Building a strong team in Dark War Survival isn’t just about picking the biggest damage dealer. Heroes in this strategy game serve a wide range of functions, from frontline tanks and high-AoE nukers to resource gatherers and tech boosters. Some units carry you through Adventure mode, while others quietly cut your building time or resource costs in half. In other words, the best Dark War Survival heroes are the ones that can perform their specific role very well, rather than the ones that are just decent at many things.

This tier list doesn’t just rank heroes by raw stats. It balances combat strength with development impact—because sometimes, the hero that saves you ten hours of build time is more valuable than one who wins a PvP match. Here’s how each tier breaks down, including both combat and utility roles.

S Tier – Must-Have Heroes

These heroes are essential for fast progression, whether through unmatched combat strength or high-impact passive bonuses. If you unlock them, build them.

Megan

The gold standard for base development. Her passive can instantly complete any construction project under a set time and reduces upgrade resource costs. This makes her one of the most effective heroes for long-term progression, and she’s also a capable frontline tank with strong splash damage in combat.

Guy

A fundamental part of initial Adventure stages and world map fights. His normal attacks hit the entire front row, and his active skill delivers repeated AoE bursts that clear waves quickly. Beyond combat, he generates idle food passively, keeping your base fed while you push content or gather offline.

Quinn

One of the best PvP heroes in the game. Her exclusive passive boosts troop capacity, attack, and defense, making her a force in Alliance Duels and server-level wars. She’s harder to obtain but instantly impactful once in your squad, especially if you build around her with compatible units.

Francis

A Fighter-class tank with one of the best HP buffs in the game. He’s a durable frontline anchor with a passive that scales well into late game, especially when paired with other Fighter-focused heroes. If you need a sturdy lead for your team, Francis delivers.

Marcia

Elite Rider hero with versatile AoE damage and strong synergy across game modes. She works in PvP, PvE, and Zombie hunts with equal impact, and her skill scaling makes her devastating in longer fights. Players who get her early can build entire comps around her.

A Tier – High Value, But Not Quite Essential

Great heroes with strong kits, but not mandatory for core progress. Best when paired with the right formation or as support for S-tier units.

Corleone

An exceptional utility hero focused on tech development. His passive allows you to instantly complete short research tasks, freeing up lab slots for bigger projects. He’s costly to build and not combat-oriented, but if you’re aiming to max your research tree fast, Corleone is a top pick.

Margaret

Shooter hero with frontline tank stats and a flamethrower skill that deals AoE damage while freezing enemies. She’s particularly strong in PvP settings where crowd control matters and can serve as a bridge unit for players without access to stronger Shooters.

Evans

An effective DPS Shooter who brings consistent AoE pressure and works well in faction-specific teams. While his active skill has a smaller hit range compared to others, he’s easy to integrate and brings reliable value to early PvE and mid-tier PvP fights.

Andre

His research speed boost becomes more effective with star upgrades, making him a must-have for development-focused players. While his combat presence is secondary, having him leveled early can significantly reduce your lab bottlenecks, helping unlock tech faster.

Catherine & Rex

A premium dual-hero unit with board-wide damage and passive bonuses to daily tasks and food radar yields. While locked behind paid access, they bring serious value to both combat and logistics if you’re building a premium roster.

B Tier – Decent But Replaceable

These heroes work well in specific contexts or during early progression, but they’re eventually outclassed by higher-tier units.

Cecilia

One of the more capable B-rank damage dealers. Her piercing AoE abilities make her great for Adventure mode and early PvP, though she lacks the raw power or scaling of higher-rarity units. Still, she’s a reliable carry when options are limited.

Kylie

A decent frontline Shooter tank. Her stats and passive make her serviceable, especially in team comps that lean heavily into Shooters, but she lacks standout skills or late-game viability. Good filler, not a long-term carry.

Catherine (A-Rank)

Provides a passive boost to construction speed—useful in the first few weeks of play, especially when combined with Megan. Her benefits taper off in the mid-game, but she’s worth leveling if you don’t have better development heroes.

Scarlett

This Rider hero boosts Rider attack stats and brings useful damage output early on. She works in both Adventure and early PvP formats but starts to fall off as you unlock more specialized Rider heroes like Marcia or Lucas.

Selena

Boosts electricity output and gives a modest bump to economic efficiency. Like other gatherer units, she’s helpful in early game resource crunches but shouldn’t be prioritized once stronger heroes are unlocked.

C Tier – Low Impact, Avoid When Possible

These heroes either offer weak passives or get replaced quickly. Best used as placeholders until stronger options appear.

Ruby

Improves wood gathering, but her passive has limited value past the early game. You’ll replace her quickly once better gatherers or utility heroes become available.

Joe

Focused on food gathering, but brings nothing to combat or development. Only worth leveling if you’re completely starved for resource units in the first few days.

Liz

Has a healing speed passive, but it’s rarely impactful since healing can be done overnight or with Alliance help. Her damage is underwhelming and not worth investment.

Barnett

Probably one of the most useful characters in this tier, worth having if—and only if—you’re very diligent when training troops. His troop training speed boost seems useful, but the effect is often wasted if you’re not actively managing training timers. His lack of offensive or defensive strengths make him a low priority hero.

Farhad

A generalist hero that doesn’t stand out in any category. Lacks offensive power, defensive scaling, and offers no meaningful passive. Safe to skip or keep as a backup at best.

This tier list focuses on overall impact—heroes that speed up your development, make your battles easier, and help you stay competitive on your server. Whether they offer passive economy boosts or frontline dominance, S and A-tier heroes are the ones worth your time and resources.

Remember that every update brings new heroes, but the core idea remains the same: invest in units that give you sustained, measurable value across different systems.

And for the smoothest experience, play Dark War Survival on PC with BlueStacks. Larger screen space, better controls, and multi-instance support make it easier to manage heroes, farm resources, and maintain multiple accounts all at once.