Investing in your heroe is probably the most long-term and impactful part of AFK Journey and without any reset option, also one that will set you back a ton if you make mistakes and set wrong priorities. We have spent weeks of testing and calculating to give you an ideal investment priority along what Hero Focus and EX Weapon investments make sense by looking at how strong they are in relation to the invest in Essence PLUS also looking how often you will use that hero.
This comes down to our frequently-updated investment priority below that also goes close with our hero tier list and the best teams that work right now should be your ultimate foundation to pull, awakened and invest in heroes for long-term success in AFK Journey.
How The Priority Works
The heroes are sorted in different priorities and this is the ideal order to invest in the heroes – of course you will not be able to pull and awaken them in this order so you can use this and also know how to invest in a hero as soon as you have awakened that hero enough. E.g. you probably won’t invest into Reinier and Scarlita at the same time since it takes time to awaken one of them, so what you do is save up the resources and skip the hero invest until you have the hero so you can immediately do the Hero Focus and EX Weapons soon as you can.
First Priority Heroes
These heroes should be invested in and have their optimal EX Weapon level as quickly as you unlock it since they are vital for game modes and having that will boost your overall progress an daily resources by a lot:
Shemira
She is such a strong carry for every player and in every game mode, building her should be absolutely top ofyourpriority list. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Smokey And Meerky
The cheapest hero to build here and a healer that carry from day 1, works in all modes and stages and is just such a huge return on investment at the end of the day that the earlier you build him, the longer you will take advantage of having him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Pandora
Absolutely excels everywhere and just be a drop-everything-and-build-her-immediately hero. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Ulmus
The way he becomes the best tank in AFK Stages is something you want as early as possible to check that box and move on. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Eironn
Yes for new players a great investment to make an Eironn control team that will work in all modes and help you push through the story and modes. Not relevant later too much anymore but helps early on enough. If you play AFK Journey longer than 2-3 months and haven't built him, nevermind and skip him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Arden
If you jsut started and will build Eironn for the amazing early Eironn comp, Arden is in there as well. If you are not a new players anymore and haven't built hi,, nevermind and skipping him is alright. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Elijah and Lailah
The first celestial hero to build in the game and no matter where you are, if you don't have the EX+15 on them right now, drop any hero you're building and do that just because they are meta in every Dream Realm boss. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Aurora
Immediately invest into her ex as she is mandatory for Season 6. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Phraesto
Incredible hero to invest in and after the Twins the second hypolestial to build actually. Still end of 2025 useful in so many modes and bosses that having him pays off in the long run. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Cecia
Super early carry for pretty much most players so the invest here is worth it since you will run her as main damage dealer for pretty much all the stages and content. Don't overinvest in her since not all her additional stuff is worth the invest and is better spend elsewhere and unlike other top heroes, she also works without massive EX Weapon investment. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Very High Priority Heroes
If you have built the above ones or you have some time while farming yellow essence and have blue essence leftover, start working on these heroes investments since they are really important for later modes:
Koko
Due to her damage mitigation based on percentage dealt to your team, she is incredibly strong and important the further you progress but the good news is, you don't need to max her out since her kit has some nice sweetspots that offer a great opportunity to free up resources to invest in other heroes without making her perform less effective. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Baelran
Probably not the first hypolestial to build but one that has a lot of strong moment sin the current meta but with S5 starting I see him declining and if you haven't build him to a reasonable spot to finish him now, maybe wait starting him until we have more meta of Season 5. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Ludovic
He is super viable and used in many modes. I'd still recommend to build Smokey as the first healer but right after that Ludovic should be your number two.. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Bonnie
Depends how much you value PvP content in AFK Journey. With ,ore hard counters she became more of a PvE hero but still she pushes really well in stages and several events. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Nazrik
Upcon release really pushes into the Dream Realm meta but after that I think he will not last too long honestly. We've seen heroes make short appearances there as small boosts and then a few hero banners down the line being forgotten again. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Rowan
He is not super strong and not a main healer but there will be situations where you simply need an energy battery and he actually is a lower-invest hero so I think it makes sense build the few steps you need with him early to have your basic energy battery when you need it. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Daimon
Good invest although can't solo tank so have another tank here and don't make him your first one. The damage based on target max HP make him a viable option in Dream Realm later. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Velara
Not absolutely immediately but she is a investment that should be quite high on your prio list since she works really well in most modes and can elevate pretty much all teams with her kit. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Contess
Right now incredibly strong for Dream Realm but not too sure if that is a long-term setup or not so be aware. Needs high investment though + has the potential to be a hero to run in all teams in Dream Realm for a long time. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Galahad
. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Aliceth
She is not neccessarily the top priority hero just because the others on the list are so strong but she will long-term probably a hero to really think about. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Frieren
. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Himmel
For Endless Dream Realm extreely useful for the buff that helps with all damage but needs Supreme+ to work. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Damian
