Rank in a tiered manner the game kingdom rush alliance td's heroes and towers.
Executive summary
A clear consensus from press outlets and community discussion places a small group of heroes and towers into an elite S‑tier for Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD, with a wider middle of A/B picks and several situational or underpowered options lower down; press guides highlight Kosmyr, Therien/Lumenir‑type utility, and core towers such as Necromancer, Arcane Wizard, and Stargazers as consistently dominant [1] [2] [3] [4]. Community lists and Steam discussion threads largely mirror that hierarchy while adding nuance about map and difficulty dependence, especially on Impossible, where tower and hero differences are amplified [5] [3] [6].
1. Methodology and limits of available reporting
Ranking below synthesizes community tier lists on TierMaker and multiple Steam threads with editorial rankings from Pocket Gamer, TheGamer and GameRant, noting that most sources evaluate heroes at high levels and on harder difficulties — which skews emphasis to late‑game utility and extremes like Impossible mode — and that not every hero/tower has identical coverage between community votes and editorial lists [6] [3] [2] [1] [7].
2. Heroes — S tier (game‑changing, consistent across maps)
Press and community lists repeatedly single out dragon/late‑game powerhouses and utility heroes — for example Kosmyr is called “one of the strongest” heroes and a top pick even without full upgrades, while Therien’s global tower‑range buff is highlighted as a defining strength that works anywhere on the map [1] [5]. GameRant and Pocket Gamer also elevate Nyru, Raelyn and other adaptable heroes for their synergy with towers and map control, marking them as S‑tier choices for carry and utility roles [7] [2].
3. Heroes — A/B tiers (reliable with right setup)
Several heroes land in A/B tiers across sources: early‑game stalwarts like Raelyn are praised for carrying early maps and synergizing with ranged builds, while mid‑tier heroes provide useful niche utility but require synergy or upgrades to match S‑tier performance; community guides explicitly warn melee heroes often underperform as difficulty scales [7] [5] [8].
4. Heroes — C/D tiers and situational picks
Community discussion and guides flag numerous melee or map‑dependent heroes as situational or underwhelming, with repeated comments that low‑damage melee heroes struggle in late content and that some heroes only shine on particular maps or against specific enemy types [5] [9]. Editorial lists note that mastering a hero and matching them to towers/map is essential, implying some lower‑ranked heroes can perform if used expertly [7].
5. Towers — S tier (must‑have anchors)
Multiple sources place Necromancer, Arcane Wizard, and Elven Stargazers among the top towers: Steam community discussion declares Necromancer “easily top of S” for Impossible difficulty consistency, while GameRant and Pocket Gamer emphasize Arcane Wizard’s long‑standing pedigree and Stargazers’ magic and utility [3] [4] [2]. These towers are described as persistently strong with few flaws and as core pieces of many winning compositions [3] [4].
6. Towers — A/B tiers (strong but situational)
Towers like Ballista, Longbow (Royal Archers analogues) and Demon Pit show up as highly recommended or favorite picks in player threads and press lists, praised for single‑lane DPS, crowd control or stylistic utility; community favorites also include flamethrowers and mage variants that pair well with map chokepoints [9] [4] [2].
7. Towers — lower tiers, premium/DLC considerations
Some towers are rated lower by community voting and Steam threads, and both editors warn that premium towers on mobile can be powerful but are partially gated behind purchases — Steam versions may unlock towers differently, influencing tier placement across platforms [4] [10]. TierMaker aggregates community rankings that reflect this variance and the influence of updates like Wukong or DLC content on relative tower strength [6] [10].
8. How to apply the tiering in play (practical closing)
Practice with S‑tier heroes and anchor towers first (Kosmyr/Therien and Necromancer/Arcane/Stargazers per press/community) while adapting to map chokepoints and difficulty — editors stress that early heroes like Raelyn can carry the campaign initially and that synergy beats raw picks when map design or later enemies demand different tools [7] [2] [3]. Sources diverge on exact ordering for A/B lists and community voting can shift with updates, so the presented tiering reflects the strongest recurring consensus across the cited Steam discussions and editorial roundups [6] [3] [1].