Everyone has seen the E3 Tier List(s), but for those who are just starting out, getting a team full of powerful E3 units is not a realistic short term goal. So this list attempts to bridge the gap for those who are just starting the game.
First, sorry PvP players! But PvE is definitely the early game priority. Building a PvE team early will get you further in Aspen, get you more guild coins, make more progress in broken spaces and is just better for overall account progression.
This guide will be primarily PvE focused. PvP is the domain of late game teams and heavy spenders.
As a newer player, I am open to feedback if anyone has more first hand experience with any of the Heroes on this list.
Conquistador’s Early Game Tier List v1.1
(Updated on 18th December 2018)
The Natural 4
Heroes (Nat4) Tier
Most of these heroes are 100% fodder, but there are a couple of notable exceptions in each faction which are worth holding on to in the early game.
If you don’t see a 4 hero on this list, assume it is safe to use as a resource to evolve other 4
Heroes.
Also important to note that these 4 heroes in each faction can be evolved to 6
and are the easiest 6
and 9
to make if you need some quick(ish) fodder later in the game.
I’ve made some notes about heroes which might be important to keep for reasons OTHER than using them.
Not shown here but still important is to take note of the specific Nat4 that 6 evolutions need. If you have a pair of
Valkyries which need to be made into a 6
dont use your only
Kargath as random fodder for another evolution.
Hero | Faction | Useful at | Stop at | Reasoning |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Akasha | ![]() Abyss | 4![]() | 4![]() | The only Abyss assassin for Shelter events, try to keep some 4![]() |
![]() Aleria | ![]() Abyss | 4![]() | 6![]() | Excellent early game for hard hitting single target bosses, even useful to clear some tougher campaigns at low levels. |
![]() Norma | ![]() Abyss | 5![]() | 6/9![]() | Amazing early game for PvP defense, Brave Trial, and Aspen Dungeon. Solid early game tank for other modes. Not only that you get a pair of free copies early in the game to help get her to 6![]() ![]() |
![]() Thale | ![]() Forest | 5![]() | 5/6![]() | A good enough healer if you have no other options. |
![]() Wind Walker | ![]() Forest | 4![]() | 4![]() | The only Forest Ranger for Shelter events, try to keep some 4![]() |
![]() Roy | ![]() Fortress | 4![]() | 4![]() | The only Fortress Assassin for Shelter events, try to keep some 4![]() |
![]() Sierra | ![]() Fortress | 5![]() | 5/6![]() | A decent early game CC option for Tower of Oblivion or Brave Trial. Her damage is terrible though. |
![]() Bonecarver | ![]() Shadow | 4![]() | 6![]() | Can dish out quite a bit of damage for a 6![]() ![]() |
![]() Deathsworn | ![]() Shadow | 4![]() | 6/9![]() | His damage is pretty good for a 4![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() Glen | ![]() Shadow | 4![]() | 6![]() | Like Thale, can manage as an early game healer if you have no other options. The only Shadow Priest for Shelter events, try to keep some 4![]() |
The Basement Tier (Nat5)
These heroes have very limited uses even early game. You’ll almost always use their 5 variants as fodder. It’s likely that you’ll take some of these to 6
(or even 9
later in the game) for the explicit purpose of using them as fodder. Note the lack of forest heroes in this tier.
