Last updated: 6 October 2026
Hero shards, Skill Medals and exclusive weapon materials take forever to farm in Last War: Survival, so feeding them to the wrong hero really hurts. This Last War: Survival tier list ranks all 31 combat heroes for the current Season 6 meta, from the Awakening powerhouses at the top to the tutorial fillers you should bench on day two.
How We Built Our Last War: Survival tier list?
Our Last War tier list rankings reflect the latest Season 6 update, which shows up as Lost Rainforest on some servers and Shadow Rainforest on others. Seasons roll out server by server, so newer servers reach the same heroes, weapons and promotions in order.
To build this list as accurately as possible,we cross checked community hero databases, player rankings and battle reports. Then, we weighed every hero across PvP, PvE, rallies, VS Day, and Zombie Siege. Extra weight went to Hero Awakening and exclusive weapons, because those two systems decide who stays relevant late in the game. Moving on, see what each tier represents:
- SS tier: Meta defining heroes. Build these first and you will not regret it.
- S tier: Core squad members who perform well in almost every mode.
- A tier: Strong in the right squad, or great bridge heroes while you farm better ones.
- B tier: Early and mid game fillers, or heroes with one niche job.
- C tier: Tutorial stage heroes. Replace them as soon as you can.
Driffle Take: A fully built A tier hero will beat a half built SS tier hero every single time. Use this list to decide where your next resources go, not as a reason to bench a hero you have already maxed.
Last War: Survival Tier List 2026
See the rankings for each type of hero in this Last War: Survival tier list overview, updated till Season 6:
| Tier | Tank Heroes | Aircraft Heroes | Missile Heroes |
| SS | Kimberly, Marshall | DVA | Tesla |
| S | Williams, Murphy | Lucius, Schuyler, Morrison, Carlie | Fiona, Adam |
| A | Stetmann, Mason, Violet | Sarah | Swift, McGregor |
| B | Scarlett, Monica, Richard | Cage | Elsa, Venom |
| C | Farhad, Gump, Loki | Maxwell, Ambolt | Braz, Kane |
SS Tier Heroes
Check out all the Last War heroes in this tier:
Kimberly (UR Tank, Attack)
Kimberly is the hero most Commanders meet first, and she is still sitting at the top. Her tactical skill fires a heavy volley of rockets at random enemies, which makes her the best area damage dealer in the game, and her passive keeps raising her energy damage as the battle goes on. She was also the first hero to get Awakening in Season 6, which adds wave after wave of energy bombardment to her kit. The catch is her low HP, so she needs a solid front row. Best of all, she costs around $1 in the first purchase pack.
DVA (UR Aircraft, Attack)
If Kimberly clears crowds, DVA deletes whatever survives. Her basic attack locks onto a single target with energy missiles, her tactical skill sprays energy damage across the whole enemy team, and her passive pushes her crit rate higher during the fight. Her Awakening arrives around Week 3 of Season 6 and adds flying strafing runs on top. Aircraft beats Tank, and Tank is the most common squad on most servers, so DVA gets a lot of favorable matchups. Just never run her without protection, because she drops fast once the front row falls.
Tesla (UR Missile, Attack)
Tesla is the zombie clearing machine of Last War: Survival. The basic attack zaps a single target with lightning, the tactical skill hits three back row enemies with energy damage, and the passive ramps up energy damage over time. Awakening lands around Week 5 of Season 6 and turns that lightning into a bolt that bounces between enemies around seven times, which melts entire waves. Tesla is still a little situational in PvP and needs stars, the exclusive weapon and Awakening before peaking, so treat this hero as a long term project.
Marshall (UR Tank, Support)
Marshall barely deals damage, and that is completely fine. He is the only UR support in the game, and his value comes from making everyone else hit harder. His tactical skill gives the whole team an attack boost, his passive speeds up his own skill cooldowns, and his exclusive weapon at Level 20 makes enemies take extra critical damage. Pair him with Kimberly and the damage numbers get silly. Just do not build him first. A support with no carry has nobody to support.