He is the most vital PvP hero in AFK Journey since he is basically the last man stading and gets his heals out very early while also buffing your team's Haste. So, you are not too much into PvP? Well, you should since so many evets are PvP based and mainting a good rank will give you so many resources to build your heroes that he is an investment for every player although his use and focus is on the PvP modes and events.. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Silvina
Amazing to snipe out certain unpleasant enemies in PvE stages or pressure in PvP modes as well that forces your opponent to re-built their team. She can always be trouble and be very valuable and most players don't build her because she is such a glass cannon early but she excels when you actually invest in her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Dunlingr
If you are a spender and PvP is your thing he is incredibly important to have. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Reinier
Still useful but sliding more into niche role than meta. He used to be the clear number 1 hypolestial to build but now I would not give him that high of a priority anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Odie
He used to be such a main damage source in many modes but he is not that relevant in the meta teams anymore so from scratch I wouldn't invest that early into him anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Faramor
His kit is really good but not meta, but his heal block will be useful in the future so I think having him in your roaster here feels useful. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Shakir
He is less niche than you might think and for the past seasons there has always been bosses and modes where he was meta-relevant. He never carries but I see him relevant in the future. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Laios
As a carry for AFK Stages he excels a lot with actually quite a manimal invest. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Niche Heroes
Once done there or you have to ascend some of those heroes more to build their EX Weapon. You will not use them every day but they have their important uses occasionally where you need them:
Marcille
Absolutely crusher hypercarry for PvP. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lily May
Upcon release she was the hero dominating every mode but we are not in Season 2 anymore and her use-case is very much niche modes and niche pvp these days so do not build her with high priority anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Hugin
Good but not good enough for priority is the headline with him. He is useful in many non-PvP modes but nowhere really dominating to really have-to-have him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Sonja
She was super strong in Season 2 but has been slowly fading out and although you see her relevant here and there in meta teams for some bosses, she will fade more out of existance. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Mikola
While she was such a huge improvement when she was released, she is not that relevant anymore since other heroes does what she does better and more reliable. She pops in here and there but niche is the headline for her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Perseus
He can be hard-countered by Brutus and enemies that can have immunity and that is bad but if the enemy team doesn't have those heroes lined up, espcially in PVP, he is pretty much auto-win. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Isabella
Her main role is dealing with Nocturne Judicator in Dream Realm and you don't need to really build her to do so. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Pang
Super niche use-case with the barrier and can opening but overall not a hero you need to have on a daily basis. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Tasi
A hero more focused on PvP action for sure and rarely needed outside of PvP. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Alna
The wildest enabler for melee PvP teams with her kit and pretty much will take over the meta once released. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Athalia
If you are into PvP, she is a hero to absolutely have. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Silven
He is not bad but in every mode he works there are better altenrtives so the invest in him is questionable in terms of worth right now. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Cyran
Not really to important early or also later, unless you are really into PvP. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Sinbad
Relevant for some Dream Realm bosses but honestly I rather see him slip lower than higher here with every update. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Vala
Nice to snipe enemies but not too much needed honestly. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Callan
Not a core tank but in some modes and PvP he is useful niche hero to have in your roaster. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Brutus
Amazing tank to survive burst hits at higher deficits with him immunity but he can also be your main tank for a very long time and carry you up into the lategame, but the invest here for you will be quite different when you build him so make sure to check our guide to see if you check the marks with your Brutus and where you can save some resources.. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Indris
Absolutely a niche PvP hero. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Thador
Not too important but has potential to play a niche role for a long time. Still, not a hero to build before you have your core teams done but the good news is that he also works in his primary energy-battery role without EX Weapon and high invest. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Temesia
Either way for very rare cases or tower but honestly you can also skip her altogether and be fine with it. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Valka
She was amazing on release to hard-counter Lily May but since Lily May is not that big of a shot anymore in the meta, Valka's role actually also went down a lot. Still useful here and there but overall not too important anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Seth
He has his use-cases in some bosses and some other setups so having him long-term will be something you appreciate. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Kruger
He is important for Dream Realm bosses pretty much every season so build him for sure. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Antandra
She has niche use, at most. I also would be comfortable with putting her below in the spender section. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Niru
For PvP-oriented players a good invest and also useful in tower, but that is all there is to him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Igor
For PvP-oriented players a good invest and also useful in tower, but that is all there is to him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Spender Investment Heroes
These heroes are great and useful in various modes but with the heroes above as priority, building these heroes are normally only useful if you spend quite some money on the game or you will have holes in your roaster that will backfire:
Gunnar
