F2P Hero Roadmap (Gen 1-11)
Invest only in Lucky Wheel heroes and heroes you will keep for two generations or more - chasing the current generation forever is why F2P accounts end up with 3-star heroes everywhere and no shards. Picks, skips and investment ceilings for every generation.
The premise behind this roadmap
The goal is not to survive but to thrive. The resource management principles matter more than any individual hero.
The most common mistake is chasing the current generation's heroes forever and never banking universal shards. You end up with 2- and 3-star heroes scattered everywhere and no shards when it counts.
The golden rule → invest properly only in Lucky Wheel heroes and heroes you will use for at least two generations. A hero who is not on the Lucky Wheel and gets discarded after one generation is the worst ROI there is.
Decide who you are pulling next and bank universal SSR shards in advance. Without a clear route you will fail.
Take each generation's Lucky Wheel hero as a baseline. About 70 spins over two weeks ≈ 85–90k gems.
F2P sits at widget Lv 2–4 for most heroes. Save Lv4–6 for the ones you keep for years (Gen3 Mia).
Zinman to 3-star → VIP 1 → 4 → 6 → Flint → then VIP 7, 8 and 9.
48/4/48 (Mia with Marksmen) and the 50/20/30 family. 60/40 needs Gen 5–6, so it is a poor fit for F2P.
Get at least 2 of the 3 Marksmen. Skip at most one.
Picks and skips by generation
| Gen | Hero | Investment ceiling | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | PICK ◆ Zinman | 3-star / no skills | −12% construction and costs | Do not level his skills |
| baseline M Molly · Gina · Bahiti | 5-star slowly / widget 2 | Molly = defence, Gina = Arena | Build Molly gradually without spending shards · start banking shards for Alonso from Gen 1 | |
| hold I Jeronimo · Bokun · Ling Shuang | — | Shards come in slowly | Take your time; low priority | |
| Gen 2 | PICK ◆ I Flint | 70 Lucky Wheel spins | Your Bear mainstay until Gen 5 (Hector) | The Infantry (shield) Bear captain |
| PICK M Alonso | 4-star / widget 2 | Your main Marksman, rally lead and Bear hero through Gen 4–5 | First call on your universal shards. Unlocked through the Hall of Heroes (≈14,850 gems) | |
| SKIP L Philly | — | A hero for spenders | Molly covers your defence | |
| Gen 3 | PICK ★foundational ◆ L Mia | Consider 5-star / widget 4–6 | Bear hunting all the way to Gen 14! The backbone of the 48/4/48 Marksman ratio | This is where your widget investment goes. A good moment to transfer states |
| optional M Greg | 4-star / widget 2 | Arena (AoE synergy with Alonso) | ||
| skip I Logan | — | A rally-leader type | F2P players have Flint and do not need him | |
| Gen 4 | PICK ◆ M Lynn | 4–5 star / widget 4 | A defensive widget → garrisons and building defence | Consider 5-star at VIP9 |
| Arena only L Reina | 4-star / widget 2–4 (the ceiling) | An Arena-only option | "No longer a default recommendation". Poor as a joiner (see below) | |
| SKIP I Ahmose | — | Weak in almost every situation | The exception is an account that transfers a lot | |
| Gen 5 | PICK ◆ I Hector | 4-star (skill 5) / widget 2–4 | Effectively permanent for Bear hunting | A low widget is fine as long as you have the skill |
| PICK M Gwen | Aim for 5-star / widget 4–6 | A huge all-round upgrade; your main Marksman until Bradley | Bank shards through Gen 3–4 to hit 5-star | |
| PICK joiner L Norah | 4-star (skill 5) | An excellent joiner; some alliances ask for her | Can be finished off with Gen 7 intel shards | |
| Gen 6 | PICK ◆ L Renee | Widget 4 | The key that opens the 60/40 ratio | |
| SKIP M Wayne | — | Marginal against Gwen | Bradley replaces him anyway | |
| SKIP I Wu Ming | — | A joiner, but the rally leader supplies it | No need to pull him | |
| Gen 7 | PICK ★the best ◆ M Bradley | 3-star early if the Arena matters | Absurd performance, still used at Gen 15 · every mode | The only hero worth investing past the Lucky Wheel to 3-star |
| PICK I Edith | 4-star / widget 2–4 | Strong with a Marksman ratio; better than Hector on Bear defence | Infantry (shield) | |
| skip L Gordon | — | A rally-leader type | F2P players have Renee and do not need him | |
| Gen 8 | PICK ◆ I Gatot | Lucky Wheel | Replaces Hector almost everywhere | |
| PICK ★joiner M Hendrik | Get him, no questions | The best joiner there is · an offensive widget | A rare skill → it stacks multiplicatively in a rally, which is where the edge comes from (Ton's subtitles say "Andri") | |
| SKIP L Sonya | — | A weak joiner (~12% at the Bear) | Only as a bridge on a 60/40 Lancer account | |
| Gen 9 | PICK ◆ L Fred | Lucky Wheel | A baseline pickup | |
| Arena M Xura | Optional | Bradley + Hendrik + Xura is an unbeatable Arena combination, plus healing | At high stars his Bear damage edges slightly past Bradley's (the subtitles' "Zora") | |
| SKIP I Magnus | — | Unimpressive | Gatot covers it | |
| Gen 10 | PICK I Gregory | Free shards from KOI and SvS | Strong in the Arena and solo marches; an all-rounder | |
| overrated ◆ M Blanchette | Lucky Wheel | Eventually replaces Bradley | At widget 4 the F2P gap to Bradley is small (this is a whale's upgrade) | |
| skip L Freya | — | A Lancer hero | Skip her — you have Fred | |
| Gen 11 | PICK ★ M Rufus | Invest heavily | Second only to Bradley; 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 | A bridge for 60/40 play | Take him with free KOI/SvS shards |
🎯 The final verdict on Reina (Lancer)
Ton's line: "Reina is no longer a default recommendation." Her old popularity dates from when Mia was underrated. Now Mia is foundational (Bear hunting to Gen 14) and Reina is a pick only if you particularly love the Arena.
Investment ceiling = 4-star, widget 2–4. The video does not so much as mention 5-star or a maxed exclusive. → "Enough to use, but resist maxing her" is the answer.
🤝 The joiner route
A good joiner is a hero with a rare skill other people do not have. Common skills combine additively in a rally, but a rare one attaches multiplicatively, so the total climbs.
The recommended joiner route: Jessie / Jeronimo early → Norah (Gen5 Lancer) → Hendrik (Gen8 Marksman, the best)
Reina's joiner skill (normal attack damage) is a common bucket, so it adds → flat as a joiner. If joining is your goal, do not spend resources on Reina; follow the route above.
Classes and names cross-checked against the official wiki and per-generation data (one Infantry, one Lancer and one Marksman per generation). Subtitle corrections: "Andri" → Hendrik, "Zora" → Xura, "JC" → Jessie, "Nora" → Norah.
A write-up of one person's views in a video — adjust for your account and your server's generation.
Note (2026-07-31): the source's "All-of-Heroes" event is the Hall of Heroes.