AFK Arena is packed with lots of OP heroes and they all shine in different ways. Who do you think is the best hero in the game?
The heroes in AFK Arena undoubtedly have their unique abilities that serve versatile or niche purposes to benefit the team formation. Either way, these 15 heroes’ capabilities are top-tier and are renowned player favorites in the current version of the game!
The meta changes a lot - that’s why this list ranks heroes based on their performance in the end game; both in Campaign, King’s Tower, Boss fights, events, and PVP. Here are 15 OP heroes in the land of Esperia, along with their best builds optimized for the end game.
15. Silas
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Silas is a Graveborn intelligence-based support whose abilities revolve around healing his allies and increasing their attack ratings. He is an exceptional support hero for Campaign and in the Arena and you might also consider letting him join in boss fights and in the Labyrinth.
Optimal Build for Silas
Artifact: Dura’s Call (Alternative: Tidebearer)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E60
What Makes Silas Great
Silas offers healing and buffs the attack rating of his allies in all of his abilities which is OP for a support hero.
His 9/9 furniture ability will increase his allies’ Normal Attack damage by 50% and frequency by 30% for melee and ranged heroes.
Silas also has healing debuffs for the enemy team with his “Double Dosage” skill at level 121 and his Signature Item “Adrenalin Shot”.
14. Daimon
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Daimon is a Graveborn tank who is strength-based. He deals heavy damage to enemies which scales based on the enemies’ max HP. He also shields himself while receiving 35% of the damage received by allies, but don’t worry, he won’t die from this effect. He performs superbly well in both PvE and PvP, but may not be as good in boss fights.
Optimal Build for Daimon
Artifact: Dura’s Call (Alternative: Dura’s Eye)
Signature Item Level: +20
Furniture: 3/9
Engravings Level: E60
What Makes Daimon Great
This dead little boy is more terrifying than you maythink. Being a tank who can deal up to 300% damage from his “Soul Feast” ability, who can also steal health from his opponents using “Blood Shield”, Daimon is an all-around killer who can shield his allies in the process.
Daimon’s signature item “Soul Sunder” allows him to temporarily borrow 20% Attack rating and 30% Defense rating of his target enemy while his “Blood Shield” is active.
His 3/9 furniture deals 40% increased damage to enemies who have dealt damage to him.
13. Oden
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Oden is a Graveborn intelligence-based mage who utilizes portals that emit lightning to deal AoE damage against enemies. His ultimate skill allows him to drain the enemies’ energy, while he can also mess up with the enemy team’s formation by allowing his portal to suck in the enemy with the highest HP. He does great in PvE but not so much in PvP.
Optimal Build for Oden
Artifact: Warden of the Arcane (Alternative: Windbinder)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E60
What Makes Oden Great
The lightning strikes from Oden’s “Void Lightning” ability deal up to 200% damage. His “Eviction” ability allows his portals to suck in an enemy and throw them back out. Throwing an enemy out the portal knocks down another enemy which deals AoE damage as well. Opening his eyes using Fiend points for the “Eye of Evil” ability will add stun to “Eviction”, strike lightning to the farthest enemy, and allow his normal attacks to decrease the enemy’s energy by 60 points.
His signature item “Vengeful Fury” buffs his attack rating and haste whenever he gains 200 Fiend Points which is gained from taking away energy points from enemies
Oden can passively use his “Void Lightning” strikes with his 9/9 furniture bonus.
12. Rosaline
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One of the greatest supports in AFK arena,, Rosaline is an intelligence-based support of the Lightbearer Faction, whose role is to follow the hero with the highest attack rating or follow who she is assigned to, buff them, and protect them. She is a perfect support in guild bosses where you want to spam the ultimate ability of your main DPS. Currently, she doesn’t appear in the end game meta due to her squishiness.
Optimal Build for Rosaline
Artifact: Dura’s Call (Alternative: Dura’s Eye)
Signature Item Level: +20
Furniture: -/9 (Furniture for this hero is not worth investing in)
Engravings Level: E30
What Makes Rosaline Great
Rosaline’s ultimate ability, “Motivation”, allows her to follow the assigned ally and replenish all of the ally’s energy. This ability lets them use their ultimate ability immediately. Her “Afternoon Tea” ability lets her heal the assigned ally based on her attack rating. If the ally she is following is in the backline, her “Spring Cleaning” ability lets her sweep the floor without being interrupted, knocking back enemies that are near the ally.
