The best Kingshot heroes in November 2026 depend on the job: Amadeus is still the best Bear Trap rally leader at every generation, Chenko, Amane and Yeonwoo are the best rally joiners, and Hilde is the safest pick for both attacking and garrison rallies. Gen 8 (Luna, Liz and Diego) is the newest generation, and Luna is the only one of the three with a rally widget. Below is our Kingshot tier list for all 25 Legendary heroes, Gen 1 to Gen 8, plus the Epic joiners and the best line-ups for Bear Trap, rallies and garrisons.
Hero names, generations, classes and skill text come from Century Games’ official Kingshot wiki, which labels the generations S1 to S8 (checked November 3, 2026 UTC). The rally and garrison line-ups come from that wiki’s event guides. The tiers are GamingRoute’s opinion. We give a reason for every hero and checked our placements against three dated community tier lists, named further down.
Table of Contents
Quick answer: best Kingshot heroes
- Newest generation: Gen 8 (Luna, Liz, Diego) is the latest on the official wiki.
- Best long-term hero: Amadeus (Gen 1 Infantry). He has a Rally Attack widget, and the official Bear Hunt guide calls him the best Bear Trap infantry hero for good.
- Bear Trap rally leader: Amadeus + your best offensive Cavalry (Petra from Gen 3) + your best offensive Archer (Rosa from Gen 4, Yang from Gen 6). Free-to-play accounts can use Zoe in place of Amadeus.
- Bear Trap joiners: put Chenko, Amane, Yeonwoo, Amadeus, Margot or Vivian in the left-most slot, with that hero’s first Expedition skill at level 5.
- Garrison (Castle Battle defense): Hilde, Saul, Gordon or Howard as joiners. Lead with Jaeger plus your newest defensive Infantry and Cavalry.
- Don’t spread resources thin: the Hero Roulette hero of each generation is the realistic free-to-play build.
The Gen 3 heroes: Petra, in every official Bear Trap line-up from Gen 3 to Gen 6, with Eric and Jaeger, both garrison leaders. Image: Century Games
How we ranked the heroes
Every Kingshot hero has two skill sets. Conquest skills work in hero-only fights such as Conquest and the Arena. Expedition skills buff your troops in marches, rallies, Bear Trap and Castle Battle. Our tiers weigh Expedition first, because that is where most of a hero’s account value comes from.
- S: build first at its generation, and it stays useful one or more generations later.
- A: a strong core pick at its generation.
- B: situational. Garrison specialists, or kits that need a particular troop mix.
- C: economy or early-game use only.
The gear bonus column shows each hero’s exclusive gear (the “widget”). It boosts either rallies you start (Rally) or your defending troops (Defender). The official Bear Hunt guide says only offensive widgets apply against the Bear, so the widget tells you where a hero belongs.
Kingshot tier list by generation (Gen 1 to Gen 8)
Gen 1 to Gen 3 heroes
| Gen | Hero (class) | Our tier | Why | Gear bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amadeus (Infantry) | S | +25% squad Lethality and Attack, plus a 40% chance of +50% damage; the best Bear rally leader | Rally Attack |
| 1 | Jabel (Cavalry) | A | Free early Cavalry in the wiki’s Gen 1 Bear line-ups; also a garrison pick | Defender Lethality |
| 1 | Helga (Infantry) | B | The only other infantry with an offensive widget, but the wiki says Amadeus edges her out | Rally Lethality |
| 1 | Saul (Archer) | B | Growth hero: up to -15% construction time and cost; a top garrison joiner | Defender Attack |
| 2 | Hilde (Cavalry) | S | Attack and Defense joiner buff; the wiki’s number 1 Castle Battle joiner for attack and defense | Defender Health |
| 2 | Marlin (Archer) | A | Damage procs and enemy Lethality cuts; the wiki’s Bear archer for Gen 2 and 3 spenders | Rally Lethality |
| 2 | Zoe (Infantry) | A | The wiki’s free-to-play Bear rally leader from Gen 2 to Gen 6 | Defender Attack |
| 3 | Petra (Cavalry) | S | Enemy damage-taken curse and Attack procs; in every wiki Bear line-up from Gen 3 to Gen 6 | Rally Attack |
| 3 | Jaeger (Archer) | A | In the wiki’s garrison line-up at every generation from 3 to 7 | Defender Health |
| 3 | Eric (Infantry) | B | Cuts enemy Attack by 20% and squad damage taken by 20%; garrison leader | Defender Defense |
The wiki’s hero index spells the Gen 3 archer “Jaegar”; his skill text says Jaeger.
