State of Survival Best F2P Heroes for Early Game (Ranked)

Part of the Getting Started Series:

• Beginner Guide: Dominate Your First 7 Days: Headquarters progression, alliance membership, and daily priorities (Start Here).
• Best F2P Heroes for Early Game: Hero generations, formation ratios, and fragment priorities (You Are Here).
• HQ 1–15 Guide: Fastest Growth Strategy: Building gates, speed-up discipline, and resource management.
• Intel Missions Guide: Max Rewards Every Day: Mission types, radar progression, and stamina management.

Quick Answer

Start with Chef (infantry), Maddie (rider), and Sarge or Eva (hunter). Standard attack formation: 60-15-25 (infantry–rider–hunter). Purple fragments are limited — avoid spending them on Basel, Candy, or Tony until all priority heroes are upgraded. Different game modes (PvP, PvE, rallies, trap defense) require different hero lineups.

Overview

State of Survival's hero system creates a resource tension between immediate power and long-term efficiency. Early F2P players face a critical choice: invest fragments in accessible Generation 0 heroes for short-term gains, or save resources for stronger heroes in Generations 2-3. This decision compounds because purple fragments — the primary upgrade currency — accumulate slowly without spending.

Meanwhile, formation mechanics demand balanced three-hero lineups across infantry, rider, and hunter roles, forcing players to develop multiple heroes simultaneously. The game further complicates planning by gating certain heroes behind Ray's Place rotations and value vouchers, making some upgrades time-dependent rather than effort-dependent.

Players who misallocate early fragments often hit progression walls in mid-game content, unable to field competitive lineups against stronger generations.

Core Mechanics

Generational Progression System

Heroes are organized into generations (Gen 0 through Gen 10), representing power tiers with increasing base stats and skill effectiveness. Gen 0 heroes are blue and purple rarity units available from game start. Later generations require specific unlock methods — Gen 2's Trish appears in Ray's Place, while Gen 5's Roxy costs value vouchers.

Each generation typically includes one infantry, one rider, and one hunter hero, though some generations lack F2P options in certain roles.

[!NOTE] Gen 1, Gen 4, and Gen 9 are considered weak generations with no recommended F2P heroes. Gen 2 is a poor generation overall, but still offers viable F2P options. Skip weak generations entirely and jump directly from Gen 0 to Gen 2, then Gen 2-3 to Gen 5-6.

The generational system creates natural upgrade checkpoints — players typically transition from Gen 0 to Gen 2-3, then jump to Gen 5-6 for mid-game content.

Formation Deployment Rules

Heroes deploy in three-slot formations with one hero per troop type: infantry, rider, and hunter. Each slot must be filled by a hero of the matching type — an infantry hero cannot fill a hunter slot and vice versa.

Formation ratios use percentage notation — 60-15-25 means 60% infantry, 15% rider, 25% hunter troops. This ratio represents troop distribution across the three hero types. Gen 2-3 attack formations commonly use 60-15-25 ratios, while Gen 5+ rally attacks shift to 55-15-30 distributions.

Different game modes require different hero selections:

• Attack formations: Rally attack and solo attack against settlements
• Garrison defense: Defending your own settlement
• Explorer activities: Wilderness exploration and resource gathering
• Trap defense: Specialized defensive formations

Eva performs better in early PvP due to her enemy settlement troop health debuff, while Sarge excels in PvE content with his Troop Infected Defense bonus. This mode-specific performance means players need multiple hero sets for different activities.

Hero Types and Roles

Heroes belong to one of three troop types that determine which formation slot they occupy:

• Infantry (Brawler): Front-line heroes with high health. Examples: Chef, Nikola, Ash, Wolfe
• Rider (Scout/Pathfinder): Mobile heroes buffing cavalry. Examples: Maddie & Frank, Trish, Travis
• Hunter (Marksman): Ranged damage heroes with high attack. Examples: Sarge, Eva, Mike, Jeb, Zoe

[!IMPORTANT] Since Sarge and Eva are both hunters, you cannot run them in the same formation. Choose one per lineup and fill the infantry slot with Chef (the most accessible early infantry option) or Nikola.

