Part of the Heroes Series:
- Heroes Hub: Roles and development systems.
- Hero Tier List: Choose for your state and activity.
Quick Answer
Hero generations describe release cohorts, while availability follows your state's progression and rollout. Your account's HQ level does not independently bring the newest generation to a young state.
Gen 26 is no longer a suitable universal “current generation” label. Later creator material identifies Gen 27: Kavya, Kade and Rasetsu, and Gen 28: Camilla, Robin and Raven. This confirms the roster names, not a worldwide unlock date or a tested combat ranking.
For the common early-game confusion: Nikola is Gen 1 Infantry; Wolfe is Gen 2 Infantry. Epic starters such as Sarge, Chef and Travis sit outside the numbered Legendary sequence; “Gen 0” is informal shorthand for starter advice.
Overview
A new-state beginner, a returning player in a mature state and a late-game rally leader may need completely different replacement plans. Find what your state can recruit now, then compare it with what you can afford to develop.
A generation number alone does not tell you a hero's attainable rank, skills, appointment value or recruitment cost. Keep those decisions separate.
Roster Reference
The table is a name reference. Order within a row does not assign troop class. Gen 4 names can differ with the state's roster; repeated names in later generations need their later development context.
| Generation | Roster names | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikola, Maddie & Frank, Lucky, Ray & Rolex | Early-state Legendary roster; includes VIP-associated Ray & Rolex |
| 2 | Wolfe, Trish, Jeb | State-dependent availability |
| 3 | Ash, Miho, Zoe | State-dependent availability |
| 4 | Brooke / Ernie, Julie / Zach, Tyler / Jarrett | State roster variants |
| 5 | Emma & Eli, Tweak, Roxy | State-dependent availability |
| 6 | Jessica, Martha, Luca | State-dependent availability |
| 7 | Magnus, Dean, Grimm | State-dependent availability |
| 8 | Hank, Courtney, Tina | State-dependent availability |
| 9 | Derek, Essie, Arthur | State-dependent availability |
| 10 | Laura, Strings, Conor | State-dependent availability |
| 11 | Kyle, Buzz, Scope | State-dependent availability |
| 12 | Lori, Ram, Codi | State-dependent availability |
| 13 | Nikola, Maddie & Frank, Lucky | Limitless return of earlier characters |
| 14 | Wolfe, Trish, Jeb | Limitless return of earlier characters |
| 15 | Robert, Evelyn, Carlos | State-dependent availability |
| 16 | Chukon, Lan, Marcos | State-dependent availability |
| 17 | Robbie, Mia, Donald | State-dependent availability |
| 18 | Christopher, Eduardo, Wafaa | State-dependent availability |
| 19 | Duncan, Yamira, Catherine | State-dependent availability |
| 20 | Stacy, Xiaowen, Boomtail | State-dependent availability |
| 21 | Alex, Ava, Penelope | State-dependent availability |
| 22 | Gerald, Shizuka, Bella | State-dependent availability |
| 23 | Sam, Fahd, Daisy | State-dependent availability |
| 24 | Cynthia, Logan, Zahra | State-dependent availability |
| 25 | Hayden, Stella, Bobby | State-dependent availability |
| 26 | Stark, Lia, Finn | State-dependent availability |
| 27 | Kavya, Kade, Rasetsu | Creator-identified roster; availability varies |
| 28 | Camilla, Robin, Raven | Creator-identified roster; availability varies |
Gen 21–26 names are retained as roster references, without claiming a newly tested skill-by-skill ranking. Gen 27 and 28 should not be treated as available in every state. Check the portrait's class icon and recruitment panel before spending.
Classes and Combat Modes
| Hero class | Troop affinity | Early examples |
|---|---|---|
| Brawler | Infantry | Nikola, Wolfe, Ash |
| Scout | Riders | Maddie & Frank, Trish, Miho |
| Marksman | Hunters | Lucky, Jeb, Zoe |
A normal march composition draws from the three affinities. The troop-battle role is separate from an Explorer skill's behavior. For example, a tower or crowd-control effect in Explorer does not establish the hero as a top settlement defender against later generations.
Likewise, gathering depends on the relevant resource bonus. See the gathering reference; do not assume the latest combat generation contains the best resource specialist.
When Does the Next Generation Unlock?
Use the state's current hero roster, featured recruitment events, State Intel and seasonal announcements. Developer scheduling changes can align or accelerate groups of states, so a historical “every three months” or “Gen 4 at week 23” rule is not a guaranteed forecast.
Three different dates can circulate for the same hero:
- A test-server or creator preview.
- Release to leading or selected states.
- Availability in your particular state.
Do not book an upgrade around the preview date alone. The relevant question is when your account can obtain enough fragments, not when the portrait first appeared online.
Returning Heroes, Limitless and Resonance
Gen 13 and 14 reuse characters associated with the early rosters in later progression. Their reappearance is not evidence that an ordinary early-state version automatically has a later version's full stats.
Read the fragment and development guide for the materials involved, and Hero Appointment for a separate use of developed heroes.
Licensed and resonating heroes also need their own context. They do not neatly extend this numbered trio table. The resonance guide addresses compatibility; a licensed name alone does not tell you which ordinary hero it can replace.
Once you identify your state's available generation, use the recruitment guide to check the actual acquisition route, voucher version and attainable milestone.
Plan a Replacement You Can Finish
Write down the hero currently filling the slot, its useful rank and skills, the candidate replacement, the route to its fragments and the next reachable rank. Compare the actual result you can buy or earn.
If the new hero cannot reach a useful development point, continue using the working formation while saving for a defined target. If the new option solves a real limitation now, skipping it simply to remain “one generation behind” may waste months of useful progress.
F2P: concentrate general Legendary fragments on an attainable replacement, while continuing useful hero-specific income. Use the early F2P roster if your state still has the starting generations.
Spenders: budget for a completed role, not every available portrait. A new hero's skill conditions may require a different formation or supporting development than the account currently has.
Common Mistakes
- Calling Gen 26 current for all states after later generations have been identified.
- Treating a creator preview as a worldwide release date.
- Guessing troop class from the order of names in a list.
- Confusing returning characters with automatic free upgrades.
- Skipping or buying a generation without checking the acquisition cost.
For a blocked Limitless upgrade, use the Completion materials guide to separate chip sources, hero-specific capsules, potion variants and generation-selection crates.
Original Heroes and Later Versions
Lucky and Maddie & Frank have dedicated guides separating their original roles from the Gen 13 Completion return. Travis is an Epic starter outside the numbered Legendary sequence, while Becca is a special Development release. Their acquisition plans should not be inferred from a standard three-hero generation timetable.
FAQ
What is the latest generation covered here? The roster reference extends to creator-identified Gen 28, Camilla, Robin and Raven. It does not assert that every state can recruit them.
Is Nikola Gen 1 or Gen 2? Nikola is Gen 1 Infantry. Wolfe is the Gen 2 Infantry hero.
Why does another state have different heroes? States progress through hero availability on different schedules, and some historical cohorts have roster variants.
Should F2P players always stay one generation behind? No. Compare attainable development, acquisition cost and the value of the replacement. A fixed generation gap is not a complete plan.
Key Takeaways
- Identify state availability before planning a hero purchase.
- Treat generation, troop class, skills and acquisition as separate fields.
- Read Gen 27–28 names as roster coverage, not an invented meta ranking.
- Replace a working hero when a useful successor is obtainable and affordable.