Some community rankings are based on personal testing, older wiki edits, or player reviews rather than official balance data. Premium availability and hero performance may change after updates.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For the strongest damage-focused setup, choose Gante if you already own him. For a free or low-spend start, use Asher immediately, unlock Reynard as soon as possible, and add Yun Lee after the seven-day login unlock. Reynard is the best documented early campaign clearer because his Grand Starfall hits enemies in an area every seven seconds. Gante is the best overall damage recommendation, but his current public skill details are not sufficiently documented to justify precise claims about every stage or build. Use different heroes when your goal changes: Reynard for waves, Gante for damage checks and bosses, Yun Lee for directional groups, and Asher when you need a dependable starter while saving resources.
Quick ranking
The practical tier list
The game’s public hero list separates characters into A, S, and SS tiers. The accessible wiki lists Asher as the only A-tier hero, Yun Lee, Reynard, Grimclaw, Hogan, Lyra, and Azrael as S-tier heroes, and Gante, Kenji, Thanatos, Tao Long, and Kang as SS-tier heroes. That classification is useful for availability, but it is not a complete performance ranking.
For actual progression, prioritize the hero that matches your current bottleneck. A high-tier character with low levels, weak gear, or an unbuilt skill can perform worse than a developed lower-tier hero. The recommendations below therefore combine verified skill descriptions with clearly labeled community consensus.
- Best overall damage: Gante, based on repeated player recommendations and the community wiki’s shop guidance.
- Best early wave clearer: Reynard, whose documented skill deals area damage every seven seconds.
- Best starting hero: Asher, because he is unlocked by default and has a dependable area attack.
- Best login-reward progression pick: Yun Lee, who unlocks after seven days and attacks up to three enemies in one direction.
- Best premium alternatives: Kenji, Thanatos, Tao Long, and Kang are listed as SS-tier, but current public sources do not provide enough comparable skill data for a confident order.
| Goal or situation | Recommended hero | Why this choice | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting campaign stages | Asher | He is available immediately and his whirlwind attacks nearby enemies. | Verified. |
| Early and mid-stage wave clearing | Reynard | Grand Starfall is a repeating area attack with a documented 500% ATK value at level 100. | Verified from community reference. |
| Directional enemy groups | Yun Lee | His lightning skill targets up to three enemies in the same direction. | Verified from community reference. |
| Boss damage checks | Gante | Players consistently identify him as the strongest damage option. | Community consensus; incomplete official data. |
| Offline or long idle sessions | The hero with your highest developed damage | The store confirms offline progression, but it does not publish a hero-specific idle ranking. | Recommendation; test your account. |
| Premium collection goals | Compare SS heroes by your own skill screen | Public sources list the characters but do not fully document their current abilities. | Uncertain. |
The official store confirms four broad class styles, offline auto-battle, equipment upgrades, dungeons, and bosses. It does not publish a full hero balance sheet. The wiki provides useful acquisition and skill information for Asher, Reynard, and Yun Lee, but several premium pages are incomplete or old.
By stage
Who to use from the opening to late progression
During the opening stages, keep Asher active instead of spreading resources across every unlocked hero. His skill triggers every six seconds and creates a whirlwind around him, giving new accounts reliable area coverage without requiring a premium purchase. Level him until another character can clearly outperform him with similar gear.
Reynard is the most practical next step for campaign progression. The community reference describes him as the usual second unlock, obtained by watching three ads under his banner. His Grand Starfall leaps onto enemies every seven seconds and deals area damage. That makes him especially useful when a stage contains several ordinary enemies rather than one isolated target.
Yun Lee is a longer-term free progression option. He unlocks after seven days of login and fires directional lightning at up to three enemies for three seconds. He is less universally convenient than Reynard because enemy positioning matters, but he can be effective when targets approach from the same side or when you need repeated pressure on a compact group.
For later stages, stop judging heroes only by their rarity. Compare clear time, deaths, and how often the hero’s skill hits the intended targets. If a premium hero is available, Gante is the leading damage recommendation from current player reports. However, the public Gante page has missing skill and acquisition details, so do not assume that every online Gante build remains correct after balance updates.
- Use Asher while your account is resource-limited.
- Switch to Reynard when wave clear is the reason you are stuck.
- Test Yun Lee on stages where enemies stay in one direction.
- Use Gante for damage checks only after giving him comparable levels, gear, and skill investment.