Hero Skills and Stat Scaling

Individual hero skills create role specialization. Sarge's Troop Infected Defense boost makes him effective for PvE content and joining rallies. Travis provides chief and squad stamina consumption reductions, valuable in events requiring high infected or fiend kill counts. Nikola's first skill increases troop health by 25% when joining rallies. Luca offers exclusive explorer skills for wilderness activities.

Heroes of the same generation have different stat totals despite similar roles. Sarge has better skills than Lucky, but Lucky's stat advantage is substantial. This creates trade-offs between skill utility and raw statistical power. Later generations have higher base stats than earlier ones, making Gen 5 heroes statistically superior to Gen 2 heroes even before skill considerations.

Resource System and Upgrade Costs

Purple fragments are the primary hero upgrade currency. These fragments are limited for F2P players and must be allocated carefully. Players can waste fragments on low-priority heroes, creating resource shortages when stronger heroes become available.

[!CAUTION] Do not spend purple fragments on Basel, Candy, or Tony — these heroes become obsolete quickly and the fragments are better saved for Gen 2+ heroes. This is the single most common resource mistake early F2P players make.

Heroes confirmed available in Ray's Place include Trish (Gen 2), Ash (Gen 3), Emma, Eli, and Luca (Gen 6). The shop rotates selections, making some heroes time-gated rather than immediately obtainable.

Value vouchers unlock specific heroes like Roxy (Gen 5) and Laura (Gen 10). Community consensus recommends Roxy for voucher spend. Jeb (Gen 2) is obtainable through vouchers but described as expensive to upgrade despite decent trap defense performance, making him a lower priority for F2P resource allocation.

Level Thresholds and Breakpoints

Certain heroes require level 4 minimum to become viable in their generation. Joker and Chloe specifically need this threshold before competing with other options.

Maddie can achieve high rider stats as F2P if prioritized, suggesting stat scaling accelerates with investment. This makes her a viable long-term rider option despite being a Gen 1 hero.

Priority Order

🔴 Critical Early Priorities

Gen 0 Starting Trio: Chef (infantry), Maddie (rider), and Sarge or Eva (hunter) form your initial formation. Sarge excels in PvE content with his Troop Infected Defense bonus. Eva dominates early PvP with her settlement troop health debuff. Maddie remains viable into mid-game if you invest in her rider stats. Swap Sarge and Eva depending on whether you're focused on PvE or PvP that day.

Purple Fragment Conservation: Do not spend purple fragments on Basel, Candy, or Tony. These Gen 0 heroes become obsolete quickly. Save fragments for Gen 2+ heroes. Eunjoo can serve as a base-level garrison rider for her +65.20% Troop Infected Health boost without requiring heavy fragment investment — use her at base level for PvE and garrison defense, but do not prioritize upgrading her.

🟡 Secondary Priorities

Gen 2 Transition: Nikola (infantry) and Trish (rider) become available through Ray's Place. Nikola's rally health buff makes him valuable for group content. Trish offers improved rider performance over Maddie, though Maddie can outperform Trish in PvP and influencer trap scenarios if properly upgraded.

Gen 3 Advancement: Ash (infantry) appears in Ray's Place as a stronger infantry option. Pair with Trish and either Sarge or Zoe (hunter) in 60-15-25 attack formations.

Specialized Roles: Jeb (Gen 2) provides trap defense capability but costs vouchers and requires expensive upgrades. Travis (Gen 0) offers stamina reduction for event grinding but is harder to unlock early. Luca (Gen 6) delivers exclusive explorer skills and trap defense performance, available through Ray's Place as a cheaper hunter alternative.

