From time to time I reserve the right to edit this guide as the game as updated or changes to the game are made. I may also reword, rewrite, remove, or add to what I have written to the entries I have for each hero if and as my perspective for certain heroes may change as well.

Note as well that while I have Ayairi and Esseb at the bottom of the guide, I will not be including the Recruitment section for those heroes due to the secret nature of obtaining them. At the same time I will try to limit what I say to avoid spoilers for those who wish to try and figure out how to obtain those heroes without help.

Prisoner Faction - Use Pistol

Pros - Jack of all Trades, Can Operate at Level 4, Can Repair at Level 7
Has Useful Skills for Opening Doors, Good Speed
Cons - But Master of None, Below Average Stats, Extremely Weak Early On

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Endless Expert (Passive)
(Self) +2 to Science resource per turn
Level 2: Verbal Abuse (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +12, (Heroes in room) Defense +25
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Pilfer (Passive)
(Self) Dust +1 when opening a room with Dust
Level 7: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 9: Run Away (Active)
(Self) Speed +25
Level 10: Pilfer II (Passive)
(Self) Dust +2 when opening a room with Dust
Level 12: Verbal Abuse II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +20, (Heroes in room) Defense +40
Level 13: Endless Expert II (Passive)
(Self) +3 to Science resource per turn
Level 15: Pilfer III (Passive)
(Self) Dust +3 when opening a room with Dust

Overview

A character with a lot of useful skills, but lackluster stats. Max is a fairly weak combatant that can be really challenging to play. You can make use of him really in any role that generally doesn't include fighting - but any role you put him into he isn't necessarily going to be great at. It is worth noting though that as Max levels up, he does progressively get more useful - eventually he'll be a great Door Opener starting at level 10.

Strategy

Max is perhaps my pick for the most challenging to play Hero in game. He is near useless and needs to be constantly babied early on in the game; until around where he reaches double digit levels with some decent items available on him. While you can throw Max into whatever role you need fielded at the moment, Max isn't going to do said role all that well and he'll need to be watched over should enemies come a calling in his direction.

Discouraged from using him? Well, there is a lot of good attributes to him that shouldn't necessarily be overlooked. Max has a plethora of skills which can help maximize your resource game throughout gameplay. He starts with Endless Expert which allows him to give you a constant boost to your science, and when you get to Level 4 when he learns Operate you can just drop him off at a Module for a little extra production from that module.

Where Max really begins to shine though is when you begin to get him up in levels. Ideally if you can get him to level 10, you'll have potentially one of the best door opening heroes in the game; because Max gets access to Pilfer II and in the late levels where dust begins to get scarce that can be extremely helpful. He also would have picked up Run Away at level 9, which is useful for allowing Max to book it after opening a door.

Finally, when using him you should think about how to keep him out of harms way as much as possible. If you are using Max then you are using him either to pump out a bit more resources, to open doors for a bit more Dust, or just for the natural Science output boost he gives. Max isn't about fighting enemies so you should try to make sure he doesn't to begin with. This doesn't mean that he is incapable of fighting enemies - and with decent enough equipment he can pack a punch, but generally there are better characters to make use of to do that.

Recruitment

Max starts the game being a complete pushover in combat and unable to really help out his fellow Heroes, and for those reason he probably shouldn't be picked as a starting character for a new game. You may consider picking up Max if you really like to max out your science output at the start of the game due to Endless Expert, but know that it will be quite a challenge keeping him alive - not to mention quite expensive on food.

As he levels up, Max begins to gain access to the useful skills such as Operate, Repair, and Pilfer; which helps to flesh out his ability to contribute to your resources. This can make him a little more attractive to recruit - but note that if you already have a couple of operators and good Hero to open doors already, then you may want to pass him up for a more combat oriented hero.

What it comes down to with having Max on your team is that he is a good consideration 'After' making sure you can hold off enemies with your other heroes. Then you can make use of him to his fullest without costing yourself and arm and a leg to look after him.

Crew Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - Extremely Fast, Level Ups increase Speed further, Learns Repair at Level 3
Slows Down Enemy Movement with Neurostun Lite
Cons - Low Health, A Little Item Dependent

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Run Away (Active)
(Self) Speed +25
Level 3: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 4: Neurostun Lite (Passive)
(Monsters in room) Speed -4
Level 6: Engage Turtle Mode (Active)
(Self) Defense +130, (Self) Speed -30
Level 7: Pickpocket (Passive)
(Target) Dust loot probability from monsters +12%
Level 9: Run Away II (Active)
(Self) Speed +30
Level 11: Neurostun Lite II (Passive)
(Monsters in room) Speed -7
Level 13: Engage Turtle Mode II (Active)
(Self) Defense +200, (Self) Speed -20
Level 15: Run Away III (Active)
(Self) Speed +40

Overview

The fastest character in game - but not exactly all that strong in any other department. Sara comes off to many as being one of the weakest in the game due to her lower health value and seemingly innate ability to be the center of attention of all incoming attacks. To be blunt, she is a glass cannon that is easily shattered and forever needing a constant supply of food to keep alive when an enemy so much as looks at her.

Strategy

Being extremely quick, Sara is your go to character for when you feel the need for speed. This comes into play when you might need to move the crystal or just need to rush from one part of the dungeon to another for one reason or another. Notably, she gets Repair, making her useful for repairing modules after all the fighting begins to cease; useful early when no one has Repair and later on if you don't want to move Heroes away from operated Modules.

Unfortunately, despite Sara's speed and ability to repair modules, her remaining stats and skills leave a little bit to be desired - specifically of these, her low health. While she might be able to go wherever you need her quickly, she isn't going to be all that useful if enemies so much as glance at her, and enemies LOVE to attack Sara. She does have the Engage Turtle Mode skill which can help increase her defense temporarily, but even then she is a squishy turtle.

This doesn't mean that Sara is unplayable however. The key thing to note is that Sara can be useful so long as you can avoid having her attacked. If you can stick Sara in rooms where other heroes have the Me First! skill or stick an item on Sara to give her Skulking, you'll help alleviate a lot of the problems of using her - Skulking in particular can be a really good boon as combined with her quick speed, can allow her to bolt into the darkness to target special enemies - use this against Chimera Keepers or Hurna Riders for example and you can make the later dungeon levels much easier to play.

Just keep in mind that you even if enemies can't attack Sara directly, they can attack her indirectly. Area of Effect attacks will still hit Sara, so watch her in battles with those types of enemies. Also, don't pair Sara with Gork unless you are doing so with less then 5 floors to the end of the game - they have issues and don't play well together in the long term. If the game will end soon though, Gork can use War Cry which can make him a good shield for Sara over the short term.

Recruitment

In general, Sara Numas is one of the weaker characters to start the game with. Being a part of the Crew faction she is more expensive to level up, and though she gets Repair very early at Level 3, she doesn't really get combat effective until Level 6 with Engage Turtle Mode.

Even recruited later on with substantial levels of 6+ she will always be extremely susceptible to dying. This isn't to say that she is useless - in examining Sara's attributes for this guide I started a game with her and Elise on Easy and managed to have her survive all the way through - but she certainly eats a huge chunk of food and she needs to run away from some battles.

However, as noted already, if you find an item that gives Skulking then it combines well with using her. In such a scenario you should seriously consider recruiting her - potentially even dismissing a current hero if needed. Her ability to run rampant around the map to to where she is needed while being able to avoid being targets will up her use dramatically.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Machine Gun

Pros - High Health, High Damage Capability, and Tanking Ability
Cons - Extremely Slow


Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Psycho Killer (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +15, Speed +15
Level 3: Soylent Green (Passive)
(Self) Food +0.2 per killed monster
Level 5: War Cry (Active)
(Self) Aggro all mobs, Defense +70
Level 7: Bloody Showman (Passive)
Self) Attack Power +4 per monster in the room (temporarily, max 30)
Level 9: Psycho Killer II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +25, Speed +20
Level 11: Bloody Showman II (Passive)
Self) Attack Power +6 per monster in the room (temporarily, max 40)
Level 13: War Cry II (Active)
(Self) Aggro all mobs, Defense +110
Level 15: Psycho Killer III (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +35, Speed +25

Overview

Tough, powerful, and capable of 'butchering' opponents, Gork is who you call when you need a stop gap against the enemies. Gork is your in game tanking hero that will soak up the damage and dish it out - just note that if he needs to move from one location to another he is going to take a little time in commuting.

Strategy

Gork is you goto Hero when you need a position defended - and defended well. His stats and skills are completely lopsided towards killing things and taking the punishment over other Heroes he is teamed up with. What's also nice is that he gets Soylent Green, which helps to pay for the heal costs he may incur as he battles on.

The main drawback in using him is that he moves quite slowly, meaning he will be late to the party if he needs to get somewhere else or a poor candidate to use when opening doors and running back towards more defensible positions. He also can't operate, and if you give him items that allow him to operate, he does so quite poorly.

But who really cares about the drawbacks when you have a killing machine, and that is what Gork is all about really. He's pretty strong at all levels, though as his levels increase he gets mad health gains and his damage output is always really good. Remember to feed him his food when he begins to show signs of taking real damage, but for the most part you can relax and let him just kill whatever wanders over to him.

Also worth special note is Gork's War Cry ability. If you need enemies that don't normally target heroes to drop what they are doing, Gork can get their attention - good to keep modules or the Crystal alive. You can also use it to protect weaker Heroes that may be taking too much damage if need be too. Just be careful because all enemies in the room will target Gork; that also means kamikaze enemies which can do loads of damage.

Recruitment

Gork is worth recruiting early on as he is quite strong if left unleveled for a while, or easy to level up quickly if desired. If leveled up early he can do a lot of good in preventing a lot of dire situations from coming about - such as your crystal getting shattered by a horde of Necrophage Crystophiles or a weaker Hero being killed.

He's also worthy of being recruited later too, but one should keep in mind that as the Dungeon gets progressively bigger, Gork will have a tougher time reaching places he needs to be if he needs to move about. Still, if you know where a lot of enemies are coming then Gork can hold down the fort for you more then adequately until the end of the game.

