
For alliance leaders who know their hero roster but need to know which 5 to slot together, and why the composition beats the individual...
A tier list tells you which heroes are strong. Squad composition in Last War tells you which heroes are strong together. The game deploys 5 heroes per formation, and the synergy between those 5 determines your outcome in PvP, raids, and alliance events far more than any individual hero ranking.
This guide covers the best squad setups for every formation type, the troop counter system that serious players build around, and where hero investment should go to build lineups that perform across multiple modes.
For individual hero evaluations, see the Last War: Survival Hero Tier List.
Every Last War squad needs three things: durability (a frontline that survives long enough for your team to work), damage output (heroes that eliminate threats before the squad collapses), and coverage (the right troop types to exploit the matchup system).
Last War uses a rock-paper-scissors counter system between its three main troop types:
This counter system is the framework your entire Last War squad formation strategy should be built around. A best last war squad is not just 5 strong heroes — it is 5 heroes in the right type configuration for the matchup.
The Last War best tank squad is built for durability, battlefield control, and sustained damage. This is your primary formation for holding ground in PvP defense, extended rally fights, and engagements where you need to outlast the opponent.
Slot 1 (Primary Tank): Williams. The backbone of this formation. Williams reduces incoming damage and boosts allied defenses, making him non-negotiable as the frontline anchor for any tank squad setup in Last War.
Slot 2 (Secondary Tank): Murphy. Reinforces the defensive line for sustained battles. Williams and Murphy together create a durability floor that most compositions cannot crack in a single engagement.
Slot 3 (Primary Damage): Kimberly. The offensive pivot of this tank formation. Specializes in area burst damage, turning sustained engagements into one-sided eliminations once the frontline has absorbed the initial pressure.
Slot 4 (Secondary Damage): Stetmann. Consistent damage-over-time that complements Kimberly burst. Valuable in prolonged fights where a single burst window is not enough to close the engagement.
Slot 5 (Finisher): Tesla. High-damage missile attacks that clean up what the rest of the formation weakens. Adds offensive edge to a defense-heavy squad.
Why this works: The double-tank frontline forces opponents to overcommit resources to breaking through. Kimberly and Stetmann handle damage from behind that wall. The formation beats Missile Vehicle squads by design via the troop counter system.
The Last War missile squad is built for high-powered long-range damage. These lineups shred opponents before they close the gap — optimal for offensive raids and PvP matchups against Aircraft-heavy opponents.
Slot 1 (Frontline Tank): Adam. Absorbs incoming fire and delivers counterattacks over time. Adam defensive kit gives the missile backline the time it needs to operate.
Slot 2 (Taunt Tank): McGregor. Redirects damage away from the damage dealers using taunt abilities. When McGregor is functioning, Fiona and Tesla operate uncontested.
Slot 3 (Primary Damage): Fiona. Top-tier area damage output. Fiona devastating cluster attacks are what this formation is built to enable. Keep her alive and this becomes one of the strongest squad lineups in the game.
Slot 4 (Precision Damage): Tesla. Precision single-target strikes that complement Fiona area coverage. Valuable in PvP where eliminating a specific hero first changes the engagement entirely.
Slot 5 (Finisher): Swift. Finishes off weakened targets that survive the Fiona and Tesla damage pass. Ensures the missile barrage produces full eliminations, not just heavy damage.
Why this works: Adam and McGregor create a protected firing platform for the backline. Formation beats Aircraft squads by design. Its counter is Tank formations — adjust the frontline when facing heavy tank opponents.
The Last War air squad formation is built for speed, agility, and overwhelming damage output. Aircraft squads hit fast, reposition quickly, and overwhelm opponents before they can stabilize. This is your offensive formation of choice when facing Tank-heavy opponents, and one of the most effective raiding setups in the game when properly built.
Slot 1 (Defensive Aircraft): Lucius. Absorbs initial damage and disrupts enemy formations, keeping the backline aircraft operational. Lucius is why this formation doesn’t collapse in the opening seconds of an engagement.
Slot 2 (Support Tank): Carlie. Reinforces the frontline with additional durability and squad support. The Lucius and Carlie pairing gives the aircraft damage dealers enough protection to do their work uninterrupted.