S-Tier Heroes
Check out all the Last War heroes in this tier:
Williams (UR Tank, Defense)
Williams is the best front liner in Last War: Survival right now. His passive cuts all damage he takes, his tactical skill raises front row defense, and his exclusive weapon spreads damage reduction across the whole team. He will never top your damage chart, but your back row lives much longer with him in the first slot, and that is how fights get won. His weapon is also one of the few worth pushing past Level 20, since the extra levels add even stronger team protection.
Murphy (UR Tank, Defense)
Murphy is the UR every free to play player meets first, because he can be picked up for free early on. His passive reduces all damage taken by the front row, and his tactical skill boosts the front row’s physical damage reduction for a few seconds. At exclusive weapon Level 20, his protection spreads to the entire team. Even after Williams arrives, Murphy keeps his spot, since Williams and Murphy together form the most reliable double front row in the game.
Lucius (UR Aircraft, Defense)
Lucius is the anchor that keeps Aircraft squads alive. His tactical skill gives the whole team energy damage reduction, and his passive protects the front row from energy damage. His protection is not locked to Aircraft squads either, which is why plenty of Tank players slot him in too. The catch is that he feels pretty ordinary without his exclusive weapon. Get it to Level 20 and he becomes one of the sturdiest heroes around.
Schuyler (UR Aircraft, Attack)
Schuyler is the answer to the classic question of who to build after DVA. The tactical skill blasts three back row enemies with energy damage, which is exactly where carries like Kimberly and Marshall stand, and the kit can lock enemies down right before DVA bursts them. The passive raises attack as the fight goes on. Few heroes gain more from an exclusive weapon. Without it, Schuyler is decent. At Level 20, this hero jumps straight into S tier and fits both Aircraft and Tank lineups.
Morrison (UR Aircraft, Attack)
Morrison brings the sustained damage that DVA lacks. His tactical skill unloads a gatling barrage that hits many enemies at once, and his passive keeps raising his physical damage as the battle drags on. His shots also chip away at enemy defense, which helps the rest of the squad hit harder. DVA handles single targets while Morrison handles crowds, so the two cover each other nicely. He is the next pick once DVA and Schuyler are built, not before.
Carlie (UR Aircraft, Defense)
Carlie is a bodyguard, not a solo star. Her tactical skill hits the whole enemy team with an area blast that leaves a lingering debuff, and her passive reduces the energy damage she takes. In practice, her job is keeping DVA standing for one more burst cycle, and that extra cycle often decides the fight. Build her once your Aircraft carry is finished.
Fiona (UR Missile, Attack)
Fiona is the PvP carry of Missile squads. Her tactical skill drops physical area damage on the entire enemy team, and her passive raises her physical damage as the fight continues. Before her exclusive weapon she feels average. At Level 20 she turns into a completely different hero. Her weapon only arrived in Season 5, so most players have had less time to collect her shards. Keep a sturdy front row ahead of her, or she goes down before her big hit lands.
Adam (UR Missile, Defense)
Adam is a Missile hero with half a tank hiding in his kit. His tactical skill raises the whole team’s defense, and his passive reduces the damage your front row takes. That makes him the best fix for Missile’s biggest weakness, which is a thin front line. He also works well in hybrid Tank squads that need a little extra help against Aircraft.
A-Tier Heroes
Check out all the Last War heroes in this tier:
Swift (UR Missile, Attack)
Swift is the finisher. His basic attack targets the enemy with the lowest HP percentage along with anyone standing nearby, his tactical skill hits three targets with physical damage, and his passive raises his crit rate during battle. He turns half dead enemies into dead ones, which is great, but only once Fiona and Tesla are doing the heavy lifting. Build him third in a Missile squad.
McGregor (UR Missile, Defense)
McGregor is annoying to fight, and that is the whole point. His tactical skill taunts several back row enemies and lowers their attack for a few seconds, which wrecks their damage timing. His passive reduces the damage he takes. The risk is that the taunt pulls a lot of fire onto him, so an underbuilt McGregor dies quickly. He pairs with Adam as the standard Missile front row.
