Gen 7 went live for servers 1–25 at 0:00 UTC on May 25, 2026. If you're on one of those, it's in your game right now. If you're not, you're in the queue — the rollout walks down the server list the way every gen before it did. See exactly when Gen 7 unlocks for your kingdom →
Everyone opens with the same question: who do I build first? But there's a question that comes before it, and most people skip it — should you be touching Gen 7 at all yet? If your Gen 5/6 core still has holes in it, no. If your account is ready, it comes down to two things: who you can actually get, and what your alliance uses you for.
The short version: Wee & Woo if you're F2P because they're the only Gen 7 hero on Roulette. Ava if you spend and lead cavalry rallies. Charles only if you spend and your alliance actually uses you for garrisons, Castle Battle, or structure holds.
First question: should you even be looking at Gen 7?
If your server is below Day 449, this whole post is theory. Gen 7 isn't live for you, won't be for a while, and saving gems doesn't beat finishing your Yang build today.
The trickier case is the one where you're Day 449+ but your Gen 5/6 core is still patchy. I see this a lot — players pivot the second a new gen drops because shiny new hero. Don't. A maxed Gen 6 with widget rolls in the right slots will outdamage a 3★ Gen 7 every time. The 20% stat bump on the new gen is real, but it's a base-stat bump — it gets eaten alive by missing stars and unrolled widgets.
So: Gen 7 is for accounts that already did the work. If that's not you yet, bookmark this and keep grinding what you have.
Why the F2P / spender split matters this gen
Usually a new gen gives everyone a clean path eventually: Roulette, shops, event milestones, the usual shuffle. Gen 7 is more awkward because of who's where on launch.
Only Wee & Woo are on Hero Roulette. Ava and Charles are pack-and-event-shop heroes for the foreseeable future. That means if you're F2P and you've been dreaming of leading cavalry rallies with Ava, you're stuck — Ava is the cleanest cavalry rally lead in the gen and she's also the one you can't grind shards for.
That one detail changes the whole build order:
- F2P: Wee & Woo. They're the hero you can actually build.
- Spender: Ava or Charles by account profile, Wee & Woo when they show up in Roulette.
The rest of the post assumes you've sorted which bucket you're in.
Ava
Ava is the one people will notice first. Cavalry, rally-focused, and her widget Color Storm gives Rally Squad Lethality +15% when she's leading. That's the kind of widget line rally leads live or die by.
What makes her actually scary isn't any single skill, it's that her kit stacks three damage effects that don't step on each other:
- Enemy Defense down (Dissolution)
- Enemy soldiers take 50% more damage for 2 turns every 4 turns (Chiaroscuro)
- Your soldiers' Lethality up (Light and Cold)
You're shredding their defense, amping your damage, and buffing your Lethality at the same time. The math gets ugly fast for whoever's on the other end.
The Bear Hunt read changed once you focus on the exact joiner rule. Ava's "first expedition skill" is Dissolution, and Dissolution is the Defense-down piece. That means she is not just a host-only hero: as a slot-1 joiner, she brings an offensive debuff that can make the whole rally hit harder. She is still different from direct Attack/Lethality-style joiners such as Chenko, Amadeus, Yeonwoo, Amane, or Wee & Woo, but she belongs in the same S+ Bear Hunt joiner pool when leveled.
Ava
Some of the most visible colors can be the most poisonous. Ava's color bomb envelops an area, dealing Attack × X damage to nearby enemies every 0.5s for 3s.
Ava detonates a corrosive pigment combo in the target's face, dealing Attack × X damage every 0.5s and increasing the target's damage taken by X for 2s.
The right color combo will confuse enemies, granting Ava X increased Defense.
An artist sees what others cannot. Ava's deconstructive gaze sees vulnerabilities, reducing total Enemy Squad's Defense by X.
Bright light and dark shadow can blind enemies who do not expect it. All enemy soldiers receive X increased damage for 2 turns every 4 turns.
Ava's weapons are like twin beacons for all to follow, increasing soldiers' Lethality by X.
Young Ava's pigment arsenal increases her damage dealt by X and reduces the Attack of affected targets by 15%.
