Heroes

Heroes are special units in the Kingdom Rush Franchise of Tower Defense games. They are controlled by the player and can be commanded to move around the map, and will use abilities that differ between heroes. Unlike any other unit in the games, heroes will gain experience through battles to become more powerful.

Speculation and Release

Ironhide Game Studio revealed its first three heroes Gerald Lightseeker, Alleria Swiftwind, and Malik Hammerfury on 8th February, 2012; 14th February, 2012 and 19th March, 2012 respectively. Following the announcement, many players believed the heroes seem to be based on certain advanced towers: the Holy Order, Rangers Hideout, and Barbarian Mead Hall respectively. Many assumed that heroes for the remaining advanced towers would soon follow.

On April 5 2012, a retina display screenshot taken from the (then) upcoming iPad showed a mage hero (presumed to be based on the Arcane Wizard), and revealed features such as a health bar, a level system, and an experience bar.

On April 25, 2012, Ironhide released the Heroes update to both PC and iOS devices, starting with a 66% discount on heroes the following day before the Rotten Forest update for iOS devices.

The first six heroes released corresponded to the six Upgrades. Gerald Lightseeker, Alleria Swiftwind, Magnus Spellbane and Bolin Farslayer, for the Melee, Ranged, Magic and Artillery upgrades. Malik Hammerfury represented the Call Reinforcements while Ignus represented Rain of Fire.

Gameplay

Hero movement is controlled with the finger/mouse. You can either tap/click the hero directly, then tap/click where you would like to move them, or tap/click his icon, then direct them to any path. While the hero cannot stand off the path, they will move over the environment, skirting the edges of obstacles to make the movement from A to B as quick as possible. However, most heroes cannot reach sections of the path that are completely disconnected from the main path (such paths exist in the Rising Tides levels Storm Atoll and The Sunken Citadel, as well as Arcane Quarters and Shrine of Elynie). The exceptions are heroes that can fly, teleport, or in the case of Karkinos, move over the Sea. Flying heroes in particular can also just stand off of the path.

Heroes have stats similar to enemies. HP, Attack, Armor and Speed. These statistics vary from one hero to the next, designed to give each hero advantages and disadvantages. Heroes are immune to the instant kill attacks of regular enemies (but not bosses or level hazards). When a hero is defeated, they immediately start to heal, and will re-spawn after a certain length of time.

In Kingdom Rush, Heroes begin at level 1 and gain experience during a level by attacking enemies, before maxing out at level 10. With each new level they gain a boost in their HP and attacking strength. When a level ends, the hero reverts back to level 1. Hero stats are rated on a scale of 0 to 8 in terms of Health, Attack, Ranged Attack and Speed. No defense is stated on the Hero page however fully detailed stats are listed when the hero is highlighted in a level. Heroes have two abilities, unlocked when they reach certain levels, and gain in power just as their other stats do.

In Kingdom Rush: Frontiers, the hero experience changes. They begin at different levels based on when they are unlocked, and while they gain experience and levels as before, they maintain their levels outside of the level. Once a hero is maxed out at level 10, they remain so with fully increased stats. Hero stats are more defined than in the previous game, with numbers for each stat. When a hero levels up they earn hero points that can be spent on five different abilities. Heroes gain extra XP (experience point) in stages where higher Hero Level is expected; Hero Level 5 for Buccaneer's Den, 6 for Nazeru's Gates, 7 for Snapvine Bridge , 8 for Lost Jungle, 9 for Temple of Saqra, and 10 for The Underpass.

Kingdom Rush: Origins reuses the hero system from Frontiers, with a difference: each hero, instead of having five abilities like in Frontiers, now only have four abilities, with the fifth being replaced by a Hero Spell that can be upgraded with hero points like normal, but can be used by the player at any time, with an individual cool-down like the existing Spells.

Kingdom Rush: Vengeance uses almost the same system as Kingdom Rush: Origins. Four standard attacks and an Ultimate Spell (renamed from Hero spell due to the overall change in alignment). In addition, Heroes now have a passive ability that is in constant use from level one. This ability usually cannot be upgraded, but some Heroes do get an upgraded one upon reaching level 5 and 10. Heroes also have some fundamental differences that do not affect gameplay. Each hero has a unique death animation and always have a quote - as opposed to previous instalments, in which most heroes go out with a simple "Aah!" or "Noo!" In fact, the only Vengeance hero to have a simple scream upon death is Doom Tank SG-11 - in this case the Wilhelm Scream.

Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance has similar system to Kingdom Rush: Vengeance, but puts more emphasis on utilizing Heroes than previous games. Two Heroes can be controlled at once, and the player has access to two Ultimate Spells. However, the default area damage skill, like the Rain of Fire, is nonexistent in this game. Just like the towers, each Hero belongs either to Linirea or the Dark Army. Both of these groups have different Upgrades, which increase the stats of Heroes based on how many towers of the respective group are built, change tower stats based on allegiance of the Heroes, or even boost Ultimate Spells of the respective group. Unlike in Kingdom Rush: Vengeance, not every Hero has a passive ability, and the passive abilities are not showcased in Hero select screen.

The Heroes

Kingdom Rush

Kingdom Rush has thirteen heroes. The first three and Ten'Shí are free, all others are Premium, only available through in-game purchases.

Sir. Gerald Lightseeker	Alleria Swiftwind	Malik Hammerfury	Bolin Farslayer


Magnus Spellbane	Ignus	King Denas	Elora Wintersong

Ingvar Bearclaw	Hacksaw	Oni	Thor

Ten'Shí

The first six heroes are based on the six Upgrades paths. Gerald is for Barracks, Alleria is for Archers, Magnus is for Mages, Bolin is for Artillery, Ignus is for Rain of Fire, and Malik is for Reinforcements.

On the Flash version, Heroes are activated by paying 15 stars at the Hero Room on the World Map. Only the first three heroes are free, the others must be unlocked to be usable by purchasing the Premium Content.

On the mobile versions, the first three heroes are free and are unlocked by beating Pagras, Silveroak Forest and Coldstep Mines, respectively. Ten'Shí is unlocked by beating Forsaken Valley. The others can only be unlocked via in-app purchases:

$0.99: Bolin, Magnus, Ignus
$2.99: Denas, Elora, Ingvar
$4.99: Hacksaw, Oni, Thor

On the Steam version, all heroes are free and are unlocked by reaching certain stages:

Gerald Lightseeker: Twin Rivers
Alleria Swiftwind: The Citadel
Malik Hammerfury, Bolin Farslayer: Icewind Pass
Magnus: Stormcloud Temple
Ignus: Forsaken Valley
The rest: The Dark Tower

Stats

Heroes	Health (Casual)	Heal Rate (1.0s)	Damage	Attack Rate	Armor	Speed	Respawn
Gerald	580 (696)	145	24-40	1.0s	High (80%)	2.2	15s
Alleria	430 (516)	108	17-25	0.6s	None	3.0	15s
Malik	720 (864)	180	29-43	1.0s	Medium (50%)	2.0	15s
Bolin	670 (804)	168	23-38 ^M 23-38 *3 ^R	1.0s ^M 3.8s ^R	None	2.0	15s
Magnus	350 (420)	88	23-68	1.0s ^M 1.1s ^R	None	Teleport	15s
Ignus	670 (804)	168	32-53	1.0s	None	3.0	12s
King Denas	480 (576)	120	37-61	1.5s ^M 0.67s ^R	None	2.0	15s
Elora	450 (540)	113	34-101	1.0s ^M 1.8s ^R	Medium (50%)	3.0	15s
Ingvar	670 (840) [700^flash]	175	43-71	1.5s	Medium (40%)	2.5	15s
Hacksaw	600 (720)	150	18-54	1.2s	High (80%)	1.8	15s
Oni	650 (780)	163	25-71	1.0s	Medium (60%)	2.7	18s
Thor	650 (780)	163	44-55	1.5s	High (70%)	2.7	15s
Ten'shí	560 (672))	140	32-49	1.35s	Medium (50%)	Teleport 2.2 (Iron Time)	15s

Kingdom Rush: Frontiers

Frontiers has sixteen heroes. The first four are free, while the others are only available through in-app purchases.

Alric the Champion	Mirage the Assassin	Cronan the Beastmaster	Bruxa the Voodoo Witch


Captain Blackthorne the Corsair	Nivus the Grand Wizard	Dierdre the Priestess	Grawl the Stone Giant

Sha'tra the Skyhunter	Karkinos the Warmaster	Kutsao the Monk	Dante the Hunter

Kahz the Warlord	Saitam the Monkey God	Ashbite the Dragon	Bonehart the Dracolich

Alric is usable from the start. Mirage, Cronan and Bruxa must be unlocked by beating Sape Oasis, Nazeru's Gates and Snapvine Bridge, respectively.