Crew Faction - Uses Pistol

Pros - Above Average Stats, Powerful Team Buffs & Health Regeneration,
Can Operate At Level 4, Tends to Avoid Enemy Aggro
Cons - Works Poorly Alone, Weaker Early On

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 2: Paramedic (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +12, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +6
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Placebo (Passive)
(Heroes in powered room) Health Regen +10
Level 7: Verbal Abuse (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +12, (Heroes in room) Defense +25
Level 9: Iron Fist (Passive)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +4 for each other hero in the room
Level 9: Paramedic II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +20, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +10/
Level 12: Placebo II (Passive)
(Heroes in powered room) Health Regen +15
Level 13: Iron Fist II (Passive)
Heroes in room) Attack Power +8 for each other hero in room
Level 15: Paramedic III (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +28, (Heroes in floor) Health Regen +14

Overview

Starting off perhaps a little weak, Nurse Deena Ratchet can be a valuable hero in the long run due to her ability to provide powerful Health Regeneration abilities to herself and other heroes. She's a team player, despite the in game lore insinuating that she isn't; so be sure to keep friends around for when she needs them. She has the ability to Operate at Level 4, but she can be used in other roles if necessary.

Strategy

Deena is generally a good all rounder character. While not necessarily in the category of Jack of all Trades, she can perform many functions as the case may be. Her main specialty is to buff herself and fellow heroes so she pairs well when in a team where Heroes can cluster all together in the same room. That said, her Paramedic skill can still effect Heroes in other rooms if needed.

Once she gets the ability to Operate at Level 4, she should be placed next to a major module to help garner extra resources. Depending on the situation you may want to place her a bit back to help keep her out of combat, or right at the front with other powerful Heroes where her powerful team buff abilities can be put into effect.

Of course, before she gets her powerful team buff skills or ability to Operate, Deena an be a little weak. Outside of her ability to play well with others, she doesn't exactly offer a whole lot. While she can hold her own well enough in combat, there are better heroes then her for killing enemies or soaking up damage. If you do start with her, be sure to pair her up with another Hero that is capable of holding his own until you level her up to be more useful.

Something to note about Deena is that she also tends to avoid a lot of damage in combat as she generally stays back and snipes enemies from long range when other heroes are around. As such you should make sure that anyone she pairs up with can handle the enemies attention because outside of area of effect attacks she generally won't be touched by the enemies.

Recruitment

You should probably avoid recruiting Nurse Deena Ratchet early on as she is one of those characters that really shines with more levels then not. Being a part of the Crew faction makes leveling her up expensive.

Recruited later though you will be picking up a character that can help boost your Heroes regeneration as well and provide a temporary offense and defense boost when needed. Plus, you'll have more Heroes which she can pair up with to support if recruited later.

Keep in mind however that when having her on her team, you need to have it so that she can team up with other Heroes to really make use of her. If your team is set up to scatter to the various locations of the Dungeon and do their own thing, she isn't going to be worth much.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Spear

Pros - Starts with Repair, Can Learn Operate at Level 3, High Wit, Good Speed
Cons - Low Defense, Low Damage


Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 2: Surgical Striker (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +10, Attack Cooldown -0.3
Level 3: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Recycling (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) Industry +0.2 by killed mobs
Level 6: Paramedic (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +12, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +6
Level 8: Master Hacker (Passive)
(Self) Wit +8 for repairing, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +10
Level 10: Surgical Striker II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +20, Attack Cooldown -0.3
Level 12: Recycling II (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) Industry +0.3 by killed mobs
Level 13: Master Hacker II (Passive)
(Self) Wit +14 for repairing, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +15
Level 15: Recycling III (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) Industry +0.4 by killed mobs

Overview

A Hero with a good Wit stat, Opbot is not a bad choice for an Operator on a Module. He also has some interesting skills that can make an interesting choice to have near modules on the front line as he has some good support abilities - but be sure to send other Heroes to support him as he isn't too good at holding his own against enemies.

Strategy

A nice Hero to have around to maximize your resources, Opbot starts with the ability to Repair modules and can quickly learn Operate at Level 3. His high Wit stat allows him to boost the output of major modules by a lot, meaning an abundance of resources over the long run. Eventually he can also learn Master Hacker at Level 8 which can allow him to manage minor Modules around him to help keep him alive while he gets you your resources.

What's really perhaps a nice thing that sets Opbot apart from other Heroes though is his Recycling ability. Recycling allows him to convert kills made in the same room as him into industry - and it doesn't have to be him doing the killing. He also has Paramedic which can be useful for helping out other Heroes that come to aid him in killing stuff and making use of his Recycling ability.

Something to keep in mind though is that while Opbot does has some nice skills, he himself is pretty weak in a fight. He has rather pitful defense compared to other Heroes, and his ability to kill things is hampered by his rather low damage output. If left by himself he'll get shredded by enemies, so it is important to make sure that other Heroes can come to help him when needed.

Recruitment

Opbot is a nice Hero to start the game with due to him starting with Repair and picking up Operate so quickly. If desired, he could only be leveled up to level 3 - and then just parked next to a major module for a while as you pump up the levels of other Heroes.

Later on he can be a good pickup if you find yourself needing an Operator, but be sure that you have some other Heroes who can effectively work in combat with him or you'll be really wasting his skills.

Native Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - Jack of all Trades, Excels in the Darkness, Good All Around Stats
Can Operate at Level 4, Can Repair At level 8
Cons - But Master of None

Skills

Level 1: Nyctophilia (Passive)
(Heroes in unpowered room) Speed +5, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability +5%
Level 2: War Face (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +18, (Target) Attack Power -15 in unpowered rooms
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Endless Expert (Passive)
(Self) +2 to Science resource per turn
Level 7: Sacrifice (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +130%, (Self) Damage over time 20 HP/sec
Level 8: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 10: Nyctophilia (Passive)
(Heroes in unpowered room) Speed +8, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability +7%
Level 12: War Face II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +30, (Target) Attack Power -15 in unpowered rooms
Level 13: Endless Expert II (Passive)
(Self) +3 to Science resource per turn
Level 15: Sacrifice II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +140%, (Self) Damage over time 25 HP/sec

Overview

A jack of all trades hero, Hikensha can be used in multiple roles. Be it to operate and repair modules on the front lines or as a runner that heads out into the Darkness. An extremely Versatile Hero, Hikensha can fill whatever role you need fulfilled at that moment. She also has the Endless Expert skill at level 5, which is useful for boosting up Science output.

Strategy

Hikensha is a bit of an odd character to discuss strategy with because her mixed skill set can see you changing how you might use her as the game progresses. Early on, she is obviously best used to operate modules for extra resources, but later you may want to make use of Hikensha as a door runner due to the effects of Nyctophilia; or perhaps just to clear unpowered rooms as you open them.

Regardless of what you want Hikensha to do though, one good thing about her is that she is very combat oriented. She can get fairly decent DPS through the use of War Face and Sacrifice, allowing her to rip through enemies quickly should the need arise. Just watch out for her hit points and make sure she doesn't kill herself with Sacrifice when you turn that skill on.

In terms of stats and abilities, everything generally comes has average or above it. Speed wise she is a bit slow - unless of course she is in unpowered rooms. The main thing to note though, is that much like all Native Heroes, you want to level her up quickly. Besides gaining access to many useful skills, you'll also boost up Hikensha's Wit stat, which of course is useful for getting more resources out of operating.

Really, the main thing to note with Hikensha is that you shouldn't forget her versatility. As the game progresses you should think about what role she is best suited for that that moment. When Chimera Keepers show up for example, it might make sense to send Hikensha out to deal with the monstrosities due to her improved combat prowess.

Recruitment

Hikensha is an awesome Hero to start the game with, as her ability to fill multiple roles can make recruiting additional Heroes easier since you won't have to pick and choose Heroes to fill specific roles that you need filled. Native Heroes are also cheaper to level up, which is another good point to starting with Hikensha.

Also, just as with starting with Hikensha is awesome, picking up Hikensha is also a cool prospect too. Because Hikensha can fill multiple roles, you can pick her up with little concern that you may be making your team inflexible. Additionally, as the game progresses you run into the problem of there being a lot of unpowered rooms - which is where Hikensha really begins to shine.

All in all, Hikensha is always a worthy consideration to join your team.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - Strong at Early Levels, Competent Fighter, Minor AoE Active Ability
Cons - Feels Somewhat Lackluster


Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Psycho Killer (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +15, Speed +15
Level 3: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 5: Missed Again (Passive)
(Target) Attack Cooldown +0.15 in unpowered rooms.
Level 7: Kneecapped (Active)
(Mobs in room) Speed -35%, Damage over Time 20
Level 9: Knee Deep in Blood (Passive)
(Self) Defense +2 by killed monsters (temporarily, max 14)
Level 11: Psycho Killer II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +25, Speed +20
Level 13: Missed Again II (Passive)
(Target) Attack Cooldown +0.3 in unpowered rooms.
Level 15: Knee Deep in Blood II (Passive)
(Self) Defense +3 by killed monsters (temporarily, max 22)

Overview

Troe is a really good character to throw against enemies as he is pretty good at holding off enemies, delaying their approach, or outright killing them. However he doesn't offer any utility outside of killing things and compared to other Heroes his skills come off a bit subpar. A key advantage to using him though is that he is exceptional strong at the lower levels.

Skills

Troe is a bit vanilla is terms of what role he plays in game. It should come as no surprise that he is a main combatant to destroy enemy waves, but his skills are somewhat all over the place in regards to how he goes about his business. He isn't really focused on doing more damage or having beefy defense, but generally just has skills that apply various different attributes related to fighting.

His skills aren't bad though, Kneecapped for example provides a minor slow and produces decent damage against enemies. Missed Again is an excellent ability for Troe to have should he be sent out to fight against a Chimera Keeper - or some other lone enemy out in the darkness. With Scamper he isn't a bad choice to open doors with.

Perhaps a huge benefit that deserve prominent recognition about him that should be noted is generally how strong he is early on in the game. Troe starts out with a lot of health and very decent DPS output at Level 1, and though both of these attributes fail to keep increasing prominently as the game goes on, he'll help you survive through several floors before you really notice that other Heroes may be getting somewhat stronger then him.

Recruitment

Perhaps one of the best candidates to start the game with, Troe is exception strong for a Hero at the lower levels, and can cover for other weaker Heroes you may want to start with. He's also decently fast so he can move from room to room as need be which is good if the other Hero you start with works best when stationary (such as Early Game Operators).

As a later game recruit though, Troe becomes somewhat less useful. While he'll do well killing enemies, he comes off as a bit outclassed compared to other Heroes of similar levels, other Heroes which may be able to offer other skills to help you out.

