There are 7 Astrakeep heroes across three rarities: three rare heroes (your starters), two epic heroes you summon, and two legendaries you unlock with 40 fragments or buy in the shop. Every hero levels up to 40 and earns up to 5 stars with shards. Here's each hero's role and special attack, and the best way to power them up.
This page is part of the Astrakeep guide. To see where to place your heroes in battle, check the Astrakeep campaign page.
All 7 heroes at a glance
| Hero | Rarity | Role | Special attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyra the Archer | Rare | Rapid fire | Arrow Rain |
| Orin the Mage | Rare | Area damage | Arcane Meteor |
| Kael the Knight | Rare | Heavy hitter | Guardian's Shock |
| Nyx the Sorceress | Epic | Frost | Blizzard |
| Tharok the Bombardier | Epic | Bombs | Bomb Barrage |
| Aurelion the Paladin | Legendary | Spears of light | Celestial Judgment |
| Sylvara the Empress | Legendary | Dragonfire | Imperial Breath |
Rare heroes, your first line of defense
- Lyra the Archer looses crystal arrows very fast, at long range. Her Arrow Rain hits the biggest group of enemies.
- Orin the Mage, who is also your advisor, throws mana orbs that hit every nearby enemy. His Arcane Meteor stuns a whole group.
- Kael the Knight fights up close: he blocks ground enemies' path, strikes them and slows them down. His Guardian's Shock stuns ground enemies around him and restores half his HP.
Epic heroes
- Nyx the Sorceress hurts enemies and slows them down hard with her ice shards. Her Blizzard freezes every enemy in an area in place.
- Tharok the Bombardier, a dwarf, lobs bombs from far away that blast whole groups. His Bomb Barrage drops a bomb on each of the five most advanced enemies.
Legendary heroes
- Aurelion the Paladin, a celestial paladin in winged gold armor, pierces groups with his spears of light. His Celestial Judgment drops a colossal sword of light: huge damage and stunned enemies.
- Sylvara the Empress rides with a golden dragon whose fire burns and slows. Her Imperial Breath sets a huge stretch of the path ablaze.
Summoning at the Summoning Altar
Epic heroes come from the Summoning Altar (Arcane Isle), using tokens: one token per summon, with "Summon x1" or "Summon x10". Each summon gives either an epic hero card or shards. The rates are shown in the game: epic hero card 6%, epic shards 34%, rare shards 60%, plus the Summoning Altar's bonus as you upgrade it.
The guarantee: "Epic card guaranteed within 10 summons". If nine summons in a row brought no card, the next one will. The counter is shown on screen.
A card for a hero you already own turns into 25 shards. And 20 shards of an epic hero are enough to unlock them: even without a card, shards get you there eventually.
Where to get tokens
The game sums it up: "Tokens: daily chest, 7th login day, Sky Ruins expedition." On top of that, you can get one free token a day by watching a video, if you want to. A new game starts with 10 tokens.
Worth remembering: "Gems never buy summons." Summoning only ever uses tokens.
Shards and stars
"Shards give your heroes stars (+12% per star)." A hero goes up to 5 stars. Stars 2 to 5 cost 10, 20, 40 and then 80 shards. Stars are the strongest long-term lever: put your shards into the heroes you actually field.
Levels: the Crystal Tower sets the cap
Heroes level up with your resources, up to level 40. But their cap also depends on the Crystal Tower: the screen shows "Max level … (Tower lv. …)". If a hero is stuck, it's the Tower you need to upgrade. See the islands and buildings page.
Unlocking a legendary hero
Aurelion and Sylvara never come out of a summon. There are two ways to get them:
- Legendary fragments: "+1 fragment each day you open the daily chest". At 40 fragments, the "Choose a legendary" button lets you pick the one you want.
- The shop, Heroes tab, at a fixed price.
The free route takes consistency: finish the five daily quests every day so you can open the chest.
Building a good team
- A blocker: Kael holds ground enemies back while the others shoot.
- Crowd control: Nyx's Blizzard freezes waves; Orin's Meteor stuns groups.
- Area damage: Orin, Tharok or Sylvara against large waves.
- Fast single-target fire: Lyra to pick off stragglers.
When defending against other players, only your 3 best heroes defend, so they're the ones to power up first. The troops and raids page explains the defense formation.
If you like this mix of heroes and path defense, our feature on tower defense games with heroes covers the genre in depth. To follow the launch, see the Astrakeep page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get Nyx and Tharok?
At the Summoning Altar, with tokens. An epic card is guaranteed within 10 summons at most, and 20 shards of an epic hero are also enough to unlock them.
Can you summon a legendary hero?
No. Aurelion and Sylvara come from 40 legendary fragments (one per daily chest you open) or from the shop.
Why won't my hero level up anymore?
Their max level depends on the Crystal Tower. Upgrade the Tower to raise the cap, up to level 40.
Can gems be used to summon?
No, the game says so plainly: gems never buy summons. They're for speed-ups and peace shields. Got more questions? Ask them on the Astrakeep forum.