Slot 3 (Primary Damage): Morrison. Breaks through enemy defenses and softens targets for follow-up. Morrison’s sustained damage output is the engine of this formation.
Slot 4 (Backline Threat): Schuyler. Specializes in targeting backline enemies — an excellent choice for dismantling high-priority threats in PvP and disrupting opponent squads that rely on protected damage dealers.
Slot 5 (Burst Damage): DVA. The cornerstone of any serious Last War air squad formation. DVA’s exceptional burst damage output can eliminate priority targets in seconds. When DVA fires correctly, engagements end fast.
Why this works: Lucius and Carlie absorb the opening pressure while Morrison, Schuyler, and DVA run offense. The formation beats Tank squads by design. Its counter is Missile Vehicle formations — if you know you’re facing a missile-heavy opponent, adjust or switch formation type entirely.
The most efficient hero investment path builds heroes that perform across multiple formation types rather than specializing for one matchup. As an alliance leader spending consistently, this is the framework that keeps your account competitive across all event types without requiring a completely separate roster for each mode.
Williams and Fiona are the two heroes that appear at high value in more than one formation type. Williams anchors the tank formation and can be flexed into other defensive configurations. Fiona’s area damage output is the highest-return missile squad investment. These two should receive investment priority before anyone else.
DVA is a universal offensive investment. Her burst damage output is relevant whether you’re running a dedicated air formation or flexing into a mixed squad to exploit a specific matchup.
Tesla appears in both tank and missile formations as a finisher — a high-return specialist whose investment pays off across two squad types. Murphy and McGregor are tank-specific and missile-specific respectively, making them second-tier investments once the cross-formation heroes are established.
Heroes whose kits are highly situational — only strong in one very specific matchup or mode — should receive minimal investment until your core multi-formation roster is complete. Spreading resources across too many heroes dilutes your competitive capability in every mode simultaneously.
Individual squad optimization matters, but alliance-level formation coordination determines outcomes in the events that actually move the needle: server wars, rallies, and large-scale PvP operations.
Distribute formation types across your council. If every R4 and R5 in your alliance runs the same formation, you have depth in one matchup and no flexibility in others. Coordinate so your leadership layer covers all three formation types, giving your alliance the ability to counter whatever the opposing alliance runs.
Scout opposing formations before major engagements. The troop counter system means composition scouting is a legitimate pre-battle activity. An alliance that knows its opponents are running Aircraft-heavy and can shift to Missile formations has a structural advantage before the engagement starts.
Set a minimum viable formation standard. Define the hero levels and star ranks each member should reach before participating in alliance war events. Members bringing under-invested squads to a rally don’t just underperform — they actively reduce the effective power of every other member in that rally.
Build formation flexibility into your spending plan. For players with active monthly pack budgets, the highest ROI is building two fully functional formation types rather than one perfect one. Perfect mono-formation is beatable. Two-formation flexibility is much harder to counter consistently.
For most content: Williams and Murphy anchoring the tank formation with Kimberly and Tesla providing damage is the highest-durability general-purpose setup. If you’re facing Aircraft-heavy opponents, shift to the Missile formation with Fiona and Tesla. Know your matchup before you lock your formation.
Williams (primary tank) + Murphy (secondary tank) + Kimberly (area damage) + Stetmann (damage-over-time) + Tesla (finisher). Double frontline with layered damage is the defining characteristic of a Last War best tank squad.
Lucius (defensive aircraft) + Carlie (support) + Morrison (primary damage) + Schuyler (backline threat) + DVA (burst). DVA is non-negotiable in this formation — her burst output is what makes the Last War air squad formation viable at high levels.
Your core 3 heroes should stay consistent across modes. Adjust your 4th and 5th slots based on whether you need extra durability (PvP defense), burst damage (PvP offense), or sustained output (PvE raids). Don’t build completely separate rosters — build flexible rosters with a stable core.
Building a competitive multi-formation roster in Last War requires sustained investment in hero copies, star rank materials, and ability upgrades across multiple heroes. For players already committed to running at a competitive level, the efficiency of those purchases determines how quickly your squads reach full operational strength.
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