Her signature item “Servitude” raises the attack and defense ratings of the ally up to 30% of Rosaline’s own.
11. Lorsan
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Lorsan is a Wilder intelligence-based mage who increases the damage enemies receive from his allies and he can also shield his allies. He also deals AoE damage. Lorsan is used in the meta team comps like Zolrath burst or the famous Thoran Cheese. Lorsan’s abilities serve a niche role, which means he is only used for specific reasons and is not considered versatile. It’s not a smart move to use him as a DPS for both PvP and PvE.
Optimal Build for Lorsan
Artifact: Winged Warden (Alternative: Windbinder)
Signature Item Level: +20
Furniture: -/9 (Furniture for this hero is not worth investing in)
Engravings Level: E30
What Makes Lorsan Great
The meta comps that include Lorsan aim for his ability to channel damage to two different enemies at once and increase the damage his allies do with their ultimates. His skill “Gale Force” links up two enemies, and when the enemy receives damage, the linked enemy will receive up to 120% damage. Lorsan can also mark enemies with his “Inner Sight” ability which will allow the ultimate ability of his allies to produce 250% more damage for 4 seconds. He can also shield allies with “Wind Ward” which mitigates damage equal to 300% of Lorsan’s attack rating.
Lorsan’s signature item “Wind Keeper” gives up to 60 permanent Haste when an enemy dies from “Gale Force”.
His 9/9 furniture bonus grants dodge to allies when the shields from “Wind Ward” break, which can be used on all allies the first 2 times it is used.
10. Khazard
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From the Hypogean faction, Khazard is an intelligence-based mage who deals CC and debuff effects on enemies. His design and character revolve around being an ice/cryo sorcerer. Khazard is a great hero to build on that synergizes with Mehira, most particularly in the end game Campaign. But he isn’t as good in PvP and bosses.
Optimal Build for Khazard
Artifact: Dura’s Eye (Alternative: Warden of the Arcane)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 3/9
Engravings Level: E13 (Not a priority, but should be considered for Haste bonus)
What Makes Khazard Great
Khazard’s kit enables him to CC enemies with his “Frozen Beam” ability, firing ice beams that freeze enemies for 3 seconds which is long enough for a stun, dealing up to 270% damage. His ultimate ability, “Frozen Mist”, deals 45% damage per second and freezes enemies with HP lower than 30%. While this ability is present, “Frost Serpent” will attack and freeze enemies which deals up to 200% damage.
His signature item “Frozen Curse” at +30 lengthens the duration of the debuff effects of his skills by 60% while his normal attacks freeze enemies for 3 seconds.
Khazard’s 3/9 furniture bonus allows his “Glacial Shards” ability to freeze enemies for 1.5 seconds if the enemy is struck by shards twice.
9. Skriath
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Skriath is a Mauler intelligence-based mage whose skill set focuses on pulling enemy formations towards the center of his AoE, dealing damage, and buffing his allies. Skriath is a core member of most burst teams in the meta comps since his skillset and furniture bonuses are OP and unique.
Optimal Build for Skriath
Artifact: Windbinder (Alternative: Warden of the Arcane)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 3/9
Engravings Level: - (Engravings for this hero is not worth investing in)
What Makes Skriath Great
Skriath’s abilities benefit most meta team comps that focus on burst damage such as the Five-Pull comp or Lucretia Cheese.
His skill set includes messing with the enemy team’s formation and dealing damage in the process. Using his “Desert Vortex” ability, he pulls enemies to the center of the AoE and deals up to 80% damage per second. He also has the “Death From Above” ability which causes large rocks to fall onto enemies dealing up to 185% AoE damage.
Skriath’s 3/9 furniture pulls enemies at the top and bottom of their backline formation towards the center, making it easier for the ally team to do burst damage on all enemies due to their proximity.
