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Last War Best Heroes Guide: Upgrade Priority and Who to Build First

Lauren Bennett
by Lauren Bennett
Published Apr 16 2026 · Updated Apr 16 2026
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For many players who are just getting into Last War, the biggest question is not simply “which heroes are strong,” but rather how to use limited early-game resources wisely, which heroes deserve priority investment, and whether it makes sense to build everyone evenly.

The hero and troop roles in the current roster are already quite clear. For example, DVA is an Aircraft Attack hero, CARLIE is an Aircraft Defense hero, VIOLET is a Tank Defense hero, MARSHALL is a Tank Support hero, and MCGREGOR is a Missile Defense hero. In this game, progression is not only about rarity. What matters more is your troop path and how each hero fits your team’s overall structure.

Below, ManaBuy brings you a practical guide to Last War best heroes and hero upgrade priority.

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Why “Who to Build First” Matters More Than “Who Is Strongest”

Many players searching for Last War best heroes immediately look for a tier list. But in actual early-game progression, what matters more than raw power is investment efficiency.

At the start of the game, EXP, upgrade materials, and other growth resources are all limited. If you spread them too evenly across too many heroes, the usual result is that your main damage dealer feels too weak, your frontline cannot survive, and your overall progress in campaign stages and daily content becomes much slower.

That is why the real logic behind Last War hero upgrade priority is not “build the most famous hero first,” but “get one main team online as quickly as possible.” For most beginners, the ideal order is simple: build your main damage dealer first, then strengthen your frontline, and only after that improve support or utility roles. This is usually much more efficient than trying to raise every hero at the same time.

Quick Hero Priority Overview

Before going into the details, here is a simple table that helps show which currently visible heroes are better suited for early investment.

Hero Troop Type Role Early-Game Priority Recommended Use Reason
DVA Aircraft Attack High Main DPS Clear damage role and strong value as an early core carry for campaign and daily content
CARLIE Aircraft Defense Medium Frontline / Utility Defense Helpful for survivability in an Aircraft-focused setup, but usually less urgent than your first DPS
VIOLET Tank Defense High Main Frontline Strong early value as a frontline hero who helps the team survive longer
MARSHALL Tank Support Medium Support / Team Utility Better after your first team already has a stable DPS and frontline core
MCGREGOR Missile Defense Medium Defensive Flex Slot Can be useful depending on your troop route, but usually not the first priority for beginners

Which Heroes Are Worth Building First

Prioritize Your Main Damage Dealer Early

The most important thing in the early game is choosing one core damage dealer who can provide stable output.

Whether you are pushing campaign stages, clearing daily content, or taking part in events, your progress speed depends heavily on whether your main DPS can come online quickly. A hero like DVA, who is clearly labeled as an Aircraft Attack unit, is a good example of the type of hero that often makes sense as your early carry.

Instead of trying to raise multiple damage dealers at once, it is usually much more efficient to focus on one main attacker first and make sure that hero can consistently carry your team through the current stage of progression.

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You Also Need a Frontline That Can Actually Hold

Having damage alone is not enough. If your frontline cannot survive, your backline will not have enough time to deal full damage.

That is why a defensive hero like VIOLET, or any other frontline unit that is easier for your current roster to build around, is often a better investment than rushing a second DPS. In practice, a stable frontline usually gives more value than players expect, especially during early campaign progression where survival directly affects consistency.

Utility Heroes Are Better Added in the Mid Game

Once your first team can reliably handle campaign progress and daily content, you can then start investing in utility heroes, support roles, or heroes with a higher long-term ceiling.

For example, MARSHALL, as a Tank Support hero, usually becomes more valuable after your basic team framework is already stable. If your main carry and frontline are not ready yet, support heroes often feel weaker simply because the team around them is not strong enough to take advantage of their utility.

Last War Hero Upgrade Priority for Beginners

Step 1: Focus Resources on 1 to 2 Core Heroes

The biggest early-game mistake is usually not building the wrong hero, but building too many heroes at once.

A much safer approach is to focus your resources on one main DPS and one frontline hero first. This lets your first squad reach a workable power level more quickly, which helps you clear content faster and gain access to more resources for later development.