Depending as well on what Heroes you can recruit and having Troe on your team already, along with what items you may have found, one option you might consider pursuing is replacing Troe with another Hero.

Prisoner Faction - Is Weaponless

Pros - Vast Fast Movement Speed, Fast Attack Speed, Extra Tool Slot
Gets Operate at Level 4, Gets Repair at Level 5
Cons - Low Health, No Weapon Slot

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Pickpocket (Passive)
(Target) Dust loot probability from monsters +12%
Level 2: Webslinger (Active)
(Mobs in room): Speed -75%
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 7: Crawler (Active)
(Self) Not noticed by monsters (except with a Crystal)
Level 8: Nyctophilia (Passive)
(Heroes in unpowered room) Speed +5, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability +5%
Level 10: Webslinger II (Active)
(Mobs in room): Speed -95%
Level 12: Pickpocket II (Passive)
(Target) Dust loot probability from monsters +18%
Level 13: Crawler II (Active)
(Self) Not noticed by monsters (except with a Crystal), (Self): Speed +8
Level 15: Pickpocket III (Passive)
(Target) Dust loot probability from monsters +25%

Overview

Golgy is a pretty good utility character with a plethora of skills that can help out the players survival. She lacks a weapon but has a very good amount of damage and picks up extra dust from the targets she kills. A key weakness though is that Golgy is one of the most fragile characters in game; if enemies catch Golgy, she's a goner.

Skills

Golgy is a fairly well rounded character that the player can use to increase their resource count, slow down incoming enemies, or run the crystal to the exit. She learns Operate at Level 4, and Repair at Level 5, and she starts the game with Pickpocket at Level 1 which helps you accumulate Dust from kills.

The above all said though, she doesn't have a whole lot of health and defense and lacks the ability to equip a weapon; she isn't a hero that you want to throw against the enemy to hold them off or kill them. There may be times where you may have to stop Operating on a module to make Golgy run away.

Her lack of a weapon slot is slightly mitigated by her increased damaged output - the highest of all characters before weapons become involved, and an extra tool slot. This can be useful because if you find Aftershave you can help mitigate some of her survival problems, and still have a tool slot left for something else.

It is worth noting that her Actives can do well to help in keeping Golgy alive - Webslinger will slow enemies in the room with Golgy down to a crawl while Skulker ability will prevent enemies from targeting Golgy - for a little while. While not necessarily strong, these abilities may be enough to help keep Golgy alive a little longer or give her a chance to run away.

Recruitment

Golgy is perhaps not the greatest character to start the game with. Because of how low her health and defense is in the beginning, and the real lack of a need for extra dust in the early game, you don't really benefit a whole lot from having her around.

Later on, Golgy gets a bit more useful since you can just park her somewhere behind the Front Line to pick off Necrophage Crystophiles and Silicon enemies making their way to your crystal, all while she Operates on a module increasing your resource output.

Native Faction - Uses Spear

Pros - Good Speed, Good Health, Good Combatant, Crowd Control AoE
Cons - Low Defense, No Armor Slot, Less Useful in Later Game


Skills

Level 1: Last Supper (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +26
Level 3: Soylent Green (Passive)
(Self) Food +0.2 per killed monster
Level 5: Red Plume (Active)
(Mobs in room) Attacks other monsters
Level 7: Knee Deep in Blood (Passive)
(Self) Defense +2 by killed monsters (temporarily, max 14)
Level 9: Red Plume II (Active)
(Mobs in room) Attacks other monsters, longer duration
Level 11: Soylent Green II (Passive)
(Self) Food +1 per killed monster
Level 13: Last Supper II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +38
Level 15: Red Plume III (Active)
(Mobs in room) Attacks other monsters, even longer duration

Overview

Skroig is a really dry bones hero that rips enemies to shreds and gives you food for his kills. He is special for having an Active Ability that will render foes confused for a small duration and target enemies. But, despite his ability to fight and move about, he his slightly handicapped by his inability to wear armor and low defense. He does have some health but will be ripped to shreds quickly enough.

Strategy

Skroig is a really simple hero but effective one that attacks fast and has high damage output. He can use Last Supper which can bolster the Attack Power of Heroes in the Room with him, and as he makes kills he accumulates food for you later. He also has pretty good health to take a beating with.

However, he can't wear armor and has very low defense. He does eventually get Knee Deep in Blood which helps offset incoming damage somewhat, and Red Plume which can confuse enemies for a moment so they will attack other enemies; potentially killing off weaker ones, but Skroig can easily be shredded by indirect attacks while Red Plume is on, or direct attacks when Red Plume wears off.

Worth special note about his Red Plume skill is that you need to be careful of enemies that may indirectly damage your heroes - such as kamikaze enemies which will immediately target another enemy in the room and blow up. One also has to be careful of Me First! items as they override the enemy targeting, and still force Heroes with those items to be prioritized first.

Directly and straightforward, Skroig can be used to stand guard or open doors. If needed he can also move around to reinforce other positions. His health should be watched to make sure enemies aren't killing him too fast but for the most part is a good staple on the team.

Recruitment

Skroig is a decent pick to start a run with, as he is very strong early on in the game and levels up quickly due to being a Native.

Later on, Skroig starts to lose a bit of his luster though. He's probably worth passing over for other Heroes to recruit.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Machine Gun

Pros - Starts with Repair, Learns Operate at Level 3, High Wit, Skills Improve Modules
Powerful AoE Active Ability, Tends to Avoid Enemy Aggro
Cons - Low Health, Low Defense,

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 2: Overclocked (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +50%
Level 3: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Master Hacker (Passive)
(Self) Wit +8 for repairing, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +10
Level 7: Health Warning (Active)
(Mobs in room) Damage over time +25HP/sec, (Heroes in room) Damage over time +10HP/sec
Level 8: The Optimizator (Passive)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Cooldown -10%
Level 10: Overclocked II (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +75%
Level 12: The Optimizator II (Passive)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Cooldown -20%
Level 13: Health Warning II (Active)
(Mobs in room) Damage over time +35HP/sec, (Heroes in room) Damage over time +12HP/sec
Level 15: Overclocked III (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +100%

Overview

A really good Front Line Operator, especially in a room with lots of minor modules, Rayka can both greatly improve your resource gain while holding off enemy attacks. She also has a fairly decent damage potential, and has a very powerful Active Ability called Health Warning that damages everything in the room.

Strategy

Rayka is probably a favorite Operator for many, being both quite strong and also quite useful in netting more resources. Considered the Queen of Modules, Rayka can both boost the effectiveness of minor modules in the same room with her substantially and make them last longer. This also includes her Active Overclocked, which will temporarily make all minor Modules in the same room as her gain dramatically improved Attack Power.

When Push comes Shove, she can also activate her Active Health Warning, which, while damaging other Heroes in the same room as her a moderate amount, will also damage every single enemy in the room with her a moderate amount. Care should be taken when using her Active, but generally if her health and the other Heroes is dropping like a rock it shouldn't hurt to use it all that much.

Rayka herself is also quite powerful, boasting a very decent damage output with the use of a machine gun type weapon. When other Heroes are around, she also tends to avoid being attacked first, which can allow her to stay in the same room a lot of the time while other Heroes soak up what would likely be fatal damage for her.

Recruitment

Absolutely worth starting the game with, Rayka can greatly improve resource collection in the early game and make life a lot easier. When equipped with a decent weapon she can also be a pretty good killer, helping to mop the floor with enemies while defending your Modules and Crystal.

Later on Rayka is also worth picking up if you still need an Operator. So long as you can keep her from being overwhelmed by too many enemies, she'll help to ensure that you keep on chugging along throughout the game.

Crew Faction - Uses Machine Gun

Pros - Fast, High Damage Capabilities, Works Good Alone
Cons - Doesn't Gain Much Health From Level Ups, Defense is Lackluster


Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Sado-Selfish (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +50 divided by heroes in room
Level 3: Danger Junkie (Passive)
(Self) Speed +3 if alone in the room, Attack Power +12 if alone in the room
Level 5: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 7: Sacrifice (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +130%, (Self) Damage over time 20 HP/sec
Level 9: Knee Deep in Blood (Passive)
(Self) Defense +2 by killed monsters (temporarily, max 14)
Level 11: Sado-Selfish II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +75 divided by heroes in room
Level 13: Sacrifice II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +140%, (Self) Damage over time 25 HP/sec
Level 15: Danger Junkie II (Passive)
(Self) Speed +5 if alone in the room, Attack Power +18 if alone in the room

Overview

Considered the King of DPS, Ken is an awesome Hero for decimating Hoards of enemies, and an excellent Hero to send out to clean up special enemies like Chimera Keepers or Hurna Riders. He is also capable of learning Repair at Level 5, meaning you don't need to move Heroes with Operate off their modules to do repairs. Just avoid getting him attacked too much.

Strategy

Ken is an excellent Hero to make use of when you need a good burst of damage. Additionally, if you leave Ken alone in a room he gets even stronger due to the Danger Junkie skill, which boosts his already good Speed and Attack Power even higher. His Sado-Selfish ability similarly will also boost his Attack Power a lot when he is alone in the room. To top it all off, he can make use of Sacrifice, which at a cost to his health for a small duration, makes his Attack Power even stronger.

However, the catch to using Ken is that while his damage potential is high, his ability to soak up incoming damage isn't. Ken starts with very good health, but as he levels up he doesn't gain much more health, and eventually he has less health then other heroes. Not having a whole lot of defense either, Ken is by definition a true glass cannon. Depending on the situation, you may send Ken to defend a point and find you have to dump a lot of food on him to keep him alive.

Talking about situations for using Ken though, it is worth noting that with his decent speed he can be a pretty decent door opener, and due to his strong DPS capability he can decimate tough enemies like a full tier Chimera Keeper - with some healing of course. He can also repair after enemy waves which is nice too.

Much like other glass cannons though, Ken is a really good candidate to put and item that gives Skulking on. With Ken's high damage and decent speed he can rush out to kill special enemies or thin out the oncoming hoards with great ease.

Recruitment

Ken is not a bad choice to start a run with, as his high damage can allow him to dispatch of enemies quickly - plus compared to other heroes in the early game he has comparably higher health to absorb attacks.

Later on, Ken is still a decent pick up, but keep in mind that with the heavier hitting enemies and the fragile Ken that you'll have to watch out that he doesn't get overwhelmed. However he can make mince meat of enemies, and can be really good to chase down special enemies when they start coming about.