Gen 4 to Gen 6 heroes
| Gen | Hero (class) | Our tier | Why | Gear bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Rosa (Archer) | A | +30% Archer Attack; the wiki’s Bear archer for spenders and free players from Gen 4 | Rally Lethality |
| 4 | Margot (Cavalry) | A | Flat +25% squad Attack joiner skill and a dodge chance; garrison leader | Defender Lethality |
| 4 | Alcar (Infantry) | B | Up to +100% Infantry damage; the wiki’s Gen 4 garrison leader | Defender Health |
| 5 | Vivian (Archer) | A | +25% enemy damage taken for all squads, a top joiner skill; strong in garrisons | Defender Defense |
| 5 | Thrud (Cavalry) | B | Cavalry-driven kit; the wiki warns she loses much of her skill power without Cavalry | Rally Lethality |
| 5 | Long Fei (Infantry) | B | Damage-reduction chance and +25% Defense; the wiki’s Gen 5 garrison leader | Defender Attack |
| 6 | Yang (Archer) | S | Archer damage procs and a Rally Lethality widget; the wiki’s Gen 6 Bear archer | Rally Lethality |
| 6 | Triton (Infantry) | A | +25% Defense and +30% skill damage; the wiki’s Gen 6 garrison lead and an attack backup for Amadeus | Defender Defense |
| 6 | Sophia (Cavalry) | B | Terror and damage-reduction chances; in the wiki’s Gen 6 and 7 garrison line-ups | Defender Lethality |
Rally fights such as Bear Trap and Castle Battle reward the right first-slot joiner hero more than raw power. Image: Century Games
Gen 7 and Gen 8 heroes
| Gen | Hero (class) | Our tier | Why | Gear bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Ava (Cavalry) | S | -25% enemy Defense, +25% Lethality and a damage window every 4 turns; the wiki’s Gen 7 attack Cavalry | Rally Lethality |
| 7 | Wee & Woo (Archer) | A | +15% Attack and +10% Lethality as a joiner; in the wiki’s Gen 7 attack line-up | Defender Attack |
| 7 | Charles (Infantry) | A | -20% enemy Lethality, -20% damage taken, +25% Health; the wiki’s Gen 7 garrison leader | Defender Health |
| 8 | Luna (Archer) | S | +25% squad Attack, up to +50% Archer damage, and the only Gen 8 rally widget | Rally Attack |
| 8 | Diego (Infantry) | A | +25% Lethality plus Defense and Health buffs; a mixed kit for the newest Infantry slot | Defender Defense |
| 8 | Liz (Cavalry) | B | +25% Health; her Lethality and Cavalry boosts are chance-based | Defender Lethality |
The official wiki has no Gen 8 rally or garrison line-ups yet, so the Gen 8 rows rest on the skill text alone. We’ll revisit them when the wiki or Century Games publish more.