Step 2: Fill the Missing Roles Afterward

Once your main damage dealer and frontline are performing consistently, you can start improving the rest of the team.

At this stage, do not just look at hero stats in isolation. Think about what your current lineup is missing. If your team already has enough damage, adding another attacker may not help as much as building a hero who can tank, support, or improve team stability.

Step 3: Save High-Ceiling Plans for Mid to Late Game

Some heroes may scale better in the long run, but they often cost more to build and may require a more specific team setup.

For beginners, chasing the “final best lineup” too early is usually inefficient. A more practical approach is to first progress with a team that is easier to build, then gradually shift into stronger long-term options when your resource income becomes more stable.

If you want a very simple way to think about it, this is the most practical order for most beginners:

Build Stage Priority Recommended Hero Type Example Hero Main Goal
Step 1 Highest Main DPS DVA Make sure your team has enough damage to push campaign and daily content
Step 2 High Frontline Tank VIOLET Help your team survive so your backline can keep dealing damage
Step 3 Medium Support / Utility MARSHALL Improve team stability after the first team core is already functional
Step 4 Situational Secondary Defense / Flex CARLIE / MCGREGOR Fill what your current lineup is missing instead of building blindly

How Free-to-Play and Light-Spending Players Should Think Differently

Free-to-Play Players Should Value Stability and Versatility

If you are fully free-to-play or only spending very lightly, your hero development should focus more on stable progression and long-term resource efficiency.

That means you usually should not switch lineups too often in the early game. Instead, it is better to build heroes that offer broad usefulness across multiple types of content and help you maintain smooth progression without wasting resources.

Light Spenders Can Consider Growth-Oriented Paths Earlier

If you are already looking at Last War: Survival top up, growth funds, monthly passes, or battle pass-style progression options, your resource flow will usually be more forgiving.

In that case, you may have more room to start planning around stronger long-term hero paths earlier than free-to-play players. Common purchase options in the game include the Super Monthly Pass, Dawn Fund, Overlord Growth Handbook, and different bundle tiers, which are more suitable for players who want to speed up early development.

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Last War:Survival
5.0
100k+ Sold
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Any 49.99 Pack
$43.74
-$6.25
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Super Monthly Pass
$21.87
-$3.12
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Dawn Fund
$17.49
-$2.50
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Black Market Cash All-In-One Pack
$336.88
-$48.12

Why Team Building Changes Hero Priority

A Strong Hero Does Not Always Mean You Should Build That Hero First

This is one of the most common mistakes new players make.

A hero being strong only means that hero is worth considering. It does not automatically mean that hero should get your resources right now. If your current team is missing a proper frontline, then a defensive hero may give you more real value than building another damage dealer, even if that damage dealer ranks higher on a general tier list.

Build a Complete Team First, Then Chase Maximum Strength

So when you read Last War team recommendations or plan your own upgrade order, it helps to ask yourself two simple questions:

First, what does my team currently lack: damage, frontline durability, or support?

If the answer is obvious, that usually tells you where your next investment should go.

Second, can my current lineup reliably clear campaign and daily content?

If the answer is still no, then your upgrade order should continue to focus on fixing weaknesses, not blindly following rankings.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a truly practical Last War best heroes or Last War hero upgrade priority guide, the most important takeaway is actually very simple: do not spread your resources too thin, and do not rely on tier lists alone.

Pick your main damage dealer first, then strengthen your frontline, and only after that improve support or utility roles. Let your first team become fully functional before thinking about wider roster development. Once your campaign and daily routine feel stable, you can then expand into a second or third team much more efficiently.

Of course, if your resources still feel too tight, you can also support your progress with in-game purchases. On the ManaBuy Last War: Survival Top Up page, players can find growth funds, monthly passes, battle passes, and bundles that help speed up early development.

Lauren Bennett
Guides Editor
Lauren Bennett is a guides writer who turns messy progression into a simple plan. She publishes step-by-step routes, upgrade priorities, and beginner checklists for live-service games, then revisits them after major patches and flags what changed so readers don’t follow yesterday’s path.
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