Best Fate War hero pairings by mode

Pick a commander, then the best lieutenant for what the march will do. The first lieutenant is the strongest; the other two are good swaps if you don't have them.

Last updated 2026-10-10 by Fate War Guide

Open field and PvP

Marches that fight other players on the map. Damage and DEF cuts matter most.

Commander	Lieutenant 1	Lieutenant 2	Lieutenant 3	Troop	Why
Odysseus	Joan	Kalthas	Roro	Axe Thrower	Armor Piercer ignores 50% DEF in an all-Axe Thrower troop; Joan adds 35% to his Burst. Pair guide
Wukong	Aska	Selena	Joan	Cavalry	+35% Cavalry HP from Wukong and +35% Cavalry ATK from Aska, plus clones and Guards. Pair guide
Karl	Petra	Ganglot	Kalthas	Berserker	Karl's HP Reduction triples Petra's Blood Resonance. Pair guide
Kalthas	Vista	Linda	Kaira	Axe Thrower	Vulnerability DEF cuts plus Vista's Burst boost and opening damage shield. Pair guide
Freyja	Linda	Kalthas	Vista	Beast Rider	Freyja reflects damage and cuts healing; Linda's ATK bonuses work in any troop. Pair guide

Rallies

Rally leads: the commander's rally bonuses and the lieutenant's buffs apply to the whole rally.

Commander	Lieutenant 1	Lieutenant 2	Lieutenant 3	Troop	Why
Sara	Vista	Karl	Amaterasu	Balanced	Sara adds Rally Limit and weakens 5 defenders; Vista protects the rally's opening seconds. Pair guide
Oda Nobunaga	Joan	Wukong	Aska	Cavalry	Rally ATK, crit and healing for an all-Cavalry rally; Joan boosts his Burst. Pair guide
King Arthur	Amaterasu	Sara	Vista	Balanced	Burst and shield grow with rally size; Amaterasu's aura protects 6 troops. Pair guide
Odysseus	Joan	Kalthas	Morgan le Fay	Axe Thrower	Highest single-target damage for rallies into a city. Pair guide

Garrison defence

Heroes that defend your city. Damage reduction, healing and counterattacks matter most.

Commander	Lieutenant 1	Lieutenant 2	Lieutenant 3	Troop	Why
Yi Sun-sin	Iris	Rex	Reid	Balanced	Fortify stacks up to −20% damage taken; Iris heals and dispels in garrison. Pair guide
Iris	Rex	Freyja	Yi Sun-sin	Beast Rider	Ward of Nature adds HP and DEF to all-Beast Rider troops; Rex cuts attacker ATK. Pair guide
Reid	Karl	Rex	Petra	Berserker	Up to −30% normal-attack damage and +22% counterattack damage while garrisoned. Pair guide
Amaterasu	Iris	King Arthur	Yi Sun-sin	Balanced	Holy Radiance protects her troop and 5 allied troops. Pair guide

Blackforged and PvE

Hunting marches: bonus damage to Blackforged and stamina savings.

Commander	Lieutenant 1	Lieutenant 2	Lieutenant 3	Troop	Why
Wukong	Selena	Aska	Erin	Cavalry	Selena adds +30% damage to Blackforged and +25% Cavalry ATK. Pair guide
Reinhardt	Selena	Kaira	Erin	Cavalry	+50% damage to Blackforged from Reinhardt and +30% from Selena. Pair guide
Sara	Vista	Baldur	Karl	Balanced	+25% damage to Blackforged and a heal on every kill; Sara also leads Blackforged rallies. Pair guide
Odysseus	Kalthas	Joan	Roro	Axe Thrower	Highest single-target damage; Armor Piercer needs an all-Axe Thrower troop. Pair guide

Free-to-play

Pairs built from heroes that are easier to star (A rank) or that free players usually get early.

Commander	Lieutenant 1	Lieutenant 2	Lieutenant 3	Troop	Why
Kalthas	Linda	Vista	Kaira	Axe Thrower	Linda is A rank and easier to star; her ATK bonuses work in any troop. Pair guide
Wukong	Reynald	Selena	Aska	Cavalry	Reynald (A rank) adds up to +36% open-field Cavalry ATK. Pair guide
Yi Sun-sin	Rex	Iris	Reid	Balanced	Rex (A rank) cuts attacker ATK by up to 20% for a cheap wall. Pair guide

Gathering

Gathering marches: speed and carrying capacity.

Commander	Lieutenant 1	Lieutenant 2	Lieutenant 3	Troop	Why
Elena	Sigrid	Skerne		Balanced	Both raise Stone gathering speed by 30% and other resources by 20%; Elena adds +35% load. Pair guide
Sigrid	Elena	Skerne		Balanced	+34% load and +15% march speed from Sigrid. Pair guide

How commanders and lieutenants work

Both heroes' skills apply in a march. A few skills only work in one role: Odysseus's Armor Piercer needs him as commander with only Axe Throwers, and Vista's Shadow Oath needs her as lieutenant. See combat mechanics for the full rules and the pairing model for how the scores are calculated.