Ava's unique color dispatching system increases Rally Squad's Lethality by X when initiating a rally.
If you spend and lead cavalry rallies for your alliance, Ava is first. If you don't lead rallies, she's a luxury pick; most of her value is locked behind being the actual rally lead.
Charles
Charles is the Gen 7 defensive anchor, and he's also the easiest one to misread on day one. His kit looks expensive and important because it is, but only for a very specific job.
His widget Shock and Awe gives Defender Squad Health +15%. That's a garrison widget. Fully, exclusively garrison. If you're not parking him in your city or anchoring Castle Battle holds, you're only using a slice of what you paid for.
His kit-definer is Mechanic: under 50% HP, he restores up to 35% Max Health and gains Defense for the rest of the battle. Most defensive heroes get worse as they take damage. Charles gets stronger. In a long defensive hold, that's the difference between a line folding and a line that keeps eating hits.
He's not a rally lead. He's not a Bear Hunt joiner; the bear doesn't attack you back, so his sustain stack adds nothing to your damage. What he is, is the best garrison hero in the game right now.
Charles
Charles unleashes a Vengeance strike from the Angel of Justice against enemies in a fan-shaped area ahead, dealing Attack × X damage and stunning targets for 1s while increasing his own Attack by X for 2s.
Charles minefields the area after his mech's destruction, dealing Attack × X Area of Effect damage to nearby enemies as a parting gift.
Charles has always been gifted with lightning-fast reactions, granting a X chance of reducing damage taken by 50%.
The terrifying presence of the massive Angel of Justice on the battlefield reduces enemy Squad's Total Lethality by X.
Superior metal armor forging blunts the impact of conventional weapons, reducing Squad's Damage Taken by X.
The Angel of Justice comes outfitted with state-of-the-art battlefield medkits, increasing Squad's total Health by X.
Charles takes good care of Angel and restores a certain amount of health (X of Max Health) when first under 50% Health while increasing Defense by X until the end of battle. This skill can only be triggered once per battle.
Charles knows how to make a roaring entrance worthy of the massive Angel of Justice mech, increasing Defender Squad's Health by X.
Build Charles if you spend and your alliance actually relies on you to hold cities or structures. If you mostly join rallies, chase Bear Hunt damage, or only defend when someone hits your city, skip him for now.
Wee & Woo
Wee & Woo are the hero most players will actually build, and they're better than "the F2P option" makes them sound.
Read the kit text and you'd swear they were a rally hero. Squad Attack up, squad Lethality up, bonus damage to Archers and Infantry, and a 50% chance to deal 50% extra damage (Boom Boom — great name, real damage). Then you get to the widget and it says Defender Squad Attack +15%. So they're a hybrid. They hit hard, but the widget keeps them in the defense lane long-term.
The part I like most, and the reason F2P players shouldn't feel shortchanged, is their first expedition skill: Attack and Lethality together. That's exactly what you want from a Bear Hunt joiner. No weird condition, no "more damage to this one troop type," just a clean stat stack your rally lead can use.
This makes them the cleanest Gen 7 hero to explain as a Bear Hunt joiner. Ava also belongs in the Gen 7 joiner conversation because her first Expedition skill applies Enemy Defense Down, while Charles is the defensive kit you should leave out. Wee & Woo and Ava both sit in the S+ Bear Hunt joiner pool; skill level decides whether they beat an older built option on your account.
Wee & Woo
Wee & Woo follow the artillery principle of "high ground, long shots" to the letter, dealing Attack × X Area of Effect damage.
Wee & Woo fire a special incendiary round from the Royal Foundry, dealing Attack × X Area of Effect damage. The flaming crater in its wake also deals Attack × X damage to nearby enemies every 0.5s for 2s.
Article 30 of the artilleryman's code provides a role for non-essential personnel at the front when necessary, increasing Attack by X.
The inclusion of the artillerymen has an overall helpful effect of increasing Squad's total Attack by X and total Lethality by X.
Wee & Woo's devastating back-to-back rounds tear shreds through the enemy lines, increasing Squad's Damage Dealt to Archer by X and to Infantry by X.
