This guide includes minor unlock and roster spoilers, but avoids story-ending details.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
The full expanded roster is Veruk, Asra, Oloch, Margosa, Mortemis, Jack O'Lantern, Tramin, Jigou, Jun'Pai, Doom Tank SG-11, Beresad, Eiskalt, Murglun, Dianyun, Grosh, Isfet, and Lucerna. On mobile, Veruk, Asra, and Oloch are the free campaign heroes; most others are paid characters or DLC heroes. On Steam and console, base-game heroes are normally unlocked by progressing through stages, while Isfet and Lucerna remain tied to their paid campaigns. To level a hero, select them before a stage, deploy them early, let them fight, and spend the earned ability points in the Heroes menu.
Roster
All 17 heroes and what they do
Heroes are active battlefield units rather than passive bonuses. You can move them between lanes, use their abilities manually, and rely on their hero spell as the third battlefield spell. The best choice depends on whether a stage needs blocking, crowd control, ranged damage, area damage, or support.
The descriptions below are practical roles, not rigid classes. Several heroes can fill more than one job, and performance changes with upgrades, enemy composition, difficulty, and placement.
- Veruk — durable melee bruiser and frontline blocker. A straightforward first hero who improves when kept in sustained combat.
- Asra — mobile assassin with ranged attacks, poison, and strong single-target pressure. Good for picking off dangerous enemies and reaching awkward lanes.
- Oloch — ranged magic attacker with demon-themed abilities. Useful against groups and enemies that resist ordinary physical attacks.
- Margosa — vampire duelist who heals and becomes much more dangerous in close combat. Best used against priority targets rather than left idle.
- Mortemis — ranged necromancer and stall specialist. His zombies and area effects help hold enemies in place near a choke point.
- Jack O'Lantern — fast melee fighter with strong burst and mobility. A flexible option when a map rewards rapid repositioning.
- Tramin — mobile ranged inventor. He contributes consistent ranged damage and works well when a hero must cover more than one approach.
- Jigou — exceptionally durable tank. Use him to absorb pressure, delay elites, and buy towers time to finish enemies.
- Jun'Pai — ranged support and control hero. His tools are useful when a defense needs healing, ranged damage, or crowd management.
- Doom Tank SG-11 — mobile artillery hero. Strong area damage and a distinctive playstyle that rewards positioning near dense enemy groups.
- Beresad — black dragon with high damage, area pressure, and useful economy-oriented utility. A strong all-purpose premium choice where available.
- Eiskalt — ice dragon specializing in area damage, slowing, and control. Particularly effective against dense waves and fast enemies.
- Murglun — magma dragon built around damage over an area and powerful anti-crowd tools. Excellent when enemies cluster around a bend.
- Dianyun — storm dragon with lightning and control effects. His attacks can influence several targets and help stabilize difficult waves.
- Grosh — heavy melee warrior from Primal Ravage. A direct frontline option for players who prefer durable physical damage.
- Isfet — mummy warlock from Hammerhold. A spell-focused hero built around curses and magical control.
- Lucerna — ghost-ship captain from Pirate Kings. She combines ranged firepower, supernatural control, mobility, and economy-focused utility.
| Hero group | Best general use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Frontline bruisers | Veruk, Margosa, Jigou, Grosh | Need careful placement against armor, ranged threats, or multiple lanes |
| Ranged and magic damage | Asra, Oloch, Tramin, Jun'Pai, Isfet | Usually less comfortable when surrounded |
| Area and control | Mortemis, Doom Tank, Eiskalt, Murglun, Dianyun | Some abilities need dense waves or good timing |
| Flexible premium power | Beresad, Lucerna, Jack O'Lantern | Availability depends on platform or DLC ownership |
For a first serious purchase on mobile, Eiskalt is the safest broad recommendation for crowd control, while Beresad is a strong general-purpose alternative. On Steam or console, use the free progression roster first; Veruk, Asra, and Oloch are enough to learn placement and hero timing.
Unlocks
Free heroes, Steam progression, and DLC
The mobile version gives you three free progression heroes: Veruk, Asra, and Oloch. Veruk is available from the tutorial, Asra joins after the Clockwork Factory section, and Oloch joins after Northerners' Outpost. The remaining standard heroes are normally obtained through platform purchases or bundles, although storefront offers can change.
Steam includes the base-game heroes as progression unlocks rather than requiring separate purchases for each one. Community references consistently report Veruk at the tutorial, Asra at stage 5, Oloch at stage 7, and later base heroes appearing as the campaign advances. Do not assume that buying the base game includes every later campaign: Hammerhold and Pirate Kings are separate DLC campaigns.
The later additions have clearer campaign ties. Dianyun comes from Rise of the Dragon, Grosh from Primal Ravage, Isfet from Hammerhold, and Lucerna from Pirate Kings. On platforms where those campaigns are paid DLC, the associated hero is not a free base-game unlock.
- Mobile free heroes: Veruk, Asra, and Oloch.
- Steam and console base roster: progress through the campaign to unlock heroes; exact stage presentation can vary by edition.
- Rise of the Dragon: adds Dianyun, the Storm Dragon.
- Primal Ravage: adds Grosh, the Ancient One.
- Hammerhold: adds Isfet, the mummy warlock.
- Pirate Kings: adds Lucerna, the cursed ship captain.
