Survival, the primary game mode inAge Of Darkness: Final Stand, offers six playable heroes across the three available factions. All six are quite strong, and will form the cornerstone of your army from the beginning of the run to the end, and you’ll likely find one or two that fit your personal playstyle the best.
If you’re looking for an overall power ranking, though, a few Heroes stand well above the others. We’ve broken down each character’s strengths and weaknesses to get an overall sense of who Erodar’s greatest defender truly is.
6Vizargo Oriah
The Consumed Hand
The leader of the growing Volatist cult, Vizargo can be extremely powerful when played skillfully, but you really can’t afford any mistakes with him. He hassome of the weakest stats of any Hero, counterbalanced by hisexceptional attack skills. That said, heneeds to level up before he gets access to any of those powers, so he has to rely heavily on his troops early in the game.
Be careful not to let Vizargo get caught out of position when usingClaw Dash. He hasno armor whatsoever, so if he gets surrounded without support he will likely die.
Vizargo’s ability toheal himself and nearby allies at night(including Death Nights) make him a very efficient leader when it counts. As long as you’re careful with him, he can play like amore aggressive Merek.
5Sir Edwin Everard
Wielder Of The Flame
If you’ve played the campaign, you’re likely very familiar with Edwin’sfrontline melee approach. His solid armor and cleave attacks make him great for small-scale engagements, but he canreally struggle against large waves.
CrackfireandFlame Shieldhave some nice area damage that are useful for clearing Crawlers, and Edwin’sEnlightenmentpassive lets nearby troopsEmbolden faster than normal.Beyond that, though, he doesn’t do much to actually support nearby units, sobe sure to take advantage of his access to unique Order units like Knights and Catapultsto make up the difference.
4Sir Merek Longhold
The Bolstering Might
Merek boasts thehighest Armor and HP of any Hero, which is a pretty big benefit in a game that’s all about defense. Between the healing offered byDrinks On Meand an area armor buff late in the game fromHoly Protector, Merek is the ideal Hero for leading a squad to hold the line at any cost.
That said, Merek’s focus on defense comes at a price; while his base attack is very respectable, hisHalberd HurricaneandCrushing Weightdon’t quite do enough damage to deal with major threats. A bully through and through, Merekprefers to pick on enemies smaller than him.When the time comes for the Final Stand, Merek really needs to rely on towers and the Order’s advanced siege weaponry, or all that armor won’t do him any good.
3Cyrus Bravaris
The Rebel Arm
Cyrus is even more fragile than Vizargo, but since he’s theonly ranged Hero in the gamehe’s much less likely to find himself in danger. He benefits fromsetting up well-prepared killzoneswhere his Caltrops and the gas traps of his Hunters canslow enemies down, keeping them in the line of fire for towers and hisViolent Volley.
Deploying Cyrus effectively requires precision, sodon’t be afraid to pause the game oftento line up the perfect Snipe shot. His Shred is fairly low, sohave Hunters or Impalers soften up armored enemiesbefore turning Cyrus' longbow against them; in the meantime, he’ll have plenty other targets to shoot at.
2Aelis Syren
Queen Of Nothing
The leader of the Rebellion - and rightful Queen of Erodar - has thehighest base DPS of any Hero, and gets even more damage from hersquad of Loyal Guards.She may have low HP and no armor, but her ability tosacrifice Loyal Guards to save herselfmakes her uncommonly survivable in spite of it.
Aelis' only real downside is that her willingness to sacrifice troops can go a bit too far if you let it.Queen’s Ragegives affected units an attack speed buff, which pairs great with the enhancement to attack speed from the Melee skill tree, but itreduces their maximum HP while it’s in effect.If you’re not very particular with how you use this ability, overuse of Aelis' abilities can leave her facing the swarm alone.
1Aurelia Pelagren
Daughter Of Ruin
Aurelia’s stats are middle-of-the-road, but she isn’t missing anything important. As a former Order Squire, she has a little bit of armor, which is uncommon in general when playing as the Volatists, and her abilities are truly top-notch.
Aurelia’s centerpiece skill,Dark Fury, gives her and her nearby troops asignificant boost to damage, Shred, and regen, making even lowly Cultists able to swarm and overcome powerful Nightmares. She can useFlail Whipto get the Dark Essence she needs to fuel this power, and likely still have plenty left over for high-tier upgrades and Harbinger recruitment.
Aurelia also boastsone of the game’s most effective combos.First,place a Midnight Bloomto create a decoy that attracts and slows enemies; then, once they’re all together,unleash Crimson Lightningto turn all but the most powerful foes into heaps of ash.
Aurelia’s hubris may have brought Erodar to the brink of ruin, but more than anyone else she also has the power to save it.