Other heroes must be unlocked via in-app purchases:

$0.99: Nivus, Dierdre, Captain Blackthorne
$2.99: Grawl, Sha'tra, Karkinos, Kutsao
$4.99: Dante, Kahz, Saitam
$6.99: Ashbite, Bonehart

In the Steam Version all heroes are once again free and are unlocked by reaching certain stages :

Alric is available from the start (appears at Hammerhold Wave 3)
Mirage: Dunes of Despair
Blackthorne: Buccaneer's Den
Cronan: Crimson Valley
Bruxa: Snapvine Bridge
Nivus: Lost Jungle
Dierdre: Ma'qwa Urqu
Grawl: The Underpass
Sha'tra, Ashbite, Karkinos, Kutsao, Dante, Bonehart, Kahz and Saitam: Emberspike Depths

Stats

Heroes	Health	Heal Rate (1.0s)	Damage	Attack Rate	Armor	Speed	Respawn
Alric	560	74	27-40	1.0s	High (65%)	2.2	20s
Mirage	300	38	16-23 ^R	1.0s ^M 0.6s ^R	None	3.84	15s
Cronan	550	46 (+9)	15-23	1.0s	None	2.5	20s
Bruxa	350	44	17-52 ^R	1.0s ^M 1.5s ^R	None	2.4	15s
Blackthorne	630	63	40-59	1.0s	None	2.5	20s
Nivus	250	25	35-80 ^R	1.0s ^M 1.5s ^R	None	Teleport	18s
Dierdre	540	61	11-32 ^R	1.0s ^M 1.4s ^R	High (75%)	Teleport	15s
Grawl	900	30	42-55	1.3s	Medium (50%)	1.6	25s
Sha'tra	400	33	37-49	1.0s	Medium (40%)	2.5	25s
Karkinos	500	25	34-62	1.2s	Medium (35%)	4.0	20s
Kutsao	400	36	24-36	1.0s	None	3.0	18s
Dante	500	45	46-68	1.0s ^M 1.5s ^R	None	3.0	15s
Kahz	550	39	34-62	1.0s	Medium (40%)	3.0	20s
Saitam	400	40 (+9)	21-39	1.0s	Medium (40%)	5.4	20s
Ashbite	600	30	34-50	1.6s	None	3.0	30s
Bonehart	650	26	20-59	1.6s	None	3.0	30s

In addition to these 15 heroes, three stages also feature heroes exclusive to that stage: Rurin Longbeard (The Dark Descent), The Black Corsair (Storm Atoll) and Lucrezia (Dusk Chateau). These heroes are used alongside the primary one in all three modes, always start at level 10 and have static stats and skills (like the heroes of Kingdom Rush).

Rurin Longbeard	The Black Corsair	Lucrezia

Kingdom Rush: Origins

Origins has sixteen heroes. The first five are free, while the others are only available through in-app purchases.

Eridan the Ranger	Arivan the Elementalist	Catha the Pixie	Razz and Rags the Rag


Lilith the Fallen Angel	Reg'son the Eldritch Blade	Prince Denas the Noble Knight	Xin the Panda Monk

Lynn the Hexblade	Vez'nan the Dark Wizard	Durax the Elemental	Bravebark the Ent Lord

Bruce the Werelion	Phoenix the Eternal Bird	Wilbur the Inventor	Faustus the Dragon Mage

Eridan is useable from the start. Arivan, Catha, Razz and Rags and Lilith are unlocked by reaching Redwood Stand, Rockhenge, Neverwonder and Shrine of Elynie, respectively. Other heroes are unlocked via in-app purchases:

$1.99: Reg'son
$2.99: Prince Denas
$4.99: Xin, Lynn, Vez'nan, Durax, Bravebark, Bruce
$6.99: Phoenix, Wilbur, Faustus

In the Steam Version all heroes are once again free and are unlocked by reaching certain stages:

Eridan is available from wave 5 of the first stage Gray Ravens.
Arivan: Waterfalls Trail
Catha: Gryphon Point
Reg'Son, Prince Denas: Grimmsburg
Razz and Rags: Neverwonder
Bravebark: The Unseelie Court
Vez'nan, Xin, Phoenix, Durax, Lynn, Bruce, Lilith, Wilbur, Faustus: Shrine of Elynie

