King’s Raid 2021 Guide: List of Beginner-Friendly Heroes/Characters

Latest Update: May 2021

The previous version got so crazy popular I cannot believe how many views it has; this version is a more concise and hopefully more useful and updated version.

To start off, your first 4-person team has to have the following: a tank (or someone who can take damage), a dealer, and supports (priest/sub-DPS/CC). This guide will separate heroes by role, unlike the previous guide. I will still separate physical and magic.

There is also an FAQ at the end of the post to answer the questions I get most often. I’m no expert who can teach you how to be top 10 in every content, but I’ve been playing for a long time and I think I know a thing or two that I can share.

*this post will cease update at the end of 2021*

For an overview of every hero until Shakmeh, check here.

For a guide on specific content, check here.

For a list of heroes with buff dispel, check here.

Tank

Magic

Jane

Jane is the ultimate beginner carry tank for magic teams. She’s self-reliant, has self-healing and has good damage amplification for your magic team. She requires very little investment and can take all the blows even when your priest isn’t that strong. After her recent buff, she is one of your go-to amps as well.

Neraxis

In contrast to Jane, Neraxis is a defensive tank who focuses more on keeping your team alive. He doesn’t amp as much as Jane does, but is a viable option if your team has survival issues. Additionally, he can slow enemies and reduce their attack, making him a magic equivalent of Clause.

Physical

Clause

Clause is easily obtainable and is a very sturdy physical tank. He has some CC and damage amp but his signature is being able to boost physical def for you team. He’s still okay for beginner magic teams. He is good for long term investment as well, since he is still relevant in late-game content.

Glenwys

Glenwys is a very general tank. She boosts the entire team’s atk and def, and her ability scales with multi-stage battles, which makes her suitable for story battles. Glenwys also does okay in magic teams. Down side is that she’s not suitable for boss battles.

Phillop

Offensive physical tank. Has self def stacking and a decent damage boost for the team. Can also slow enemies, reduce their attack, and has pretty good CC.

Hero you may want to consider later: Loman (extremely good and versatile physical tank, but he’s an NPC that lives at the castle and NPCs are harder to obtain and raise than general heroes)

Heroes that are for niche/late game content: Demia (PvP), Ricardo (PvP), Morrah (Bosses, but also a viable magic tank for very early game), Dosarta (PvP, also an NPC), Taily (for late game bosses, she’s extremely good)

Dealer (DPS)

Magic

Mirianne

She’s pretty straightforward and a good DPS who can carry you through a lot of content. Plus, you get her for free. She only needs standard DPS gears and no specific support heroes. Her specialty is for single-target, but does okay against story mobs too.

Artemia

Artemia is a good starter wizard since not only her skills are AoE (useful against multiple enemies), she also has crowd control stun. She doesn’t require complicated gears. However, her end-game usage is limited to a few raids. All hail the Empress!

Aisha

Aisha is a pure damage dealer, and her entire kit is dedicated to dishing out damage. She can be used for both single and multiple targets, although her kit is more useful against single targets. Her downside is that she has no crowd control, so one or more of the other team members needs to make this up for her.

Cleo

Cleo is one of the game’s first heroes, so she’s very straightforward and easy to use. She deals AoE damage and has stacks that boosts her own damage, and is suitable for story battles. After her recent buff, she also has CC and higher damage scaling. Like Artemia, her end game use is quite limited so if you don’t plan on using her long term, don’t invest too much in her.

Physical

Pansirone

This game was called Pansi Raid for a reason. Pansirone is extremely versatile and can deal both single and multiple target damage, plus she’s relevant in late game content so you can invest on her long-term. If there’s one all-rounder DPS for this game, it’s her. Do take note that her skill cooldowns are long so you may need to pair her up with Priscilla or Oddy.

Selene

I think Selene got a buff somewhere when I wasn’t looking, and suddenly she’s on the newbie list again. You can get Selene for free, and she’s a decent DPS to start off with since her skills are suitable for story battles. Do keep in mind that if you want to use her long-term, she requires a bit of specific gearing. You can switch her out as soon as you get a DPS that you would like to invest in.

Zafir

Zafir is a decent starter DPS since he’s built for stages with multiple enemies, plus he has a shield to help keep your tank alive. Do keep in mind that he has poorer performance than the two above when it comes to stages with few enemies.

DPS that you may want to consider if you have the resources: Gremory and Lucikiel. These two are newer heroes that won’t be in your selector tickets, but they’re worth getting and investing long term, so if you’re interested, check them out. However, they are not as beginner-friendly.

