Dolphin Hero Roadmap (Gen 1-11)
Even as a spender, do not do everything. Defer some heroes, let others lead the rallies, and put the money into widget Lv.10 on the heroes you keep for years - Jeronimo, Alonso and Mia first, then Bradley and Rufus.
The premise behind this roadmap
"Even as a spender, do not simply do everything." Defer some heroes and put the money into widgets (exclusive gear) instead. You look a little weak early, so let someone else lead the rallies — the strategy is to set the account up to be strong late.
The audience is spenders at roughly $500–1,000+ a month (dolphins). Whales (who raise every hero) and F2P players are covered elsewhere; F2P should see the rally participant hero guide.
The golden rule → widget Lv.10 on the axis you keep for years (the Marksman line, and the Bear), widgets 2–4 on everything else. On a $500 budget, a Lv.10 every generation eats the whole budget — if that is your budget, do not aim to be a rally leader.
Let others lead rallies and concentrate on the key widgets at Lv.10 → it pays off late.
Effectively 15% of everything. It only fires offensive widget on attack, defensive widget on defence.
Jeronimo, Alonso and Mia first, then Bradley and Rufus. At $500 a month you cannot do them all.
The core of Arena and endgame damage. Skip at most one — Greg (Gen3).
Each generation's Lucky Wheel hero bridges over the ones you skip: "Lucky Wheel → wait two generations → Lucky Wheel".
Mia (Lancer) is the backbone of a Marksman Bear build; Zinman (Marksman) buffs every class defensively. Judge by the skill.
Picks and skips by generation
| Gen | Hero | Investment ceiling | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | PICK ★ I Jeronimo | 5-star / widget Lv.10 | Effectively permanent at the Bear; offensive use through Gen 5–6 | Needs VIP and Chief Gear behind it. Natalia is a big spender's second Infantry (4–5 star) |
| PICK L Molly | 5-star slowly / widget | Garrison defender on a Marksman ratio (defensive widget) | Needs no shards, so finish her gradually | |
| conditional ◆ M Zinman | 3-star / no skills | Construction reduction + an all-class defensive buff | Do not level his skills. Higher priority if you are going Lancer | |
| Gen 2 | PICK ★ M Alonso | 4–5 star / widget Lv.10 | Top-tier at the Bear · offensive widget | First call on your universal shards |
| PICK ◆ I Flint | Lucky Wheel / widget 4 | Garrison widget; your Bear hero until Gen 5 (Hector) | The shield Bear captain | |
| conditional L Philly | 4-star / widget 2–4 | A long-lasting Marksman garrison defender alongside Molly | Still seen in use at Gen 11. Higher priority on a Lancer build | |
| Gen 3 | PICK ★foundational ◆ L Mia | 5-star / widget Lv.10 | Bear hunting all the way to Gen 14! The backbone of the 48/4/48 Marksman ratio | The first target for your widget spending |
| PICK I Logan | Widget 4 | Garrison zoning, long survivability | Well worth the widget investment | |
| SKIP M Greg | — | Strong for Marksmen but unused at the Bear | The first thing to skip if you can give up the Arena. If the Arena matters, take him to 4-star | |
| Gen 4 | PICK ◆ M Lynn | 4–5 star / widget 4 | Defensive widget → garrisons and building defence | Lucky Wheel; finish her slowly |
| Lancer / Arena L Reina | 4-star / widget 2–4 | The starting point for a Lancer 60/40 | Essential if you are going Lancer. For the Bear, only at 30–40% Lancers (see below) | |
| SKIP I Ahmose | — | Almost never used | The exception is an account that transfers a lot | |
| Gen 5 | PICK ◆ I Hector | 4-star / widget 2–4 | Effectively permanent for Bear hunting · a top-tier joiner | A low widget is fine as long as you have the skill |
| PICK M Gwen | Widget 4–6 | Attacking rally leader (offensive widget) | ||
| PICK joiner L Norah | 4-star (skill 5) | Buffs both Marksmen and Lancers — the best joiner | Excellent in your own march as well | |
| Gen 6 | PICK ★ M Wayne | Widget 4–6 | Very important for a rally leader · Marksman defence | Essential for Marksman players (F2P skips him, but a dolphin takes him) |
| PICK ◆ L Renee | Widget 4 | The key that opens the 60/40 ratio | Essential for Lancer players | |
| conditional I Wu Ming | 4-star | A skill-damage joiner | Take him to 4-star as an option. Not required | |
| Gen 7 | PICK ★the best ◆ M Bradley | Widget Lv.10 | The best Marksman defence for a very long time · every mode | Essential for everyone |
| PICK I Edith | 4-star / widget 2–4 | Better than Hector on Bear defence; strong with a Marksman ratio | This is where Jeronimo starts to fall off | |
| conditional L Gordon | Optional | For Lancer rallies | Skip him on a pure Marksman build | |
| Gen 8 | PICK ◆ I Gatot | Lucky Wheel | Replaces Hector almost everywhere · top-tier in the Arena | Not one to skip as a dolphin |
| PICK ★joiner M Hendrik | Get him / widget | The best joiner there is · Marksman attacking rallies | A rare skill → a multiplicative edge in rallies (the subtitles' "Andri"). The author skipped him and regretted it | |
| SKIP L Sonya | — | A weak joiner (~12% at the Bear) | Only as a bridge for a Lancer garrison defender. Do not use her at the Bear | |
| Gen 9 | conditional M Xura | Optional / widget | Marksman defence · Bradley + Hendrik + Xura is unbeatable in the Arena | At high stars his Bear damage edges past Bradley's (the subtitles' "Zora") |
| conditional I Magnus | Optional | For Infantry rallies | A skip candidate, coming straight after Gatot (bridge on to Gregory) | |
| PICK ◆ L Fred | Lucky Wheel | Offensive Lancer | A baseline pickup | |
| Gen 10 | PICK ◆ M Blanchette | Widget 4–6 | Marksman offence and the Bear (excellent at a high widget) | Lucky Wheel |
| PICK I Gregory | Free shards from KOI and SvS | Arena and all-round; an Infantry bridge | Links Gatot to Eleonora | |
| conditional L Freya | Optional | Defensive Lancer | Skippable if you have Fred | |
| Gen 11 | PICK ★ M Rufus | Invest heavily / widget | An attacking rally leader good enough to use on defence too · top-tier for Marksmen and the Arena | Even Lancer players are advised to wait and take Rufus |
| PICK ◆ I Eleonora | Lucky Wheel | A strong Infantry who replaces Gregory | ||
| for 60/40 L Lloyd | Optional / free KOI and SvS shards | Lancer (a defensive widget, but his stats carry him on offence too) | A bridge for 60/40 play |
🎯 The final verdict on Reina (Lancer)
Even as a dolphin, Mia (Lancer) is the foundation at the Bear (to Gen 14). Reina is a pick only if you are going Lancer (60/40) or running 30–40% Lancers in your Bear composition. Below that, Mia wins.
Investment ceiling = 4-star, widget 2–4. 5-star and a maxed exclusive is overkill → "essential on the Lancer path, resist otherwise" is the answer.
Classes and names cross-checked against the official wiki and per-generation data (whiteoutdata, FRVR), on the one Infantry, one Lancer, one Marksman per generation structure. Subtitle corrections: "Andri" → Hendrik, "Zora" → Xura, "PD" → Philly, "Nora" → Norah.
A write-up of one person's views in a video — adjust for your account, your server's generation and any shift in the T12 meta.
Note (2026-07-31): the source's "All-of-Hero" is the Hall of Heroes.