Picking the wrong heroes in Guildrun does not just cost you one fight. It compounds across the entire run until your composition falls apart against a boss you could have beaten with a better frontline choice. This guide ranks all 25 heroes from S down to D using win rate and popularity data pulled from completed Endless and Red Rift runs on version 0.5.0, so every placement reflects actual performance rather than theory.
Heroes tier list S-D overview
What makes a hero S tier in Guildrun?
The short answer: flexibility plus consistent win rate. S-tier heroes contribute immediately on arrival, scale through multiple specialization paths, and stay relevant even when the shop refuses to hand you their ideal items. A hero that only works with three specific epics is not S tier, no matter how dominant it looks in a perfect run.
The tier list below is sorted by win rate within each tier. The Reserve column shows how often a hero appears in reserve rather than the active roster, which is a useful signal for how often players struggle to make them work in the starting lineup.
Full Guildrun hero tier list (version 0.5.0)
Reyna top item loadout
S-tier heroes: who are the best in Guildrun?
Reyna
Reyna sits at the top of the S tier with a 75% win rate and the lowest reserve rate of any hero in the game at 0.0%. Players who pick her almost always start her. That tells you everything. She is a Warrior-class carry who rewards stacking Attack through repeated combat. The Warrior's Greataxe gains 10 Attack per combat survival, the Scroll of Violence quest unlocks +25% Attack and +25% Attack Speed after 100 auto attacks, and the Big Blade adds a flat +50 Attack for immediate power. The Shield Power class upgrade, which converts 1 Attack per 10 Shields held (up to 1000), pairs cleanly with the Shielding Presence upgrade that gives Warriors 1000 base Shields at combat start.
Tilly
Tilly is the most popular hero in the entire roster alongside Reyna at 18.6% pick rate, and her 62.5% win rate confirms that popularity is earned. She leans into Rush and speed-stacking, with Nimble Boots doubling move speed and granting 25 Attack Speed on Rush trigger, and the Hasty Sword adding 15 Attack Speed and 15 Attack every Rush proc. The Critical Aggression upgrade gives +100% Crit for Rush (10), and Poisonous Attacks adds scaling Poison stacks per auto attack. She is one of the more forgiving carries to build around because her Rush synergies activate from multiple item and upgrade combinations.
Fiona and Karsu
Fiona and Karsu both hit 75% win rate but carry noticeably higher reserve rates (33.3% and 42.9% respectively), which means they sometimes get held back while players find their supporting pieces. Fiona is a Mystic-oriented support-carry who benefits from Mana Regen stacking and Frost application through the Freezing Wand. Karsu leans on Duelist speed mechanics, with the Duelist's Glyph providing +60 Attack Speed and the Amulet of Storms Stunning enemies after 30 Frost stacks. The Freezing Acceleration upgrade (Duelists gain 2 Attack Speed per attack on a Frosted enemy) makes Karsu a strong partner for any Frost-applying teammate.
Pollen
Pollen at 66.7% win rate is the most debuff-oriented S-tier hero. The Plague Amulet grants 4 Magic per type of Debuff on all enemies on cast, and Crown of Patience triggers Stall abilities 12 seconds sooner. The Debuff Amplification class upgrade scales the amount of each Debuff on enemies in range per Mana Regen point, creating a feedback loop where more Mana Regen means more Debuffs means more Magic.
A-tier heroes: strong but condition-dependent
Rip is the most reliable A-tier tank with a 57.1% win rate and a 0.0% reserve rate, meaning players who pick him commit to starting him every time. His kit revolves around growing through combat: Bruiser's Mitts add 10 Max HP per auto attack and 1 Attack when auto attacked, Enlarging Vest grants +20% Max HP after Stall (20), and the Vanguard's Glyph adds 600 Health while granting +25% Max HP if already a Vanguard. The Intimidating Aura upgrade deals damage to adjacent enemies each second based on Max HP, turning his bulk into passive pressure.
Dragomir shares Rip's 57.1% win rate but plays completely differently as an Assassin-class carry. Wizard's Focus gives 50 Starting Mana and 50 Crit when he is the only Hero in the back two rows, making solo backline positioning genuinely powerful. The Lurker upgrade grants 4 seconds of Stealth at combat start and on kill, letting him reposition safely after each takedown.
Funke, Hoyoung, Pimenta, Niklas, and Logan all sit at 50.0% win rate. Funke is a Burn-focused caster who gets strong mileage from Searing Contract (33% more Burn inflicted after completing the quest) and the Stalled Heat upgrade (Burn on all enemies after Stall 20). Logan mirrors Reyna's Warrior item preferences but with less consistent activation, while Niklas works best as a secondary frontline with the Shield Line upgrade protecting the entire front two rows.
Dragomir solo backline setup
B-tier heroes: what makes them harder to use?
Irini is the most-picked B-tier hero at 20.9% and has a unique item locked to her specifically: Zeus's Thunder requires the holder to be Irini and, after attacking 250 times, deals bonus damage to all enemies equal to 66% of her Attack Speed. That is a powerful ceiling, but it requires surviving long enough to complete the quest. Her 44.4% win rate reflects how often the quest completion timeline does not align with run pacing.
Yuuna is the most popular hero in the entire roster at 27.9%, which makes her 41.7% win rate the most telling number on the list. She is being picked more than anyone else and winning less than half the time. Her Assassin-adjacent kit with Lurker stealth, Brutal Precision (60 Crit and 20 Omnivamp), and Shard Collector (1 Shard every other Crit) has real potential, but the gap between pick rate and win rate suggests players are overvaluing her in compositions that do not support her properly.