8. Lyca
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Lyca is a Wilder ranger hero who is agility-based. Players love her for the fact that she casts Haste buff on her allies at the beginning of the battle - and having that tiny advantage makes a huge difference. She is an incredibly versatile buffer and can be put in comps such as Five-pull and Zolrath burst comp which requires immediate haste to be efficient. Lyca is widely used in PvE, PvP, boss fights, and events.
Optimal Build for Lyca
Artifact: Shroud of Verdure (Alternative: Verdant Longbow)
Signature Item Level: +20
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E30
What Makes Lyca Great
As mentioned, Lyca raises the Haste of all allies at the very beginning of the battle using her “Awe” ability. This deals 35 points of haste for up to 10 seconds due to her Engravings bonus. This ability also grants energy points to allies. Her ultimate ability, “Star Shot”, fires a huge arrow that knocks back enemies and deals up to 260% damage.
Lyca’s signature item “Starfall” increases the team’s accuracy by up to 100 points at level +30. This also raises damage for every accuracy point an ally has.
Her furniture bonus at 9/9 essentially enhances her skill “Rapid Arrows”, which now enables her to strike multiple nearest enemies at once with her normal attacks.
7. Mehira
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Mehira is a Hypogean intelligence-based mage who casts hypnotic abilities that can crowd-control and debuff enemies. She is known for her ultimate ability where enemies are entranced to attack each other instead of Mehira’s team. She deals AoE damage and can heal herself efficiently. Mehira is widely used in PvE and PvP due to her incredible performance in the endgame. Teams like Charmizard and God comp use Mehira to stall and produce massive CC.
Optimal Build for Mehira
Artifact: Windbinder (Alternative: Winged Warden)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E13
What Makes Mehira Great
When you combine great CC and debuff abilities, as well as a dash of AoE damage and self-heal, you know you have created this beautiful madness – and Mehira owns that. Her “Mesmerize” ability hypnotizes enemies to turn on each other with normal attacks for up to 5 seconds. She can also use “Whiplash” which deals up to 130% damage to enemies in front of her, and 50% of the damage is converted into her health. When she uses this ability on her allies, they will gain energy and haste. Mehira uses HP to spawn minions using her “Hellspawn” ability, but don’t worry, she’s good at healing herself.
Her signature item “Lash of Submission” will convert 10% of allies’ health loss into Mehira’s health. When she is at full HP, health received will be converted into energy.
Her furniture bonus at 9/9 empowers her minions, growing larger and now dealing 100% damage after initiating 4 attacks.
6. Grezhul
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Grezhul is a Graveborn strength-based tank who is known for summoning his minions while also being able to shield himself or his ally. This shield is deadly considering that, when it breaks, it deals damage to nearby enemies. Grezhul was one of the ignored heroes in the early and midgame, yet surprisingly bounced up the meta when furniture bonuses were introduced in the game. Almost all players agree that his furniture bonuses are the best in the entirety of the game. He is one of the core heroes of the Alna team comp which dominates the current endgame meta for both PvE and PvP.
Optimal Build for Grezhul
Artifact: Dura’s Eye (Alternative: Waistband of Resilience)
Signature Item Level: +20
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E60
What Makes Grezhul Great
Grezhul’s ultimate ability “Reanimate” allows him to cast a gravestone which has an AoE damage of 130%. Then he raises a skeletal warrior from the gravestone that attacks the enemy. This minion has the same level as Grezhul and loses health over time. Grez can debuff the damage output of the enemy and increase his attack ratings with “Demonic Assault.” Grezhul can also cast a shield to his furthest ally, and when it breaks, it deals up to 200% damage to surrounding enemies.
His signature item “The Slayer Blades” allows him to gain 20% HP when the skeletal warrior he summoned dies.
The furniture set bonus allows the ability “Shadow Shield” to deal damage when the ability ends, even when the shield has not been destroyed yet. This ability can now be applied to his minions.
5. Ainz Ooal Gown & Albedo
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The only two Dimensional heroes in this list: Ainz and Albedo. They are crossover characters from the anime “Overlord”. These two should be inseparable – as Ainz, who deals massive damage, needs a very tanky protector, whom he can synergize with. Ainz Ooal Gown is an intelligence-based mage who generates incredible damage to all enemies on the battlefield. On the other hand, Albedo is a strength-based tank who can deal AoE damage and protect her allies, with one of her skills prioritizing Ainz.
