Epic and Rare heroes
All Gen 1 Epic and Rare heroes — skills, roles, and long-term value for gathering, hunting, and rally joining.
Epic (purple) and Rare (blue) heroes don’t belong to generations — they’re available from Day 1 and don’t receive Widgets or the three-skill slot that Mythic heroes do. Several have significant long-term value: Howard is a strong stackable rally joiner, Fahd is the dedicated hunting speed hero, and the four Rare heroes are your permanent gathering crew.
TL;DR
- Rare heroes are your permanent gathering team — Olive, Forrest, Seth, Edwin each specialize in one resource type and stay relevant indefinitely
- Howard is your best defensive rally joiner — level his first skill and keep him in your joiner lineup
- Fahd for sneak attacks and long-range marches where speed matters more than combat power
- Chenko is your primary combat joiner — first skill to max before anything else
- Yeonwoo doubles as joiner and passive Research Speed — worth having assigned
TL;DR
- Rare gathering heroes stay permanently useful regardless of spend level — assign them and don’t replace them
- Howard’s defensive buff stacks and contributes meaningfully in rally joins — worth first skill investment
- Fahd for sneak attacks and long-range marches — swap him out when maximum combat output is needed
- Chenko still earns first skill investment for joiner diversity
Epic heroes
Chenko
Class: Archer | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P (Intel Missions, events)
The benchmark rally joiner. His first skill — Stand of Arms — grants Squad Lethality (5% at Level 1, 25% at Level 5). Four Chenkos at max first skill produce 100% combined Lethality bonus to a rally, stacking additively with other Chenko copies and multiplicatively with different skill types.
Invest in his first skill only until you have other first-skill-eligible heroes at a high level.
Yeonwoo
Class: Archer | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P
Lethality-based first skill for rally joining (nearly identical to Chenko) and a passive Research Speed bonus (+15%) that applies permanently off-combat. Use whichever you have more shards for as your second combat joiner.
Howard
Class: Infantry | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P (shards from Bear Trap event)
One of the most underrated rally joiners in Gen 1. His first skill provides a strong Defense buff that is stackable — multiple Howard copies in a rally compound the defensive effect, making him meaningfully better than most F2P alternatives when your alliance can field several. Worth leveling his first skill and keeping in your joiner rotation.
Howard shards drop from the Bear Trap event, which runs frequently. F2P players can build him to a high star level without spending gems or competing with Mythic shard priorities — making him one of the best value investments available to F2P.
Quinn
Class: Cavalry | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P (also drops from Terror raids)
Reduces the percentage of casualties that die permanently rather than going to the infirmary. Pairs with Howard for early survivability. Less critical once your infirmary capacity covers your typical march size.
Gordon
Class: Cavalry | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P
Generic damage dealer with health restoration and damage reduction skills. Not a gathering hero. Sees limited use in rallies — he’s outclassed by Mythic options quickly and doesn’t fill a specific utility niche the way Howard or Fahd do.
Fahd
Class: Cavalry | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P
March speed specialist. His Pathfinder skill increases Solo Hunting March Speed by up to 100% at max level. The speed bonus is most useful when raw combat power isn’t the priority — sneak attacks, long-range hits where arrival timing matters, or quickly repositioning across the map. Don’t use him when maximum combat output is needed; his combat skills are weak compared to dedicated damage or defensive heroes.
Diana
Class: Cavalry | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P
Stamina cost reduction (Iron Constitution: 10–20%) and general march speed (Quick Paced: 20–100%). Useful for players running heavy schedules or needing faster march times across multiple activities.
Amane
Class: Support | Rarity: Epic | Accessibility: F2P
Healing speed bonus via Expedition skills. Useful for reducing infirmary queue time after combat-heavy events. Lower priority than Howard, Fahd, or Chenko.
Rare heroes
Rare (blue) heroes are the lowest rarity tier but have genuine long-term value — each one specializes in a specific resource type and permanently boosts both your city’s output and your wilderness gathering speed for that resource. Assign one to each relevant gathering march and keep them there indefinitely.
Olive
Class: Archer | Rarity: Rare | Accessibility: F2P
Food specialist. Green Thumb increases your town’s Mill output by up to 25%. Forager’s Luck increases Food Gathering Speed in the wilderness by up to 25%. Assign to all bread/food gathering marches permanently.
Forrest
Class: Infantry | Rarity: Rare | Accessibility: F2P
Wood specialist. Woodland Inheritor increases Sawmill output by up to 25%. Master Woodcutter increases Wood Gathering Speed in the wilderness by up to 25%. Assign to all wood gathering marches permanently.
Seth
Class: Infantry | Rarity: Rare | Accessibility: F2P
Iron specialist. Iron Bond increases your town’s Iron output by up to 25%. Iron Mining Speed increases Iron Mining Speed in the wilderness by up to 25%. Assign to all iron gathering marches permanently.
Edwin
Class: Infantry | Rarity: Rare | Accessibility: F2P
Stone specialist. Demolitions Expert increases your town’s Quarry output by up to 25%. Stone Mining increases Stone Mining Speed in the wilderness by up to 25%. Assign to all stone gathering marches permanently.