Kingshot Gen 5 Heroes Guide: Who Gets Your Shards and Gems?

*Your ultimate guide to mastering Generation 5 heroes—who to pull, who to skip, and how to dominate the battlefield.*

Hey everyone! Generation 5 dropped on early servers back in November 2025, and now it's finally making its way to the rest of us . We're talking about three fresh Mythic commanders: Long Fei (Infantry),Vivian (Archer), and Thrud (Cavalry). Each brings something completely different to the table, and let's break down exactly who deserves your hard-earned resources.

Gen 5 Heroes Overview

Before we dive deep, here's the TL;DR for the impatient ones:

Hero	Class	Acquisition	Best For
Long Fei	Infantry	Hero Roulette (Gems)	Expedition tanking, defense
Vivian	Archer	Hall of Heroes	Arena, damage dealing
Thrud	Cavalry	Ranking Events/KotH	Rally leading, mixed troops

Now let's get into the juicy details.

 

Gen 5 Tier List

Hero	Class	Best Mode	F2P Priority	Widget Highlight	Overall Tier
Thrud	Cavalry	Rally Leadership	Skip	+15% Rally Lethality	S
Long Fei	Infantry	Expeditions/Defense	Must Pull	+15% Defender Attack	B / A-
Vivian	Archer	Arena & Burst Damage	Top Priority	Enemy Damage Taken +25%	S+

Data compiled from community consensus and gameplay analysis .

Long Fei (Infantry) – The Gem-Friendly Tank

Long Fei is your classic "Roulette Hero," meaning you can snag him and even max him using nothing but gems . For F2P and low-spenders, this alone makes him worth a second look. He's designed around survivability—a pure infantry commander who wants to soak up damage and keep swinging .

Hero Attack: 3,780 | Hero Defense: 4,928 | Hero Health: 73,926

Those health numbers are absolutely chunky. He's built to last.

Conquest Skills (Arena & PvP)

• Ambrosia: Gains 120% Attack Speed and immunity to control effects for 4 seconds . This is huge—imagine not getting stunned or frozen while you're wrecking their backline.
• Above and Beyond: When health drops below 50%, incoming damage is reduced by 60% .
• Mountain Mover: When health falls under 50%, Attack increases by 48% .

Analysis: Long Fei getstougherandstrongeras he gets closer to death. That's a dangerous combo. He won't just sit there and die—he'll fight back harder.

Expedition Skills (The Real Deal)

• Mighty Paragon: 40% chance to reduce damage taken by all squads by 50% .
• Celestial Sustenance: Increases total squad Defense by a flat 25% .
• Art of War: All squads have a 25% chance to deal 200% damage on attack .

Analysis:This is where Long Fei shines. A flat defense boost plus a solid chance to halve incoming damage makes your entire army stickier. And that 200% damage proc? For an infantry unit, that's respectable punch.

Exclusive Widget: Immortal's Flask

• Max Level Stats: Power 499,500 | +111% Infantry Lethality & Health .
• Strong Brew (Conquest):Extends Ambrosia by 1.5s and restores 15% health from damage dealt .
• Strategic Strike (Expedition):Increases Defender Squads' Attack by 15% (at max level) .

Widget Verdict:The expedition skill is perfect for garrison leads. If you're the one holding the fort, that 15% attack buff across your defending squads is no joke.

Arena Performance

Look, I'm gonna keep it real with you—Long Fei isn't setting the Arena on fire. He's solid, but not top-tier . In Arena, you want your infantry to be an unkillable wall that buys time for your archers and cavalry to do their thing. Long Fei has great survival mechanics, but he lacks theextremedurability of specialized tanks like a maxed Alcar .

Strategic Recommendation

• For F2P/Low Spenders:Pull him. No question. He costs gems, not cash, and he'll serve you well in expeditions and defense .
• Skip Condition:If you already have a 4-star or 5-star Alcar (Gen 4 Infantry), the upgrade isn't dramatic enough to justify the gem dump . Save for Gen 6.

 

Vivian (Archer) – The Arena Destroyer

If there's one hero in this generation that has the entire community buzzing, it's Vivian. She's the "Hall of Heroes" archer, and she's an absolutemenace. We're talking game-changing damage output that reshapes how you approach both Arena and expedition battles .

Hero Attack: 5,987 | Hero Defense: 4,928 | Hero Health: 36,962

Classic archer stats—squishy but hits like a truck.

Conquest Skills (Arena & PvP)

• Gilded Barrage: Fires a coin bullet at the enemy back row (heroes first), dealing Attack * 252% AoE damage and reducing targets' Attack Speed by 50% for 2 seconds .
• Lucky Strike: Deals Attack * 140% damage with a 50% chance to deal double damage .
• Priceless Shot: Unleashes a hail of coin bullets, dealing Attack * 49% damage per second to enemies in range for 3 seconds .

Analysis: That back-row targeting isfilthy. Enemy archers and healers? Vivian says hello. The attack speed slow is just icing on the cake.

Expedition Skills (Prepare for Math)

• Crouching Tiger:All squads' attacks increase enemy damage taken by 25% .
• Focus Fire:After every 4 attacks, deal 100% extra damage to all enemies, and the target takes 15% extra damage on its next hit .
• Trap of Greed:After every 4 attacks, the next attack deals 60% extra damage to all enemies .

