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Hero Leveling Guide

Heroes · 2026-03-26

How Hero Leveling Works

Your hero level is capped by your HQ level. Each HQ level adds +5 to the hero level cap. This means your HQ is always the bottleneck — push HQ first, then level heroes to the new cap.

Hero Level Cap by HQ Level

HQ Level Hero Level Cap HQ Level Hero Level Cap
1 5 16 80
2 10 17 85
3 15 18 90
4 20 19 95
5 25 20 100
6 30 21 105
7 35 22 110
8 40 23 115
9 45 24 120
10 50 25 125
11 55 26 130
12 60 27 135
13 65 28 140
14 70 29 145
15 75 30 150

For HQ 31-35 (Season 1 Age of Oil), the cap continues at +5 per level up to hero level 175.

The Golden Rule

Always max your main DPS hero to the level cap before touching anyone else. A level 100 Kimberly with four level 80 teammates will outperform five level 90 heroes every single time. Concentrated investment creates power spikes — scattered investment creates mediocrity.

EXP Sources

  • Campaign stages — EXP per clear
  • EXP items — from events, daily rewards, shops
  • Idle rewards — heroes accumulate EXP passively. Collect at least twice a day (they cap out)
  • Zombie hunts — drop EXP alongside other rewards
  • VS Thursday (Day 4) — save Hero EXP items for this day to earn Alliance Duel points

Leveling Order by Squad Type

Every time your HQ upgrades and the hero level cap increases, follow this exact order. Level each hero to the new cap before moving to the next hero on the list.

Tank Squad Leveling Order

1
KimberlyYour main DPS and win condition. Highest AoE damage in the game. Every level adds raw attack power that multiplies with her gear and skills. Always max first
DPS
2
MurphyYour main tank. Higher level means more HP and defence, which keeps the entire squad alive longer. Kimberly cannot deal damage if Murphy dies early
Tank
3
MarshallSupport buffs scale with level. His 16.5% attack buff and 30% cooldown reduction amplify the entire squad — leveling him makes everyone else hit harder
Support
4
StetmannSecondary DPS. AoE energy damage complements Kimberly's physical damage, forcing enemies to defend against two damage types
DPS
5
WilliamsLevel last. His percentage-based damage reduction works well even at lower levels. He is already effective without max investment
Tank

Season adjustments:

  • Season 1 onward: Mason replaces Stetmann in some formations after his UR promotion. Level order becomes: Kimberly → Murphy → Mason → Marshall → Williams
  • Season 3 onward: If running Scarlett (after her UR promotion), she slots into Williams' position. Level order: Kimberly → Murphy → Marshall → Stetmann/Mason → Scarlett
  • Season 5: Stetmann's Exclusive Weapon brings him back into contention. If running Stetmann: Kimberly → Murphy → Marshall → Stetmann → Williams

Aircraft Squad Leveling Order

1
DVAThe strongest burst hero in the game. Her single-target elimination defines Aircraft squads. Every level directly increases her burst ceiling. Always max first
DPS
2
CarlieThe only Aircraft-class tank. 40% energy damage reduction and rapid rockets. Without Carlie alive, your back row gets shredded
Tank
3
MorrisonDefence shred with Armor-Piercing Shot amplifies DVA's burst and the whole squad's damage. Higher level means stronger shred
Shred
4
LuciusFront-row tank with Silver Armor and Knights Spirit. Provides defensive buffs that scale with level
Tank
5
SchuylerCrowd control through stuns. Stun duration does not scale with level, so he benefits least from leveling. Level last
CC

Murphy Exception formation: If running Murphy in your Aircraft squad instead of the standard formation:

  • Level order: DVA → Murphy → Morrison → Carlie → Schuyler
  • Murphy takes priority over Carlie because he is your primary tank in this formation

Season adjustments:

  • Season 5: Morrison's Exclusive Weapon makes his leveling even more important. Push Morrison to cap immediately after DVA and your tank

Missile Squad Leveling Order

1
TeslaLightning Chain energy damage is the core of Missile squads. Highest Missile DPS with Electric Grid Lockdown backline nuke. Always max first
DPS
2
FionaCo-carry with the highest physical damage among Missile heroes. Radiation DoT devastates tanky targets. Level immediately after Tesla
DPS
3
McGregorStrong targeted damage that rounds out the Missile DPS lineup. Fills the third damage slot
DPS
4
SwiftFront-row presence for Missile squads. Survivability scales with level
Tank
5
AdamDefensive utility. Like Williams for Tanks, effective at lower investment levels
Tank

Season adjustments:

  • Season 5: Fiona's Exclusive Weapon transforms her into the strongest Missile carry. Level order becomes: Fiona → Tesla → Venom → McGregor → Swift. Venom (new UR) replaces Adam in the formation
  • Season 5 with Venom: If running Venom after his UR promotion, he enters the leveling order at position 3, pushing McGregor down or out of the squad

Step-by-Step Leveling Process

When your HQ upgrades and the hero level cap increases by 5, follow this process:

  1. Level Hero #1 to the new cap — do not touch anyone else until this is done
  2. Level Hero #2 to the new cap — only after Hero #1 is maxed
  3. Level Hero #3 to the new cap
  4. Level Hero #4 to the new cap
  5. Level Hero #5 to the new cap
  6. Push HQ to the next level — then repeat from step 1
Why This Order Matters

Hero stats scale non-linearly. The difference between level 95 and level 100 is larger than the difference between level 50 and level 55. Maxing your DPS hero first means your squad's damage output is always as high as possible. A carry at the level cap hits dramatically harder than one that is 10-15 levels behind — those missing levels represent thousands of attack power that multiplies with gear, skills, and star upgrades.

Common Leveling Mistakes

  1. Spreading EXP evenly across all 5 heroes — this is the most common mistake. Five heroes at level 90 lose to a squad with a level 100 carry and four level 85 supports
  2. Leveling heroes you do not use — every EXP item spent on a benched hero is wasted. Only level your active squad
  3. Leveling your second squad before your first is maxed — one maxed squad beats two half-leveled ones
  4. Hoarding EXP items indefinitely — EXP items do not gain value over time. Use them on your priority hero as soon as the cap increases. The exception is saving for VS Thursday (Day 4) for Alliance Duel points
  5. Forgetting to collect idle rewards — idle EXP caps out. Collect at least twice daily or you lose free EXP
  6. Leveling tanks before DPS — your tank's job is to survive, and they can do that at lower levels. Your DPS's job is to kill, and they need every point of attack power

Skill Leveling Priority

Hero level and skill level are separate investments. While leveling heroes in the order above, also follow this skill priority:

  1. Main DPS Tactics skill to Level 40 — Kimberly's Barrage Strike, DVA's Energy Master, Tesla's Lightning Chain
  2. Main DPS passive skills — these multiply the Tactics skill damage
  3. Main tank defensive skills — Murphy's HP buffs, Carlie's energy damage reduction
  4. Support buff skills — Marshall's critical rate buff, Morrison's defence shred
  5. All remaining skills to Level 30 — bring everyone to a baseline
  6. Push all remaining skills to Level 40 — same priority order as hero leveling

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