Which are the heroes that you need to outmatch your enemies in State of Survival?
State of Survival is a fascinating strategy and resource management game, its basic system offering plenty of possibilities depending on where one's energies are focused. But as with many games of its kind, it's easy to make a mistake that is not too easily remedied, it can be unforgiving when one makes the wrong choice, and picking the right heroes is one of the harder challenges. With the appearance of stronger-looking options as the game progresses it's a smart idea to plan ahead. So after some careful investigation and a lot of trial and error, here is a list of what heroes will prove most effective and worthwhile, and which ones are best left off for your last march at Trap.
S Tier. These are the heroes you are going to want leading or joining rallies and garrisons. Because of their strong stats and unique abilities, they will have an easier time in battle against other heroes and will allow for more varied and effective formations. They can be harder to obtain but once on your roster they will greatly increase your army's effectiveness.
1. Joker (S Tier).
Resonating characters have the potential to be amongst the strongest in the game, and that is especially true of Joker. He is by far the most effective rider hero regardless of the generation of heroes available in the state, well past the point where Wacko and Darryl begin to falter. As a joiner, you don’t even need to have him resonating at a high level as long as the hero he's linked to has its first skill maxed out. As a lead though, Joker is only worthwhile once it reaches its fourth star. Getting it to that point requires investing in him, but his lasting durability makes it well worth it.
What Joker Excels In:
- Best rider hero of any generation.
- Essential to all formations in every generation.
- Good performance in Trap, Reservoir Raid and Showdown.
2. Wacko (S Tier).
Another strong resonating hero, and the best infantry hero available until G6 heroes are released. He becomes less useful afterward but is essential in the early to middle stages of the game. Players going into battle without him will be at a disadvantage when fighting those who do. His damage output is impressive, and his healing makes him a key hero to lead rallies and garrisons. As a resonating hero, it also demands a fair amount of investment to reach the strength necessary to man the frontlines, but once there it makes things a lot easier.
What Wacko Excels In:
- Best infantry hero until Gen 6.
- Great for PvP, bad for Trap, and average on Reservoir Raid.
- Available early on.
3. Roxy (S Tier).
Roxy is a fantastic hunter hero, quite possibly the best of any generation, outperforming all others until Gen 6, and remaining a great defensive hero past that point. Her special abilities make her an important addition to both defense and offense. She is more than worth the investment in time and resources to power her up upon release, as her usefulness far outlasts that of most other heroes.
What Roxy Excels In:
- Great hero with good abilities.
- Essential once available.
- Defensive mainstay through Gen 9.
4. Hank (S Tier).
Once Wacko becomes less of an asset, Hank becomes the best infantry hero one can get. Good at defense and unequaled in attack, Hank remains a great infantry hero even past its introduction. He is a better alternative to Wacko than Magnus, remains stronger than Derek until the colonel rank while sharing the same special abilities, and performs well at Trap.
What Hank Excels In:
- Best hero available upon its release and past.
- Easy to get through Ray’s Place.
- Good at Trap, great for PvP.
5. Cardini (S Tier).
Although Joker makes for the best rider hero he's not the easiest to get, much less to get to higher levels of resonation. Players looking to spend little or not at all would do well in considering Cardini as an alternative. He makes a good match with Grimm by himself, resonates better with Joker than Courtney, and is much easier to obtain through Ray's Place.
What Cardini Excels In:
- Best option to resonate with Joker until late into Gen 9, and a good alternative by himself.
- Easier to get than Martha and stronger as well.
- Terrible at Trap.
6. Daryl (S Tier).
The last of the three resonating heroes at the head of any good player's march, Daryl stops being as useful past Gen 4 with the arrival of Roxy. But even then he still has his uses, proving good at defense against hunter-heavy formations. Although Roxy makes for a better hunter once she becomes available, Daryl is unparalleled until then and essential to any top player’s roster at the earlier stages of a state. And at least for Reservoir Raid, he’ll always be an asset.
What Daryl Excels In:
- Best Hunter hero through Gen 4.
- Good at RR.
- Strongest hunter option if available.
A-Tier. These are strong heroes you will need to keep ahead of the competition or fill up multiple formations with. Some might be in your main march for a while, but ultimately they become secondary as the next generations of heroes make their appearance. Keep an eye on them and pay them some care and attention, you’ll be relying on them for a long time even if they’re not leading your main armies.
1. Mikoto (A Tier)
Daryl is definitely the better resonating hunter hero, but in states where he is unavailable, Mikoto makes for a fine substitute and is not too hard to get. She gives a small gathering bonus, does well in Reservoir Raid, and her fast skills make her one of the better hunter heroes for Trap. She will be in most of your good marches until Roxy comes along.