Epic and Rare heroes (joiners and economy)
| Hero (class, rarity) | Our tier | Best use | First Expedition skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chenko (Cavalry, Epic) | S | Attack and Bear joiner | Stand of Arms: +25% squad Lethality |
| Amane (Archer, Epic) | S | Attack and Bear joiner | Tri-Phalanx: +25% squad Attack |
| Yeonwoo (Archer, Epic) | S | Attack and Bear joiner | On Guard: +25% squad Lethality |
| Gordon (Cavalry, Epic) | A | Garrison joiner | Super Nutrients: +25% squad Health |
| Howard (Infantry, Epic) | B | Garrison joiner (weakest of the wiki’s four); early F2P rally leader | Defenders’ Edge: -20% damage taken |
| Quinn (Archer, Epic) | B | Early F2P Bear archer; garrison joiner option | Precision Shot: -20% damage taken |
| Fahd (Cavalry, Epic) | B | Garrison joiner option | Desert Eclipse: -20% enemy damage dealt |
| Diana (Archer, Epic) | C | Map farming | Iron Constitution: up to -20% Governor Stamina cost |
| Olive, Edwin, Forrest, Seth (Rare) | C | Gathering and production | Up to +25% Mill, Quarry, Sawmill or Iron output |
Best heroes for Bear Trap
The official Bear Hunt for Beginner guide (updated October 27, 2026) explains why the Bear is a pure damage check. It never fights back. It counts as 5,000 infantry, so Archers deal 10% extra damage to it. Every fight runs the full 10 rounds. Max out Trap Enhancement at level 5 for +25% Attack for the whole alliance.
Leading a rally: all three Expedition skills of every hero apply, and hero placement doesn’t matter. You get up to 5 rallies per event. The wiki’s advanced Bear Hunt guide gives these line-ups:
| Gen | Spender line-up | Free-to-play line-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amadeus (or Helga), Jabel, Saul | Howard, Jabel, Quinn |
| 2 | Amadeus, Hilde, Marlin | Zoe, Jabel, Quinn |
| 3 | Amadeus, Petra, Marlin | Zoe, Petra, Quinn or Jaeger |
| 4 and 5 | Amadeus, Petra, Rosa | Zoe, Petra, Rosa |
| 6 | Amadeus, Petra, Yang | Zoe, Petra, Rosa |
The wiki’s table stops at Gen 6. For Gen 7 and 8, our read of the skill text is Amadeus, Ava and Yang, then Amadeus, Ava and Luna once Gen 8 opens. Ava and Luna both carry offensive widgets, and Wee & Woo’s widget is a defensive one. That’s our opinion, not a tested result. The advanced guide suggests a 10/10/80 Infantry/Cavalry/Archer ratio for rallies you open and 20/30/50 for rallies you join once your army is big enough.
Joining a rally: only one skill counts, the first Expedition skill of the hero in your left-most slot. The rally keeps only the 4 highest-level joiner skills, and you can join up to 6 marches. The advanced guide’s Tier S joiners for Gen 1 to 6 are Amadeus, Chenko, Amane, Yeonwoo, Margot and Vivian, with Hilde and Yang as alternatives. It suggests avoiding Thrud, Marlin, Petra and Rosa, whose first skills are chance-based or only boost some troop types. From Gen 7 on, we’d add Ava (-25% enemy Defense), Wee & Woo and Luna (+25% Attack). If you have no good joiner left, the wiki advises sending troops without a hero. A wrong hero’s skill can take a slot from someone else’s better skill.
Best heroes for rallies and Castle Battle
The official Castle Battle for Beginners guide (updated October 27, 2026) ranks joiner heroes, assuming the key skill is at level 5 and the hero is in the first slot:
- Attacking (joining rallies): 1. Hilde, 2. Amane (up to +25% Attack), 3. Chenko (up to +25% Lethality), 4. Amadeus (up to +25% Lethality). The guide also names Margot (Attack) and Yeonwoo (Lethality).
- Defending (in turrets and the castle): 1. Hilde, 2. Saul, 3. Gordon, 4. Howard, which it calls the weakest option.