Stetmann (UR Tank, Attack)
Stetmann is the fifth piece of a strong Tank squad. His tactical skill launches three energy orbs that hit an area, his basic attack fires quick energy shots, and his passive raises his crit rate over time. He is sturdy enough to work as a third body up front, which makes a Tank squad very hard to break. His exclusive weapon only arrived in Season 5, so build him after Williams, Murphy and Marshall are done.
Mason (SSR to UR Tank, Attack)
Mason is the best bridge hero for free to play accounts. He shreds enemies with minigun bursts of physical damage, and his famous Zombie Purge passive boosts the damage of back row Tank heroes against monsters. That makes him excellent for zombies, bosses and campaign stages. He can be promoted to UR in Season 1, and while he will not carry late game PvP, a promoted Mason stays useful in PvE for a very long time.
Violet (SSR to UR Tank, Defense)
Violet is a poison themed tank who punches above her rarity. Her tactical skill hits front row enemies and lowers their attack, and her passive cuts the damage she takes from monsters. After her Season 2 UR promotion, that passive reduces all damage she takes, which turns her into a real front liner. Her shards are easy to buy from the Alliance Store, so she is cheap to build.
Sarah (SSR to UR Aircraft, Support)
Sarah is an Aircraft support who boosts the attack of back row heroes and adds bonus damage against monsters. Since she keeps the full Aircraft type bonus, she has a place in pure Aircraft squads. The honest problem is that Marshall does the support job better almost everywhere. Use her for PvE or while you are still waiting on Marshall. Her UR promotion arrives in Season 4.
B-Tier Heroes
Check out all the Last War heroes in this tier:
Scarlett (SSR to UR Tank, Defense)
Scarlett is a fire themed tank who boosts the defense of herself and a hero next to her and adds team damage reduction. As an SSR she is a placeholder, and one of her skills only works against zombies. Her Season 3 UR promotion changes that a lot, turning her into a genuine protector for whichever carry sits beside her.
Monica (SSR Tank, Support)
Monica is a farmer, not a fighter. Her Treasure Hunter passive boosts the coins, food and iron you get from zombies on the World Map, her basic attack hits two random enemies, and her tactical skill marks targets so they take more damage. Keep her on a gathering or zombie hunting squad and leave her out of PvP.
Richard (SSR Tank, Attack)
Richard spreads physical damage across several enemies, which helps during your first few days. He simply does not have the toughness to survive once fights get serious, so swap him out as soon as a UR attacker shows up.
Cage (SSR Aircraft, Defense)
Cage is the Aircraft front liner you use before Lucius and Carlie arrive. His tactical skill raises front row defense for a few seconds, and he gives a small defensive aura to nearby allies. He is a solid placeholder with no real long term future.
Elsa (SSR Missile, Defense)
Elsa boosts the defense of your front row and takes less damage from monsters, which makes her a handy early front liner for Missile squads. She cannot hold the line for long against real players, so replace her once Adam or McGregor are ready.
Venom (SSR to UR Missile, Attack)
Venom poisons enemies and deals damage over time, and his tactical skill poisons two front row targets at once. As an SSR that is slow and underwhelming. His Season 5 UR promotion adds stacking Corrosion that also lowers enemy defense, which makes him far more dangerous in long fights.
C-Tier Heroes
Check out all the Last War heroes in this tier:
Braz (SSR to UR Missile, Attack)
Braz, sometimes spelled Blaz, is a physical damage blaster whose Zombie Killer passive boosts his damage against monsters. In SSR form that keeps him stuck in PvE. He is the Season 6 promotion hero, though. From Week 3, you can promote him with Braz at 5 stars and a UR Hero Badge from the 500,000 War Merit Season Goal. The UR version hits an area and slows enemy attack speed, but it loses Zombie Killer, so only promote him if he fits your PvP squad.
Farhad (SSR Tank, Attack)
Farhad fires missile strikes and has one decent damage skill, but nothing else stands out. There is no control and no buff in his kit, so use him for a few days at most.
Maxwell (SSR Aircraft, Attack)
Maxwell can land a strong splash damage hit and deals extra damage to monsters, but his cooldowns are slow and his stats fall behind quickly.