- Keep the previous hero developed enough to handle farming while the new hero catches up.
| Stage pattern | Best first test | Adjustment if it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Many weak enemies | Reynard | Improve area-damage skills and weapon damage before changing heroes. |
| One durable boss | Gante if owned; otherwise your highest-damage hero | Compare a timed run with Reynard and keep the faster result. |
| Enemies approach from one lane | Yun Lee | If targets spread out, return to a wider area attacker. |
| You are under-leveled everywhere | Asher | Farm gear and currencies before spending heavily on a new hero. |
Run the same stage three times with similar equipment. Record completion time, deaths, and whether the hero’s special attack consistently connects. This is more reliable than copying a tier list made for a different account.
By goal
Damage, free play, farming, and spending decisions
For pure damage, Gante is the clearest recommendation currently available, but it is not an officially published ranking. A June 2025 App Store review calls Gante the best current hero, and the community wiki also labels him the best hero in its shop guidance. Treat that as strong player consensus rather than a permanent fact.
For free-to-play progression, Asher, Reynard, and Yun Lee form the most defensible route because their availability is documented. Reynard is particularly valuable because his unlock method does not require buying the hero. The store also lists in-app purchases and a hero package, so premium access can materially change which character is practical for a new account.
For idle farming, the game’s official description confirms that combat and rewards continue while you are away. It does not verify that one named hero always produces the best offline result. Use the character that clears your farming stage consistently, then compare the rewards after the same idle period. A slower but safer hero may outperform a fragile damage specialist if failed runs interrupt farming.
For bosses, prioritize damage uptime rather than visual rarity. A hero that repeatedly misses, has a long cooldown, or lacks the required gear may lose to a lower-tier option. Upgrade the active hero’s weapon and offensive skills first, then retest the boss before replacing the character.
- Free-to-play goal: build Asher first, then Reynard, then Yun Lee.
- Maximum damage goal: choose Gante if owned, but verify his current skill screen in your installed version.
- Low-maintenance idle goal: use the highest-level hero that clears without deaths.
- Resource-saving goal: avoid replacing a hero until the replacement matches the old hero’s level and gear.
- Patch-sensitive goal: retest after any update that mentions balancing or a new hero.
| Priority | Spend resources on | Avoid doing |
|---|---|---|
| First | The active hero’s weapon, attack, and skill damage. | Splitting rare materials across the entire roster. |
| Second | A hero suited to the stage pattern. | Assuming SS automatically means fastest clear. |
| Third | A replacement hero after a controlled comparison. | Discarding Asher before another hero is fully developed. |
The availability, tier labels, and several skill descriptions come from public reference material. The mode-specific rankings are recommendations based on those mechanics and player reports, not official developer rankings.
How to decide
A simple comparison routine
Choose the stage that currently blocks progress and write down its enemy pattern. Run it with your current hero, then repeat with the best available alternative after matching equipment as closely as possible. Compare clear time first, survival second, and resource cost third.
If the difference is small, keep the hero that is easier to obtain and upgrade. If one character clears at least one full stage faster without extra spending, use that hero for campaign progress and keep the other for farming or testing. Recheck the decision after a balance update, because the store’s version history shows that the game has received repeated rebalancing and new-hero updates.
- Identify whether the problem is waves, a boss, survival, or positioning.
- Match levels and gear before comparing characters.
- Run each test more than once to reduce random results.
- Record the result in your own account rather than relying only on a global tier label.
- Recheck premium heroes after patches because their public documentation is incomplete.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Gante always the best hero?
Gante is the strongest current recommendation for maximum damage, based on player reports and community guidance. It is not a fully verified universal ranking because current official skill data is unavailable and balance changes can alter performance.
Who is the best free-to-play hero?
Reynard is the best practical early free-to-play recommendation because his area skill is documented and his banner can be unlocked through ads. Asher remains the correct first investment, while Yun Lee is a useful later login reward.
Should I keep using Asher after unlocking Reynard?
Use Reynard when his level and gear are close enough to Asher’s to make a fair comparison. Keep Asher developed for backup farming until Reynard clears the same stages faster and more safely.
Is Yun Lee better than Reynard?
Not universally. Yun Lee is better when enemies stay in his firing direction and within his target limit. Reynard is usually the safer general wave-clear choice because his attack is area-based.
Which hero is best for bosses?
Gante is the leading damage recommendation if you own him. Otherwise, test your most developed hero against the boss with equal gear conditions. A reliable Reynard or Asher can outperform an underdeveloped premium character.
Does the tier list stay accurate after updates?
No tier list should be treated as permanent. The store history records balance changes and new heroes, while several public hero pages are incomplete or older. Retest your main stage after balance patches.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial US App Store listing, description, reviews, purchases, and version history
- CommunityEpic Stickman Wiki hero roster and tier categories
- CommunityEpic Stickman Wiki Asher reference
- CommunityEpic Stickman Wiki Reynard reference
- CommunityEpic Stickman Wiki Yun Lee reference
- CommunityEpic Stickman Wiki shop guidance