Last Z Best Formations — Faction Combos & Hero Placement

Why Formation Matters

Your formation determines your combat power more than raw stats. The right faction combination can let you beat players 10-15M power above you, while a bad formation wastes your strongest heroes.

Key factors that affect formation strength:

• Faction counters — rock-paper-scissors advantage
• Synergy bonuses — S3+S2 heroes give damage resistance
• Hero skills — troop buffs vs utility skills
• Troop alignment — matching heroes to troop types

Faction Counter Triangle

Understanding counters is the foundation of formation building:

Why Wings of Dawn wins: Blood Rose was released first, so ~70% of players built around it. By focusing on Wings of Dawn, you automatically counter the majority of opponents. This is the easiest way to punch above your weight in PvP.

For more faction strategy, see our PvP Guide.

Best Formation Builds

Recommended: 3 WoD + 2 BR (Counter Meta)

Best all-around formation for most players:

• 3 Wings of Dawn heroes — main faction for counter advantage
• 2 Blood Rose heroes — for S3+S2 synergy bonus

Why it works: You counter Blood Rose players while getting the damage resistance bonus from mixing Season 3 and Season 2 heroes.

Alternative: 3 GoO + 2 WoD (Anti-Counter)

Use this if your server meta shifted to Wings of Dawn:

• 3 Guard of Order heroes — counters WoD
• 2 Wings of Dawn heroes — synergy bonus

Mono-Faction (Advanced)

Only viable if you have 5 S-tier heroes from one faction:

• Full faction bonus but no counter flexibility
• Risky — hard-countered by opposite faction
• Only recommended for whales with maxed heroes

Hero Selection Priority

Not all heroes are equal for formations. Prioritize based on their 3rd skill:

S-Tier (Must Have)

• Heroes with Troop Attack % buffs
• Heroes with Troop Defense % buffs
• Heroes with Troop HP % buffs
• Heroes with All Troop bonuses (global)

A-Tier (Good)

• Heroes with specific troop type buffs (Assault, Sniper, etc.)
• Heroes with damage resistance

Avoid in Main Formation

• Heroes with only utility skills (radar, resource production)
• Heroes with training speed only
• Heroes without combat stats

See our Heroes Tier List for specific hero rankings.

Hero Placement Guide

Where you place heroes affects buff application:

Commander Slot

• Gets additional Commander bonuses
• Place your strongest all-troop buffer here
• Best heroes: Queenie, Liliana, or your highest-level buffer

Troop-Specific Slots

• Match heroes to your main troop type
• If you run Assault troops → use Assault-buffing heroes
• Don't waste a Sniper buffer if you don't use Snipers

Flex Slots

• Fill with global buff heroes (all troop types)
• Or add heroes for faction synergy bonus

Formation by Game Mode

Common Mistakes

• Using mono Blood Rose — most common faction, easily countered
• Ignoring faction counters — biggest source of free wins
• Spreading upgrades — focus on 5 main heroes only
• Chasing new heroes — S2/S3 synergy often beats S4 solo
• Wrong troop alignment — Sniper buffs on Assault lineup = wasted

How to Build Your Formation

1. Pick your main faction — Wings of Dawn recommended
2. Get 3 heroes from main faction — prioritize troop buffers
3. Add 2 heroes from secondary faction — for synergy bonus
4. Check hero skills — remove utility heroes, add combat buffers
5. Place Commander — strongest all-troop buffer
6. Align troops — match remaining heroes to your troop type

For power optimization, see our Formation Power Guide and Power Guide.

Troop Types Explained

Last Z has three troop types, each aligned with a faction:

Matching Heroes to Troops

• Check hero 3rd skill — look for "Assaulter Attack", "Shooter HP", "Rider Defense", etc.
• At 5-star — many heroes buff ALL troop types, not just one
• Commander slot — place a hero with global (all troops) buff here
• Avoid mismatch — don't put Shooter buffers in an Assaulter army

Which Troop Type to Focus?

Focus on ONE troop type that matches your faction:

• Blood Rose players → Train Assaulters first, research Assaulter tech
• Wings of Dawn players → Train Shooters first, research Shooter tech
• Guard of Order players → Train Riders first, research Rider tech

Why single troop type? Hero buffs stack. A formation with 5 heroes buffing Shooters will massively outperform a mixed troop army.