Kingdom Rush Battles TD Game takes the familiar tower-defense formula and twists it into something much more competitive.
Instead of simply holding lanes with towers, you’re essentially dueling another player in real time, both of you sending waves, placing towers, and using abilities to break each other’s defenses.
Heroes matter more here than in past Kingdom Rush titles because they act as mobile power units, plugging holes, applying control, and creating pressure in lanes your towers can’t reach fast enough.
When I spent time testing different playstyles, one thing became obvious: ranged heroes define most winning setups, while melee frontline heroes feel riskier unless you already have towers backing them efficiently.
This tier list ranks heroes based on actual usefulness during battles, rarity, flexibility, and how easily they fit into early and late-game strategies.
How I Ranked Heroes
Before jumping in, here’s the criteria that matters most in this game:
- Rarity and scaling potential
- Whether they synergize naturally with towers
- How well they survive pressure during late waves
- Accessibility for early players
- Ability to impact both lanes, not just their own
Also, because many premium heroes are locked behind progression or paywalls, the “best” hero is sometimes whoever you can unlock reliably.
A ranged epic unit with lane-wide utility is going to outperform a melee unit forced to tank swarms alone.
S-Tier Heroes
These heroes feel good from early game and scale extremely well. They bring lane control, team buffs, AoE, or mobility advantages that compensate for the game’s dual-lane chaos.
Ashbite (Legendary, Flying)
Ashbite is essentially a roaming nuke. Being a flying hero means no pathing limitations, so you reposition faster than any grounded unit. All of Ashbite’s damage is AoE splash, and its passives buff both towers and spell damage, which makes your entire setup stronger, not just your hero lane.
Why Ashbite feels top tier:
- Highest damage among flying heroes
- Adds indirect DPS through spell/tower boosts
- Mobility lets you answer threat spikes instantly
Only downside: cannot physically block enemies, so you rely fully on killing fast enough.
Eiskalt (Legendary, Flying)
Same mobility benefit as Ashbite but leans more into crowd control. Faster attack speed, freeze effects, constant slows, and strong synergy with magic towers.
This hero wins through tempo control rather than brute damage.
Beresad (Legendary, Flying)
Think of Beresad as a hybrid of the first two—almost Ashbite’s strength with near Eiskalt’s speed. Beresad adds max HP buffs to allies, debuffs enemy HP, summons golems, and causes fear.
When I tested this type, it felt like a scaling monster—the longer fights go, the stronger Beresad becomes.
Elora Wintersong (Epic, Ranged)
Right now the only Epic hero in the game, and her ranged damage + slow trail gives her both safety and influence over pushes. Because movement leaves a damage trail, controlling rotation zones becomes part of her gameplay.
She’s slow to reposition, but when placed properly, she’s a lane bully.
A-Tier Heroes
These heroes are reliable but require better tower setups or specific synergy to shine.
Vesper (Rare, Ranged)
Best when surrounded by ranged towers to activate vision-boosting passive. Can stun enemies and has AoE, but attack speed is slower than ideal. Works well in defensive “kill box” setups.
Alleria Swiftwind (Common, Ranged)
Starter hero, and honestly one of the better commons. AoE arrows and a summonable cat make early stages smoother. She falls off once enemies scale, mainly because her attack rate is slow and dodge survival skill triggers inconsistently.
Dierdre (Rare, Support)
The only true support hero. She buffs allies, heals, and strengthens tower damage output. Completely dependent on having strong offensive towers—think of her as an amplifier rather than a carry.
Great on structured lanes, mediocre in chaotic ones.
B-Tier Heroes
These heroes mostly suffer because they are melee. In a split-lane game where ranged chip damage and quick repositioning matter, being physically hit is a liability.
Aegion Brightsteel (Rare, Tank)
Designed for stalling, teleporting enemies back, and giving slow towers more time. Works situationally but collapses under large waves.
Gerald Lightseeker (Common, Melee)
Starter hero. Simple kit, low impact, gets outclassed quickly. Good for first hour of gameplay, nothing more.
Grawl (Common, Tank)
Great stun radius and occasional RNG instakill. Still suffers from being a melee unit forced to take hits while elite waves burn him down.
Ingvar Bearclaw (Rare, Melee)
Bear transformation is fun and invulnerable while healing, but overall damage is low. Works best with barracks towers, but those towers are outperformed by others, making his synergy outdated.
Hacksaw (Rare, Tank)
Probably the strongest B-tier melee unit thanks to high AoE damage and armor-debuff passive. His instakill skill is great for elite mobs, but he still melts under pressure since he takes frontline damage directly.
Good damage, poor survivability.
How to Choose the Right Hero for Your Playstyle
If your strategy is offense through sheer DPS:
→ Ashbite, Charles, Elora
If you rely on control & stun locking lanes:
→ Eiskalt, Vesper, Petra-style tower comps
If you like late-game scaling & economic pressure:
→ Beresad (golems + HP swing)
If you prefer slow, defensive sustain comps:
→ Dierdre + tank towers
If you’re new and just want simplicity:
→ Alleria until you unlock Epics/Legendaries
The big takeaway from actual matches is that ranged heroes define tempo, flying heroes define map control, and melee defenders require too much babysitting to be consistent.
Which Hero Should You Use First? (Beginner Recommendation)
If you’re early in the game and don’t have much unlocked yet:
- Alleria — best starter, easy to use
- Vesper — upgrade as soon as you unlock him
- Transition to Elora or any dragon once available
Your first major power spike is when you get your first flying hero—they change how you respond to lanes entirely.
Kingdom Rush Battles TD Game rewards mobility, burst AoE, and heroes that enhance towers rather than trying to solo push. While melee tanks feel thematic, they struggle against stacked waves and high-speed boss units.
If you want the smoothest climb:
Pick a flying hero – Pair with ranged towers – Use support units sparingly
Once you unlock Beresad or Ashbite, your entire strategy shifts from survival to controlling enemy movement.
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