weapon can one-shot enemy carries from full HP
  • She remains the most important single hero to invest in for competitive PvP

Stetmann: A-Tier → B-Tier

Not because Stetmann got worse, but because Mason's UR promotion makes him strictly better:

  • If you have a heavily invested Stetmann, keep using him until Mason catches up
  • New players should skip Stetmann and go directly to Mason
  • Stetmann's gear can eventually be transferred to Mason when you make the switch

Exclusive Weapon Priority

Exclusive Weapons are one of the biggest power systems in Season 1. Priority order:

HeroWeaponPriority
DVAEnergy Master — transforms burst into energy damage powerhouseHighest priority for Aircraft players. Push to Level 20 immediately
KimberlyRocket Shadow — core energy damage amplification stackingHighest priority for Tank players. Push to Level 20 immediately
MurphyMitigation Master — enhanced mitigation for multiple alliesEssential for Murphy Exception. Level 20 minimum before using him in Aircraft
TeslaLightning enhancement — amplifies chain damage stackingHighest priority for Missile players when available
Other Squad MembersVariousGet all 5 to Level 20 before pushing any to Level 30
The Level 20 Rule

Get all 5 squad members' weapons to Level 20 before pushing any single weapon to Level 30. The combined benefit of five Level 20 weapons exceeds one Level 30 weapon plus four Level 10 weapons.

Season 1 Investment Strategy

For Tank Players

  1. Kimberly — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20, then continue starring up
  2. Murphy — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20 (prepares for Murphy Exception too)
  3. Mason — UR promote, then invest in skills and gear
  4. Marshall — continue upgrading buffs, collect shards for Season 3 weapon
  5. Williams — maintain, percentage-based reduction still works at lower investment

For Aircraft Players

  1. DVA — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20-30, max stars and gear
  2. Murphy — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20 for Murphy Exception
  3. Morrison — Tactics and attack skills
  4. Lucius — defensive skills and gear
  5. Schuyler — CC skills and basic gear

For Missile Players

  1. Tesla — max skills, gear, stars, Exclusive Weapon when available
  2. Fiona — co-carry investment, ATK focus for Radiation scaling
  3. McGregor — functional damage and survivability
  4. Swift — support skills
  5. Adam — enough tankiness to survive

Planning Ahead: Season 2 and Beyond

While investing in Season 1 heroes, prepare for the future:

  • Carlie's Exclusive Weapon arrives in Season 2 — approximately 10% increase to HP, Defence, and Attack per level. Essential for Aircraft squads
  • Scarlett upgrades from SSR to UR in Season 3 — collect her shards now if you plan long-term Tank
  • Marshall's Exclusive Weapon in Season 3 makes him the undisputed top UR support
  • Fiona's Exclusive Weapon in Season 5 transforms Missile squads — start collecting shards early
  • New Season 1 heroes may be released — save some summon tickets

Common Season 1 Hero Mistakes

  1. Not promoting Mason to UR — free power if you have the shards
  2. Ignoring Exclusive Weapons — they are the biggest power system introduced in Season 1
  3. Investing in heroes you plan to replace — check your long-term squad plan before investing
  4. Not starting Aircraft hero collection — the meta is shifting and you need to adapt
  5. Spreading Exclusive Weapon upgrades too thin — follow the Level 20 rule
  6. Benching Murphy when building Aircraft — his Exclusive Weapon makes him essential for both squad types
  7. Over-investing in Stetmann when Mason is available — redirect investment to Mason

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