My subjective reasoning for heroes in this tier roughly falls into one of the following categories:
- The hero is very weak
- The hero is on the weaker side, and has copies which are hard to get
Hero | Faction | Shards | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Fat Mu | ![]() Abyss | Common | Does some moderate burn damage, might not be completely useless with the upcoming phoenix pet, but for now there are better options |
![]() Gusta | ![]() Abyss | Common | Low damage tank with a stun, but the stun and debuff he gives have really poor proc rates |
![]() Bleecker | ![]() Fortress | Common | Awful damage, his stun doesnt shine till 10![]() ![]() |
![]() Emily | ![]() Fortress | Rare | A support hero who isn’t good at supporting till 10![]() |
![]() Honor Guard | ![]() Fortress | Common | Awful damage. His 6![]() |
![]() Baade | ![]() Shadow | Common | Has attack oriented skills with a horrible base attack stat. |
![]() Field | ![]() Shadow | Rare | Field has some potential as an assassin counter or single target aspen specialist, but not really reasonable. |
![]() Kharma | ![]() Shadow | Rare | Kharma can be good against Miki, Horus and Tower of Oblivion but is generally a poor hero because blocking isn’t really that important to counter. |
The 6-9
Fodder Tier
These heroes will do well on your early game team, but usually aren’t worth taking to 10.
My subjective reasoning for heroes in this tier roughly falls into one of the following categories:
- The hero is on the weaker side, but has copies which are easy to get
- The hero is somewhat strong, but has copies which are hard to get
- The hero has almost no use in PvE content
Don’t get too attached to these heroes! Your 9
Lord Balrog may have carried you the first 2 months of the game, but your team will be MUCH better off if you use him as food to make a 10
Groo.
Core Heroes
Your first 9



Heroes in this list are generally sturdy, do decent damage and/or have some form of self healing. The self healing is better if it’s a passive skill so it can still apply when CC’d.
If you get 3 copies of a powerful 10 Core hero you may be able to bypass this tier altogether. If for example have enough copies for a 9
Dantalian before a 9
Norma, you could opt to use
Dantalian at this tier and then further take him to 10
after you evolve one of your Support heroes to 9
.
Special note about Norma. She’s a Nat 4. Doesn’t matter. She’s maybe the best option on this list. She doesn’t do much damage, but she is incredibly hard to kill at this tier.
Hero | Faction | Shards | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Lord Balrog | ![]() Abyss | Common | Solid tank with a decent heal on his active skill, but his damage is terrible. |
![]() Norma | ![]() Abyss | NO (4![]() | See the notes in the Nat4 section or at the top of this section. |
![]() Dragon Slayer | ![]() Forest | Common | He does more damage than the abyss options but his self healing is weaker. Might be even better with the upcoming phoenix pet. |
![]() Miki | ![]() Fortress | Rare(?) | Not bad in the early game if you stack some block on her stone. I think she’s the weakest option here though due to the rarity of her copies and the fact that her heal is inconsistent. |
Supporter List
These are the guys you should use to shore up some deficiencies in your Core hero.
Norma and Lord Balrog need some damage support, while Dragon Slayer and Miki could use supplemental healing. You may make a one or two of these guys into 9 while working on your Core 10
, but most of them will become food at 6
. You can use some of the heroes from the above Nat4 list to fill in here as well.
Hero | Faction | Shards | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Margaret | ![]() Abyss | NO | She syngergizes well with snake if that’s your monster. Her single target damage leaves a bit to be desired. |
![]() Faceless | ![]() Forest | Common | She can dish out some pretty good damage, but is a complete glass cannon. |
![]() Malassa | ![]() Forest | Rare | The Forest version of Margaret. |
![]() Starlight | ![]() Forest | Common | She’s mostly useful in Brave Trial for her healing passive. She’s not superb otherwise. However you get a free copy in your first month and she’s a common drop from hero shards. The fact that she’s so easy to evolve while not being terrible boosts her early game rating. |
![]() Iceblink* | ![]() Fortress | Rare | Solid PvP unit in slot 1. Lowers the damage of attackers. Synergizes with Corpsedemon as he does bonus damage to Frozen units. |
![]() Aidan | ![]() Shadow | Rare | Very strange hero and difficult to rate. Decent PvP unit, especially on defense, but requires a specialized team to really work. I’d avoid building him in general. Leave him in your bags if you want to play with him later. |
![]() Kamath* | ![]() Shadow | NO | CC machine pretty much exclusively for PvP. |
![]() Walter* | ![]() Shadow | NO | His recent nerf really hurt his damage, but he has stuns for days against single targets. |
* PvP focused unit. Sometimes worth taking to 10 and beyond for PvP, but they aren’t generally regarded as heroes you’d build your whole team around even if you do decide to focus on PvP in the future. Might want to avoid using these as fodder if you plan to build PvP teams in the future.