Best Strategy

Formation Planning by Generation

Resource Allocation Decision Tree

If you have limited purple fragments:

1. Upgrade Sarge first for PvE and rally content
2. Upgrade Eva second for PvP capability
3. Upgrade Chef to maintain a viable infantry slot
4. Skip other Gen 0 heroes

If Ray's Place offers Trish or Ash:

1. Acquire immediately — both are core Gen 2-3 heroes
2. Prioritize Ash over Trish if choosing one
3. Trish becomes optional if Maddie is already highly upgraded

If you have value vouchers:

1. Save for Roxy (Gen 5) if approaching mid-game
2. Community opinion suggests Roxy's hunter performance justifies voucher cost
3. Do not spend vouchers on Jeb — upgrade costs outweigh trap defense benefits

Mode-Specific Lineup Selection

For PvP (settlement attacks):

• Prioritize Eva as your hunter in Gen 0-1
• Use the settlement troop health debuff for offensive advantage
• Transition to Nikola + Trish + Sarge in Gen 2

For PvE (infected/fiend farming):

• Lead with Sarge for his Troop Infected Defense boost
• Add Travis if available for stamina reduction during events
• Maintain 60-15-25 ratio through Gen 3

For Explorer Activities:

• Use Luca (Gen 6) when available from Ray's Place
• Luca's exclusive explorer skills outperform general-purpose heroes
• Miho (Gen 5) serves as a decent rider alternative for exploration

For Trap Defense:

• Jeb (Gen 2) and Luca (Gen 6) both offer trap specialization
• Luca is preferred due to lower upgrade costs
• Trap defense is lower priority than attack formations for most F2P players

Ray's Place Rotation Strategy

Ray's Place offerings rotate on an unspecified schedule. When Ash or Luca appear, prioritize acquisition even if you're not ready to upgrade them immediately. Missing a rotation can delay your progression by weeks. Check Ray's Place daily and maintain a reserve of the required currency.

[!TIP] Don't wait until you have enough fragments to fully upgrade a Ray's Place hero before buying them. Acquire first, upgrade later — missing a rotation sets you back far more than sitting on unused fragments for a few days.

Transition Timing

Staying with Gen 0 heroes past Gen 2 availability hurts progression. The stat and skill gap between generations compounds over time. However, premature transitions waste fragments if you cannot fully upgrade the new generation. Transition only when you can fully upgrade new heroes to the stated breakpoint levels; avoid partial upgrades.

[!WARNING] Skipping Gen 1, Gen 4, and Gen 9 entirely is recommended — these generations offer poor F2P options. Jump directly from Gen 0 to Gen 2, then Gen 2-3 to Gen 5-6 when resources permit.

F2P vs Spender Tips

F2P players must treat purple fragments as their most constrained resource. The hero picks in this guide — Chef, Maddie, Sarge, Eva — are chosen specifically because they're accessible without spending and remain viable through Gen 2-3 transitions. Save all excess fragments for Nikola and Ash when they appear in Ray's Place. Value vouchers should be hoarded exclusively for Roxy (Gen 5) — don't spend them on Jeb or any other hero regardless of how appealing their specialty looks.

Light spenders can accelerate hero acquisition by purchasing value voucher packs, which lets you unlock Roxy earlier and potentially run a Gen 5 lineup while F2P players are still in Gen 2-3. The biggest advantage isn't raw power — it's timeline compression. If you spend, prioritize packs that include purple fragments or value vouchers over packs that offer specific hero shards for Gen 0-1 heroes.

Heavy spenders can skip Gen 0-3 entirely by purchasing direct hero unlock packs for Gen 5+ heroes. Keep in mind that the formation rules still apply — you need one hero per troop type, so buying a single powerful hero without matching infantry/rider/hunter teammates creates an unbalanced lineup. The cost-per-power ratio drops significantly after Gen 5, so even spenders should be selective past that point.