"There's always someone in every cannon duo who can aim well." Wee & Woo's presence gives Squad's Attack a X chance of dealing 50% extra damage.
Truly, Wee & Woo's knowledge of modern ranged techniques has boosted morale. Wee & Woo also increase the Attack Speeds by X for Heroes and Escorts for 5s.
Smart artillerymen always keep mines in reserve in case of unwelcome friends. Wee & Woo increase Defender Squad's Attack by X.
If you're F2P, this is your first build and you're not settling. If you're spending on Ava or Charles, Wee & Woo are still worth taking from Roulette milestones because they cover a job the other two don't.
What about your Gen 6 heroes?
Yang doesn't go on the bench. Neither does Triton or Sophia. The transition isn't one-to-one replacement, it's role sorting — your Gen 6 cores become your second rally team, your second garrison stack, your bear joiners. See the full Gen 6 heroes guide for build order and acquisition paths if you haven't built that core yet.
| Lane | Your Gen 6 hero | The Gen 7 option | What actually changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry rally | Sophia | Ava | Ava is the cavalry rally upgrade once she's properly built. Sophia shifts into your second cavalry stack or joiner pool. |
| Infantry garrison | Triton | Charles | Charles is better here. Triton becomes your backup defender. |
| Archer rally / hybrid | Yang | Wee & Woo | Yang stays your archer rally lead. Wee & Woo are Gen 7 archers, but their widget is defensive, so they are not a clean rally-widget replacement. |
The mistake to avoid: forcing one Gen 7 hero into every job because she's newer. Build by lane instead: cavalry rally, infantry garrison, archer rally, Bear joiner. Stars, troop type, role, and widget rolls all matter.
FAQ
Should I save my gems for Ava? Only if you spend. F2P should keep building Wee & Woo via Roulette — that's where gems convert to shards efficiently. Saving for Ava as F2P is saving for a hero you can't grind.
Who handles archer rally in Gen 7? Keep using your best built archer rally lead. Wee & Woo are Gen 7 archers, but their widget is defensive, so they are not a clean rally-widget replacement by default.
Is Wee & Woo really a better bear joiner than Ava? Usually, but they're both S+ and it's closer than people think. A joiner contributes one skill, and Wee & Woo's gives Squad Attack and Lethality directly, which is useful in any rally. Ava's Dissolution strips enemy Defense — that raises the rally's damage too, it just wants Attack and Lethality already covered before it's the best remaining pick. Send whichever has the higher skill level, and prefer Ava once the rally already has two Group A skills locked in. As a cavalry rally lead, Ava is the clear one.
What about my Chenko / Amane stack? Keep using them. Even with Gen 7 out, Chenko's +25% Lethality is mathematically the best single joiner contribution in the game. Wee & Woo slot in as your fourth bear joiner, not your first.
When does my server actually get Gen 7? Day 449. New generations unlock roughly every 80 days, so if you just hit Gen 6, you're looking at another ~80 days of saving.
Should I stop building Amadeus now that Gen 7 is out? No. Amadeus is still the best infantry rally lead and an S+ Bear joiner. Gen 7 doesn't touch his lane — Charles is a different role (garrison, not rally).
Is Gen 7 still worth it now that Gen 8 is out? Yes. Ava is still the cavalry rally lead — Gen 8's cavalry, Liz, has a defensive widget and does not take that lane. Charles is still the premium garrison anchor. What Gen 8 actually adds is one offensive option, Luna, in the Archer lane, plus an S+ Bear joiner. A maxed Ava beats a 3★ Luna every time; role-sort rather than replace.
Where to go next
- Gen 8 heroes guide — Diego, Liz, and Luna, and why only one of them belongs in a rally
- Full hero tier list — every hero ranked by role and generation
- Bear Hunt guide — formations and joiner strategy for Day 449+ servers
- Widget guide — how widgets actually multiply your hero output
- F2P guide — gem priority for non-spenders
- Server timeline — what unlocks when on your server
Need help or spotted something off?
Join the Kingshot Mastery Discord for hero builds, event routing, quick answers, and guide corrections from other players.