The 9-10
Fodder Tier
These heroes have potential early and into mid game, but you’ll usually not want to take them to E3.
Do note that you only need ONE 10 to act as fodder for E3, you shouldn’t make more than one 10
hero you only plan to use for fodder in the early game.
Also note that this is the LAST tier where you’ll be able to get hero copies from hero shards.
My subjective reasoning for heroes in this tier roughly falls into one of the following categories:
- The hero is somewhat strong, and has copies which are easy to get
- The hero is quite strong, but has copies which are hard to get
- The hero has minor use in PvE content
Your 9 Core and 10
Core heroes are likely to be from different factions due to the way that 5
and 6
fodder gets distributed.
If Dragon Slayer is your 9
Core hero, you won’t be able to make a 10
Groo as easily as a 10
Dominator because the
Groo and
Dragon Slayer will be competing for Forest fodder 6
through 9
.
Choosing your Core 10 will be an interesting choice you’ll have to make. There are several viable options here and your decision will largely be shaped by what hero copies you pull.
If I get 4-5 Groo copies early my 6
Starlight is going to be used to make him a 9
and I’ll use a 9
Norma to get him to 10
. If I get 4-5
Dantalian copies, I’m more likely to use
Norma as 6
fodder and then use
Starlight as a 9
fodder later on.
Core Heroes
This hero will carry your team until you get your first E3. This hero will almost certainly be used as fodder to make your first E3.
Heroes in this list are generally sturdy, do good damage and have some form of powerful self healing.
While some of the heroes in this list will do well as a 9 Core hero, these heroes are generally harder to come by and are generally more likely to be used as your first 10
Core.
For example, you’re much more likely to have the copies for a 9
Dragon Slayer before you have the copies for a 9
Dantalian, but if you do get 3
Dantalian copies early feel free to use
Dantalian as your 9
AND your 10
core.
Hero | Faction | Shards | Works as a 9![]() | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Dantalian | ![]() Abyss | Rare | YES | Before his recent adjustment his self-sustain was nearly unstoppable. He does more damage now, but at the cost of some of that self healing. His self heal is still quite powerful at 10![]() |
![]() Groo | ![]() Forest | Rare | NO | This hero is a superb tank especially at 10![]() |
![]() Corpsedemon* | ![]() Shadow | NO | YES | A tank who heals based on his opponent’s health and provides CC when getting hit. He doesn’t have a much damage but is really good at keeping your team (and himself) alive. |
![]() Dominator | ![]() Shadow | Common | NO | It’s probably a surprise to see this hero here. Dominator is terrible until 10![]() ![]() ![]() |
Supporter List
A Core 10




Hero | Faction | Shards | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Eddga | ![]() Forest | NO | Surprisingly decent and versatile unit. Can dish out some decent damage especially at 10![]() |
![]() Rosa | ![]() Forest | NO | Not a bad support unit through 9![]() ![]() |
![]() Mirage | ![]() Fortress | Common | He synergizes with Wolf and does rather good damage. He’s the reward for the 3rd month of daily checkins. |
![]() OD-01 | ![]() Fortress | Rare | He’s OK pretty much anywhere, but not really fantastic at anything other than as an anti-priest specialist. |
![]() Ormus | ![]() Fortress | NO | Amazing healer. But that’s literally all. No team buffs, no enemy debuffs, poor damage, can’t tank. Hopefully the upcoming healer changes REALLY help this guy out. |
![]() Lutz | ![]() Shadow | Common | Like Starlight, you get a bonus copy early on in the game and is a common drop from hero shards making him one of the easiest heroes to make. He does mediocre damage but improves your team damage by lowering enemies armor. He has a one time heal effect when his health drops low which makes him OK for Brave Trial and early Aspen, but his health needs to be topped off to take advantage of it. |
* PvP focused unit. Sometimes worth taking to 10 and beyond for PvP, but they aren’t generally regarded as heroes you’d build your whole team around even if you do decide to focus on PvP in the future. Might want to avoid using these as fodder if you plan to build PvP teams in the future.
