Tanks in Season 6: Awakening Era

Tank squads enter Season 6 with their biggest single power upgrade ever: Kimberly's Awakening (Priceless Resolve) unlocks in Week 1. Everything else in the squad builds around making Kimberly's new skill devastating.

The other components carry over from previous seasons: Murphy, Williams, Marshall, and Stetmann all have Exclusive Weapons by now. Scarlett has been UR since Season 3. T11 troops are baseline from Season 4. What's new in S6 is a power tier above the rest of the squad — and a faction-warfare context that rewards durable, versatile formations.

Season 6 Reality

Tanks are dangerous again thanks to Kimberly Awakening. A 5-star Kimberly with EW Lv20+ and Awakening unlocked outputs roughly 3,500% of Attack in a single skill cast at maximum stacks. Tanks are now the strongest pick for garrison defence under City Destruction pressure, rally leadership, Altar capture rallies, and counter-picking Missile opponents. The Awakening prerequisite (EW Lv20+) is the season's biggest priority for Tank players.

What Changed from Season 5

Kimberly Awakening (Week 1) — The Headline

Kimberly's Awakening Skill, Priceless Resolve, unlocks in Week 1 of Season 6 and replaces her Expertise Skill (Super Sensing):

Fires 10 barrages at Level 1, each dealing 140.04% of Attack as Energy Damage to a random enemy
Each Energy Amplification stack adds 3 more barrages (capped at 25)
At maximum stacks: 3,501% of Attack in single-skill Energy Damage
3-Star Awakening: instant Energy Amplification stacks on use
5-Star Awakening: +1 barrage per stack
Provides Hero HP/ATK/DEF buffs per tier and +2.50% Damage Reduction

Awakening prerequisites: Kimberly at 5★, Kimberly's Exclusive Weapon at Level 20+, and 50 named Kimberly Awakening Shards. The EW Lv20+ requirement is the bottleneck for most players — see the Hero Awakening Guide for the full system and the Exclusive Weapons Guide for EW progression.

Faction Warfare Replaces Bank Defence

Season 6 replaces Season 5's Bank Stronghold loop with faction warfare — Deepwood vs Wetland, with the central Great River region holding the Altars that grant faction-wide alliance skills. Tank squads' durability makes them the best general rally lead for Altar captures and the strongest garrison option under permanent City Destruction pressure. See the Season 6 Overview, Altars Guide, and City Destruction Guide.

Braz SSR→UR (Week 3-7)

Season 6's SSR→UR promotion is Braz. The promotion window typically opens Week 3 and closes around Week 7. See the SSR to UR Upgrade Guide for promotion mechanics. Braz's exact role within Tank compositions is still settling — check community recommendations on your server as the meta clarifies.

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 and synergises directly with Kimberly's Energy Amplification mechanic

Stetmann's Exclusive Weapon (From Season 5) Now Standard

Stetmann's EW from Season 5 is now baseline. If you didn't push it to Level 20+ in S5, do that now — and consider whether Stetmann or Mason is your secondary DPS in your S6 formation.

Scarlett UR (From Season 3) Still Strong

Scarlett's UR promotion is fully developed for most rosters. She remains a viable alternative to Williams in the front row for specific matchups (especially burst-heavy opponents).

T11 Troops Standard

T11 troops from Season 4 are baseline. If you have not promoted to T11, this is urgent — every combat calculation in S6 assumes T11.

The Squad: Season 6 Formations

Season 6 offers Tank players genuine formation choice thanks to four Exclusive Weapons.

Standard Tank Formation (Season 6)

Front Row — Damage Sponges

Left

Murphy

Main Tank

Mitigation Master Exclusive Weapon makes him the most durable tank in the game. Essential for daily garrison defence under City Destruction pressure. Left position absorbs the most damage.

Right

Williams

Defensive Anchor

Percentage-based damage reduction scales with Season 6'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 Altar 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 Altar 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 6

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 City Destruction attacks, Mason for Marshal's Guard.

Hero Investment Order (Season 6)

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 garrison defence under City Destruction pressure 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 6

Altar Defence (Daily)

This is your primary job in Season 6. Altars are capturable every day except Sunday:

Murphy with Mitigation Master in garrison makes your banks extremely difficult to take
Activate Troop Defence or Troop HP faction buff from the Fungus 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
Activate the Skill Damage faction buff before city capture rallies for maximum output
Coordinate with Aircraft and Missile allies for type-matched attacks

Faction supply chain Defence

Starting Week 2, the Faction supply chain becomes a primary War Merit source:

Tank squads make excellent escort defenders for your alliance's Faction supply chain deliveries
Murphy's durability keeps your escort alive against raiders
Activate the March Speed faction buff 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 faction-buff 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 City Destruction attacks
Your durability advantage is massive even against the improved Missile roster
Williams' damage reduction is especially effective against Missile burst

Related Guides

Season 6 Overview — full season mechanics
Altars & War Merit Guide — the economy you are defending
War Merit / Fungus Institute Guide — Faction defensive buff and faction buffs
Season 6 Hero Guide — updated tier list with Stetmann's weapon
Season 6 Gear Guide — gear progression and Exclusive Weapon interaction
Season 6 Alliance Squad Coordination — coordinating Altar defence

Tank Squad Guide (Season 6)

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