He is a little risky business since he is super strong in Season 6 but also we had other heroes like this beore that disappeared out of the meta quickly. Although with him his attack buffing of other allies shows more long-term viablility. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Mehira
A hero to push SEason 5 AFK Stages honestly and very niche uses in between. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Talene
She had a short domination period after relase but she is not dominating enough overall for most players to build and in the bigger picture F2P players and low spenders probably will always have to work on other hypolestials before even getting to her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Harak
Very much like Talene, not strong enough to make it on the shortlist for most players for the few occasions he really shines and there will always be more important hypolestials to build for most players than him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Saida
She is a spender-PVP-hero. Great in her cause but also not impossibly strong in all PvP and against all heroes. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Cryonaia
She is a spender-PVP-hero. Great in her cause but also not impossibly strong in all PvP and against all heroes. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Shadewing
Is really looking for his place in the meta right now, primarily as he will not last long enough to play out his kit so any new hero can change that but right now there is no real reason to have him. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Hepler
I don't see him being too important other than a quick fix for the top-position players to push some new AFK Stages in the season. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Kulu
She is a spender-PVP-hero. Great in her cause but also not impossibly strong in all PvP and against all heroes. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Natsu Dragneel
Absolutely not a hero to invest in anytime early honestly. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Dionel
Had a short period where he was looking to become meta but these days primarily a PvP hero that is used by players that spend significantly in the game. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lucy Heartfilia
Honestly not much invest needed and also she is not really great or helpful anywhere. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Zandrok
For his super niche role not even sure if you should invest in him at all honestly. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Scarlita
Even for higher spenders today debatable if you should actually build her since she is in no mode relevant anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Satrana
For some every-blue-moon setups useful but not a hero that many players find all too useful building honestly. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
No Invest Heroes
No matter how much you spend on the game, these heroes don’t really server a purpose right now:
Thoran
I am very thorn here since he was such a beat on release but the fact that he can't solo-tank higher deficits make him impossible for stages later in the game and with Ulmus you have a great hero here. I just don't think as a newer player you will get too much out of investing into him anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Solise
Very early into Season 6 but will fall off so not really too important. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Zorya
She is not really having a spot in the meta right now. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Tilaya
She has no real place in the meta right now but probably there will one spot open for her in the future. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Hewynn
Honestly she is a healer that just heals too much and doesn't do anything else and that is her problem. That is never really needed. There are other healers like Smokey and Ludovic that do a way better job and you can absolutely have a happy life in the game without her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Alsa
Right now there is no case where she is good so do not invest right now. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lyca
She unfortunately has been fallen out of any use-acses so not building her is the best way to do it right now. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Bryon
Not really too important unless PvP is your main focus honestly but building him can have some pitfalls. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Carolina
She used to be really good early carry but today I would recommend skipping her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Parisa
Actually not really worth building at this point anymore. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lenya
She was niche on release but today she is simply not needed to be built. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Florabelle
Such a great hero on release but today I would not recommend building her actually. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Gerda
Pull her with 1 copy and she can do all you need her to do. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Pippa
. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Nara
Wouldn't recommond building her today simply beacuse she is never really needed. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Soren
Honestly except some Alsa obstable every-blue-moon setup never needed. Do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lorsan
Never really made his way into the meta so you can skip him these days. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Granny Dahnie
As much as it hurts, she is not good enough as tank to be worth the resources building her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lucca
Wouldn't recommend building him today. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Marilee
Used to be suepr important for Dream Realm but do not listen to anyone recommending her in 2025. She is outdated and you shouldn't build her. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Viperian
Just never really needed although I love the character design. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Mirael
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Hodgkin
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Cassadee
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Korin
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Rhys
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Walker
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Berial
Has no meaning in the meta at all except some very niche PvP uses.. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lumont
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Lucius
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Valen
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Atalanta
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Kafra
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Salazar
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Fay
Not relevant anywhere right now so save the resources and do not build. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
Zanie
I think it is too early to give her a final priority right now. She was with her turrets really useful in some bosses and modes after release but if that is enough for most players to prioritize her is hard to tell. Invest at your own rist. Find all details about the sweetspots when building the EX Weapon in the full guide.