These two are core heroes for the Ainz Team comp. This formation just waits for Ainz to use his ultimate while every ally, most importantly Albedo, protects him in the process. They are both currently in the meta and are among the highest favored heroes in PvP. They also do great in PvE Campaign.
Optimal Build for Ainz Ooal Gown
Artifact: Warden of the Arcane (Alternative: Dura’s Blade)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E60
Optimal Build for Albedo
Artifact: Barricade (Alternative: Waistband of Resilience)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 3/9
Engravings Level: E41
What Makes Ainz Ooal Gown & Albedo Great
Ainz is by far the godfather of all Carry DPS heroes in AFK Arena. Just looking at the fact that his ultimate ability “Fallen Down” deals up to 580% of damage to all enemies will get you thinking that this hero is insanely broken. His other OP ability, “The Goal of All Life is Death”, decreases all enemies’ health by up to 55% when the battle reaches 24 seconds. He has a lot of other spells that he casts that are greatly damaging as well.
Albedo’s kit, on the other hand, revolves around shields and her tanky-ness. In particular, her ability “Shield Lord” lets her teleport to an ally that is near an enemy and deals up to 280% damage. This ability prioritizes Ainz if he is an ally above everyone else. She can also deal 300% AoE damage with her ultimate ability “Ginnungagap”. She can also generate shields for herself using “Black Guard”
Ainz’s signature item is just crazy OP since it deals extra 30% damage on his ultimate ability and removes its chanting phase the first 3 times it is used. Albedo’s signature item essentially raises the Defense by 25% and Attack ratings by 15% of all Dimensional allies for every Dimensional ally present in the team.
Ainz at 9/9 furniture now has 15 seconds until he casts “The Goal of All Life is Death”. Albedo’s 3/9 furniture bonus gives her an enraged mode where when Ainz dies or the first ally dies, she will be immune to CC and debuff, and 250% of her defense ratings will be converted to attack rating.
4. Thoran
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Thoran the Fallen King is a Graveborn strength-based tank who is well-known for his ability to resurrect once after dying. His ultimate ability lets him absorb damage in a focused state and channel all the received damage onto his enemies. He also entails some CC and debuff effects on his skills. Thoran is by far the most resilient hero in AFK Arena. He is the core of the Thoran Cheese comp where his allies gather enemies around Thoran so that he could use his ultimate ability more efficiently. Thoran is considered the best hero right now for endgame Campaign, but he doesn’t do as much in PvP.
Optimal Build for Thoran
Artifact: Dura’s Eye (Alternative: Dura’s Call)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 3/9
Engravings Level: E13
What Makes Thoran Great
Thoran is tanky for a fact. His skill set offers him healing as he receives damage, he’s like a thick wall in the front line. The ability “Taint” allows him to curse an enemy for up to 25 seconds, dealing damage that is 75% of the damage Thoran received. He also has “Resurrection” where he resurrects after death and can only be done once per battle. Executing this will restore up to 75% of his HP and stun enemies around him for 3 seconds. His ultimate ability “Retaliation”, which is OP, allows him to convert received damage in the focusing phase and deal this damage towards the enemy.
Thoran cannot be killed in the focusing phase of the first two times he uses “Retaliation” through his signature item “Vengeful Crown”
His 3/9 furniture bonus lets him pull enemies towards him when they are stunned by his ability “Resurrection”. This will be essential for proximity when he is ready to use his ultimate. Allies like Pippa, Kelthur help gather up enemies around him.
3. Lucretia
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Now entering the top 3, we have Lucretia, a Hypogean agility-based ranger and wreaks havoc with her life leech, energy regeneration abilities, and AoE damage. You can literally just build her enough to be the star of the team and let her allies die so her attack ratings are increased. This is basically the gist of Lucretia cheese team comp, where you sacrifice allies at the right timing so Lucretia can be buffed and annihilate enemies. She is used everywhere, from PvE to PvP, due to the versatile attributes that let her shine on her own.