Maybe-E3 Tier
This can be considered as a nebulous grey zone between the previous tier and the next tier. These heroes can do well at E3, though they usually wouldn’t be your first choice. It wouldn’t be completely crazy to use these heroes as fodder either though if you have a plan for your endgame team(s) which do not include them.
The simplified way to think about this tier is if you plan to use anything here as an E3 unit, put them in Supporter list in the E3 tier. If you don’t plan to use them at E3, you can consider them part of their respective list in the 9-10 tier.
Core Heroes
Hero | Faction | Shards | Works as a 9![]() | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Cthugha* | ![]() Abyss | NO | YES | The immunity to burn and bleed is super useful in some situations. His damage is deceptive because he steals the damage of other DoT heroes and counts it as his own (though he does increase that damage slightly at 10![]() ![]() |
![]() Karim | ![]() Abyss | Rare(?) | NO | Prior to 9![]() ![]() |
![]() Vesa | ![]() Forest | NO | YES | Does great damage on top of excellent healing. She shines in all aspects of early to mid game, PvE, PvP, or Aspen. She drops off considerably at E3 though due to the scaling of health vs her heals. She’s still good but not quite the top tier hero she used to be unless she benefits greatly from the rumored upcoming priest buff. Good option for an early game Hero regression at 10![]() |
Supporter List
Hero | Faction | Shards | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Queen | ![]() Abyss | Rare | Prior to 10![]() ![]() |
![]() Demon Hunter* | ![]() Forest | NO | She gets a huge survivability boost and CC immunity at 10![]() |
![]() Flame Strike | ![]() Fortress | NO | With her rework she’s a solid DPS and burn hero. Good synergy with Sigmund on PvE teams and Cthugha on PvP teams. |
![]() Blood Blade | ![]() Shadow | NO | He does great damage and synergizes with Wolf. The bonus heal he gets at 10![]() |
* PvP focused unit. They can be very strong in PvP but wont find as much room in a PvE team. Be very careful about using these heroes as fodder if you plan to make PvP teams for late game.
The E3 Tier
These heroes are awesome, god tier units. You don’t want to build a bunch of them them super early. Don’t use ANY of these heroes as fodder unless you know you have absolutely no plan to build them.
Core Heroes
These heroes can (and will) carry your team all on their own.
With the E3 passive heal, any of the heroes on this list can clear Nightmare Aspen dungeon. Any of them will do excellent damage in PvE content. None of them (with the exception of Barea and maybe Sigmund) perform that poorly in PvP content either. These heroes at E3 will rock your world as a solo unit but still have places in many end game viable teams.
The only heroes here who work as a 9 Core or 10
Core are Valkyrie and maybe Horus. The other options on this list lack the self-sustain prior to E3 to carry you through all aspects of the game.