Aria at 42.9% win rate is a flexible caster who benefits from Mystic, Assassin, and Mage class paths, but that flexibility can work against her when players spread upgrades too thin across all three directions instead of committing to one.
C and D tier: when should you skip these heroes?
The C-tier group (Zuri, Rowan, Ming, Kai, Ratna, Nyx) all land at 33.3% or below. Nyx is particularly notable with a 50.0% reserve rate, meaning she spends more time on the bench than in active combat across the analyzed runs. Her Duelist kit with Serrated Dagger (reduce target Defense by 3 per Crit) and the Debuff Velocity upgrade (gain Crit and Attack per Debuff on target) has conditional upside, but she needs a specific Debuff-heavy team to function.
Skorn at 18.2% win rate is the most-picked D-tier hero at 25.6% popularity. That combination of high pick rate and very low win rate is a red flag. His Stall-based defense scaling through Catalyst of Patience (1 Defense and 1 Magic per Stall trigger) and Stall Certainty (Stall abilities trigger 6 seconds faster) requires a very passive, long-fight composition that struggles against faster enemy pressure.
Sal, Gustav, and Grace all have 0.0% win rates across the analyzed runs. Grace has an 83.3% reserve rate, the highest in the entire roster. These heroes are not necessarily unplayable, but the current data offers no evidence that they are worth building around in Endless or Red Rift runs.
How do class upgrades affect hero tier placement?
Class upgrades are what separate a hero's floor from their ceiling. A B-tier hero with the right class upgrade path can outperform an A-tier hero that got stuck with mismatched upgrades. Here are the upgrades that most consistently push heroes up the performance curve:
- Critical Attack Growth (On Crit, permanently gain 2 Attack) appears on both Reyna and Tilly, making Crit stacking a compounding investment rather than a flat stat.
- Hit Hard, Hit Fast (For Rush 8, gain +100% Attack) is Reyna's highest-impact upgrade and the reason her Attack scaling feels exponential in longer runs.
- Freezing Acceleration (Duelists gain 2 Attack Speed per attack on Frosted enemy) creates a speed loop for Karsu that rewards pairing her with any Frost applicator.
- Debuff Amplification scales with Mana Regen, which means Pollen's upgrade value grows directly as you stack her primary stat.
- Instacast (gain 100 Mana after Stall 15, 30, and 45) is Funke's most consistent upgrade for keeping cast frequency high across long fights.
What items should you prioritize for top-tier heroes?
The item tier that matters most is Epic, but the path to those items runs through Rare quests. Several of the strongest Rare items have quest conditions that permanently upgrade them:
- Scroll of Violence (Epic): +30 Attack Speed, +40 Attack. Quest: auto attack 100 times. Reward: +25% Attack and +25% Attack Speed. Best on Reyna and Logan.
- Crown of Patience (Epic): +45 Defense, +40 Magic. Triggers Stall abilities 12 seconds sooner. Best on Pollen.
- Wizard's Focus (Epic): +75 Magic. Grants 50 Starting Mana and 50 Crit when the holder is the only Hero in the back two rows. Best on Dragomir.
- Duelist's Glyph (Epic): +60 Attack Speed. Grants the holder Duelist class status and +20% Attack Speed if already a Duelist. Best on Karsu.
- Siphoning Dagger (Epic): +20 Attack Speed, +15 Crit, +25 Attack. Steals 1 Mana per auto attack. Appears on Reyna, Hoyoung, and Logan builds.
For Rare items, the quest-completion contracts (Searing Contract, Accuracy Contract, Toxic Contract, Freezing Contract) are worth prioritizing because their completed versions provide percentage bonuses rather than flat stats, which scale better into higher difficulties.
For more hero breakdowns, team compositions, and item deep-dives, the full Guildrun guides collection covers every major system in the game.
Building around the tier list: practical team advice
The tier list is a starting point, not a script. Guildrun is a roguelike autobattler in the strategy games genre where shop variance means your ideal S-tier carry might not appear until round three. Here is how to apply these rankings without forcing a composition that the shop is not supporting:
Lead with frontline stability. Rip is the most consistent tank in the A tier, but any durable frontline hero with defensive upgrades beats an S-tier carry who dies in the first wave. Secure your frontline before chasing carry upgrades.
Watch the reserve rate. Heroes with high reserve rates (Karsu at 42.9%, Nyx at 50.0%, Grace at 83.3%) are telling you something. Either they need specific support that is hard to guarantee, or players are picking them speculatively and benching them when the build does not come together. Treat high reserve rates as a warning about consistency.
Commit to one scaling direction per carry. Yuuna's below-average win rate despite top-tier popularity comes from players splitting her upgrades across Crit, Poison, and Stealth paths. Pick one, stack it, and let the other stats come from items.
Use class glyphs to fix class mismatches. If Reyna needs Warrior synergy but you have no other Warriors, the Warrior's Glyph (+75 Attack, +25% Attack if already a Warrior) lets you fake the class bonus. The same logic applies to Mage's Glyph for Fiona builds and Duelist's Glyph for Karsu.
The meta will shift as more run data comes in and version 0.5.0 gives way to future patches. Keep checking the Guildrun game page for balance updates that could move heroes between tiers.