Gump (SR Tank, Defense)
Gump offers a little damage reduction and very little else. Keep him only until your first SSR tank arrives.
Loki (SR Tank, Defense)
Loki provides basic stat boosts and soaks a few hits in the tutorial stages. That is the full job description.
Ambolt (SR Aircraft, Attack)
Ambolt fires missile barrages that hit an area, which is fun for the first few stages, but his SR stats leave him behind almost immediately.
Kane (SR Missile, Attack)
Kane deals single target damage with no real utility. Swap him out the moment you recruit any SSR Missile hero.
Last War: Survival SSR to UR Promotion: How It Changes the Rankings
Six SSR heroes in Last War: Survival can be promoted to UR, one per season. Promotion is the cheapest way for free to play players to add UR power, and it changes where these heroes land on the Last War: Survival tier list.
| Hero | Hero Type | Promotion Season | Tier as SSR | Value After UR Promotion |
| Mason | Tank | Season 1 | A | Strong PvE damage and a long lasting bridge |
| Violet | Tank | Season 2 | A | A proper front liner with reduction against all damage |
| Scarlett | Tank | Season 3 | B | A top Tank protector for the carry beside her |
| Sarah | Aircraft | Season 4 | A | Better, but Marshall still wins support duty |
| Venom | Missile | Season 5 | B | Stacking Corrosion that shines in long fights |
| Braz | Missile | Season 6 | C | Area damage plus attack speed slows for PvP |
Here is how promotion works:
- You need the hero at 5 stars as an SSR plus a UR Hero Badge, which comes from that season’s Season Goals.
- Each promotion is only available during its own season, and some open midway through it.
- The hero drops back to 3 stars as a UR, so you have to rebuild those stars.
- Skill Medals spent on the hero’s old skills are refunded.
Only promote a hero who is actually in your main squad. A 3 star UR sitting on the bench is a very expensive trophy.
Last War: Survival Hero Types, Roles and Counters
Every hero in Last War: Survival belongs to one of three types: Tank, Aircraft or Missile. These types work like rock, paper, scissors, and the side with the advantage takes 20% less damage in that matchup.
| Hero Type | Strong Against | Weak Against | What It Does Best |
| Tank | Missile | Aircraft | The easiest squad to build, with its own front row, carry and support |
| Aircraft | Tank | Missile | Burst damage that punishes the Tank squads most players run |
| Missile | Aircraft | Tank | Huge area damage and the fastest zombie clearing in the game |
Each hero also has a role that tells you where they belong. A squad has two front row slots and three back row slots.
- Defense heroes sit in the front row and soak up damage.
- Attack heroes sit in the back row and deal the damage.
- Support heroes sit in the back row and make the rest of the squad stronger.
Sticking to one type matters more than most beginners realize. Five heroes of the same type give the squad a 20% stat bonus, and four of the same type give 15%. A focused squad almost always beats a random pile of strong heroes, so pick a type early and commit to it.
Hero Awakening in Last War: Survival Season 6
Hero Awakening is the headline feature of Season 6 and the biggest reason the Last War hero tier list looks so different this season. It replaces a hero’s fourth skill with a much stronger Awakening skill and adds a big boost to HP, Attack and Defense. Three heroes can be Awakened this season, one for each hero type.
| Hero | Hero Type | Awakening Unlocks |
| Kimberly | Tank | Week 1 |
| DVA | Aircraft | Week 3 |
| Tesla | Missile | Around Week 5 |
To unlock Awakening, a hero needs three things:
- 5 stars
- An exclusive weapon at Level 20 or higher
- 50 Awakening Shards for that specific hero
The shards are free. You earn them from the Hero Awakening Trial and the Global Expedition mode, so even free to play players can Awaken their main carry if they plan ahead. This is also why exclusive weapon Level 20 is the most important milestone in the game right now. It unlocks Awakening and gives a stat boost to every hero of that type.