Hero | Faction | Notes |
---|---|---|
![]() Barea | ![]() Abyss | He can do decent damage at early stars, and does a decent job at shredding armor, but he doesn’t really get going till 10![]() |
![]() Skerei | ![]() Abyss | He does a truckload of damage even with one copy at 9![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() Valkyrie | ![]() Forest | Complete beast in PvP and great in PvE. Her damage scales with HEALTH so she ruins faces while being able to take a hit. She can’t be CC’d because she’ll heal extra and do even more HP based retaliation damage. Somewhat susceptible to DoTs and burst damage but what hero isn’t? One of the top priorities for almost any team if you have the copies. |
![]() Sigmund | ![]() Fortress | The armor shredding king. At higher stars he can keep an enemy at 0 armor all by himself. Like Heart Watcher, adding even a 5![]() |
![]() Horus | ![]() Shadow | Newest hero appears to be amazing all around. Great burst damage, boss damage, self buffs, self sustain and adds additional damage when blocking. I’d say he’s like a less resilient, but more damaging Valkyrie. |
![]() Jahra | ![]() Shadow | Solid all around unit for PvP and PvE. Does a little bit of everything. Self sustain, attack steal, decent burst, decent poison DoT, decent chance to CC. |
Supporter List
These heroes are great, and will generally fill out the rest of your E3 team late game. However they cant really solo carry you through the mid game like the Core heroes can.
Hero | Faction | Notes |
---|---|---|
![]() King Barton* | ![]() Abyss | He gets 100% counter-attack at 9![]() |
![]() Kroos | ![]() Abyss | He’s a really good addition to almost any team but he won’t be carrying you early game like some other heroes can. You don’t want to make him your 1st or 2nd E3, but on a team with an E3 or two he’ll do wonders even at 9![]() ![]() |
![]() Heart Watcher | ![]() Forest | Replacing your weakest hero with even a 5![]() |
![]() Valentino* | ![]() Fortress | A great PvP unit, does good burst damage as well as amazing CC. He gets better at 10![]() |
![]() Xia | ![]() Fortress | Monstrous burst damage as well as reduces the damage of her target. She is quite squishy and cannot solo carry a team all by herself, but as your second or third E3 you’d be hard pressed to do better. |
* PvP focused unit. They can be very strong in PvP but wont find as much room in a PvE team. If you have ANY intention of building a PvP team you should hold onto these copies.
A Brief Note About PvE and PvP Later Game Team Building for New Players
PvP teams are ever shifting and very dynamic. There are many different team compositions which can work for you depending on how the meta shifts.
Right now Valkyrie is the meta defining hero, but that can change at any point. I know less about PvP team building and will leave the discussions about that to other posters and threads.
PvE teams are generally focused on maximizing damage on 1-3 high health and/or high damage targets. This is much more rigid and you have less leeway if you want to maximize your damage output.
- First and foremost,
Heart Watcher is the single largest boost to your team’s damage. At 10
she QUADRUPLES every hero’s damage by round 7. She belongs in every PvE team. Get her as soon as you can. Even a 5
Heart Watcher will substantially increase your team’s single target damage if she stays alive.
- Next biggest impact on your damage will be armor stripping.
Sigmund is the clear winner here, but
Barea isn’t a bad option.
Lutz and
Rosa work here as an earlier game options.
- There are only 3 heroes who can really function as a primary healer:
Belrain >
Vesa >
Ormus
Kroos is never a bad choice as he is a general all around support star. He’ll never take center stage in any one area, but he provides supplemental armor stripping, percent based healing, and a mini-Heart Watcher effect.
- Trying to work in some enemy attack reduction can help if you’re having trouble surviving.
Valkyrie,
Xia,
Jahra, and
Skerei are top tier choices which have this, but
Karim,
Rosa, and even
Aleria can fill this role early game.
- After that, put in as much damage as you can.
- These goals should not be sacrificed just for an aura, but there are several Auras which do apply to a well balanced PvE team
Color Mixing (Rainbow) Example:
Redemption (2 Light, 2 Fortress, 2 Forest) Example:
Justice (3 Fortress, 3 Forest) Example:
Pollution (3 Forest, 3 Abyss) Example:
Infographic
Coming soon!
One Response
Hello, dear author!
Your guide is very interesting and informative, thank you very much for it!
Sorry for bad English.
In the process of reading I had a misunderstanding of some things. Can I write a question to you, so that you can clarify to me, a beginner, that I did not understand or understood wrong?