Stats

Heroes	Health	Heal Rate (1.0s)	Damage	Attack Rate	Armor	Speed	Respawn
Eridan	400	65	15-23	1.0s ^M 1.0s ^R	Medium (55%)	2.5	15s
Arivan	250	17	11-20 ^M 19-57 ^R	1.0s ^M 1.5s ^R	None	2.8	20s
Catha	300	38	11-20	1.0s	Medium (45%)	3.4	15s
Razz & Rags	575	38	19-28	2.0s ^M 0.8s ^R	None	2.0	15s
Lilith	420	42	17-25	1.0s ^M 1.2s ^R	Medium (55%)	3.0	18s
Reg'son	600	48	12-18	0.6s	None	3.5	15s
Prince Denas	400	27	23-34	1.0s	High (65%)	2.5	15s
Xin	600	40	25-40	1.5s	Low (25%)	2.5	20s
Lynn	530	40	24-36	1.0s	Medium (40%)	3.0	18s
Vez'nan	320	21	13-19 ^M 24-72 ^R	1.0s ^M 1.5s ^R	None	Teleport	20s
Durax	460	38	17-25	1.0s	None	7.5	21s
Bravebark	600	30	48-72	2.0s	Medium (40%)	Teleport	25s
Bruce	680	30	40-59	1.0s	Medium (50%)	3.0	18s
Phoenix	530	27	41-61	1.8s	None	3.5	5s
Wilbur	570	31	63-96	0.8s	None	2.88	30s
Faustus	625	31	75-114	1.6s	None	6.0	30s

Alleria Swiftwind, Malik Hammerfury, and Bolverk appear as secondary heroes in Royal Gardens, Blood Quarry, and Tainted Pit, respectively.

Alleria Swiftwind	Malik	Bolverk

Kingdom Rush: Vengeance

Vengeance has seventeen heroes. The first three are free, while others are only available through in-app purchases.

Veruk the Warmonger Leader	Asra the Shadow Assassin	Oloch the Infernal Mage	Margosa the Vampire Mistress


Mortemis the Eternal Lich	Jack O'Lantern the Dark Horseman	Tramin the Mad Inventor	Jigou the Unstoppable Beast

Jun'Pai the Abyssal Conqueror	Isfet the Undying Warlock	Lucerna the Cursed Ship	Grosh the Ancient One

Doom Tank SG-11 the Siege Tank	Eiskalt the Ice Dragon	Murglun the Magma Dragon	Dianyun the Storm Dragon

Beresad the Black Dragon

Veruk is useable from the start. Asra and Oloch are unlocked by reaching Clockwork Factory and Northerners' Outpost respectively. Other heroes are unlocked via in-app purchases:

$2.99: Margosa, Mortemis, Jack O' Lantern
$4.99: Tramin, Jigou, Jun'Pai
$5.99: Doom Tank SG-11, Eiskalt, Murglun
$6.99: Beresad
$8.99: Isfet (included with Hammerhold DLC), Lucerna (included with Pirate Kings DLC)

It would appear that, like in the first Kingdom Rush, there is a hero for each tower type (though none for Demon Goonies or Soul Impact). The heroes are Veruk for Barracks, Asra for Archers, Oloch for Mages and Tramin for Artillery.

In the Steam Version almost heroes are free and are unlocked by reaching certain stages:

Veruk is available from wave 3 of the tutorial stage Vez'nan's Tower
Asra: Clockwork Factory (stage 5)
Oloch: Northerners' Outpost (stage 7)
Margosa: Frozen Rapids (stage 8)
Mortemis: Northerners' Village (stage 9)
Tramin: Dragons' Boneyard (stage 10)
Jigou: Otil Farmlands (stage 12)
Beresad and Doom Tank SG-11: Maginicia Shores (stage 17)
Jun'Pai: Pond of the Sage (stage 19)
Eiskalt: Into the Mountains (stage 21)
Murglun: The Frozen Throne (stage 22)
Dianyun: Dragon's Power (stage 25)
Jack O'Lantern: The Ancient Ghosts (stage 28)
Grosh: The Original World (stage 31)

Isfet and Lucerna are unlocked by buying Hammerhold DLC and Pirate Kings DLC respectively and available from the start.

Stats

Heroes	Health	Heal Rate (2.0s)	Damage	Attack Rate	Armor	Speed	Respawn
Veruk	470	47	13-28	1.0s	30%	2.5	18s
Asra	280	33	17-26 22-32	0.8s 1.0s	15%	Teleport	16s
Oloch	285	28	8-14 25-46	1.0s 1.8s	None	1.8	18s
Margosa	430	31	34-50	1.2s	15%	5.4	18s
Mortemis	300	30	10-19 19-105	1.0s 1.8s	None	1.8	15s
Jack O'Lantern	333	42	44-79	2.0s	41%	Teleport	20s
Tramin	330	33	9-21 18-42	1.0s 2.0s	24%	Rocket Jump	18s
Jigou	750	75	59-89	2.0s	24%	1.4	20s
Jun'Pai	534	44	30-44 30-44	1.0s 1.1s	30%	2.5	20s
Isfet	350	26	11-17 29-54	1.0s 1.5s	None	1.3	18s
Lucerna	555	17	33-50	1.8s	13%	39	30s
Grosh	620	75	36-54	1.5s	24%	1.4	18s
Doom Tank SG-11	400	40	88-164	3.0s	60%	2.5	22s
Dianyun	578	49	19-43	2.0s	None	1.4	25s
Eiskalt	525	49	58-98	2.0s	None	3.0	25s
Murglun	545	49	52-96	2.0s	22%	3.0	25s
Beresad	600	49	41-76	1.5s	None	3.0	25s

