What Changes in Season 1

Season 1 brings several major hero changes that shift the tier list:

Mason upgrades from SSR to UR — becomes a legitimate A-tier Tank DPS
Exclusive Weapons become widely available — heroes with strong weapons jump in value
Aircraft meta dominance — Aircraft heroes increase in priority
Multi-squad building begins — investment priorities must account for second squads

For the core hero mechanics (rarities, skills, star upgrades, Tactics cards), see the Pre-Season 1 Hero Guide. This guide focuses on what changes in Season 1.

Season 1 Hero Tier List

S-Tier (Top Priority Investment)

HeroTypeRoleWhy S-Tier in Season 1

DVAAircraftSingle-Target BurstEnergy Master Exclusive Weapon makes her the strongest DPS in the game. The Aircraft meta is her meta

KimberlyTankAoE DPSRocket Shadow Exclusive Weapon keeps her competitive. Still the best Tank carry and excellent in PvE

MurphyTankDefence/SupportMitigation Master Exclusive Weapon elevates him to S-tier. Enables the Murphy Exception in Aircraft squads — the only hero used across squad types

TeslaMissileDPSEssential counter to Aircraft meta. Lightning Chain stacking and Electric Grid Lockdown backline nuke

FionaMissileAoE DPSRadiation DoT becomes more impactful against better-geared opponents. Co-carry alongside Tesla

A-Tier (Strong Investment)

HeroTypeRoleWhy A-Tier in Season 1

WilliamsTankDefencePercentage-based damage reduction scales with enemy strength — as Aircraft opponents hit harder, Williams provides more value

MasonTankDPSUR promotion in Season 1 is a massive power spike. Replaces Stetmann as Tank secondary DPS. Excellent PvE hero

CarlieAircraftTankStill the Aircraft squad's dedicated tank. 40% energy damage reduction. Exclusive Weapon coming in Season 2 makes collecting shards now worthwhile

MarshallTankSupport16.5% attack buff and 30% cooldown reduction remain universally valuable. Exclusive Weapon in Season 3

SchuylerAircraftCrowd ControlStuns become more impactful as enemy DPS heroes hit harder. Essential CC for Aircraft squads

B-Tier (Situational)

HeroTypeRoleNotes

MorrisonAircraftDefence ShredArmor-Piercing Shot amplifies DVA's burst. Essential for Aircraft but lower individual impact

LuciusAircraftTankSilver Armor and Knights Spirit for front-row defence. Stays in formation even with Murphy Exception

McGregorMissileDPSFront-row secondary DPS for Missile squads. Steady targeted damage

StetmannTankAoE DPSReplaced by Mason in the standard Tank formation. Still viable if heavily invested from pre-season

ScarlettTankDefenceCollect shards for her Season 3 UR promotion. Not a priority investment now

Key Tier Changes from Pre-Season

Murphy: A-Tier → S-Tier

Murphy's Exclusive Weapon (Mitigation Master) is the single biggest tier jump in Season 1. He goes from a strong Tank hero to the most versatile hero in the game:

Tank squads: still their best tank with even better survivability
Aircraft squads: enables the Murphy Exception — the optimal late-game Aircraft formation
Cross-type flexibility: the only hero regularly used outside his own type's squads

Investment priority: Murphy is now a top-3 investment across all squad types. If you run Aircraft, his Exclusive Weapon is as important as DVA's.

Mason: B-Tier → A-Tier

Mason's UR promotion transforms him from a decent SSR placeholder to a strong UR squad member:

Higher stat ceilings make his skills hit harder and his team damage reduction more effective
Replaces Stetmann as the standard Tank secondary DPS
PvE specialist with massive zombie bonus damage — best hero for campaign and boss content
Accessibility — if you collected shards during pre-season, the UR promotion is free power

DVA: S-Tier → S-Tier (Even Higher)

DVA was already S-Tier, but Energy Master Exclusive Weapon puts her in a tier of her own for PvP:

The Aircraft meta is her meta — everyone is building the squad she leads
Her burst with Exclusive Weapon can one-shot enemy carries from full HP
She remains the most important single hero to invest in for competitive PvP

Stetmann: A-Tier → B-Tier

Not because Stetmann got worse, but because Mason's UR promotion makes him strictly better:

If you have a heavily invested Stetmann, keep using him until Mason catches up
New players should skip Stetmann and go directly to Mason
Stetmann's gear can eventually be transferred to Mason when you make the switch

Exclusive Weapon Priority

Exclusive Weapons are one of the biggest power systems in Season 1. Priority order:

HeroWeaponPriority

DVAEnergy Master — transforms burst into energy damage powerhouseHighest priority for Aircraft players. Push to Level 20 immediately

KimberlyRocket Shadow — core energy damage amplification stackingHighest priority for Tank players. Push to Level 20 immediately

MurphyMitigation Master — enhanced mitigation for multiple alliesEssential for Murphy Exception. Level 20 minimum before using him in Aircraft

TeslaLightning enhancement — amplifies chain damage stackingHighest priority for Missile players when available

Other Squad MembersVariousGet all 5 to Level 20 before pushing any to Level 30

The Level 20 Rule

Get all 5 squad members' weapons to Level 20 before pushing any single weapon to Level 30. The combined benefit of five Level 20 weapons exceeds one Level 30 weapon plus four Level 10 weapons.

Season 1 Investment Strategy

For Tank Players

Kimberly — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20, then continue starring up
Murphy — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20 (prepares for Murphy Exception too)
Mason — UR promote, then invest in skills and gear
Marshall — continue upgrading buffs, collect shards for Season 3 weapon
Williams — maintain, percentage-based reduction still works at lower investment

For Aircraft Players

DVA — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20-30, max stars and gear
Murphy — Exclusive Weapon to Level 20 for Murphy Exception
Morrison — Tactics and attack skills
Lucius — defensive skills and gear
Schuyler — CC skills and basic gear

For Missile Players

Tesla — max skills, gear, stars, Exclusive Weapon when available
Fiona — co-carry investment, ATK focus for Radiation scaling
McGregor — functional damage and survivability
Swift — support skills
Adam — enough tankiness to survive

Planning Ahead: Season 2 and Beyond

While investing in Season 1 heroes, prepare for the future:

Carlie's Exclusive Weapon arrives in Season 2 — approximately 10% increase to HP, Defence, and Attack per level. Essential for Aircraft squads
Scarlett upgrades from SSR to UR in Season 3 — collect her shards now if you plan long-term Tank
Marshall's Exclusive Weapon in Season 3 makes him the undisputed top UR support
Fiona's Exclusive Weapon in Season 5 transforms Missile squads — start collecting shards early
New Season 1 heroes may be released — save some summon tickets

Common Season 1 Hero Mistakes

Not promoting Mason to UR — free power if you have the shards
Ignoring Exclusive Weapons — they are the biggest power system introduced in Season 1
Investing in heroes you plan to replace — check your long-term squad plan before investing
Not starting Aircraft hero collection — the meta is shifting and you need to adapt
Spreading Exclusive Weapon upgrades too thin — follow the Level 20 rule
Benching Murphy when building Aircraft — his Exclusive Weapon makes him essential for both squad types
Over-investing in Stetmann when Mason is available — redirect investment to Mason

Related Guides

Pre-Season 1 Hero Guide — core hero mechanics and pre-season tiers
Season 1 Tank Squad Guide — updated Tank formation with Mason
Season 1 Aircraft Squad Guide — Aircraft formation and Murphy Exception
Season 1 Gear Guide — gear progression and star promotion

Hero Guide (Season 1)

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