DPS that are for specific content: Rebel Clause (for bosses with high defense), Hilda (end game bosses and PvP), Bernheim (PvP), Seria (same as rebel Clause + bosses that has heal), Kibera (PvP, but he can do bosses as well), Tanya (PvP/certain bosses), Shamilla (PvP), Yuria (PvP), Yanne (dragons), Crow (bosses), KARA (bosses), Mitra (bosses), Lewisia (bosses), Nia (PvP), Fluss (PvP), Ripine (bosses)

Support/Sub-DPS

Magic

Lorraine

Lorraine is a CC mage that can deal some damage herself. She has damage amplification as well, which makes her a good choice for a sub-DPS. Lorraine as a DPS requires very specific substats, so I placed her here instead.

Theo

While viable as a main DPS, Theo can be used early game for his consistent AoE stun and his small lightning bolts that also stun for a short while. He also has some damage amplification.

Annette

All-rounder magic support, with atk, atk spd boost, cleanse, healing etc. If you don’t know which support to get, she’s one of the top choices. Do keep in mind that her healing may not be as good as a priest and she’s meant to be a damage amplifier, not a healer. Also, in late game she may not be as good as Estelle for some content.

Kirze

Kirze has very good and consistent CC. She is harder to build as a DPS, so she landed herself here. You can get her for free also, which means you can get her early on. You can switch her out if you get better support heroes.

Frey

Frey is perfectly alright for early game, since her shield is still relevant and her single target heal is very good. However, don’t invest too much in her since her other version that you can get later is the current META. Can also be used in physical teams.

Laias

She is very good if you use mana-hungry DPS like Aisha, Artemia, or Lilia. Laias is a very good mana battery and provides consistent healing, shield, and defense against magic enemies.

Fallen Frey

Do try to get her as soon as you finish chapter 9, that’s all I’ll say. (I wrote how to get her in the FAQ section) Don’t count on her for everything, though. You still need another priest if you want to transition from newbie stage into late game stage.

Physical

Naila

Naila has dodge, cri, and some atk spd boost for the team. Plus, she can mess up enemy lines or attack enemies that are messing with your backline. Two of her skills are AoE CC, giving her a consistent ability to stun the enemies. Long term, she is worthwhile if you’re going into PvP.

Gau

Gau also has atk spd boost and some amp. Two of his skills are CC, same as Naila. Moreover, his skill 3 can down bosses and enemies very well.

Evan

Evan is a good priest that can take you anywhere. He’s good for long-term investment and has a lot of utilities. However, it is wise to have another priest in your team if you cannot get him to consistently rotate his skills. Recommended once you get to Gargoss where you can place 6 heroes.

Rehartna

Rehartna’s amp scales with multiple stage battles, making her good for story battles. She also has a good shield and consistent healing. Good for long term investment. Also good as a solo priest, but be sure to select the right perks.

Mediana

Mediana’s healing is very reliable (unless she gets stuck loading her third skill) and she has a skill that can prevent one-shot hits. She sort of falls behind in late game content but is okay early on.

Note that if you don’t have any physical priests to use, it is perfectly fine to use Frey until you do get one.

For a list of heroes you may want to consider building after you have your starter team all ready to go, check here.

Team Examples

You first start with 4 heroes, then in chapter 9 you get to place 6 heroes.

Magic team:

Tank – Jane

Damage – Mirianne

Sub-DPS – Lorraine

Support – Frey

Alternately, you can do: Jane+Artemia+Annette+Laias, Neraxis+Theo+Aisha+Laias, or you do a two priest team like Jane+Artemia+Laias+Lavril or a two damage team like Neraxis+Xerah+Cleo+Frey. You can also do two tanks like Jane+Neraxis+Aisha+Laias, but make sure to invest in your DPS first and foremost.

Physical team:

Tank: Clause

Damage – Pansirone/Selene

Sub-DPS – Naila/Miruru

Support – Frey/Mediana

Like magic teams, you can mix and match and replace any of these with heroes you want. Just make sure to have at least 1 tank, at least 1 dealer, at least 1 preist, and have someone with crowd control.

For map 9 onwards, I recommend that you get 2 more supports for your damage type. You can get 2 more priests if you so wish, or 1 priest and 1 sub-DPS/support. Try to get those that has good damage amplification like Annette, Priscilla, Lavril, Estelle, etc. It’s not advisable to get yourself another DPS unless you’re running a hero whose skill set is geared towards being a sub-DPS as your main dealer.

FAQ

Q: Should I go for physical or magic?

Anything that suits your fancy, really, but focus on only one of them, not both. (You can start building the other damage type after you have a solid deck. It makes your life much easier.) Most players will tell you to choose your favorite character and build your team around that.

You might read somewhere that magic is more beginner-friendly. That was the case, before heroes like Pansirone, Evan, and Rehartna joined the game. There are beginner-friendly physical heroes too. Again, choose one damage type that you like.

Q: Why can I not do a hybrid (2 phy 2 mag) deck?

It’s because of the skill mechanics of the support heroes. For example, Jane has magic damage amplification, but if your main dealer is Pansirone (who deals physical damage), Pansirone will not benefit at all from Jane’s skills. Therefore, it is recommended to make your team have the same damage type.