Native Faction - Uses Spear

Pros - High Defense, High Health, Good Stats
Cons - Skills Reduce Chance That Dust Drops


Skills

Level 1: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 2: Dust Thirst (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +6 by killed mobs (temporarily, max +25), (Target) Dust loot probability -20%
Level 4: War Rider (Active)
(Self) Speed +10, Defense +50
Level 6: Hold the Line (Active)
(Heroes in room) Defense +100, (Mobs in room) Dust loot probability -40%
Level 8: Energivore (Passive)
(Self) Health Regen +15 in unpowered rooms with mobs
Level 10: Dust Thirst II (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +12 by killed mobs (temporarily, max +25), (Target) Dust loot probability -15%
Level 12: War Rider II (Active)
(Self) Speed +16, Defense +80
Level 13: Hold the Line II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Defense +150, (Mobs in room) Dust loot probability -30%
Level 15: Dust Thirst III (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +16 by killed mobs (temporarily, max +25), (Target) Dust loot probability -10%

Overview

The Iron Maiden Joleri is the strongest defensive combatant in game - capable of taking massive punishment and dishing out quite a bit in return. She is also potentially a good hero to send out into the darkness to open doors and take out Chimera Keepers; especially at level 8 when she begins to pick up health regeneration. The only thing to watch out when using her though, is that she really eats at your Dust resource.

Strategy

Joleri is an awesomely strong character to use, easily being perhaps the strongest hero (if not one of the strongest heroes) in the entire game. Even from level 1 she is a beast with massive health and defense compared to other Heroes, and progressively she will get stronger as she is leveled up.

However, a key failing about her is that her skills reduce the Dust you accumulate. Starting at Level 2, she gets a skill called Dust thirst which lowers the probability of enemies dropping dust - and though at level 10 and 15 she gets advanced forms of the skill which don't lower the probability as much, she still reduces it nevertheless. What's more, her second active, Hold the Line, will reduce Dust probability by 30% for enemies in the same room with her while in use.

Despite her eating up on your Dust though, her ability to fight can do a lot to help you out. Joleri can hold up under a heavy barrage of enemy attacks compared to other Heroes which would keel over. Under a serious barrage, her actives can further bolster her defensive prowess to keep her alive further - and potentially other Heroes in the room with her since her second active, Hold the Line, will apply to other Heroes in the room.

Something to note as well is that while Dust Thirst does eat into your Dust, it does turn Joleri into a temporary killing machine. Dust Thirst will give Joleri a minor boost to her attack power after kills she makes, meaning that she can pulverize enemies. She also doesn't immediately start with it as well, so if you leave Joleri at level 1 a bit you can ignore the problems that Dust Thirst might cause to the Dust you collect.

Recruitment

Joleri is not a bad character to start the game with. Because she doesn't get Dust Thirst until level 2, she won't begin to eat into your dust until you start to level her. Being exceptionally strong in the early game, you can hold off on leveling her until you've leveled up your other Heroes - or even dismiss her after a point.

Later on she can be a worthy character to recruit as well; but as dust becomes more rare it can become a bit of a trade off having her around - as while she is extremely strong, less dust will mean that you will have less rooms to make use of.

Crew Faction - Uses Pistol

Pro - Very High Wit, Can Learn Operate At Level 4, Can Learn Repair At Level 7
Active Ability That Effects All Heroes On The Floor
Con - Extremely Slow Attack Speed & Movement Speed, Low Damage Output

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Need for (More) Speed (Passive)
(Self) Speed +10 if not alone in the room.
Level 2: War Profiteer (Active)
(Self) Attack Cooldown +200%, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability from monsters x2
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Armchair General (Active)
(Heroes on Floor) Attack power of +40 if this hero is in a room without monsters.
Level 7: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 8: Team Spirit! (Passive)
(Self) Defense +15 if not alone in room, (Self) Attack power +15 if not alone in room.
Level 10: War Profiteer II (Active)
(Self) Attack Cooldown +100%, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability from monsters x2.5
Level 12: Armchair General II (Active)
(Heroes on Floor) Attack power of +60 if this hero is in a room without monsters.
Level 13: Need for (More) Speed II (Passive)
(Self) Speed +15 if not alone in the room.
Level 15: Armchair General III (Active)
(Heroes on Floor) Attack power of +80 if this hero is in a room without monsters.

Overview

Warden Mormish could be considered one of the best Operators in the game. Only Josh is naturally smarter then him, but unlike Josh he can eventually get Repair. While he can be used near the front lines, Mormish is an Operator that one can really benefit from leaving far behind the Front Line to work on boosting a modules output, due to his active ability Armchair General.

Strategy

Mormish is a good Hero to have around when you have modules to operate. With a very High Wit stat he brings in a lot of resources in the long run, and if you find your other Heroes beginning to get into a pickle he can toggle Armchair General to boost their Attack Power considerably.

Earlier in the game before he gets Operate and a bit after before you throw him farther behind the front line, he does alright stop gapping enemies due to his high starting health soaking up a lot of damage until other heroes arrive. War Profiteer will also let you accumulate some extra Dust which can be used to power more rooms.

Some main weaknesses that he has though is his slow speed and inability to really kill anything. Mormish is a Hero that while offering awesome utility, requires you to support with other Heroes when in a room with enemies. Alone he is like flipped turtle that is unable to defend himself and will eventually be picked apart by the enemy.

But, until you reach a point where you can no longer avoid putting him in harms way, you can just set Mormish back in some quiet area to give you more resources in the long run.

Recruitment

Mormish is not a bad choice to recruit early on, but being a part of the Crew he requires more Food to level up, and he'll need to get to level 4 before he gets Operate. Paired with a Hero that doesn't need a lot of food early on though, he'll do alright.

Later on he is also not a bad choice as you can just recruit him and send him somewhere that no (or few) enemies can reach to help pump out resources needed for the late game.

Crew Faction - Uses Machine Gun

Pros - High Defense, Can Operate at Level 4, Extra Tool Slot
Improved Defense & Minor Health Regeneration in Powered Rooms
Cons - Can't Wear Armor, Extra Heal Costs, Slightly Slow Speed

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Dust Cells (Passive)
(Self) Health Regen +3 in powered rooms, (Self) Defense +7 in powered rooms, (Self) Heal cost: +15% more food
Level 3: Engage Turtle Mode (Active)
(Self) Defense +130, (Self) Speed -30
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 6: Shrapnellizer (Active)
(Monsters in room) Damage of +180 HP, (Heroes in room) Damage of +80 HP, (Major Modules in room) Damage of +40 HP, (Minor Modules in room) Damage of +30 HP
Level 8: Iron Fist (Passive)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +4 for each other hero in the room.
Level 10: Shrapnellizer II (Active)
(Monsters in room) Damage of +280 HP, (Heroes in room) Damage of +100 HP, (Major Modules in room) Damage of +50 HP, (Minor Modules in room) Damage of +40 HP
Level 12: Engage Turtle Mode II (Active)
(Self) Defense +200, (Self) Speed -20
Level 13: Dust Cells II (Passive)
(Self) Health Regen +5 in powered rooms, (Self) Defense +12 in powered rooms, (Self) Heal cost: +10% more food
Level 15: Shrapnellizer III (Active)
(Monsters in room) Damage of +360 HP, (Heroes in room) Damage of +120 HP, (Major Modules in room) Damage of +55 HP, (Minor Modules in room) Damage of +45 HP

Overview

Extremely Durable and with decent Speed and Attack Power, and the ability to operate modules at Level 4. Elise Ness makes for an excellent front line defender to guard your modules with. Just watch to make sure that enemies that can dish out a lot of damage don't pile up on her - the heal costs really hurt when she gets in trouble.

Strategy

Good for guarding a powered chokepoint, Elise can take a beating and dish out a lot of pain. Just pick a room on the front line, power it up, and stick Elise there - then watch the enemies get destroyed while Elise laughs off their meager attempts to kill her. For best results, pick a room with a major module slot as she does get Operate at level 4, allowing her to help boost your resource output, and maybe add in a couple modules to boost her offense, defense, or health regeneration as desired.

Just keep in mind that while Elise is strong, she isn't invincible and running away isn't a strong suit for her. While quite durable, her health pool is below average. Be sure to reinforce Elise with heroes that can come to her aid for those times you need a little help - especially when you get her to level 8 and unlock her natural Iron Fist passive, as that will not only boost her damage output, but that of other heroes as well. For best results, pair her with other heroes that can allow her to make use of the Got Your Back skill - a skill available for all members of the Crew faction that improves defense.

If Elise does get in a pickle, she does have a couple tricks up her sleeves that can help her hold out. The first is Engage Turtle Mode, which can allow help to reach her in time or hold out against relentless attacks being made against her while enemies get beaten down. If enemies really pile into a room with her too, you can activate Shrapnellizer which will damage all enemies (and heroes and modules) in the room, making them easier to pick off.

Something to note is that while Elise is quite powerful, she can't wear armor. This means you can't really augment her naturally powerful defense further. However, she does have an extra tool slot available which can help her improve her overall versatility - be it more damage, an extra ability, or a little mundane defense.

Recruitment

Perhaps one of the best characters to start the game with, Elise is and awesome character that will shred enemies early on while absorbing their impact with ease. What's more, she isn't necessarily as item dependent as other characters - making her easy to equip up as the game progresses.

Elise is also worth picking up later in the game as well, especially if you have had trouble finding items to equip your Heroes with as the game has progressed. However, the items you have are a main note to keep in mind, as while Elise is quite strong, other Heroes will begin to meet or surpass her effectiveness when decently equipped - while not sporting the Heal Cost penalty.

Crew Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - Good Health, Decent Defense, Very Powerful Floor Active, Good Support
Cons - Low Damage, Slow Attack Speed


Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Last Supper (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +26
Level 3: Extenders (Passive)
(Heroes in Floor) Heals cost -10%
Level 5: Cooking with Gas (Active)
(Monsters in floor) Damage over time +20 HP/sec, (Monsters in floor) Dust loot probability from monsters +30%
Level 7: Soylent Green (Passive)
(Self) Food +0.2 per killed monster
Level 9: Last Supper II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +38
Level 11: Extenders II (Passive)
(Heroes in Floor) Heals cost -17%
Level 13: Cooking with Gas II (Active)
(Monsters in floor) Damage over time +24 HP/sec, (Monsters in floor) Dust loot probability from monsters +40%
Level 15: Last Supper III (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attack Power +50

Overview

The Chef is a rather interesting fellow who can take a slight beating in combat while grilling his foes to death. In generally he is all about supporting his fellow Heroes and providing a powerful AoE Active called Cooking with Gas that will effect the entire floor; while also causing Dust to drop from enemies at a higher percentage while the Active Skill is going.

