Fate War Meta 2026: Best Pairings at Max Level

The strongest four marches

Axe Throwers

Joan's Saint's Resolve adds 35% to Odysseus's Burst, and Armor Piercer ignores 50% DEF when he leads only Axe Throwers. Model score 100/100.

Cavalry

CommanderWukong

LieutenantAska

+35% Cavalry HP from Wukong and +35% Cavalry ATK from Aska, plus clones, Guards and debuff resistance. Model score 95/100.

Berserkers

CommanderReid

LieutenantKalthas

Reid's +30% Berserker HP and ATK shred keep the troop alive; Kalthas's DEF shred works in any troop type. Model score 91/100.

Beast Riders

CommanderFreyja

LieutenantVista

Freyja reflects damage and cuts healing; Vista boosts her Burst and shields the opening seconds. Model score 68/100.

These four pairs give the highest combined strength when every hero can only be used once. Kalthas and Joan are the two best lieutenants in the game because their bonuses work in any troop type, so the model spreads them across marches. If you don't have Reid, Karl + Petra is the strongest Berserker pair built only from Berserkers.

How the model works

Skill values: every hero's skills were read in game from the Upgrade Preview. The model uses level 5 and the awakened version of each Burst, with every hero fully starred.
One fight: each commander and lieutenant pair fights one open-field battle against a single troop, about 30 seconds long, with a Burst roughly every 7 seconds.
Two scores per pair: PvP strength is damage per second times effective HP (HP, damage reduction and healing). Open-field damage is damage per second alone. Each is scaled so the best pair in the game scores 100.
Hero scores: a hero's PvP score is their best pair's strength, their open-field score is their best pair's damage, and the overall score is the average of the two. Meta tiers: T0 (88+), T1 (78+), T2 (68+), T3 (58+), T4 (below 58). These are not the in-game rarity letters (S, A, B).
Rules applied:
- Both heroes' skills count, and DEF cuts stack.
- Troop-type bonuses only count in a matching troop.
- Commander-only skills such as Armor Piercer only count when that hero commands.
- Buffs that last a few seconds after a Burst are weighted by how often they are active.
- Summons count at their stated share of ATK, single target only.

What the model leaves out: garrison-only, rally-only, gathering and Blackforged-only effects, and area damage against several troops. That is why Iris, Yi Sun-sin, Rex, Sara and Arthur score lower here than they play in those modes. The tier list by mode rates every mode separately.

Every hero's model score

#	Hero	Troop	Tier	Overall	PvP	Open field	Best pair
1	Joan	Balanced	T0	100	100	100	Odysseus + Joan
2	Odysseus	Axe Thrower	T0	100	100	100	Odysseus + Joan
3	Kalthas	Axe Thrower	T0	89	100	78	Wukong + Kalthas
4	Aska	Cavalry	T0	88	95	80	Wukong + Aska
5	Wukong	Cavalry	T1	87	100	73	Wukong + Joan
6	Sylvan	Balanced	T1	85	87	83	Wukong + Sylvan
7	Roro	Axe Thrower	T1	83	92	73	Kalthas + Roro
8	Farhad	Axe Thrower	T1	80	84	75	Farhad + Joan
9	Helda	Axe Thrower	T1	79	78	79	Kalthas + Helda
10	Vista	Balanced	T2	77	87	66	Wukong + Vista
11	Yi Sun-sin	Balanced	T2	77	83	71	Wukong + Yi Sun-sin
12	Ganglot	Berserker	T2	75	78	72	Ganglot + Kalthas
13	Kaira	Axe Thrower	T2	75	76	73	Kalthas + Kaira
14	Karl	Berserker	T2	74	77	70	Karl + Kalthas
15	Reinhardt	Cavalry	T2	73	74	71	Wukong + Reinhardt
16	Arthur	Balanced	T2	72	81	63	Arthur + Joan
17	Selena	Cavalry	T2	71	82	59	Wukong + Selena
18	Linda	Axe Thrower	T2	70	69	71	Wukong + Linda
19	Morgan le Fay	Axe Thrower	T2	70	74	66	Kalthas + Morgan le Fay
20	Petra	Berserker	T2	70	75	65	Petra + Kalthas
21	Freyja	Beast Rider	T2	69	76	62	Wukong + Freyja
22	Reid	Berserker	T2	69	91	47	Reid + Kalthas
23	Oda Nobunaga	Cavalry	T2	68	67	68	Oda Nobunaga + Joan
24	Amaterasu	Balanced	T3	67	73	61	Wukong + Amaterasu
25	Erin	Cavalry	T3	67	68	65	Wukong + Erin
26	Aelfwine	Balanced	T3	65	77	53	Aelfwine + Joan
27	Reynald	Cavalry	T3	62	68	55	Wukong + Reynald
28	Sara	Balanced	T3	62	72	51	Wukong + Sara
29	Baldur	Berserker	T3	60	63	56	Wukong + Baldur
30	Iris	Beast Rider	T3	59	73	45	Iris + Kalthas
31	Kiana	Beast Rider	T3	59	65	53	Kiana + Kalthas
32	Voll	Berserker	T4	57	56	57	Wukong + Voll
33	Rex	Berserker	T4	54	61	46	Rex + Kalthas
34	Elia	Axe Thrower	T4	49	49	49	Wukong + Elia

How this compares with other tier lists

Popular lists from Pocket Gamer, LDShop, AllClash and Mobi.gg rank heroes as they play today, often on accounts that are not maxed, and several predate Odysseus, Wukong, Aska, Petra, Joan and Ganglot. This page ranks every hero fully maxed and awakened.

Elena, Sigrid and Skerne are gathering heroes and are not scored in combat.

How to use the ranking

Choose pairs, not single heroes. A hero who fits a troop type you train, and pairs with heroes you already own, beats a higher-ranked hero you can't pair. Check each hero's page for troop-type conditions, and compare candidates with the compare tool.

Questions players ask

What is the best hero pairing in Fate War?

At max level, Odysseus commanding an all-Axe Thrower troop with Joan as lieutenant. Across four marches with no hero used twice the model picks Wukong + Aska (Cavalry), Reid + Kalthas (Berserkers) and Freyja + Vista (Beast Riders).

How are the scores calculated?

Each commander and lieutenant pair fights one open-field battle in the model. PvP strength is damage per second times effective HP; open-field damage is damage per second alone. Both are scaled so the best pair scores 100, and a hero's overall score is the average of their best result in each.

Why does this differ from other Fate War tier lists?

It assumes every hero is fully maxed and awakened, uses the actual skill numbers read in game, and includes recent heroes such as Odysseus, Wukong, Joan, Reid and Farhad.

Where is the tier list by game mode?

On the tier list page, which rates every hero for open field, rallies, garrison, PvE and gathering.