Analysis: Read that first skill again.25% increased damage takenon the enemy—permanently. That's not a buff to Vivian; that's a buff toyour entire army. Every squad, every hero, every auto-attack benefits. This is why she's S+ tier .

Exclusive Widget: Lucky Spinner

• Max Level Stats:Power 499,500 | +111% Archer Lethality & Health .
• Refined Gunplay (Conquest):Deals Attack * 70% damage to a random enemy (heroes first) each time she casts a skill .
• Money Driven (Expedition):Increases Defender Squad Defense by 15% .

Widget Verdict: The conquest skill adds even more damage to her rotation. She's a skill-spamming machine, so that extra 70% proc adds up fast.

Arena Performance: Absolute Beast

Vivian is the star of the show in Arena . Her AoE damage deletes formations. If you care about your Arena ranking, she's non-negotiable. Pair her with a tanky frontliner and watch enemy health bars evaporate .

Strategic Recommendation

For Everyone: This is your #1 Mythic shard investment . Even low-spenders should push her to 4 or 5 stars. She replaces Marlin completely and outshines Rosa unless Rosa is maxed .

Skip Condition: Only if you have a 5-star Rosa (Gen 4) and are willing to wait for Gen 7 .

 

Thrud (Cavalry) – The Rally Queen (For Whales)

Thrud is the "whale hero" of Generation 5 . You get her through ranking events—King of the Hill, Strongest Governor, Kingdom of Power . Unless your server is a ghost town, maxing her requires deep pockets or an insane stockpile of resources.

Hero Attack: 4,928 | Hero Defense: 4,928 | Hero Health: 49,284

Balanced stats, leaning into her hybrid support/damage role.

Conquest Skills (Arena & PvP)

• Axe Flurry: Hurls five axes at random targets (heroes first), dealing Attack * 84% AoE damage .
• Brutal Throw: Throws a spinning axe, dealing Attack * 70% damage and stunning enemies for 1.5s .
• Feast of the Pack: Increases all squads' attack by 5% .

Analysis:Decent AoE and a stun. She's effective in Arena, but she won't steal Vivian's spotlight .

Expedition Skills

• Battle Hunger: Infantry and Archers take 15% less damage and deal 15% more damage .
• Reckless Charge: Cavalry has a 20% chance to deal 100% extra damage to all enemies on attack .
• Ancestral Guidance: Every 4 cavalry attacks, all squads' damage dealt increases by 25% and damage taken decreases by 25% for 2 turns .

Analysis: This is where Thrud becomes a monster.She buffs Infantry and Archers.That's right—the cavalry hero makes your other two classes stronger. For mixed rallies (like 50/0/50 Infantry/Archer compositions), she's the perfect lead .

Exclusive Widget: Bloodfang

• Max Level Stats: Power 499,500 | +111% Cavalry Lethality & Health .
• Berserker's Edge (Conquest): While using Axe Flurry, 35% chance to stun targets for 1s .
• Wolf-Kissed (Expedition): Increases rally squads'lethalityby 15% .

Widget Verdict: That 15% rally lethality is the endgame goal. Lethality = permanent kills instead of wounds. In large-scale alliance warfare, this wins wars.

Strategic Recommendation

• For F2P/Low Spenders:SKIP. Hard skip. Do not waste universal shards here . Save everything for the Gen 6 Cavalry hero, which will be the gem-friendly Roulette hero .
• For Rally Leaders/Whales:You need her. She's indispensable for mixed rallies and massive alliance battles . Her ability to boost Infantry and Archer damage while increasing rally lethality makes her the ultimate force multiplier .

 

Formation Strategies & Lineup Tips

Gen 5 heroes aren't meant to be thrown together randomly. They shine brightest in specific formations. Here's what the theorycrafters are running:

The 50/0/50 "Whale-Killer" (Infantry/Archer)

• Formation:50% Infantry, 0% Cavalry, 50% Archer .
• Lineup:Long Fei (front) + Vivian (back) + Support/Joiner.
• Why it works:Infantry holds the line while Vivian's 25% enemy damage taken debuff lets archers melt everything. This formation counters heavy-cavalry lineups hard .

The 60/40 Defensive Wall

• Formation:60% Infantry, 40% Cavalry, 0% Archer .
• Lineup:Thrud (lead) + Strong Infantry joiners.
• Why it works:Thrud's Battle Hunger buffs Infantry, and Ancestral Guidance buffs everyone. You sacrifice archer damage for unbreakable durability .

Arena Meta

• Lineup:Strong Infantry tank (Long Fei or Alcar) + Vivian + High-damage Cavalry .
• Strategy:Protect Vivian at all costs. She's your win condition.

Investment Priority by Player Type

Here's a quick summary based on your spending style:

• F2P:Grab Long Fei with gems, dump all mythic shards into Vivian, and pretend Thrud doesn’t exist. Wait for Gen 6 cavalry.
• Low / mid spender:Go all in on Vivian—she’s your best bang for buck. Use Long Fei as a filler tank if your Gen 4 infantry is lacking. Only touch Thrud if you’re consistently top 10 in events.
• Whale / rally lead:Max all three. Thrud leads mixed rallies (infantry/archer), Vivian handles damage, Long Fei holds cities. Prioritize Thrud’s Bloodfang widget for that sweet lethality boost.

 

Final Verdict

Generation 5 is a game-changer, but not every hero is for every player.

Choose wisely, specialize your formation, and watch your rank climb. The Gen 6 countdown starts now—make every gem and shard count. Let's dominate Season 5 together.