For an early- to mid-game team in Legend of Kingdoms, Pocket Gamer’s January 13, 2025 beginner guide recommends Ma Chao, Zhao Yun, Lu Lingqi, Sun Luyu, and Demon Diao Chan. Treat it as a flexible starting point, not a universally best lineup: use heroes you actually have, keep a frontline hero and a support, and invest in a few active heroes rather than spreading upgrades across your roster.
Recommended beginner lineup
Pocket Gamer’s January 13, 2025 guide proposes this five-hero lineup for early- to mid-game progression:
- Ma Chao (Meng Qi): the guide’s recommended first upgrade priority and the lineup’s central investment.
- Zhao Yun (Zi Long): one of the guide’s suggested damage-dealing teammates.
- Lu Lingqi (Ling Qi): another suggested damage option.
- Sun Luyu (Little Tiger): a support option; Pocket Gamer’s September 2026 tier-list entry describes her as a starting support with shields, Fury gain, and healing.
- Demon Diao Chan (Bi Yue): a damage-focused assassin. The September 2026 Pocket Gamer tier-list entry describes her as high-DPS, with self-healing and bleed.
The names in parentheses are alternate names used in the guide. Hero availability and balance can change, so build from your own roster rather than treating every slot as mandatory. If you do not have Demon Diao Chan, substitute another strong damage dealer. If Saint Da Qiao is available, Pocket Gamer suggests using her in place of Sun Luyu in this lineup; its September 2026 tier-list entry describes Saint Da Qiao as a healing and crowd-control support.
How to form the team and place heroes
The beginner guide’s core formation advice is to field at least one frontline hero and at least one support. The frontline absorbs pressure and helps keep fragile damage dealers from drawing enemy attention; support adds healing or other utility. The official Google Play listing also identifies faction bonuses and formation as game features, but neither source gives a fixed coordinate-by-coordinate placement map.
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As a practical role-based arrangement, place a durable frontline hero where it can take pressure, with support and ranged damage behind it if the formation interface allows. Keep fragile damage dealers protected rather than assuming a specific tile arrangement is correct in every mode.
Alternative lineup and how to choose
Pocket Gamer also lists this five-hero alternative: Ma Chao, Demon Dong Zhuo (Zhong Ying), Demon Lu Bu (Feng Xian), Saint Da Qiao, and Demon Diao Chan (Bi Yue). The guide does not provide a controlled head-to-head comparison with its first lineup, so there is no evidence that either is mathematically superior.
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| Consideration | First lineup | Alternative lineup |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Use it if you have Ma Chao, Zhao Yun, Lu Lingqi, Sun Luyu, and Demon Diao Chan; substitute when needed. | Use it if you have Ma Chao, Demon Dong Zhuo, Demon Lu Bu, Saint Da Qiao, and Demon Diao Chan. |
| Frontline and protection | Check that your selected heroes provide a frontline; the guide does not assign fixed formation tiles. | Check that your selected heroes provide a frontline; the guide does not assign fixed formation tiles. |
| Support | Sun Luyu, or Saint Da Qiao in the suggested substitution. | Saint Da Qiao. |
| Damage role | Keep Demon Diao Chan if available, or use another strong damage dealer. | Demon Diao Chan, alongside the other listed heroes. |
| Faction bonus | Check the in-game pre-fight bonus for your actual formation. | Check the in-game pre-fight bonus for your actual formation. |
Choose between them by what your account can field and support with upgrades. Preserve frontline coverage and at least one support, then use remaining slots for damage or utility. The official listing says to make use of faction bonus and formation, but it does not establish a winning faction combination for either lineup.
Who to upgrade first and what gear to use
Pocket Gamer’s January 2025 guide says resources are scarce and recommends focusing on a small active team, upgrading one hero before moving to the next, and prioritizing Ma Chao. That is a strategic recommendation from that guide, not a guarantee about current balance or game-system mechanics.
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Give your strongest available gear to the heroes you rely on most, and inspect item stats rather than relying only on auto-gear. The guide lists gear rarity as Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red, Pink, and Rainbow; it does not establish that a particular rarity is guaranteed or available at a specific point in progression.
What to do when progression stalls
If a stage becomes difficult, the beginner guide recommends strengthening active heroes, trying different team members, improving equipment, completing quests or events, and advancing story stages when possible. It also advises checking each hero’s abilities and the pre-fight faction bonus before entering battle. Since hero balance changes, reassess the team against your current roster and game version rather than following a static ranking blindly.
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For context, StarBoom Studio’s Google Play listing, updated September 2, 2026, describes more than 60 fighters across four factions and includes hero rebirth, auto-battle, alliance play, faction bonuses, and formation. Those roster and feature details are listing information as of that update, not a promise that every hero is available to every account.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and how much to trust the recommendations
- Cristina Mesesan’s Pocket Gamer beginner guide, published January 13, 2025, supplies the example lineups, role guidance, and progression suggestions.
- Pocket Gamer’s tier list, updated September 2, 2026 for version 1.0.17, provides editorial rankings and role descriptions. Treat rankings as opinion rather than an official measure of team performance.
- The official Google Play listing, credited to StarBoom Studio and updated September 2, 2026, provides developer-listed game features and roster context.
The available sources do not publish a win-rate comparison or independent test establishing one beginner lineup as best. Use the recommendations as a framework for building a functional team, not as proof that a particular five-hero combination will outperform every alternative.
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