[!NOTE] Spending changes the speed of your hero progression but not the order. The formation rules, troop type requirements, and generational jump strategy remain the same regardless of budget. The core trio structure (one infantry, one rider, one hunter) is non-negotiable at any spending level.

Common Mistakes

Wasting Purple Fragments on Low-Tier Gen 0 Heroes: Players often upgrade Basel, Candy, or Tony because they're immediately available. These heroes become obsolete quickly, and fragments spent on them create shortages when Nikola, Ash, or Roxy become available. Fix: Only upgrade Sarge, Eva, and Chef from Gen 0. Save all other fragments for Gen 2+ heroes.

Misunderstanding Sarge's Role: Sarge is a hunter, not infantry. Players who slot him into their infantry position leave themselves without a real infantry hero and miss his hunter stat bonuses entirely. Fix: Always place Sarge in the hunter slot and fill infantry with Chef (early) or Nikola/Ash (Gen 2-3).

Staying with Chef Too Long: Chef is your best early infantry option, but keeping him as your primary infantry into Gen 2-3 creates a power gap. Fix: Transition to Nikola (Gen 2) or Ash (Gen 3) when you have fragments to fully upgrade them.

Investing in Jeb for Trap Defense: Jeb costs vouchers to unlock and requires expensive fragment upgrades. Most F2P players gain more value from attack-focused heroes than specialized trap defenders. Fix: Skip Jeb unless you have excess vouchers after acquiring Roxy. Use Luca for trap defense instead — he's cheaper and offers explorer utility.

Ignoring Mode-Specific Performance: Using Eva in PvE content or Sarge in early PvP wastes their specialized strengths. Eva's settlement troop health debuff provides minimal benefit against infected, while Sarge's PvE bonuses underperform in solo PvP. Fix: Maintain separate hero sets for PvP and PvE. Swap formations based on activity type.

FAQ

Should I upgrade Maddie or wait for Trish?

Upgrade Maddie if you're still in Gen 0-1 and need immediate rider capability. Trish is stronger in Gen 2, but Maddie can outperform her in PvP and influencer trap scenarios if you invest heavily in rider stats. If you're close to accessing Ray's Place, wait for Trish.

Is Wolfe worth using?

Wolfe has real utility — he buffs infantry, provides Rally Troop Lethality for rally content, Settlement Troop Health for garrison defense, and performs well in PvE Explorer Trail content. However, as a Gen 2 infantry hero competing for fragments against Nikola and Ash, he's a lower priority for F2P players who need to concentrate resources. Use him if you acquire fragments naturally, but don't prioritize him over Nikola or Ash.

Can I use Eunjoo in garrison even though she's low priority for upgrades?

Yes. Eunjoo's +65.20% Troop Infected Health boost at base level makes her serviceable for garrison and PvE infected defense without requiring fragment investment. Use her at base level for these roles while saving fragments for higher-priority heroes.

How do I handle having two good hunters (Sarge and Eva) but needing different modes?

Since both are hunters, they cannot occupy the same formation. Run Sarge for PvE (infected farming, rallies) and Eva for PvP (settlement attacks). Save formation presets for quick swapping between activities. Your infantry and rider heroes stay the same across both setups.

Key Takeaways

Hero Selection by Role

[!TIP] ✅ Do This

• Start with Chef (infantry), Maddie (rider), and Sarge or Eva (hunter)
• Acquire Trish and Ash from Ray's Place immediately when available
• Save value vouchers for Roxy in Gen 5
• Maintain separate hero sets for PvP and PvE modes
• Skip Gen 1, Gen 4, and Gen 9 entirely

[!CAUTION] ❌ Avoid This

• Spending purple fragments on Basel, Candy, or Tony
• Placing Sarge in the infantry slot — he is a hunter
• Using Jeb for trap defense — Luca is cheaper and more versatile
• Keeping Chef as primary infantry past Gen 2-3
• Transitioning generations before you have fragments for full upgrades