Some exact hero values below come from community-maintained reference tables rather than a current official stat sheet. Where the official game pages do not publish numbers, the guide labels recommendations separately from verified game descriptions.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For the most reliable general route, choose Alric and prioritize Flurry, then Swordsmanship, followed by Sand Warriors or Toughness. Put him on a chokepoint where armor and regeneration matter. Choose Bruxa when you need ranged magic, air control, or damage while moving between lanes. For her, prioritize Bone Dance and Laughing Skulls, then Voodoo Doll for elite targets or Skull Sacrifice for immediate burst. Keep both heroes near the action, but never ask a fragile ranged hero to hold a lane alone.
1. Choose a role
The practical hero classes
Frontiers does not present a conventional class menu in the way an RPG does. In practice, its heroes fall into useful battlefield roles. Melee anchors stand on the path and absorb pressure. Ranged damage dealers attack from safety and can rotate between lanes. Control heroes slow, distract, or disable enemies. Specialist heroes are strongest when a stage contains a particular threat, such as armor, flying units, or large groups.
Alric is the melee-anchor option. Bruxa is a ranged damage-and-control option. They are the two most useful starting comparisons because they cover opposite needs: dependable lane holding versus flexible damage. The official game description confirms that heroes have unique specialties and are intended to be trained alongside specialized towers.
- Melee anchor: place at a bend, barracks line, or high-pressure exit.
- Ranged specialist: place behind blockers and move the hero toward the lane producing the greatest value.
- Control specialist: use slows, summons, or burst attacks to buy towers more time.
- Boss or elite killer: save active skills for durable targets instead of spending them on enemies towers already handle.
| Role | Best use | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Melee anchor | Hold a chokepoint and delay strong enemies | Can be overwhelmed by magic, armor-piercing threats, or several lanes at once |
| Ranged damage | Attack safely while rotating between lanes | Low durability if caught in melee |
| Control and support | Slow, distract, or soften groups | Less valuable when enemies are already dying quickly |
| Specialist damage | Counter a stage’s defining threat | Can feel inefficient on neutral waves |
For a first clear, prefer the hero whose role matches the map’s hardest lane. A theoretically stronger hero is less useful if the stage requires a different type of coverage.
2. Alric route
The durable melee build
Alric’s documented level-one values are 245 health, 6–10 damage, low armor, and a 20-second respawn. At level 10, the reference table lists 380 base health, 15–28 damage, and high armor at 65 percent. With maximum Toughness and Swordsmanship, the same table lists 560 health and 27–40 damage. These values explain his role: he improves naturally as a front-line blocker and does not need constant repositioning.
His five skills split into offense, durability, and temporary bodies. Swordsmanship adds attack damage. Spiked Armor returns part of the damage he receives. Toughness adds health. Flurry strikes one enemy repeatedly on a short six-second cooldown. Sand Warriors summons temporary units for roughly eight to nine seconds, depending on rank.
- Safe general route: Flurry 3, Swordsmanship 3, Toughness 2, then Sand Warriors 2. Finish Toughness or Sand Warriors according to the stage.
- Damage route: Flurry 3 first, then Swordsmanship 3. Use this when towers already provide blocking and Alric must remove dangerous enemies quickly.
- Stall route: Toughness 3, Sand Warriors 3, then Flurry. This is slower but useful when the hero’s job is to keep enemies trapped inside tower range.
- Usually delay Spiked Armor. It is useful against sustained physical hits, but Flurry, Swordsmanship, and Toughness provide more consistent early value.
| Skill | What it contributes | When to prioritize |
|---|---|---|
| Flurry | Repeated single-target burst on a short cooldown | Almost always first or second; excellent against elites |
| Swordsmanship | Higher normal attacks and stronger Flurry output | When Alric is fighting constantly |
| Toughness | More health and better staying power | When he is dying before towers finish waves |
| Sand Warriors | Temporary blockers that extend stall time | When one hero must influence two nearby engagements |
| Spiked Armor | Damage returned to attackers | Later, or against enemies that hit Alric repeatedly |
Put Alric where enemies remain inside several tower ranges. His value comes from time bought as much as damage dealt. If he is fighting outside your main kill zone, move him back rather than adding more defensive skills.
3. Bruxa route
The ranged damage and control build
Bruxa starts at level 4 when unlocked in the documented reference and reaches 350 health, 17–52 ranged damage, and 44 health regeneration per second at level 10. She has no armor and a 15-second respawn, so her raw damage is not permission to stand in front of a wave. She is strongest behind barracks, beside a tower cluster, or on a lane where weak enemies can generate skulls safely.
Her floating skulls are the core mechanic. Nearby enemy deaths give her skulls, which attack independently and continue attacking while she moves. Laughing Skulls increases their damage, while Bone Dance raises the maximum number of active skulls from three to five. Skull Sacrifice spends skulls for burst damage. Dread Aura slows nearby enemies and deals light damage. Voodoo Doll deals true damage to several enemies of the same type and briefly slows them.