Best Last War: Survival Squads for Tank, Aircraft and Missile
These are the strongest five hero lineups for each type right now, plus a budget option built from heroes that free to play and low spending players can realistically get.
| Squad | Front Row | Back Row | Why It Works |
| Tank | Williams, Murphy | Kimberly, Marshall, Stetmann | Two tough front liners keep Kimberly alive while Marshall boosts her damage |
| Aircraft | Lucius, Carlie | DVA, Schuyler, Morrison | DVA bursts single targets, Morrison covers crowds and Schuyler disrupts the back row |
| Missile | Adam, McGregor | Fiona, Tesla, Swift | Fiona and Tesla stack huge area damage while Swift finishes off survivors |
| Budget Tank | Murphy, Violet | Kimberly, Mason, Marshall | Easy to assemble early and strong enough for most PvE content |
If you only have one squad, go for the Tank squad. It is the only hero type with its own front row, carry and support, which makes it the most forgiving for new players. Aircraft is the best second squad because it beats Tank, the type you will run into most often. Missile is the hardest to finish because it leans heavily on Adam and McGregor to hold a thin front row.
Power Up Your Last War: Survival Squad With Driffle Gift Cards
Last War: Survival is free to play, but the right pack at the right time can save weeks of farming, especially around Awakening and promotion windows. The easiest way to fund those packs without linking a bank card is a Google Play gift card for Android or an Apple gift card for iPhone and iPad. Codes land in your inbox right after checkout, and Driffle Plus members save even more on every order. Curious whether it is safe? Here is our honest answer to is Driffle legit.
Running hero squads in other games too? Check out our AFK Journey tier list, Hero Wars: Alliance tier list and Summoners War tier list, or browse our roundup of the best gacha games for your next obsession.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. Who is the best hero in Last War: Survival right now?
Ans: Kimberly is the best overall hero in Season 6. She is the strongest area damage dealer in the game, she was the first hero to get Hero Awakening, and she is cheap to unlock. DVA and Tesla are the best picks for Aircraft and Missile squads.
Q2. Is Kimberly worth buying in Last War: Survival?
Ans: Yes. She costs around $1 in the first purchase pack, and she stays a top tier carry from your first week all the way to the late game.
Q3. What is the best squad type in Last War: Survival?
Ans: Tank is the best squad for most players because it has its own front row, damage dealer and support. Aircraft is the strongest counter pick, since it beats Tank, which is the most common squad on most servers.
Q4. Should I mix hero types in one squad?
Ans: Usually not. Five heroes of the same type get a 20% stat bonus, and four get 15%. A mixed squad loses that bonus, so only mix types when one specific hero fixes a real problem in your lineup.
Q5. Can free to play players get UR heroes in Last War: Survival?
Ans: Yes. Murphy is available for free early on, SSR heroes like Mason and Violet can be promoted to UR, and recruitment, events and shops all hand out UR shards over time. Progress is slower without spending, so focus on a single squad.
Q6. Which heroes can be promoted from SSR to UR?
Ans: Six heroes can be promoted: Mason in Season 1, Violet in Season 2, Scarlett in Season 3, Sarah in Season 4, Venom in Season 5 and Braz in Season 6.
Q7. How does Hero Awakening work in Season 6?
Ans: Awakening replaces a hero’s fourth skill with a stronger one and boosts their stats. Kimberly, DVA and Tesla can be Awakened this season. Each needs 5 stars, an exclusive weapon at Level 20 and 50 Awakening Shards.
Q8. Why are Taylor and Shirley not on this tier list?
Ans: Taylor and Shirley are HQ Survivors, not combat heroes. They give passive bonuses to your account instead of fighting in a squad. Taylor focuses on economy, while Shirley adds March Size and Hero Attack.
Q9. Who should go in the front row?
Ans: Defense heroes. Williams and Murphy are the best front row pair for Tank squads, Lucius and Carlie lead Aircraft squads, and Adam and McGregor hold the line for Missile squads.
Q10. When will this Last War: Survival tier list change?
Ans: The biggest shift should come with Season 7, which is expected to start rolling out around November on older servers. New Awakenings will likely push a few heroes up, so check back once it launches.