- Store prices are deliberately omitted because they vary by platform, region, currency, bundles, and sales.
| Edition or content | How heroes are obtained | Important caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile base game | Three free heroes through campaign progress; other standard heroes are generally paid | Purchases and bundles can differ by storefront |
| Steam or console base game | Base heroes unlock through campaign progress | DLC campaigns are separate purchases |
| Hammerhold | Buy or access the campaign, then use Isfet | Isfet is not part of the original base roster |
| Pirate Kings | Buy or access the campaign, then use Lucerna | Lucerna is the DLC hero for this campaign |
Ironhide's official store and support material confirm that Vengeance has platform-specific content and separate DLC. If your hero screen does not match this list, check whether you are playing the mobile, Steam, console, or Apple Arcade edition before treating it as a missing unlock.
Progression
How hero XP and ability upgrades work
Heroes earn experience during stages while they are selected and fighting. They start at different levels when unlocked, so a new character may not begin at level 1. The normal hero progression caps at level 10, and reaching that level is tracked by several in-game achievements.
To level a hero efficiently, choose them before starting the stage, deploy them as soon as there is a safe target, and keep them involved in combat. A defeated hero returns after a delay, so retreating before death is often better than letting a valuable hero remain out of action. Replay a completed stage if you need more experience, but do not grind blindly: active participation and good placement usually matter more than sending the hero into danger.
As levels rise, heroes improve their statistics and gain points used in the Heroes menu. Spend points on the abilities that match your role. For a tank, prioritize survivability and control; for a dragon or artillery hero, prioritize area damage; for Asra or Margosa, prioritize the tools that help finish high-value targets. Passive skills are part of each hero's design and are not all upgraded in the same way.
- Select the hero before launching the stage.
- Place the hero where they can attack safely and often.
- Move them away from lethal damage instead of waiting for defeat.
- Use active abilities on cooldown when they will hit meaningful targets.
- Spend hero points in the Heroes menu after gaining levels.
- Aim for level 10 on a small core of heroes before trying to max everyone.
| Goal | Practical approach |
|---|---|
| Fast early leveling | Use a hero from the opening wave and give them regular combat time |
| Safe leveling | Park ranged heroes behind barracks or towers and move melee heroes between controlled choke points |
| Ability testing | Replay a familiar stage so you can compare upgrades without learning a new map |
| Late-campaign readiness | Keep at least one frontline hero, one area-control hero, and one ranged or magic hero developed |
The game does not provide one universal XP number that applies identically to every stage and hero. Hero starting levels, stage pacing, and platform differences make exact grind calculations unreliable, so use the in-game level bar as the authority for your save.
Questions
Named character answers
Vez'nan is the campaign's central villain and commander, but he is not one of the selectable hero-roster entries described above. Gerald Lightseeker and other returning Linirean characters appear in the story, yet story appearances do not automatically make a character playable.
The three free mobile heroes are Veruk, Asra, and Oloch. If you are asking for the strongest broadly useful option rather than the strongest in every challenge, Eiskalt is the most common recommendation because slowing and damaging groups is valuable on many maps. That is a recommendation, not an official ranking.
- Who are the free heroes? Veruk, Asra, and Oloch on mobile.
- Who is the best hero? There is no official universal ranking; Eiskalt is the safest general recommendation for crowd control, while Beresad, Murglun, Doom Tank, Lucerna, and Dianyun each excel in particular situations.
- Is Vez'nan a playable hero? No. He is the player character and campaign commander, not a selectable battlefield hero.
- Which hero is best for beginners? Veruk is the simplest frontline learner; Asra teaches mobility and target selection; Oloch teaches ranged magic and ability timing.
- Which hero should handle bosses? Use a hero suited to the boss's movement and defenses. Margosa, Asra, dragons, Doom Tank, and Beresad can all be strong, but tower support and timing matter more than a single name.
- Can I level heroes without using them? No. A hero must be selected and participate in stages to gain practical progression; merely owning the character does not level them.
| If your problem is… | Try first |
|---|---|
| Leaking normal enemies | Veruk or Jigou |
| Large clustered waves | Eiskalt, Murglun, Doom Tank, or Dianyun |
| High-value single targets | Asra or Margosa |
| Stalling at a choke point | Mortemis, Jigou, Isfet, or Eiskalt |
| Need a flexible premium pick | Beresad or Lucerna |
If a hero is missing, confirm the platform and installed DLC first. If a hero is available but weak, check its level and ability points before judging the character; newly unlocked heroes may begin below the level of your established roster.
FAQ
Common questions
How many heroes are in the current expanded roster?
There are 17 when the base roster and the Dianyun, Grosh, Isfet, and Lucerna additions are counted.
Are all heroes free on Steam?
The base-game heroes are normally unlocked through Steam campaign progression, but Hammerhold and Pirate Kings are separate DLC campaigns with their own heroes. Rise of the Dragon and Primal Ravage content should also be checked separately if your edition treats them as optional content.
How do I level up heroes?
Select a hero before a stage, deploy them early, let them fight, keep them alive when possible, and spend earned ability points in the Heroes menu. Hero progression normally reaches level 10.
Who is the best free hero?
There is no official ranking. Veruk is the easiest frontline option, Asra is more mobile and precise, and Oloch offers ranged magic damage. Choose based on the map rather than trying to force one hero into every role.
Is Lucerna part of the base game?
No. Lucerna is the hero introduced with the Pirate Kings campaign. Isfet is similarly tied to Hammerhold, while Dianyun and Grosh come from their respective later content updates.
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 game page
- OfficialIronhide official Hammerhold page
- OfficialIronhide official Pirate Kings announcement
- OfficialSteam base game listing
- OfficialSteam Hammerhold Campaign listing
- CommunityCommunity hero roster and platform reference
- ReferenceCommunity hero statistics and role reference