Strategy

Nanor can be described as a sort of combat supporter. In combat he specifically isn't too strong, but his skills overall will be useful to your endeavors on the grand scale. For example, Last Supper will allow him to boost the damage output of himself and other Heroes, and Extenders will help reduce heal costs for himself and other Heroes.

What he is known for is his very powerful second active ability though, which when clicked will result in a damage overtime being applied to all enemies, and an increased Dust Drop percentage for enemies that get killed while said skill is active. It's so powerful that some players will deliberately reset his skills to make use of it over and over; science providing.

However, outside of his combat support ability, Nanor himself isn't all that strong. His Attack Power is decent, but coupled with his slow attack speed he ends up with lower Damage output. This hurts his overall usefulness - especially since one of his skills depends on his ability to kill things.

Nanor is a Hero that is ability high skill usage and supporting other Heroes. Keep him near his friends and time his Active Abilities for use when enemies are plentiful and getting killed. If done right it results in a golden experience.

Recruitment

Nanor is an okay Hero to start with, but likely not the best. Being a part of the Crew, he takes more food to level up and before getting to level 5 he can be slightly weak.

Later on Nanor can be slightly more useful as with Cooking with Gas he can roast enemies alive while they wander through corridors of defensive and give you valuable dust for the later levels. Though keep in mind that with fewer but stronger enemies his use is less valuable.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Pistol

Pros - Extremely High Wit, Learns Operate at Level 3,
Active Ability That Effects All Heroes On The Floor
Cons - Near Worthless in Combat, Easily Killed

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Team Spirit! (Passive)
(Self) Defense +15 if not alone in room, (Self) Attack power +15 if not alone in room.
Level 2: Overclocked (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +50%
Level 3: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Knowledge Is Good (Passive)
(Heroes on Floor) Get +2 wit.
Level 6: Armchair General (Active)
(Heroes on Floor) Attack power of +40 if this hero is in a room without monsters.
Level 8: Team Spirit! II (Passive)
(Self) Defense +25 if not alone in room, (Self) Attack power +20 if not alone in room.
Level 10: Overclocked II (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +75%
Level 12: Knowledge Is Good II (Passive)
(Heroes on Floor) Get +3 wit.
Level 13: Armchair General II (Active)
(Heroes on Floor) Attack power of +60 if this hero is in a room without monsters.
Level 15: Knowledge Is Good III (Passive)
(Heroes on Floor) Get +4 wit.

Overview

Easily the best Operator hero, when you want to get the most resources possible, Josh is your man! Just keep him out of harms way and you'll be reaping extra resources hand over fist. When you need him to fight the enemies or do anything else really though, he's a bit useless...

Strategy

Josh is all about operating a module and bringing in extra resources. With the highest wit in the game, combined with naturally getting Knowledge is Good, he easily nets you the most out of any other Hero before equipment is involved. He also has access to the Armchair General ability, so he can help out your other Heroes without leaving from his Operating duties.

Unfortunately, outside of Operating, Josh is a little lackluster. Josh is easily the weakest Hero in the roster in terms of combat ability. He does have Overclocked, Team Spirit, and Pack of Dogs which help; but don't really help all that much. Where possible, you really will want Josh to avoid combat - even making him run away from Modules he's operating on if need be.

Really with Josh, just get him to level 3 or level 6 and put him somewhere difficult for enemies to reach. Have him operate and pop Armchair General when your other Heroes need a boost to deal with enemies. Later on towards the end of a run, potentially dismiss him in favor of other Heroes later if they are present and you don't need resources.

Recruitment

While Josh gains Operate quickly and can net you a lot of resources early on, players should be wary of starting a run with him. Josh's inability to really help in combat can be a real cause for concern, and you'll need a really strong Hero paired up with him to get through the first few levels.

Recruiting Josh later can be a worthy investment though if you are in need of a highly skilled operator or just want ludicrous amounts of resources. With more rooms to throw Josh somewhere that enemies can't reach and making liberal use of his Armchair General ability, one will be able to make use of Josh to his fullest.

Native Faction - Is Weaponless

Pros - Strong When Alone, Good Combatant, High Attack Power
Cons - Extremely Slow Attack Speed, No Weapon Slot, Weaker Early On,
Weakens Other Heroes Defense When They Are Nearby

Skills

Level 1: Bad Company (Passive)
(Heroes in room) Defense -10%, (Self) Attack power +15 if alone in the room
Level 3: Battle Madness (Active)
Self) Attack power +20, (Self) Attack range is increased, (Self) Attack Cooldown -0.4, (Self) Can not move
Level 5: Danger Junkie (Passive)
(Self) Speed +3 if alone in the room, Attack Power +12 if alone in the room
Level 7: Hellfire (Active)
(Monsters in room) +25 hp/sec damage over time, (Heroes in room) +12 hp/sec damage over time, (Self) is not affected by any damage over time
Level 9: Battle Madness II (Active)
Self) Attack power +28, (Self) Attack range is increased, (Self) Attack Cooldown -0.5, (Self) Can not move
Level 11: Danger Junkie II (Passive)
(Self) Speed +5 if alone in the room, Attack Power +18 if alone in the room
Level 13: Hellfire II (Active)
(Monsters in room) +45 hp/sec damage over time, (Heroes in room) +15 hp/sec damage over time, (Self) is not affected by any damage over time
Level 15: Battle Madness III (Active)
Self) Attack power +32, (Self) Attack range is increased, (Self) Attack Cooldown -0.6, (Self) Can not move

Overview

A real late bloomer, Mizi is a Hero that you send into combat, but needs quite a few levels before she can effectively really kill them. Out of all your Heroes as well, she is a true loner, and one that should be kept away from your other Heroes as much as possible; this being due to her lowering other Heroes Defense when in the same room as them, but also getting a big attack power bonus when alone.

Strategy

Mizi is a rather mixed bagged as far as Heroes go. While she has very high natural attack power, her slow attack speed and lack of a weapon slot really bites into her damage output. While she is a strong Hero when left alone, if she starts to get overwhelmed she because a bit of a hindrance and much less useful.

In combat, one will find that Mizi can do tremendous damage with each attack, but her damage may be wasted as she takes huge chunks of health out of enemies with each hit, and then a small chunk of health when finishing off the enemy. Minor Modules may help in finishing off enemies, but against hordes of them, she may still be wasting damage.

The thing to note about Mizi too is that she really needs to be leveled up to be effective. Early on she needs to be pumped to level 3 so she can one or two shot the really weak enemies, and later on she'll need to be leveled more to help keep her combat effectiveness relevant compared to other Heroes. Her lower leveling costs help with this but she still needs lots of leveling.

Mizi isn't a bad Hero to use in the game, but she is definitely one that requires a lot of maintenance and positioning to use properly. One has to make sure she is capable of defending an chokepoint without getting overwhelmed, or potentially move her behind other Heroes and out of the way when she does.

Recruitment

A hero that should probably not be picked when starting the game is Mizi. Mizi needs to be leveled up a bit to be used effectively, as at lower levels she really lacks in usefulness.

Picking her up later is a good investment, because she starts with more levels she'll be able to hold her own a lot better and be able to perform her job of killing things adequately.

Native Faction - Uses Spear

Pros - Powerful Active Abilities, Good All Around Stats, Can Operate At Level 4
Cons - Lower Damage & Speed When Not Researching, Weaker Later On In Game


Skills

Level 1: Defender of the Past (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +10 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress), (Self) Speed +7 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress)
Level 3: Winter Just Came (Active)
(Mobs on Floor) Speed -40%
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 6: Endless Expert (Passive)
(Self) +2 to Science resource per turn
Level 8: Hold the Line (Active)
(Heroes in room) Defense +100, (Mobs in room) Dust loot probability -40%
Level 10: Defender of the Past II (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +15 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress), (Self) Speed +10 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress)
Level 12: Winter Just Came II (Active)
(Mobs on Floor) Speed -60%
Level 13: Endless Expert II (Passive)
(Self) +3 to Science resource per turn
Level 15: Defender of the Past III (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +24 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress), (Self) Speed +13 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress)

Overview

Kreyang is a Hero that really doesn't have a whole lot in bad attributes - apart from somewhat low damage, while having a whole lot of good attributes. You can get some breathing room with Winter Just Came and Hold The Line while getting a little bit of a boost to resources in rooms with modules to man. Also, if you like researching a lot then Kreyang gets both an Attack and Speed bonus when you do so.

Strategy

An excellent Hero to run around with, Kreyang is good manning a module on the front line while holding off enemies. Upon learning Operate at Level 4 you'll be getting you a little bit of extra output, while Endless Expert at Level 6 will boost your Science. Kreyang's a good defender that is capable of taking a beating before going down, more so if you are researching something

Kreyang is fun to have around when you are up against enemies that ignore modules. You can set up rows of room with defenses and activate Winter Just Came - causing hoards of enemies to get torn apart while they slowly attempt to get to your main defensive lines. If a big horde of enemies does reach Kreyang then Hold the Line can help keep everyone in the room alive while the enemies are dispatched.

Only towards the end of the game will Kreyang start to get a bit weak; where you start to run out of things to research or decide that you have researched enough. This is due to the Defenders of the Past skill, which when active makes Kreyang a bit stronger when Artefacts are being researched. However by the time you finish researching, you'll hopefully have your heroes decked out well enough that it won't matter.

Recruitment

Kreyang is not a bad pick to start the game with, being pretty durable and capable of defending against waves of enemies in the early part of the game. Being a Native means an easier time leveling up; nice quick access to Operate and Endless Expert.