- General route: Bone Dance 3, Laughing Skulls 3, Voodoo Doll 3, then Skull Sacrifice 2 and Dread Aura 1.
- Air-heavy route: Laughing Skulls 3 first, Bone Dance 3 second, then Voodoo Doll. Keep Bruxa moving so skulls continue attacking while she avoids retaliation.
- Elite route: Bone Dance 3, Skull Sacrifice 3, and Voodoo Doll 3. Use Sacrifice for an immediate target kill and reserve the doll for a cluster or durable enemy type.
- Control route: Bone Dance 3, Dread Aura 3, then Voodoo Doll. Choose this only when the slow affects a crowded kill zone; the aura is weaker when enemies rarely reach her.
| Skill | Function | Practical advice |
|---|---|---|
| Laughing Skulls | Increases skull damage against flying enemies | Excellent when air units or weak feeders are present |
| Skull Sacrifice | Launches skulls for single-target burst | Spend skulls when a priority enemy would otherwise leak |
| Bone Dance | Raises the active skull limit | Best foundation because it improves Bruxa’s core mechanic |
| Dread Aura | Slows nearby enemies and deals minor damage | Useful near blockers, but not her main damage route |
| Voodoo Doll | True damage to multiple enemies of one type | Save for clusters, elites, or enemies resistant to normal damage |
Let towers or barracks create the safety zone. Bruxa should harvest skulls from manageable enemies, then rotate toward the dangerous lane with her skulls already active.
4. Build routes
Three routes that work across the campaign
A hero route should support the tower layout rather than replace it. Start by identifying the map’s most expensive problem: a boss, an overloaded chokepoint, a second lane, or flying enemies. Spend early points on the skill that changes that problem immediately.
For a safe campaign route, pair Alric with strong ranged towers and use him as the anchor. For a high-damage route, pair Bruxa with barracks or templars so she can attack without being surrounded. For a split-lane route, use Alric’s Sand Warriors or Bruxa’s mobility to influence a second lane while towers remain concentrated on the primary path.
- Early waves: level the hero by placing them where they can participate without taking unnecessary damage.
- Midgame: keep one active ability available for the next dangerous wave; do not use every cooldown on routine enemies.
- Late game: move the hero before the wave begins, not after a leak has already started.
- Boss waves: Alric should block only when supported by damage towers; Bruxa should stay at range and use burst skills on the boss or its most dangerous escorts.
| Goal | Recommended hero | Route focus |
|---|---|---|
| Easy, stable clears | Alric | Flurry, Swordsmanship, Toughness |
| Flying or ranged pressure | Bruxa | Bone Dance, Laughing Skulls, Voodoo Doll |
| Two nearby lanes | Alric | Flurry, Sand Warriors, Toughness |
| Elite-heavy waves | Either | Alric Flurry or Bruxa Skull Sacrifice plus Voodoo Doll |
| Maximum micro and damage | Bruxa | Bone Dance, Laughing Skulls, then targeted active skills |
The hero descriptions, official roster presentation, and tower-focused structure are verified from Ironhide’s pages. The skill priorities and route order are recommendations based on the documented mechanics and battlefield roles, not official developer rankings.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Alric or Bruxa better for a first playthrough?
Alric is usually easier because armor, health, regeneration, and a short Flurry cooldown forgive positioning mistakes. Bruxa can produce more flexible damage, but she needs safe placement, skull management, and more movement.
What is the best Alric build?
Use Flurry first, then Swordsmanship for damage. Add Toughness when survivability is the problem and Sand Warriors when you need extra blocking or nearby-lane coverage. Spiked Armor is normally a later purchase.
What is the best Bruxa build?
Bone Dance is the safest foundation because it increases her skull capacity. Follow with Laughing Skulls for damage, then choose Voodoo Doll for clustered or durable enemies, or Skull Sacrifice for immediate single-target burst.
Can Bruxa tank enemies?
She can fight briefly in melee, but that should be an emergency action rather than the plan. With no armor and only 350 documented level-10 health, she should work behind blockers and use movement to avoid being surrounded.
Do exact stats differ between platforms?
They can. The official pages describe the game and hero system but do not provide a complete current numerical balance sheet. Community reference tables are useful for planning, yet older browser builds and platform releases may not match every value exactly.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialIronhide official Kingdom Rush: Frontiers page
- OfficialIronhide official Frontiers press kit
- OfficialIronhide official Frontiers strategy guide
- CommunityKingdom Rush Wiki: Alric
- CommunityKingdom Rush Wiki: Bruxa
- ReferenceKingdom Rush Wiki: Heroes of Frontiers