What Mikoto Excels In:
- Alternative to Daryl.
- Good for Trap and RR.
- An early mainstay of good formations.
2. Tyler (A Tier).
Tyler is a strong hunter hero, he can deal out a lot of punishment. Daryl is always the better option, but even resonated with Mikoto or by himself he is a great hero to send into a battle. He is quite good for Trap, which will help make your hero gear better quicker at a crucial stage. With good abilities both for attack and defense, he is definitely a good investment.
What Tyler Excels In:
- High damage, versatile hero.
- The best for Trap.
- Good for resonating.
4. Martha (A Tier).
Don’t let the look fool you, although hardly as good as Joker, Martha is an excellent rider hero. She resonates well with him too, and if you can’t get Joker she is a good hero to focus on once she shows up. Her skills affect infantry, which is always nice. She doesn’t do very well at Trap though.
What Martha Excels In:
- Great rider hero, good resonating or replacing Joker.
- A solid set of skills and abilities.
- Not good for Trap.
5. Ash (A Tier).
Although Wolfe comes out earlier, Ash is a very strong infantry hero, resonates well, and performs very well at Trap. Her skills can make her damage a bit unpredictable, but very satisfying when luck is on your side. As stronger heroes come out she’ll stop seeing much use, but if you’re not investing in Wacko Ash will see you through until these stronger infantry heroes come out. And even if you have Wacko she is quite easy to get and power up through Ray’s Place and events.
What Ash Excels In:
- Strong, easy to get infantry.
- Available relatively early.
- Great for Trap.
6. Miho (A Tier)
Miho comes out at the same time as Ash but takes a bit more effort to get and power up. Investing in her early is definitely a good idea though. Even as stronger rider heroes come out you will still be using her, and having a stronger Miho early on will let you reap her benefits for a long time. Her skills are very handy, and if you don’t have Joker she is the one to focus on until stronger heroes come out in later generations.
What Miho Excels In:
- Very good for PvP.
- Early alternative to Joker.
- Versatile with a good set of skills
B-Tier. These are heroes that will see a lot of action for a short time and will remain a constant in the long run in your secondary marches. Some are early strong heroes that are replaced at the head of your armies quickly, some are from later generations but don’t offer that much more when compared to earlier heroes. You’ll be wanting to get a few of these though, you’ll be needing good backup heroes to remain versatile and strong as the state grows and progresses
1. Arthur
2. Tina
3. Essie
4. Magnus
5. Eli
6. Nanami
7. Travis
8. Zoe
9. Jeb
Arthur’s skills can make him an interesting hunter hero, but although he does well in PvP he isn’t all that strong otherwise. Tina is another solid alternative to Joker when looking at rider heroes and works well when teamed up with Magnus. Essie is the best resonating with Joker so far, but only at the highest ranks and isn’t much good for anything else.
As far as infantry heroes, Magnus is actually quite strong, the first one to beat Wacko and very good for Trap, but is replaced by Hank by the next generation so you might want to pace yourself. Eli is a good infantry hero and resonates well with Wacko, but both stop being worth the effort once Magnus and then Hank show up.
As for the early heroes, Nanami is a strong infantry lead, easy and cheap to power up very early on, and Travis is the easiest hero to get to general and will always see play because of his stamina reduction and bonuses against infected. Zoe and Jeb are both good heroes from the first generations of heroes but don’t go much further than that, although Zoe is worth some attention when she first shows up and Jeb is not bad if you can afford to power him up.
C-Tier. The epic and rare heroes will always see some use, at least for gathering, and their fragments are the easiest to get and good for points during events. The legendary heroes can be worth getting to keep up with other players but won’t be seeing that much use as newer heroes come along save for some exceptions, such as Luca for Trap. All and all they’re good, and you’ll always be needing heroes to fill out as many marches as you can, but these heroes will either power up organically or have better options to focus on when they’re released or shortly after.
1. Rusty
2. Ghost
3. Chef
4. Maddie
5. Mike
6. Lucky
7. Ray
8. Sarge
9. Eva
10. Jane
11. Tony
12. Eunjoo
13. Wolfe
14. Candy
15. Nicola
16. Brooke
17. Julie
18. Tweak
19. Jess
20. Luca
21. Courtney
22. Grimm
Ultimately, you’ll need to keep an eye on the results you’re getting as your heroes, gear, research, and most importantly opponents develop. For its portability and simple mechanics, State of Survival offers a great deal of variation in the details and enough chances for experimenting to keep things interesting for a long time, making it a pretty good war and strategy multiplayer game. The following articles are filled with a lot of great strategy and war games. Some might be harder to find than others, but it’s usually those hidden gems that can give the most hours of fun.
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