Best Champions in Raid: Shadow Legends — Tier List 2026
The best Raid: Shadow Legends champions ranked for 2026, including free champions that carry early game. Build a winning team and play free on PC.
The strongest all-round champions in Raid: Shadow Legends for 2026 are Arbiter, Wukong, Duchess Lillitu, Rhazin Scarhide, and Bad-el-Kazar — but the more useful answer for a new account is that your early tier list looks nothing like the endgame one. Below is the ranked list by role, plus the free champions (Kael, Athel, Warmaiden, High Khatun) that take a fresh account through the first two weeks without spending a single shard on the wrong unit.
Who are the best champions in Raid right now?
These are the units that shape the meta across Arena, Clan Boss, and Doom Tower in 2026.
| Champion | Affinity | Role | Best for | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbiter | Void | Speed lead / support | Everything | S |
| Wukong | Void | Nuker | Clan Boss, Spider | S |
| Duchess Lillitu | Void | Reviver / counter | Arena | S |
| Rhazin Scarhide | Spirit | Counterattack DPS | Arena, FW | S |
| Bad-el-Kazar | Magic | Healer / poisoner | Clan Boss | S |
| Coldheart | Magic | Turn-meter nuker | Dragon, Doom Tower | A |
Arbiter is a free login-reward champion, which is rare for an S-tier unit — keep logging in and you'll earn one of the best supports in the game.
Which free champions should I keep early?
New accounts win by raising the right common and rare champions instead of waiting for legendaries.
Kael (your best starter pick) — AoE poison, scales into late game, fully free. Athel — strong single-target starter, great Dragon damage. Warmaiden (rare, farmable) — defense-down on all enemies; needed for almost every team comp. High Khatun (rare) — speed aura and turn-meter boost; carries early Clan Boss. Apothecary — speed buff plus heal; cheap, free, always useful.
Pick Kael at the start screen. It's the single best free-to-play opening choice in 2026.
F2P fairness rating: 7/10. Raid is grind-heavy but generous with energy and events; the optional starter pack is the best value if you ever decide to spend, but it's not required to clear early and mid content.
What does a good early team look like?
You need four jobs covered before you chase damage: speed, defense-down, healing, and a nuker.
| Job | Free champion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Speed lead | High Khatun | More turns = more damage |
| Defense down | Warmaiden | Multiplies all team damage |
| Healer / cleanse | Apothecary | Keeps the team alive in Clan Boss |
| Main nuker | Kael | AoE poison scales the whole game |
Get those four to level 50, slot basic Speed and Lifesteal gear, and you can farm Brutal-difficulty campaign — which funds everything else.
Will Raid run on a mid-range PC?
Yes, and the PC client looks noticeably better than mobile.
| Spec | Our test rig | Result |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-8100 | Smooth |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1060 | 60 FPS on High |
| RAM | 16GB | ~3GB used |
| Storage | SSD | ~5GB download |
| OS | Windows 11 | Stable |
Multi-battle and auto-farm make Raid ideal for a second monitor, and the PC build supports background grinding.
Final pick — your raise order
Day one: Kael, then Warmaiden, High Khatun and Apothecary, then push Brutal campaign and farm. Funnel your shards into pulling Coldheart (your first farmable A-tier nuker) and keep logging in for Arbiter. That's the cheapest path from tutorial to Clan Boss in 2026.
New to the game entirely? Start with our Raid beginner guide, or see how it stacks up in games like Raid: Shadow Legends.