If you catch Kreyang later on you can still make good use of the Actives against huge waves of enemies coming down on you. Kreyang gets a lot more durable at higher levels too and shreds things when you are still doing research; while you do research.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Spear

Pros - Starts with Repair, Learns Operate at Level 4, Very High Wit,
Skills Toughen Modules
Cons - Low Health, Low Defense, Low Damage Capability

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 2: Gear Check (Passive)
(Heroes in room): Repair damaged modules even during fight.
Level 3: Crawler (Active)
(Self) Not noticed by monsters (except with a Crystal)
Level 4: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 5: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 7: Quality Design (Active)
(Major Modules in Room) Defense +60, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +50
Level 9: Master Hacker (Passive)
(Self) Wit +8 for repairing, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +10
Level 11: Quality Design II (Active)
(Major Modules in Room) Defense +150, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +1300
Level 13: Master Hacker II (Passive)
(Self) Wit +14 for repairing, (Minor Modules in Room) Defense +15
Level 15: Crawler (Active)
(Self) Not noticed by monsters (except with a Crystal), (Self) Speed +8

Overview

Dell is your go to guy when you want a repairman. He quickly gets Gear Check at level 2, which allows him and other Heroes to make repairs on Modules when enemies are in the room - excellent when a Bulldozer comes around. On top of repairing Modules, he also has a powerful Active Ability that will cause all Modules on the floor to be much tougher - both the Minor and the Major. Outside of repairing stuff though, he doesn't do much besides operate Modules.

Strategy

Dell is a pretty good Hero to have around to prevent enemies that attack your Modules from destroying them. During enemy attacks he can keep repairing modules - and so will other Heroes with Repair as well. He also has a powerful Active Ability called Quality Design which can give a tremendous boost to the defense of all Modules on the floor.

Outside of Repairing he can also Operate on Modules and he has high Wit to maximize their resource generation, but that's about as far as his talents go. He isn't really all that good in combat, and where possible he should avoid getting into heavy combat that might get him killed.

Fortunately, he does have Crawler which can help give him a reprieve from heavy fire. Activate the ability and enemies will be unable to target Dell for a brief moment. He also has Scamper so enemies won't slow down Dell if you decide it is better for him to make a run for it.

Something to keep in mind when using Dell is that you may want to be careful with his Gear Check. Because Gear Check effects all the Heroes in the room with Dell, they too will focus on repairs. This can be a problem if they are better at attacking - such as when dangerous anti-hero enemies are pounding on your Heroes.

Recruitment

Dell is perhaps a bit lacklustre to start a game with as repairing modules isn't as important in the early part of the game. He does have Operate and High Wit, but if that is what you are going for then there are other Heroes that can do that too.

Later on in the game, Dell is not a bad Hero to recruit. Put him in the path of Bulldozers or Zoners and he can help keep them from destroying your Modules as quickly; just mind him if he gets attacked.

Prisoner Faction - Is Weaponless

Pros - Learns Repair at Level 8, Extra Tool Slot
Natural AoE Attack that hits Multiple Enemies,
Cons - No Weapon Slot, Not As Useful Against Strong Enemies

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Magical Rainbow Fire (Active)
(Self) Zone Damage radius +50, (Self) Burn damage over time +10 hp/sec on every damaged mob
Level 2: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 3: Spoonfuls of Love (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Minor Modules in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Monsters in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Self) Speed +5, (Self) Health Regen +5
Level 4: Magical Rainbow Fire II (Active)
(Self) Zone Damage radius +60, (Self) Burn damage over time +15 hp/sec on every damaged mob
Level 5: Gas Mask (Passive)
(Self) Not affected by toxic cloud.
Level 6: Health Warning (Active)
(Mobs in room) Damage over time +25HP/sec, (Heroes in room) Damage over time +10HP/sec
Level 7: Magical Rainbow Fire III (Active)
(Self) Zone Damage radius +70, (Self) Burn damage over time +20 hp/sec on every damaged mob
Level 8: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 9: Spoonfuls of Love II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Minor Modules in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Monsters in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Self) Speed +8, (Self) Health Regen +8
Level 10: Magical Rainbow Fire IV (Active)
(Self) Zone Damage radius +80, (Self) Burn damage over time +25 hp/sec on every damaged mob
Level 12: Spoonfuls of Love III (Active)
(Heroes in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Minor Modules in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Monsters in room) Attacks without making any damage (except damage over time like fire), (Self) Speed +12, (Self) Health Regen +12
Level 13: Magical Rainbow Fire V (Active)
(Self) Zone Damage radius +90, (Self) Burn damage over time +30 hp/sec on every damaged mob
Level 14: Health Warning II (Active)
(Mobs in room) Damage over time +35HP/sec, (Heroes in room) Damage over time +12HP/sec
Level 15: Magical Rainbow Fire VI (Active)
(Self) Zone Damage radius +100, (Self) Burn damage over time +35 hp/sec on every damaged mob

Overview

Pat is a rather strange combatant, that can simultaneously be a very strong Hero that deals loads of damage while also being a weak one that deals very little. This is due to having a flamethrower splash attack that hits multiple enemies with each burst. Depending on the situation, one can find Pat to be a really useful Hero to have around, or dead weight.

Strategy

Pat is great to use against numerous hoards of enemies. Whenever he attacks with his Flamethrower he'll hit a group of enemies all at once, resulting in each enemy taking ticking fire damage for the next few seconds. This can be great when weak enemies are in play, since while other Heroes may be focused on the strong ones, he'll slow be burning the weaker ones off while attacking the strong ones too.

However, while his flamethrower is great against multiple enemies, it isn't as great against enemies with high health. Stronger enemies will shrug off the damage Pat deals, resulting in other means of killing those enemies being required.

His Active Abilities are rather interesting, with Spoonfuls of Love being a sort of stasis skill that pretty well prevents all damage but Pats from happening and gives Pat a small Health Regeneration and Speed boost, and Health Warning being a nice way to further help with killing all the enemies in the room.

Outside of his ability to kill, he acquires Scamper at level 2 and Gas Mask at level 5, which can make him very mobile in some situations. Combined with Spoonfuls of Love, he can be a good candidate to open doors - being able to avoid a lot of incoming damage if a door is several rooms away from a powered room. He also gains Repair at level 8, which is nice too.

Recruitment

Pats is an excellent character to start a run with, as enemies are usually more proportional weak and numerous in the earlier part of the game . With careful movements, it is possible for Pats to eradicate waves of weaker enemies by himself - and weaken stronger ones too.

He's perhaps not as great for recruiting later on in the game, as with stronger enemies making more of an appearance will pose more of a challenge for Pat to deal with - though when the giant hordes clump into a room with Pat, you can get some really good damage off too.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Machine Gun

Pros - High Health, High Damage Capability, Health Regeneration Increases Speed
Slows Down Enemy Movement with Neurostun Lite
Cons - A Little Item Dependent, Extremely Slow Movement Speed (Without HP Regen)

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Momentum (Passive)
(Self) Speed +0.5 per Health Regen point (faster when healed), (Self) Maximum +15 speed bonus received by health regen
Level 3: More Sandvich! (Active)
(Heroes in Room) Health Regen +22
Level 5: Neurostun Lite (Passive)
(Monsters in room) Speed -4
Level 7: Psycho Killer (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +15, Speed +15
Level 9: Momentum II (Passive)
(Self) Speed +0.6 per Health Regen point (faster when healed), (Self) Maximum +22 speed bonus received by health regen
Level 11: More Sandvich! II (Active)
(Heroes in Room) Health Regen +34
Level 13: Psycho Killer II (Active)
(Self) Attack Power +25, Speed +20
Level 15: More Sandvich! III (Active)
(Heroes in Room) Health Regen +48

Overview

Raining bullets down on his foes, Misha is all about pumping his foes full of lead. He gains a decent amount of health with levels, and slows down enemy movement when in the same room with enemies, making him a good stopgap against enemies as they try to move past him or through him.

Strategy

Misha is a combat Hero that shreds enemies that enter a room with him. His attack is a constant stream of bullets, and while his attack sequence is naturally a full second he'll be wittling down an enemies health constantly during each second he fires at an enemy. When extra killing power is needed, he also has Psycho Killer as an active he can pop.

Outside of killing enemies, something to note about Misha is that he has decent health, and his active ability More Sandvich! will result in him getting a very good health regeneration (along with other Heroes in the room). This can make him a very durable hero that can stand up to a lot of abuse from enemies attacks.

Something special about Misha too is his Momentum skill, a skill that passively increases Mishas Speed. When equipped with equipment that boosts his Health Regeneration, under the effects of other Heroes skills that boost Health Regeneration, and using More Sandvich! and Psycho Killer, Misha can become an extremely fast hero in the right circumstances.

However, it also bears mentioning that Misha really needs equipment to be as effective as he can be. Finding a Sandvich to give to Misha is great, but before finding appropriate items, he may not be as useful.

Recruitment

Misha is a fantastic Hero to start a game with as he is pretty decent at killing things and without equipment he is decently strong in the early game.

Later on in the game, Misha is still worth grabbing too, though you'll want to look for a Sandvich, a Good Armor, and a decent Machine Gun for him.

Prisoner Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - High Health, Powerful Team Buffs & Health Regeneration
Temporary Invulnerability Active Ability Ubercharge
Cons - Low Damage Output, Works Poorly Alone

Skills

Level 1: Pack of Dogs (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +6% when their mates are nearby.
Level 1: Group Therapy (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) "Pack of Dogs" and "Got Your Back" skill bonuses are applied with any heroes in the room, (Heroes in Room) Defense +5
Level 2: Paramedic (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +12, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +6
Level 4: Group Therapy II (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) "Pack of Dogs" and "Got Your Back" skill bonuses are applied with any heroes in the room, (Heroes in Room) Defense +10
Level 5: ÜberCharge (Active)
(Heroes in Room) Is Invincible
Level 7: Placebo (Passive)
(Heroes in powered room) Health Regen +10
Level 8: Group Therapy III (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) "Pack of Dogs" and "Got Your Back" skill bonuses are applied with any heroes in the room, (Heroes in Room) Defense +15
Level 9: Paramedic II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +20, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +10
Level 11: ÜberCharge II (Active)
(Heroes in Room) Is Invincible, longer duration
Level 13: Placebo II (Passive)
(Heroes in powered room) Health Regen +15
Level 15: ÜberCharge III (Active)
(Heroes in Room) Is Invincible, even longer duration

Overview

Kaspar is an interesting support Hero that can cause a team to mesh very well with each other. His skills cause his fellow Heroes to gain much more Attack Power, Defense & Health Regeneration when he is in the room with them, and eventually he gains the power of Ubercharge which can temporarily make all the Heroes in the room with him invulnerable.