There are some exceptions to this, however. Some supports have skills that can buff others regardless of damage type. Some examples of flexible heroes that can be used in both phy and mag teams are Lavril, Priscilla, Oddy, Rehartna, Clause, Fallen Frey, and Veronica. For example, Lavril’s main utility is her cri dmg buff, so even if some of her skills boost magic damage, she can still be used in physical teams to a certain degree.

Q: Why can I not put many DPS in the same team?

Despite the amount of DPS characters it has, King’s Raid is a game that is focused on building your supports as much as your main dealer. If you put more than one DPS in the same team, they start stealing buffs from each other and none of them will reach their max potential. It is advisable to pour all resources and focus on one DPS to carry your team rather than spread your resources out across many heroes and make them all mediocre. (This applies to games like Genshin as well) King’s Raid is not a CCG game so it’s not like everyone has to deal damage.

Q: Where can I unlock edgy Kasel/edgy Frey/Rebel Clause/Riheet/Ripine? How good are they?

You can unlock DLK and FFrey after you clear chapter 9. They can be collected by completing chapter 9.5 and doing a little bit of farming. Chapter 9.5 can be accessed through the Memory Archives, located above the castle. Alternately, you can access it by going to Portal > Memory Archives > Piece of Memory > Cycle of Fate. You can also unlock Rebel Clause, Riheet, and Ripine in the Piece of Memory menu but from different chapters. Note that you have to clear ch 10 to get Clause.

Dark Lord Kasel (DLK) is a good general DPS for many content. Fallen Frey (AKA Edgelord Frey, FFrey) is the current meta priest who is everywhere except maybe Siegfried raid. They are meant to be used together, but FFrey can be used independently of DLK.

Rebel Clause (RC) is good for bosses with thick defense (you have to build him with 1k penetration than all his hits will ignore def). Penetration stats can come from his weapon (500 max) as well as archer perks (ex. if you have Estelle in the team and select the +150 pen perk for all team members).

Riheet is a general damage amplifier with decent AoE, but doesn’t deal that much damage since he’s meant to be a support. Ripine is a pretty good single target DPS but her AoE sucks. These two are meant to be used together and each of them cover for the other’s weaknesses. However, Riheet can be used independently to buff other heroes but Ripine needs Riheet as her support.

Q: Who the hell is Kirze and where do I get her?

You pulled Kirze’s weapon but can’t find her in the archives? Worry not, she’s at the Tower of Ordeals. You can get her from the same place you go to ascend your heroes.

Q: Who is Hanus and where do I get her?

Hanus is an NPC at the guild domain. You have to purchase War Gaming Set from the guild war shop (the bear NPC) to max out her kinship bar first, then you can start giving her other presents to get her weapon and whatnot.

Q: Are there any heroes that I should absolutely stay away from?

I don’t want to discourage you from building a hero that you like, and even mediocre heroes can do amazing things with the right build and the right support. (Or meme build.) However, off the top of my head, there’s one person I can name: Kasel. Kasel (normal form) is mediocre as a dodge tank (unless you meme build him in Pvp) and a sub-DPS, and will require insane investment to be a DPS. Another hero is one that has been nerfed at least 3 times: Arch. You could build him either as support archer or sub-DPS, but he’s got no niche to fit into.

Q: What should I get for my # star selector?

Depends on the team you want to build and which position you’re lacking. The selector contains older heroes, some of which you may want to replace later, so don’t think too much about it.

Q: Which gear set should I get first?

When you can start farming dragon gears, do farm dragon gears. Black dragon can be used for both DPS and support (including tanks) so you can focus on that one first. (Bernheim/DLK cannot use this set, though.) Frost dragon is for tanks, and fire dragon is also for DPS. Poison dragon has no use. Lava gear is not as relevant since many supports has cri damage boost already.

If you already have a good dragon set, you can start getting Manticore set for your DPS (it can be found in the guild). You may want to switch to Dark Legion set for your supports. Technomagic gears are for end game players so don’t worry about them for now.

Q: Do I have to use the technomagic set for chapter 10?

If you’re referring to the gears that drop from chapter 10 story quests, no. You can use dragon gears/Manticore on your DPS if you already have a solid set. Note that I’m not referring to the weird set that drops from technomagic raids.

Q: What does it mean when people say ‘you have to get this hero to A220’?

A220 refers to the Soul Weapon upgrade level. A2 means advancement level 2 (7 dups of the same soul stone) and 20 is ether enhancement level 20. It basically means that hero requires a hell lot of resources.

Additionally, when people say 25*, it means all of the hero’s unique gear is 5* (5*UW + 4 of 5* UT = 25*)

That’s it for the guide. Thanks for reading and I hope it helped. If you want to support my blog, consider buying me a coffee!

Further resources:

krindex.net < has comprehensive and updated info on all heroes and their gears

King’s Raid Encyclopedia Discord < has a lot of useful guides written by many players

https://discord.gg/Y6fynAy