Tanks in Season 5: Mature and Loaded

Tank squads arrive in Season 5 with the most complete toolkit in the game's history. Stetmann gets his Exclusive Weapon this season, joining Kimberly, Murphy, and Marshall who already have theirs. Scarlett has been UR since Season 3. T11 troops are standard from Season 4. The result is a squad with multiple viable formations and weapon options for every situation.

Season 5 Reality

Tanks are no longer the dominant squad, but they are the most versatile. With four Exclusive Weapons, Scarlett UR, and T11 troops, Tank squads excel at Bank Stronghold defence, rally leadership, garrison duty, and counter-picking Missile opponents. The Wild West economy rewards the durability Tanks provide — you need to defend your banks every day except Sunday.

What Changed from Season 4

Stetmann's Exclusive Weapon

Stetmann receives his Exclusive Weapon in Season 5, bringing him back into relevance:

AoE damage amplification — significantly increases his energy damage output
Stetmann becomes a viable alternative to Mason in the secondary DPS slot again
If you kept your Stetmann investment from pre-season, this is the payoff
Push to Level 20 before working on Level 30

Scarlett UR Is Established

Scarlett's UR promotion from Season 3 is now fully developed across most rosters:

Higher star counts and maxed skills make her a genuine defensive powerhouse
She provides an alternative to Williams in the front row for specific matchups
Her defensive scaling with UR stats is excellent against burst-heavy opponents

Marshall's Exclusive Weapon (From S3)

Marshall's weapon has been available since Season 3 and should be well-levelled by now:

His 16.5% attack buff and 30% cooldown reduction are further amplified by the weapon
If Marshall's weapon is not at Level 20+, prioritise this — it is a squad-wide force multiplier

Caffeine Institute Buffs

The Caffeine Institute changes how you prepare for combat:

Tanker Bar provides Tank-specific bonuses on top of base coffee VR buffs
Brew Skill Damage coffee before rallies and bank raids for maximum output
Brew Troop Defence coffee before Bank Stronghold defence for survivability
Always have a buff running — the VR component alone is +200 to +500

T11 Troops Standard

T11 troops from Season 4 are now the baseline:

Massive stat increase over T10
All combat calculations assume T11 — running T10 puts you at a significant disadvantage
If you have not promoted to T11, this is urgent

The Squad: Season 5 Formations

Season 5 offers Tank players genuine formation choice thanks to four Exclusive Weapons.

Standard Tank Formation (Season 5)

Front Row — Damage Sponges

Left

Murphy

Main Tank

Mitigation Master Exclusive Weapon makes him the most durable tank in the game. Essential for daily Bank Stronghold defence. Left position absorbs the most damage.

Right

Williams

Defensive Anchor

Percentage-based damage reduction scales with Season 5's harder-hitting opponents. Right position provides team-wide mitigation.

Back Row — Damage Dealers

Left

Kimberly

Main DPS

Rocket Shadow Exclusive Weapon with multiple seasons of star promotion. Her AoE energy damage devastates Bank Stronghold garrisons. Left position behind Murphy.

Centre

Stetmann / Mason

Secondary DPS

Stetmann with his new Exclusive Weapon is now competitive with Mason again. Mason remains the PvE specialist. Choose based on your investment level. Centre position for dual coverage.

Right

Marshall

Support

16.5% attack buff and 30% cooldown reduction amplified by his Exclusive Weapon. Multiplies Kimberly's damage output. Right position behind Williams.

Alternative: Scarlett Formation

For garrison defence and Bank Stronghold holding:

Swap Williams for Scarlett in the front row when defending against burst-heavy attackers
Scarlett's UR defensive stats provide a different defensive profile than Williams
Williams remains better for sustained fights; Scarlett excels against burst

Stetmann vs Mason in Season 5

Stetmann's Exclusive Weapon reopens this debate. If your Stetmann has been benched since Season 1 and has lower stars/skills than Mason, Mason is still better. But if you kept Stetmann invested or are willing to invest now, his Exclusive Weapon makes him competitive for PvP while Mason retains his PvE edge. You can run both in different contexts — Stetmann for bank raids, Mason for Marshal's Guard.

Hero Investment Order (Season 5)

1. Kimberly (Unchanged — Still First)

Multiple seasons of investment should have her near max:

Exclusive Weapon at Level 30 if not already
Continue pushing star promotion toward 5-star
Her Mythic gear progression should be well underway

2. Murphy (Still Essential)

Murphy remains the backbone of Tank squads AND the Murphy Exception in Aircraft:

Exclusive Weapon at Level 30
His defensive value for Bank Stronghold defence is unmatched
Cross-type value means investment is never wasted

3. Stetmann (New Priority — Exclusive Weapon)

Stetmann's Exclusive Weapon makes him the key new investment this season:

Push Exclusive Weapon to Level 20, then Level 30
If heavily invested from pre-season, this is your biggest power spike
If low investment, consider whether Mason's existing strength is sufficient

4. Marshall (Steady Investment)

Continue pushing Marshall's Exclusive Weapon and skills:

His weapon should be at Level 20+ by now — push toward Level 30
Squad-wide buff impact makes every level valuable
Low-cost, high-impact investment

5. Williams / Scarlett (Situational)

Williams needs only maintenance investment — his percentage-based reduction works at lower levels
Scarlett benefits from continued star promotion for garrison duty

Playing Tanks in Season 5

Bank Stronghold Defence (Daily)

This is your primary job in Season 5. Banks are capturable every day except Sunday:

Murphy with Mitigation Master in garrison makes your banks extremely difficult to take
Brew Troop Defence or Troop HP coffee from the Caffeine Institute before defending
Coordinate defence rotation with your alliance — see Alliance Squad Coordination
Tank squads are the ideal Bank defenders due to sustained survivability

City Captures (Wednesday/Saturday)

Cities are only capturable on Wednesdays and Saturdays:

Tank squads are excellent rally leaders for city capture — Murphy's buffs protect the entire rally
Brew Skill Damage coffee before city capture rallies for maximum output
Coordinate with Aircraft and Missile allies for type-matched attacks

Trade Train Defence

Starting Week 2, the Trade Train becomes a primary CrystalGold source:

Tank squads make excellent escort defenders for your alliance's Trade Train deliveries
Murphy's durability keeps your escort alive against raiders
Brew March Speed coffee if you need to intercept raiders quickly

Against Aircraft (Your Weakness)

Aircraft squads counter Tanks. Morrison's new Exclusive Weapon makes this matchup harder:

Morrison's enhanced defence shred is devastating against Tank front lines
Do not engage DVA-led Aircraft squads unless you have a significant power or Caffeine advantage
Let your Missile teammates handle Aircraft — especially with Fiona's new Exclusive Weapon

Against Missiles (Your Strength)

Tanks counter Missiles. With Fiona and Venom making Missiles stronger, this role is more important:

Actively hunt Missile squads in city captures and Bank raids
Your durability advantage is massive even against the improved Missile roster
Williams' damage reduction is especially effective against Missile burst

Related Guides

Season 5 Overview — full season mechanics
Bank Strongholds & CrystalGold Guide — the economy you are defending
Caffeine Institute & Coffee Guide — Tanker Bar and coffee buffs
Season 5 Hero Guide — updated tier list with Stetmann's weapon
Season 5 Gear Guide — gear progression and Exclusive Weapon interaction
Season 5 Alliance Squad Coordination — coordinating Bank defence

Tank Squad Guide (Season 5)

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