Strategy

Kaspar is an excellent Hero to group with other Heroes. While perhaps not being the greatest hero when left alone, he can easily make a group of Heroes to be a real force to reckon with - especially when he can use Ubercharge to prevent a torrent of damage from resulting in a Hero Death.

Ubercharge should really be noted as being useful because it does prevent all damage from effecting your Heroes when active. This includes kamikaze enemies too, and a strategy you can use is equipping an item that gives Me First! to a hero or have Gork use War Cry when a bunch of kamikaze enemies are in a room, and activating Ubercharge afterwards to watch them blow up everything in the room while not damaging your Heroes in the slightest.

The key thing to note here though is that you really need to keep Kaspar with other Heroes. His Group Therapy requires that he be in the same room as someone to work for example, and that is one of his main skills and uses for having around.

In regards to Kaspar himself, he has some decent health and can take a slight beating - especially after his defense gets boosted when in a room with other Heroes. His damage isn't anything great though, so while you can expect him to help out you'll be using him more for his abilities to help other Heroes with him.

Recruitment

Kaspar is an okay pick to take in at the start of a run, as he starts with decent Defense and Speed. However, you'll need to pair him up with another Hero with at least some combat strength, or you'll be in trouble in the early game.

Later on in the game, Kaspar can really come to shine as a useful Hero. You'll be able to make greater use of his skills that help out other Heroes, and Ubercharge can help in make or break situations that may arise a lot more.

Crew Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - Very Fast, Very Powerful AoE Active, Extra Tool Slot
Gets More Defense and Attack Power for Additional Enemies in the Room
Cons - Somewhat Weaker Against Stronger Enemies, No Armor Slot

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Team Spirit! (Passive)
(Self) Defense +15 if not alone in room, (Self) Attack power +15 if not alone in room.
Level 2: Enlightenator (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +4 from monsters in room, (Self) Defense +3 from monsters in room
Level 3: Tower of Babble (Active)
(Self) All monsters with less than 25% HP and in the same room with Rosetta are killed instantly and explode, dealing zone damage to monsters around them, (Self) Zone Damage Radius when monsters explode: +100, (Self) Zone Damage Power when monsters explode: +15
Level 4: Enlightenator II (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +5 from monsters in room, (Self) Defense +5 from monsters in room
Level 5: Danger Junkie (Passive)
(Self) Speed +3 if alone in the room, Attack Power +12 if alone in the room
Level 7: Enlightenator III (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +6 from monsters in room, (Self) Defense +7 from monsters in room
Level 8: War Rider (Active)
(Self) Speed +10, Defense +50
Level 10: Enlightenator IV (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +7 from monsters in room, (Self) Defense +10 from monsters in room
Level 11: Tower of Babble II (Active)
(Self) All monsters with less than 25% HP and in the same room with Rosetta are killed instantly and explode, dealing zone damage to monsters around them, (Self) Zone Damage Radius when monsters explode: +100, (Self) Zone Damage Power when monsters explode: +15
Level 12: Enlightenator V (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +9 from monsters in room, (Self) Defense +15 from monsters in room
Level 15: Enlightenator VI (Passive)
(Self) Attack Power +12 from monsters in room, (Self) Defense +20 from monsters in room

Overview

Rosetta plays much like Sara in that she is very fast moving Hero that uses a Sword in combat. Unlike Sara she is a stronger combatant with more health and ability to kill enemies in front of her. Rosetta is generally great for crowd control, temporarily gaining more Attack Power and Defense that is proportionate to the number of enemies in the room.

Strategy

Rosetta is a really fun character to run when dealing with hordes of weaker enemies crawling all over your Heroes. She can work both well as a door opener or a crystal runner thanks to her having the second fastest speed in game, and if needed she can activate the War Rider for a bit more speed when needed.

Rosetta's skill set is also rather unique in that the skill Enlightenator that she has allows her to gain more Attack Power and Defense for every enemy in the same room. This makes her exceptional strong when fighting numerous enemies. Additionally if things look like they are getting a bit too hectic, she has a powerful Active called Tower of Babble that will kill all enemies with less then 25% health.

Worth noting is that in rooms with few enemies, Rosetta can come off as a bit supbar compared to other Heroes. While Enlightenator will help in a room with multiple enemies, against a single big enemy like a Chimera Keeper or Hurna Rider she has much less Attack Power. Also, as she kills more enemies, she will of course get weaker since the number of enemies in the room with her is decreasing.

Rosetta can't wear Armor, and her Defense is rather atrocious. She does have an Extra Tool Slot and Enlightenator generally gives her massive Defense anyways; but she will take huge damage against small clusters of really tough enemies. Her Attack Speed is also somewhat low, but each hit she makes will generally do good damage if there are other enemies to help boost up her Attack Power.

Recruitment

Rosetta is an okay choice to start a run with, as Enlightenator can help keep her relevant before equipment drops can be found; and just due to the game seemingly throwing weaker enemies at you in the early game more often then not.

She's a really good option to recruit later in a game however as enemy hordes get much larger, and thus Rosetta will get much stronger. With resources to reset her skills for use of Tower of Babble, she can become a really good mainstay to have on your team.

Crew Faction - Uses Pistol

Pros - Very Fast Movement Speed, Can Tame An Enemy To Fight For Her
Cons - Low Health, Not As Useful Against Weak Enemies


Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 2: Heel! (Active)
(Self) Tames the most powerful monster in the room.
Level 3: Table Scraps (Passive)
(Self) Gives +50% HP from heals to your tamed monster.
Level 4: Attack Dawg (Passive)
(Self) +40% of the hero’s Attack Power shared with the tamed monster.
Level 6: Soylent Green (Passive)
(Self) Food +0.2 per killed monster
Level 7: Crawler (Active)
(Self) Not noticed by monsters (except with a Crystal)
Level 9: Attack Dawg II (Passive)
(Self) +60% of the hero’s Attack Power shared with the tamed monster.
Level 10: Extenders (Passive)
(Heroes in Floor) Heals cost -10%
Level 12: Soylent Green II (Passive)
(Self) Food +1 per killed monster
Level 13: Extenders II (Passive)
(Heroes in Floor) Heals cost -17%
Level 15: Attack Dawg III (Passive)
(Self) +100% of the hero’s Attack Power shared with the tamed monster.

Overview

Sasha is your Moster Tamer flavored Hero, capable of capturing Enemies and making them fight for you. That's her modus operandi, and it can allow you to get some rather interesting results when you do it. Unfortunately she is also about as squishy as Sara while having almost near the amount of aggro, so you have to watch that she doesn't get runover by enemies.

Strategy

Sasha plays in many ways like Sara does in that she is your generic runner that opens doors and runs the Crystal. Unlike Sara, she does have a little bit more survivability since the enemies she captures can serve as a brief meatshield and extra bit of damage to kill things - plus she can eventually get Skulker via Crawler which can allow her to avoid being targetted in the first place. Something to note is that when she is healed, her captured enemies get healed too.

However, outside of the captured enemies that follow her, Sasha herself is extremely weak - even weaker then Sara. Since her ability Heel! also has a 3 turn cooldown, she is a bit subpar where you don't have the science to quickly restore her abilities. This means that if her pet gets killed, she may soon get squished too.

Eventually it is worth noting that she gets Soylent Green and Extenders which helps you out a bit with Food - in that she costs less to heal and nets you additional Food to heal Sasha and other Heroes. Her pets also eventually get stronger too as they stick around and kill stuff. The Best results for this of course though are at the later levels or with ample time.

Overall, Sasha is a bit of a gamble to run, as you are very dependent on the enemy types attacking you. If strong enemies attack you, you can capture them and then turn the tide against the rest of your foes very well. If weak enemies attack you, then Sasha's use falls by the wayside as the stuff she captures simply just gets run over.

Recruitment

Sasha is perhaps one of the weaker heroes to start out with, as early on the weaker fodder she captures won't serve much use. She also requires a little leveling to boost the stats of captured enemies as well.

Later on, Sasha can be somewhat more useful, as more challenging enemies come to fight you - and thus more challenging enemies can be captured and made for use to you. You can also capture special enemies - and yes, even full tiered Chimera Keepers.

Crew Faction - Uses Pistol

Pros - Starts with Operate, Good Wit, Learns Repair at Level 5,
Gives Benefits to Heroes on the Floor through Operating Modules
Cons - Very Weak Combatant

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 2: Good Morning Auriga (Active)
(Heroes in floor) Speed +7
Level 4: Special Transmission (Passive)
(Self) Health Regen +5 to all heroes, when operating a Food Replicator, (Self) Health Regen +10% to all heroes, when operating a Food Replicator, (Self) Attack power +10% to all heroes, when operating an Industry Generator, (Self) Attack power +10% to Offense Minor Modules, when operating a Science Creator
Level 5: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 6: Urgent Call (Active)
Forces a random positive event to happen in the next room opened.
Level 8: Good Morning Auriga II (Active)
Level 9: Special Transmission II (Passive)
(Self) Health Regen +7 to all heroes, when operating a Food Replicator, (Self) Health Regen +14% to all heroes, when operating a Food Replicator, (Self) Attack power +14% to all heroes, when operating an Industry Generator, (Self) Attack power +14% to Offense Minor Modules, when operating a Science Creator
(Heroes in floor) Speed +9
Level 10: Knowledge Is Good (Passive)
(Heroes on Floor) Get +2 wit.
Level 12: Good Morning Auriga III (Active)
(Heroes in floor) Speed +12
Level 15: Special Transmission III (Passive)
(Self) Health Regen +10 to all heroes, when operating a Food Replicator, (Self) Health Regen +18% to all heroes, when operating a Food Replicator, (Self) Attack power +18% to all heroes, when operating an Industry Generator, (Self) Attack power +18% to Offense Minor Modules, when operating a Science Creator
(Heroes in floor) Speed +9

Overview

The only Hero currently that can operate a module from the getgo, Wes is all about operating modules from behind the scenes and providing benefits to your other heroes while he does so. Depending on whether he is operating a Food, Industry, or Science module, he will provide buffs to different stats to all heroes on the floor. Just be wary - keep Wes out of harms way as he is a bit of a pushover.

Strategy

The only hero to be able to begin operating immediately, Wes can be used to begin operating on a module the very first time you place it in a run - as opposed to other heroes which need to be leveled up a bit. This can allow you to net a lot of resources in the long run, making it very easy to stockpile vast amounts.