Heroes in Kingdom Rush: Vengeance have different mechanics when it comes to micromanagement;

When an ability is being performed, interrupting said ability will cause the ability to go on cooldown.
Certain abilities will be performed even while heroes are moving, such as Oloch's Hellish Infusion, or Jigou's Ice Ball.
Melee and ranged combat engagement rules have also been changed; where the first enemy that was spawned is the default chosen target out of a group of enemy options.

As such, keeping track of ability cooldowns and hero positioning in Kingdom Rush: Vengeance becomes more important to utilize than ever before, in order to ensure proper optimized outcomes against enemy waves, and to prevent an ability misfire or interruption from happening.

Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance

Alliance has seventeen heroes. The first four are free (two for the Rebels, two for the Dark Army), while others are only available through in-app purchases.

Unlike the previous games in the series, in Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance, you control two heroes rather than one, and gain access to two hero spells. However, the default area damage spell, such as Rain of Fire, is unavailable. The second hero slot is unlocked after completing the Guardian Gate.

Vesper	Raelyn	Nyru	Grimson


Torres	Therien	Anya	Stregi

Kratoa	Warhead	Spydyr	Onagro

Broden	Lumenir	Kosmyr	Sylvara

Bonehart

Vesper is useable from the start. Raelyn, Nyru and Grimson are unlocked by reaching The Guardian Gate, Emerald Treetops and Wicked Crossing respectively. Other heroes are unlocked via in-app purchases:

$2.99: Torres, Therien, Anya, Stregi
$4.99: Warhead, Onagro, Broden
$6.99: Lumenir, Kosmir, Sylvara, Bonehart
$8.99: Kratoa (included with Colossal Dwarfare DLC)

In the Steam Version all heroes are once again free and are unlocked by reaching certain stages:

Vesper is available from wave 4 of the first stage Sea of Trees
Raelyn: The Guardian Gate (stage 2)
Nyru: Emerald Treetops (stage 4)
Torres: The Wildbeast Den (stage 6)
Anya: Carmine Mines (stage 8)
Grimson: Wicked Crossing (stage 9)
Broden: Temple Courtyard (stage 10)
Therien: Blighted Farmlands (stage 12)
Onagro: Desecrated Temple (stage 13)
Warhead: The Eyesore Tower (stage 15)
Lumenir and Kosmyr: after finishing the final stage of the main campaign Hunger's Peak (stage 16)
Stregi: Deepleaf Outpost (stage 18)
Boneheart: Temple of the Fallen (stage 19)
Sylvara: The Sunken Ruins (stage 21)
Spydyr: Breeding Chamber (stage 29)

Kratoa is unlocked by buying Colossal Dwarfare DLC and available from the start.

Stats

Heroes	Health	Heal Rate	Damage	Attack Rate	Armor	Speed	Respawn
Vesper	300	21	15-23 24-36	1.0 2.0s	40%	75	30s
Raelyn	400	32	24-36	2.0s	50%	50	30s
Nyru	215	17	14-30 18-53	1.0s 1.5s	None	95	30s
Grimson	400	32	20-28	1.0s	None	95	30s
Torres	520	42	22-34	2.0s	25%	50	30s
Anya	280	25	8-12 48-70	0.8s 2.5s	25%	95	30s
Stregi	265	20	15-22 15-22*2	1.0s 1.5s	None	180	30s
Kratoa	315	25	20-32	1.25s	None	55	15s
Therien	250	20	15-24 26-48	1.0s 1.5s	None	Teleport	25s
Warhead	335	27	15-23	1.0s	69%	152	30s
Spydyr	270	20	24-30 26-48	1.0s 1.5s	None	Teleport	25s
Onagro	290	23	27-41	2.0s	64%	42	30s
Broden	460	37	26-38	2.0s	None	120	30s
Lumenir	500	40	38-74	2.0s	36%	120	30s
Kosmyr	580	46	35-55	2.0s	None	100	30s
Sylvara	420	51	35-53	1.75s	30%	130	30s
Bonehart	540	43	32-46	2.0s	None	130	30s