Position first. Upgrade the bottleneck second.
Growth is not “buy every strong offer.” Before spending Shards, replay the last fight in your head: who received the opening attacks, who failed to reach a target, and which ability arrived too late? Repositioning is free. Spend only after the board shows what it still lacks.
Five formation breakpoints
These are decision stages, not fixed floor numbers. Random shops, events, and Team Size relics change the timing, but the jobs on the board should develop in this order.
- 01
Opening
Give every slot one job: absorb pressure, deal damage, or enable the plan.
- 02
First spike
Rank the hero whose specialization immediately changes the next fight.
- 03
Expansion
Add a second lane, control, or sustain—not a fourth copy of an existing job.
- 04
Engine
Choose a class modifier that strengthens the formation’s repeatable trigger.
- 05
Final shape
Finish the carry or anchor, then use the last slot for the matchup.
Start with an anchor, a carry, and an enabler
Guildrun starts with three active heroes. The safest learning layout gives each one a distinct responsibility. The anchor takes first contact, the carry receives time and a clear target lane, and the enabler supplies shielding, healing, control, mana, or a status the other two can exploit.
Anchor
Put the intended durable hero closer to the enemies than fragile allies. One hex can decide who receives the opening attacks.
Example: PimentaCarry
Keep the damage or scaling hero away from immediate pressure, but still inside useful attack or ability range.
Example: AriaEnabler
Place support where it survives long enough to cast and can reach the allies or enemies its ability needs.
Example: GraceIt shows role spacing, not a universal winning formation. Inspect enemy range, targeting, area effects, front/back-row rules, and adjacency effects before every battle.
Add coverage before adding more damage
One complete combat plan
Anchor + carry + enabler. Rank this core if the next recruit only repeats a job already covered.
Repair the weak lane
Add a second frontline, control hero, finisher, or specialist that changes a known matchup.
Complete the interaction
Use the last active slot for a team-wide trigger, counter, or second threat—not simply the next highest stat line.
The sixth hero still has a job
Keep a matchup swap or a hero with a Backup effect. The roster holds six while the active board stops at five.
Board expansion comes from Team Size effects. Harmony Crystal increases team size directly, while Mandate quest relics award the same increase after their condition is completed. Compare the quest with what the current build already does; a Team Size relic is slow if its requirement pulls the formation away from its real plan.
Rank C → B → A → S
Drafting a duplicate auto-merges the hero into the next rank. Eligible Campfire choices can also rank up a hero. Every rank recalculates the stat line; the important part is that B, A, and S also introduce different build decisions.
| Growth layer | Current limit or rule |
|---|---|
| Active board | Starts at 3 heroes and can grow to 5 |
| Roster | Up to 6 heroes including reserve |
| Items | 3 base slots per hero, with a hard cap of 6 |
| Ranks | C → B → A → S |
| Rank B | Choose one of three fixed specializations |
| Ranks A and S | Choose modifiers from the hero's active class pool |
| Rank S | Demo maximum and one additional item slot |
| Reserve | Can still contribute when an effect explicitly uses Backup |
- RankCStep 1
Place the base hero
Read attack range, starting ability, class, and field role. A Rank C hero must already have a useful job before receiving upgrades.
Pick testCan this hero perform its job with the current formation? - RankBStep 2
Choose a specialization
Acquire a duplicate or use an eligible rank-up event. Pick one of the hero’s three fixed specializations; some paths add a second class.
Pick testDoes the specialization solve today’s fight or unlock a team interaction you already own? - RankAStep 3
Choose the first rank modifier
The offer is rolled from the hero’s active class set. A dual-class hero receives a split offer across both classes.
Pick testWill this modifier trigger often enough in the current layout to matter? - RankSStep 4
Complete the build
Choose another modifier from the same class draw set. Reaching the Demo maximum also grants one additional item slot.
Pick testIs finishing this hero stronger than taking the next board-size or support breakpoint?
A first Rank B specialization on the main carry or anchor often changes more than giving a weak fourth hero a small stat bump. Concentrate upgrades until another unit can name the exact job its next rank unlocks.
Use the last fight as the purchase screen
| What you observed | Free correction first | Then spend on |
|---|---|---|
| Carry dies before its first important cast | Move the anchor one hex closer to the threat | Frontline durability or protection |
| Frontline survives but enemies do not fall | Open a clean target lane for the carry | Carry duplicate, damage scaling, or range |
| Abilities arrive too late | Protect the caster and reduce wasted movement | Starting Mana, Mana Regen, or Attack Speed |
| Fourth hero adds no visible value | Return the specialist to reserve | Rank the three-hero core instead |
| One enemy formation keeps breaking the board | Change the exposed lane or adjacency pattern | Counter hero, control, or a matchup item |
- FreeReposition the formation
Change first contact, target access, adjacency, or ability coverage before deciding that the stats are insufficient.
- 1stTake a guaranteed power spike
A duplicate for the active core or a known defensive/offensive breakpoint is more reliable than speculative synergy.
- 2ndComplete the next board job
Buy Team Size or a new hero only when the new active slot already has a role and usable placement.
- LastReroll with at least two acceptable outcomes
If only one exact hero, item, or relic saves the plan, the route is already too narrow.
Compare the real Shard breakpoints
A rank is not free just because the matching hero appears. Compare its price with the item, relic, or Team Size purchase that could solve the same fight. Regular-shop rerolls also become more expensive during the visit, so stop once the expected result no longer justifies losing the next guaranteed breakpoint.
| Purchase | Shard cost | Growth question |
|---|---|---|
| Hero | C 15 · B 25 · A 35 · S 45 | Does this hero create a visible breakpoint before the next boss? |
| Item | Common 5 · Rare 15 · Epic 25 | Does this item create a visible breakpoint before the next boss? |
| Relic | Common 10 · Rare 20 · Epic 30 · Legendary 40 | Does this relic create a visible breakpoint before the next boss? |
| Team Size | 45 | Is the next active slot already filled by a hero with a distinct job? |
A respec can repair a specialization that no longer fits the shop, relics, or enemy route. Do not erase a functioning Rank B path merely because one isolated modifier looks exciting. Compare the complete trigger chain and the cost of rebuilding the hero's equipment and formation role.
How one board grows without losing its identity
This is an illustration of the decisions, not a prescribed best composition. Replace the named heroes with any units that perform the same jobs.
Protect one clear win condition
Field Pimenta as the first-contact anchor, Aria as the protected carry, and Grace as the enabler.
Upgrade the part that fails first
If the front collapses, rank the anchor. If the formation stabilizes but cannot finish, rank the carry and choose the specialization that supports the current status or cast plan.
Add a missing lane or damage type
Use the new slot for control, a second frontline, or a finisher. Do not move the carry into danger merely to fit the new hero.
Commit to the repeated trigger
Choose a class modifier that activates in most fights. A powerful modifier that needs the wrong layout is not a power spike for this board.
Finish one engine, keep one flexible slot
Complete the hero that converts time into wins, then use the fifth active slot and reserve to answer bosses and unusual enemy formations.
Growth route checklist
- Who is supposed to receive the first enemy attacks?
- Which hero is the formation protecting long enough to win?
- Does every active hero have a different, useful job?
- Will the next rank unlock a specialization, modifier, or item slot the board can use?
- Would a free one-hex change solve the problem before spending Shards?