The advanced Castle Battle guide gives these rally leader line-ups:
| Gen | Attack rally | Garrison rally |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Amadeus, Petra, Marlin | Eric, Jaeger, Hilde |
| 4 | Amadeus, Petra, Rosa | Alcar, Jaeger, Margot |
| 5 | Amadeus, Petra or Thrud, Rosa | Long Fei, Jaeger, Margot |
| 6 | Amadeus or Triton, Petra or Thrud, Yang | Triton, Jaeger, Sophia |
| 7 | Amadeus (or Triton or Charles), Ava, Wee & Woo | Charles, Jaeger, Sophia |
Its default attack ratio is 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry and 30% Archers. For garrison joiners it adds Quinn, Fahd, Triton and Eric up to Gen 7.
Best free-to-play heroes
You don’t need to spend money to follow this list. Put your shards into one hero per role, starting with the free or Hero Roulette heroes. Kingshot Optimizer lists those as Jabel (Gen 1, farmable), Zoe, Petra, Rosa, Long Fei, Sophia and Wee & Woo (Gen 2 to 7). Kingshot Mastery names Diego as the Gen 8 Roulette hero. For joining, the Epic trio of Chenko, Amane and Yeonwoo stays in the top joiner tier at every generation on both the official Bear guide and Kingshot Mastery’s list. Our Kingshot gift codes list has free speedups and gems with redeem steps, and our Kingshot beginner guide covers the first-week build order.
How our tiers compare with other tier lists
None of these community lists is official:
- Kingshot Mastery (modified November 2, 2026; all 37 heroes, Gen 1 to 8, split by role): S rally leaders Amadeus, Petra, Marlin, Thrud, Vivian, Yang, Ava and Luna; S+ Bear joiners Chenko, Amadeus, Yeonwoo, Amane, Margot, Vivian, Wee & Woo, Ava and Luna. It puts Diego in A for garrison and Liz in B as a joiner.
- Pocket Gamer (updated November 2, 2026, game version 1.14.16): a single list with S+ for Vivian, Thrud, Sophia, Jabel, Jaeger, Petra, Amadeus, Triton, Yang and Marlin, and Chenko, Amane and Yeonwoo only in B. It leaves out Rosa, Margot, Alcar, Long Fei and every Gen 7 and Gen 8 hero.
- Kingshot Optimizer (role tier lists for Gen 1 to 8; its written guide was last modified July 3, 2026 and covers Gen 1 to 7): calls Amadeus the “unchallenged king” of Bear rally leading, Petra the best Bear Cavalry until Ava in Gen 7, and Yang a big Bear upgrade over Rosa.
They agree on Amadeus, Petra, Yang and Ava. They split on the Epic joiners: role-based lists rank them top tier for joining, while Pocket Gamer’s single list rates them low overall. Our placements follow the official wiki line-ups wherever it has them. If you also play Century Games’ other survival strategy game, our Whiteout Survival tier list uses the same format, and our list of games like Whiteout Survival covers similar strategy games.
FAQ
Who is the best hero in Kingshot?
For most accounts it’s Amadeus. His three offensive Expedition skills and Rally Attack widget keep him in the official Bear Trap and Castle Battle line-ups from Gen 1 to Gen 7. For joining rallies, Chenko, Amane and Yeonwoo do the most for the least investment.
What is the newest hero generation in Kingshot?
Gen 8 (Luna, Liz and Diego) is the newest generation on the official wiki as of November 3, 2026. New generations unlock as your kingdom ages. Kingshot Mastery estimates about every 80 days, with Gen 8 from around day 533.
Which Kingshot heroes should I focus on?
Build one rally leader trio (Amadeus or Zoe, your newest offensive Cavalry and your newest offensive Archer) and level the first Expedition skill of one or two joiners to 5. Add Hilde if your alliance fights Castle Battles.
Sources: Kingshot official wiki (Century Games): Heroes, Bear Hunt for Beginner, Bear Hunt, Castle Battle for Beginners, Castle Battle; tier lists by Kingshot Mastery, Pocket Gamer and Kingshot Optimizer. Checked November 3, 2026 UTC.
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