As he is leveled up to Level 4, he'll also begin to offer various buffs to your other Heroes while operating modules too. With Special Transmission he will give a Health Regeneration buff to all Heroes when operating a Food Module, an Offensive Hero Attack Power buff when operating an Industry Module, and an Offensive Minor Module Attack Power buff when operating a Science Module. This means that sort of like Josh and Mormish, he can be thrown behind the front lines and still help out the rest of your Heroes.

His Active abilities are also worth noting. The first, Good Morning Auriga will give a burst of speed to all the Heroes on the floor - allowing them to move around much more quickly. Urgent Call will allow you to change the contents of the next room for which you open a door too - causing Heroes or Research Artefact Modules to appear.

Unfortunately, for all his positives, he does have a rather dire weakness - poor combat abilities. Wes is no combatant and is not a good choice to hold off enemies with. While he might be able to hold off some enemies, you'll always want to have some major backup to help him out in fending off enemies - be it a plethora of Minor Modules or other Heroes to help him

Recruitment

Wes is an okay pick to start a run with, since you can begin operating Minor Modules with him from the getgo - just be sure to pair him up with a hero that can decently fight since Wes can't be counted on to do that.

Later on Wes is a still a good pickup, since he can not only operating on modules but also provide some sweet buffs to help improve your other Heroes while he engages in operating a Module.

Crew Faction - is Weaponless

Pros - Jack of all Trades, Starts with Repair, Learns Operate at Level 5,
Keeps Dust between Floors with Secret Compartment, Gets more Resources with Active
Cons - Master of None, Extremely Slow Attack Speed & Movement Speed

Skills

Level 1: Got Your Back (Passive)
+10% Defense when in a room with other members of the guard faction.
Level 1: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 2: Recycling Beast (Active)
(Self) +0.5 random resource per monster killed in the room (except Dust)
Level 3: Steamroller (Passive)
(Self) Speed malus when carrying the Crystal is reduced by +20%
Level 5: Operate (Passive)
Can operate major modules.
Level 6: Secret Compartment (Passive)
+10% Dust kept from a floor to another (up to 20% and 20 Dust)
Level 7: Engage Turtle Mode (Active)
(Self) Defense +130, (Self) Speed -30
Level 9: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 11: Steamroller II (Passive)
(Self) Speed malus when carrying the Crystal is reduced by +40%
Level 12: Secret Compartment II (Passive)
+20% Dust kept from a floor to another (up to 20% and 20 Dust)
Level 15: Recycling Beast II (Active)
(Self) +1 random resource per monster killed in the room (except Dust)

Overview

Zugma is a resource hoarder, in that she will bulldoze through enemies netting you more resources with her Active ability Recycling Beast while eventually hoarding dust between levels with Secret Compartment. She's also an interesting pick to move the Crystal with at level 11 when she gets Steamroller II. However, the drawback to this is her speed, as she has the slowest attack speed in game and only Gork the Butcher and Warden Mormish move slower then Zugma.

Strategy

Zugma is sort of interesting in strategic use as her skills will shift how you use her throughout gameplay. She doesn't get Operate until Level 5 but she can net resources with Recycling Beast - thus she is sort of like a weaker Gork early on that produces random resources from kills. Later she can Operate so you can park her on a Module and have her hold up when enemies come around. Then finally when she gets Scamper and Steamroller II, she can be used to move the crystal.

In a way she could be described as a sort of Jack of all Trades, Master of None Hero like Max or Hikensha; or perhaps like Golgy - outside of her natural movement being slow, she is good to move the Crystal with. She holds her own sort of niche despite being fairly similar to a whole lot to those other Heroes, having a different sort of jobset and outlook in gameplay that makes her distinct and different.

However, it really needs to be noted that her shortcomings are pretty heavy - being the Hero with the slowest Attack Speed and near slowest Movement Speed renders Zugma very dependent on being able to defeat enemies - as retreating with Zugma is a very daunting prospect to ever consider. She does have Engage Turtle Mode of course but that is more to help other heroes come aid Zugma when she gets pinned down.

Still, if you can figure out when and where to use Zugma she can be a rather effective Hero. As a Front Line Operator, a Crystal Runner, or a mini Gork she can fill a variety of roles in her own unique way.

Recruitment

I personally don't think much of Zugma early on. While she can kill stuff and gather resources for you, she is rather inefficient at it. It also takes a lot of food to level her up since she's a part of the Crew Faction - and Operate is all the way up their at Level 5.

Later on though, Zugma is definitely a worthy pickup. If you don't have a Crystal Runner or if you are lacking an Operator then Zugma can help you out immensely.

No Faction - is Weaponless

Pros - High Health, Plethora of Useful Skills, Excellent Door Opener, Fast Attack Speed
Learns Repair at Level 5
Cons - Expensive to Level At Early Levels, Can't Equip Anything, No Defense

Skills

Level 1: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 2: Pilfer (Passive)
(Self) Dust +1 when opening a room with Dust
Level 3: Overclocked (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +50%
Level 4: Nyctophilia (Passive)
(Heroes in unpowered room) Speed +5, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability +5%
Level 5: Repair (Passive)
Can repair damaged modules.
Level 6: Recycling (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) Industry +0.2 by killed mobs
Level 7: Paramedic (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +12, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +6
Level 8: Pickpocket (Passive)
(Target) Dust loot probability from monsters +12%
Level 9: Soylent Green (Passive)
(Self) Food +0.2 per killed monster
Level 10: Pilfer II (Passive)
(Self) Dust +2 when opening a room with Dust
Level 11: Overclocked II (Active)
(Minor Modules in room) Attack Power +75%
Level 12: Nyctophilia II (Passive)
(Heroes in unpowered room) Speed +8, (Monsters in room) Dust loot probability +7%
Level 13: Recycling II (Passive)
(Heroes in Room) Industry +0.3 by killed mobs
Level 14: Paramedic II (Active)
(Heroes in room) Health Regen +20, (Heroes on floor) Health Regen +10
Level 15: Pickpocket II (Passive)
(Target) Dust loot probability from monsters +18%

Overview

Ayairi is the iconic dog that hangs out with the merchant. When joining you as a hero of your team though, the Pug offers an array of skills that can help in your resource gathering. Keep an eye on Ayairi though, as while she has substantial health, she has no defense and cannot equip any items to help mitigate her inability to deflect damage.

Strategy

Ayairi is easily the best 'stand by' utility hero in the game, featuring an array of skills that help you in getting more Dust, Industry, and Food, while also being able to Repair modules. To help make her more useful she also employs Paramedic and Overclocked which can allow her to help support your other heroes or modules in the room in taking down enemies.

Note that I emphasis stand by in the first paragraph, as while Ayairi has a lot of useful skills, she isn't a hero to send into a room with enemies by herself. Ayairi has no defense - like none at all, so enemies rip through Ayairi very easily when they gang up on her. With the exception of Soylent Green, her skills are set up to see her aid your other heroes in helping you get through the dungeon.

It really is important to emphasis that where possible, you'll want to keep an eye on Ayairi and throw meatshields in front of her and the enemies where possible. If you can find an item that gives Me First!, or if you happen to have Gork in your party, you'll want them to taunt enemies off of Ayairi so that you don't have to worry about her getting squished.

In addition to her stand by nature, one should also be aware that factionless heroes like Ayairi are more expensive to level up food wise, at least in the earlier levels. Eventually the food cost will dwindle down and she'll be less expensive to level up at later levels, but until they it can be slightly difficult leveling up Ayairi for all her delicious skills.

Recruitment

Due to the secret nature of Ayairi Whairydd, I won't be covering this section for her.

No Faction - Uses Sword

Pros - Very Powerful Floor Actives, Faster & Stronger When Researching
Cons - Expensive to Level At Early Levels, Very Slow Attack Speed


Skills

Level 1: Scamper (Passive)
(Self) Monsters in the same room don't slow down the hero
Level 3: Dust Drainer (Active)
(Monsters in floor) Dust loot probability from monsters x2
Level 5: Defender of the Past (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +10 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress), (Self) Speed +7 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress)
Level 7: Endlessly Adaptive (Active)
(Major Modules and Artifacts in floor) Health Regen +12, (Minor Modules in floor) Health Regen +6
Level 9: Pilfer (Passive)
(Self) Dust +1 when opening a room with Dust
Level 11: Dust Drainer II (Active)
(Monsters in floor) Dust loot probability from monsters x3
Level 13: Defender of the Past II (Passive)
(Self) Attack power +15 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress), (Self) Speed +10 if an artifact is active in floor (Research in progress)
Level 15: Endlessly Adaptive II (Active)
(Major Modules and Artifacts in floor) Health Regen +18, (Minor Modules in floor) Health Regen +18

Overview

A levitating hero haunting the dungeon, Esseb is great for helping you get more Dust and do more researching - even as enemies that damage Artefacts may be running around. His skills also lend him to being a decent door opener too, and his well rounded stats will ensure he can be helpful when needed in a fight, more so if you are researching.

Strategy

Without a doubt, the most notable thing about Esseb is his active ability Dust Drainer. With the ability, Esseb will double the Dust drop rate of all enemies on the floor. Additionally he also gains Pilfer at level 9 which allows him to get you extra Dust when opening doors. This lends Esseb to being one of the better Heroes to use when you need a little extra Dust to power rooms.

Of note is that Esseb has the skill Defender of the Past which makes him hit harder and move faster when an Artefact is being used for research. It is important that when using Esseb that you want to be researching - even into the later levels when you beginning to run out of research. This is due to the boost in Attack Power and Speed that Esseb gets.

Don't worry too much if enemies on the floor can damage Artefacts a little bit too much either. Esseb second active Endlessly Adaptive will allow him to slow repair all modules and the Artefacts you use to Research by a little bit. Save for several enemies banging on an Artefact, Esseb can ensure Artefacts can go a bit longer.

Just keep a note that there is one initial drawback in using Esseb in that factionless heroes cost more to level up earlier in the dungeon. While eventually the cost will taper off and Esseb will be cheaper to level then other heroes, in the earlier levels it will be somewhat difficult in getting the food to level up Esseb for his juicy skills. To give some breakpoints: Esseb will be less costly to level up then Crew Faction heroes at level 9, and at level 11 he'll cost the same food as a hero from the prisoner faction to level up.

Recruitment

Due to the secret nature of Esseb Tarosh, I won't be covering this section for him.