The best heroes in Z Route: Redemption are the five UR Warriors: Monroe, Arnold, Dirk, Carter and Lucian. Together they make the strongest squad in the game right now, and it is the exact lineup we have seen top raiders use. After them, Leah leads the Tactical heroes, and Nicole is the pick of the Assault heroes.
This tier list ranks all 30 heroes for PvP: raids, rallies, Arena and Alliance Competition battles. Every skill and role below was checked in-game. The tiers themselves are our judgment, based on those skills, the faction system and what we see strong players field.
Quick Tier List
| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Monroe, Arnold, Dirk, Carter, Lucian, Leah |
| A | Katya, Bekka, Virgilio, Nicole, Victor, Silas |
| B | Yana, Vince, Vera, Toxina, Zara, Rachel, Celeste |
| C | Nora, Aria, Logan, Lee Yu, Kim Mina |
| D (skip) | Hank, Jamal, Jackson (SR) |
| Not rated yet | Conan, Taylor, Jack |
Rarity matters more than anything else. A UR hero at 3 stars will usually beat an SSR at 5 stars, so spend your shards and skill books on UR heroes first. The Squad Building Guide explains how to build around them.
How Factions Change the Rankings
Every hero belongs to one of three factions, and each faction takes 20% less damage from one other faction. The in-game tooltip says:
- Warrior heroes take 20% less damage from Assault heroes.
- Assault heroes take 20% less damage from Tactical heroes.
- Tactical heroes take 20% less damage from Warrior heroes.
So Warrior beats Assault, Assault beats Tactical, and Tactical beats Warrior. Running five heroes of the same faction also adds a squad bonus of up to +20%, which is why the best squads are single-faction. It also means a strong Tactical squad is the natural answer to the Warrior squads that dominate most servers.
S Tier: Build Your Main Squad Around These
| Hero | Faction | Role | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | Warrior | Backline | Main damage dealer. Her battle skill fires 16 tank rockets, and her passive adds Radiation damage. |
| Arnold | Warrior | Frontline | Cuts the Physical damage your front row takes. At 4 stars the effect covers all allies. |
| Dirk | Warrior | Frontline | Raises your front row’s DEF (all allies from 3 stars) and has the highest max power of the three heroes we previewed. |
| Carter | Warrior | Support | Raises the ATK of every ally, adds Crit Rate at 2 stars, and speeds up skill cooldowns. |
| Lucian | Warrior | Backline | Tesla Coil hits four times and his passive adds a large Crit Rate bonus. Carries weaker squads beyond what his power number suggests. |
| Leah | Tactical | Backline | The best Tactical hero. Her battle skill hits every enemy on the field. |
The five Warriors cover every job a squad needs: two tanks, two damage dealers and a support who buffs everyone. On 26 September our test account was raided by a player running exactly this squad at level 150 with 4 and 5 stars. That is the lineup to aim for.
The rankings back this up. On the server we play, the Top Hero Power ranking showed Monroe as the strongest hero of 9 of the top 10 players (checked in-game, September 2026).
A Tier: Strong Second Squads
| Hero | Faction | Role | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katya | Tactical | Backline | Viper hits 15 times and lowers the target’s DEF with every hit, up to -25%. Great next to other damage dealers. |
| Bekka | Tactical | Frontline | Hits all enemies and reduces their Radiation damage, and her passive cuts the Radiation damage she takes. Strong against Monroe, Carter and Lucian, who deal Radiation damage. |
| Virgilio | Tactical | Frontline | Reduces the Radiation damage the whole squad takes. Pairs well with Bekka against Warrior squads. |
| Nicole | Assault | Backline | The best Assault hero on paper: her battle skill hits every enemy for 715.95% ATK at max level. |
| Victor | Assault | Backline | Attacks the lowest-HP enemy. From 2 stars, every cast adds ATK with no stack limit, so he gets stronger in long fights. |
| Silas | Tactical | Backline | Hits two back-row enemies with a 20% chance to stun, plus a flat ATK passive. |
B Tier: Useful Until You Have Better
| Hero | Faction | Role | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yana | Assault | Backline | Hits three back-row enemies. Solid, but outclassed by Nicole. |
| Vince | Assault | Frontline | Taunts two front enemies and lowers their ATK. Useful tank for an Assault squad. |
| Vera | Assault | Frontline | Enters Guard and counterattacks when hit. Needs stars before she does much. |
| Toxina | Warrior | Frontline | The best SSR Warrior tank. Lowers the ATK of two front enemies. |
| Zara | Warrior | Frontline | High DEF passive. Good front row for an SSR Warrior second squad. |
| Rachel | Warrior | Backline | Four grenades and a flat ATK passive. The best SSR Warrior damage dealer for PvP. |
| Celeste | Assault | Backline | Hits two front enemies and lowers their DEF from 2 stars. |
C and D Tier: PvE Heroes and Heroes to Skip
Several SSR heroes have skills that only work against monsters: Nora, Aria, Toxina, Zara, Lee Yu and Kim Mina. They are fine for zombie farming and resource gathering (Nora gives +61.7% resources from resource zombies at her current level), but their passives do nothing in PvP. Nora and Aria still hit hard with their battle skills, which is why they sit in C rather than D.
- Logan: a basic SSR damage dealer with nothing special.
- Lee Yu: his Frag Grenade does 5 hits of only 8.35% ATK each at level 5. Skip him.
- Kim Mina: both her battle skill and passive are monster-only.
- Hank, Jamal, Jackson (SR): SR heroes have only three skills (no passive) and a lower stat bonus at 4 stars. Do not invest in them.
Conan, Taylor and Jack are not rated yet because we have not verified their skills.
Best Squad for Each Faction
| Faction | Frontline | Backline / Support |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior (UR) | Arnold, Dirk | Monroe, Lucian, Carter |
| Warrior (SSR) | Toxina, Zara | Rachel, Nora, Aria |
| Tactical | Bekka, Virgilio | Leah, Katya, Silas |
| Assault | Vince, Vera | Nicole, Victor, Yana |
Try your own roster in the Squad Builder & Counter Checker. It picks the best five from the heroes you own and shows which squads counter yours.
Where to Spend Your Resources
- Stars first on your main five. At 4 stars and hero level 31, every UR hero unlocks Doomsday Judgment: +20% ATK, DEF and HP and +10% skill cooldown speed. SSR heroes only get +10%.
- Stars also raise skill caps. The skill level cap is 1 at 0–1 stars, 5 at 2 stars, 10 at 3 stars, 20 at 4 stars and 30 at 5 stars.
- Do not spread shards. Five 4-star URs are worth far more than ten 3-star heroes.
- Remember account-wide bonuses. Decorations, tech and your fighter boost every hero, so they help whichever squad you end up with.
Tier List FAQ
Who is the best hero in Z Route: Redemption?
Monroe is the strongest single damage dealer, but the real answer is the full UR Warrior squad: Monroe, Arnold, Dirk, Carter and Lucian. They work best together.
What is the best faction?
Warrior, because its UR heroes cover every role. Tactical counters Warrior, so a Tactical squad led by Leah is the best second option and a good counter pick.
Are SSR heroes worth upgrading?
Only as a second squad while you collect UR shards. A 3-star UR usually beats a 5-star SSR.
Should I invest in SR heroes?
No. They have no passive skill and their 4-star bonus is only +5%.
How often does this tier list change?
We update it when new heroes arrive or when a balance change affects skills. The ranking is based on verified skill data from our own account.
