Understanding squad formations is crucial for maximizing your combat power in Last War: Survival. Whether you're preparing for PvE content or gearing up for cross-server warfare, building the right squads around your heroes is one of the most impactful decisions you can make early in the game.
Troop Types & Matchups
Last War has three main troop types, each with distinct combat roles. Each troop type has a rock-paper-scissors relationship in combat. Understanding these matchups is essential when choosing which squads to deploy in battle.
๐ก๏ธ Tank (Orange)
Strengths: High HP, strong defense, absorbs damage.
Weaknesses: Lower attack output.
Tanks absorb damage that would destroy Air units.
โ๏ธ Air (Blue)
Strengths: High burst damage, strong offense.
Weaknesses: Low HP, fragile.
Air units deal heavy burst damage to Infantry.
๐ Infantry (Green)
Strengths: Balanced stats, versatile.
Weaknesses: No specialization advantage.
Infantry holds the line against mixed compositions.
Hero-Troop Type Matching
Every hero in Last War is associated with a specific troop type. Placing a hero with their matching troop type provides significant stat bonuses.
- โจ Matching Bonus: Heroes leading their correct troop type receive substantial attack and defense multipliers.
- โ ๏ธ Mismatched Penalty: Heroes placed with the wrong troop type lose effectiveness and waste potential stats.
- ๐ Always Check: Before assigning a hero to a squad, verify their troop type in the hero details screen.
๐ก Tip: Identifying Hero Types
When in doubt, tap on a hero's portrait and look for the troop type icon. Orange shield means Tank, blue wing means Air, and green helmet means Infantry.
Hero Roles
Within each troop type, heroes fulfill different combat roles. A balanced squad utilizes these effectively.
Core Roles
- โ๏ธ Attacker Heroes: Boost your squad's damage output. Essential for offense-focused squads and primary damage dealers in cross-server PvP.
- ๐ก๏ธ Defender Heroes: Increase survivability through HP and defense buffs. Shine in defensive positions like base defense and outpost holding.
- โ๏ธ Support Heroes: Provide utility effects including healing, shields, and crowd control. A strong support hero turns a losing fight into a victory by extending survival.
Basic Squad Templates
Tank Squad (Defensive)
Best for: Defending positions, absorbing damage in rallies, front-line outpost combat.
Tank squads are your primary defensive option. Place your strongest Tank heroes here with defender and support sub-roles. Tank squads excel at holding positions in territory wars and are typically the last squad to fall in extended engagements.
Air Squad (Offensive)
Best for: Maximum burst damage, rally attacks, quick strikes on enemy positions.
Air squads deal the highest burst damage in the game but are fragile. Use them for offensive rallies and when you need to overwhelm an enemy quickly. Pair Air attacker heroes with at least one support hero for survivability.
Infantry Squad (Balanced)
Best for: All-around performance, newer players needing flexibility, secondary squads.
Infantry squads offer balanced stats that perform reasonably well in all situations. They're ideal for newer players who haven't built specialized hero rosters yet, and they remain useful as secondary squads in multi-squad battles.
Squad Building Tips & Mistakes
โ Top Tips for Beginners
- Focus on one strong squad first: Spread your resources thin and you'll have five weak squads. Pick your best heroes and max out a single squad before building others.
- Match heroes to troop type: An SSR hero in their correct troop type will vastly outperform a UR hero in the wrong type.
- Include at least one support: Pure damage squads die fast. A healer or shielder dramatically increases staying power.
- Check formation order: Front-row heroes take more damage, so place your tankier heroes there and keep glass cannons in back.
- Upgrade troop tiers: Higher-tier troops provide flat stat increases. Don't neglect research and training.
โ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Mixing troop types: Each squad should run a single troop type for maximum hero stat bonuses.
- Ignoring hero skills: Use the Hero Skills Calculator to plan your Skill Medal investment.
- Neglecting squad presets: Save different configurations for PvE, PvP, rally, and defense to switch quickly during events.
- Over-investing in SR heroes: SR heroes are fine early game, but plan long-term investment around SSR and UR heroes that scale better.