Kingdom Rush Battles best heroes guide

From deliciously deranged chainsaw-wielding gnomes to pristine priestesses with a penchant for purification, we're giving you the lowdown on the most efficient Kingdom Rush Battles heroes you can sink your teeth into. Use them well and they might just help you survive the endless hordes of orcs and goblins charging your way, all of them itching for a slice of the pie.

Now, I have no idea why I've gone ahead and started using food-based metaphors here, but it's hard to stop, so let's grab a bite, shall we?

Kingdom Rush Battles best heroes

The battlefield is ablaze. You look over to your opponent's side and all you see is chaos, but you're in no position to gloat - your own battlefield is as much of a lost cause.

In your last, desperate attempt to make it out of the invasion unscathed, you turn to your hero just as your opponent turns to theirs - with a fiery dragon raining death and destruction from above and a ruthless snow queen leaving a trail of icy death in her wake, is there even any hope to survive?

Only if you've got Kingdom Rush Battles' best heroes by your side - which is exactly what's on the menu for today.

Okay, a quick disclaimer: this is by far not a Kingdom Rush Battles tier list - not by a long shot. While it might make sense for other card-based tower defence battlers to rank every single hero and card in existence, here, it simply doesn't add up to a universal experience for everyone, mainly because how you defend your kingdom is entirely up to your personal preference and skill.

What do I mean? Say, for example, I gush about Dierdre's mindblowing support skills - she is, after all, the only hero that can effectively buff and heal your allies and towers. The thing is, though, she's simply too squishy for her own good, and if you're not the micromanaging type, she'll likely perish in the heat of battle, leaving you hero-less for the better part of four merciless waves.

Here be dragons, as they say

That said, while a proper tier list ranking isn't applicable here, there are still heroes that stand out for obvious reasons (looking at you, Eiskalt), and those that are just…well, a bit of cannon fodder at the moment. This is why we're here, and whether the meta changes or not over time (which likely will, to be honest, upon the official launch), we've at least got a sense of who might just get nerfed or broken in the future.

All that simply means is that I'm ranking the Dragons first, just to get them out of the way, because DRAGONS. 'Nuff said.

Eiskalt

This snowy sky serpent is just a tad better, in my opinion, than Ashbite, mainly because it can slow down enemies with its Frost Breath. That's particularly important because while the dragons look totally cool and might just be menacing enough to ruin your opponent's morale, keep in mind that they simply can't stall enemies, whether on the ground or in the sky. 

This means that they can be helplessly hovering around while the endless hordes pass them by no matter how powerful they are, which is honestly pretty ridiculous.

That said, being able to slow down enemies long enough for Eiskalt to obliterate them is a handy trick to have up your sleeve, which is why I think it's a better pick over Ashbite.

Ashbite

Of course, that doesn't mean Ashbite isn't as fierce with its fiery fury. It can't stall enemies either, but for me, what makes it a formidable hero to have on your side is its Scorching Meteors skill - I can't tell you how many times my hero got cooked when my opponent started raining down balls of fire onto my hero and setting everything around me ablaze.

That said, you'll need complementary towers such as the Musketeer, perhaps, to help the dragons hit their marks. Glacial Druid and Dwaarp are pretty useful too, as they can slow down/stun enemies to help both Ashbite and Eiskalt do what they do best.

Of shields and sorcery

With the flying beasties out of the way, we get to our humble ground troops that can effectively tank you for better or worse. Obviously, you don't get access to the top-tier heroes right off the bat, which brings us to the best Kingdom Rush Battles hero that's beginner-friendly (and budget-friendly) - Aegion.

Aegion Brightsteel

Don't let this guy's funny moustache fool you - he can be a pretty mean tank with his chunky armour and his mighty shield. I like that you can easily leave him be to stall ground units if you're not much into micromanaging, but do be wary of ranged magic users that will absolutely melt him down - and he'll just stand there and take it. 

The thing about Aegion is that he uses his shield projection to block enemies, which is cool, but that can also sometimes be a detriment to his efficiency, as he will often just stand around waiting for those same foes to come to him. That said, he's a great option to help you clear through the beginning stages without much fuss. 

Now, when it comes to tanking, you might be thinking of using the hulking Grawl based on how cool he looks alone, but while others might find him the ideal stationary tank to keep in one place, I just don't feel like he's fast enough and flexible enough to be of much use, personally speaking. You can definitely keep him alive for longer with Holy Sanctuary should you so wish, though - but for me, it's just not worth the trouble.

Elora Wintersong

My ultimate fave is Elora, because despite her being squishy when left unprotected, she can hold her own pretty well because of her awesome AoE attacks for both land and air. And what I love most about her is that she can very quickly scale the battlefield (and leave icy spikes on the ground while she's at it), which means you can manoeuvre her around if you ever feel you need some extra push on a particularly clogged pathway. 

She can also easily dodge incoming fire from your enemy's side provided you time it just right - I suppose you can tell by now that I value movement speed a lot when it comes to Kingdom Rush Battles' best heroes, and for good reason.

Hacksaw

This cheeky little gnome is on this list not because he's the most powerful, but because he's the most fun to play. I like how balanced his speed and his damage can be, both for melee attacks and for ranged firepower. The best part of it all is his instakill chance, which, when triggered, is simply *chef's kiss*.

By the way, the extra Invader Decay buff is incredibly useful too, given how it can reduce enemies' physical defence.

Dierdre

Now, Dierdre can be a hit or a miss based on my experience, mainly because you need a ton of focused micro in order to make her shine. I've had mixed results with Diedre, to be honest - when she dominates, she really dominates. But when she flops, she truly, truly does. 

That said, she can be pretty handy when paired with the right spells - for instance, since she isn't the most ideal pick for DPS, you can use Rain of Fire or Thunderbolt to complement the damage around her when push comes to shove. She'll also require the right placement of towers to really be effective in pushing back foes.

Unfortunately for Gerald Lightseeker, Alleria Swiftwind, Vesper, and Ingvar Bearclaw, they're just not that efficient (nor fun) to use at the moment. I had such high hopes for Ingvar in particular, but even with his super awesome skill that transforms him into a bear, he's simply outranked by the rest.

Of course, these might all still change as the official launch approaches, but while you wait, why not take a peek at our Kingdom Rush guide on the best hero for each game, or our efforts on Vengeance's best towers, all ranked for your viewing pleasure?