The enraged and still gorgeous hero can grant herself attributes that will lead to her long survivability and great damage. Her “Twin Terrors” skill lets her gain up to 80 Dodge points and 30 Tenacity points if she is positioned in the frontline. On the other hand, she gains up to 25 Attack Speed points and 35 Crit Amplification points when she is positioned in the backline. She can use these simultaneously.
The first time she uses her ultimate ability “Ungodly Defiance”, she increases her Life Leech by 40 points and energy recovery rate at 50%. The succeeding times she uses her ultimate, she will deal up to 320% AoE damage to nearby enemies.
This is where crazy things happen: her signature item “Dark Star” lets her gain 150 energy points, 8 Haste points, and an increased Attack rating by 50% for 20 seconds whenever one of her allies dies.
Her furniture lets her empower the flames for “Hellfire” and will remain with her until the end of the battle, while also decreasing energy recovery rates and disabling usage of ultimate abilities of the enemies stricken by the flames. Talk about OP, right?
2. Alna
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Alna, the Frozen Mother, is a Celestial agility-based warrior who can cause freezing CC on enemies and also debuff them. She can also buff the ally standing with her on the frontlines. Alna is the core hero of her comp, along with the finest graveborn heroes. This team just annihilates with a very sturdy frontline. The comp has long dominated Championship Tournaments, and also the end game Campaign. Her astounding damage and durability have led to her dominating the meta in the end game.
Optimal Build for Alna
Artifact: Dura’s Eye (Alternative: Chaos)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 9/9
Engravings Level: E30
What Makes Alna Great
With “Winter War Cry”, Alna casts a blizzard which essentially decreases Haste for all, but deals up to 380% damage to the enemies. Her “Winter’s Call” lets her be immune to CC and damage for up to 9 seconds while also decreasing nearby enemies’ Dodge by 280 points. When she attacks with “Frozen Fury”, she decreases the enemies’ Haste and deals damage up to 250%.
Her signature item “Frostbite” lets her heal herself gradually when she receives damage, and when she reaches 50% HP, “Winter’s Call” is immediately triggered.
The beauty of her furniture bonus is that it also offers protection for the other frontline hero, creating this thick wall of tanks. Having her furniture at 9/9, Alna can use her “Winter’s Call” ability on her fellow frontline hero.
1. Rowan
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Last but not least, we have Rowan. Debatable, but we all know he’s the best Lightbearer and the best support in the game. Players sometimes ponder why this hero is not a god yet generate these awesome attributes and skills. If you tried building and playing him, you’d see that he’s almost always the last one standing.
Rowan is a Lightbearer intelligence-based support who can attack with his pet fortune duck, heal his allies with potions, and grant them energy points. He is widely used in many team comps due to his versatility and long survivability as a support. Even if he’s been around for a long time in the game, he still is in the top heroes within the endgame meta. You best be including him whenever you fight in guild bosses, labyrinth, arena, and so much more.
Optimal Build for Rowan
Artifact: Dura’s Call (Alternative: Tidebearer)
Signature Item Level: +30
Furniture: 3/9
Engravings Level: E30
What Makes Rowan Great
What else can be said about a support who has high Dodge, heals and regenerates energy of allies, and also deals a tad bit of damage? Read that again, he’s a support. Supports in the endgame are sometimes too squishy to even stay longer than 5 seconds. Rowan is so versatile you can even put him in the frontlines as a Pseudo-tank.
His ultimate ability, “Dazzle”, lets him throw out gold coins that can stun enemies for 4 seconds while his allies gain up to 70 energy points. His trusty fortune duck aids him by attacking an enemy multiple times for up to 80% damage while stealing their energy. He also has “Healthy Supplies”, healing potions that can be used by allies when their health drops to 50%.
His signature item “The Gold Chime” grants another potion, but this time an energy one which grants the ally up to a massive 400 energy points when drinking it. This can be restored every time Rowan sets up his stall.
When allies drink the health potions from “Healthy supplies”, his furniture bonus will allow them to regenerate 1% of their max health over 10 seconds.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that the list can change now and then as Lilith comes up with surprising updates and reworks. Heroes climb up and fall from the meta but they will always have their unique attributes that might eventually serve a new team comp’s purpose. There’s no mistaking that AFK Arena developers have put in deep thought about every character.
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