Last War Squad Lineups: Best Tank, Aircraft and Missile Teams

Last War squad lineups are built around five heroes placed in two front-row and three back-row positions. The strongest formation is not simply the five heroes with the highest individual Power. Hero roles, vehicle type, formation bonuses, counters, skills, gear, Exclusive Weapons, and later systems such as Awakening all affect how well the squad performs.

For most accounts, the safest progression plan is to build one complete Tank squad first, then develop Aircraft or Missile once your primary formation is established. A five-hero mono-type formation receives the maximum standard formation bonus, while Aircraft, Tank, and Missile also counter one another in PvP.

How Squad Formation Works

Every normal squad has five hero positions:

• Front Row: two heroes who absorb the first waves of damage.
• Back Row: three heroes used primarily for damage, crowd control, or support.

Front-row heroes should usually have defensive skills or strong survivability. Your main attackers should remain behind them so they survive long enough to use their strongest skills.

Each hero also belongs to one of three vehicle types:

• Tank
• Aircraft
• Missile Vehicle

Matching those types creates additional formation bonuses.

Last War Formation Bonuses

Squad Composition	Formation Bonus
3 heroes of the same type	+5% HP, Attack and Defense
3 of one type + 2 of another	+10% HP, Attack and Defense
4 heroes of the same type	+15% HP, Attack and Defense
5 heroes of the same type	+20% HP, Attack and Defense

A full five-hero Tank, Aircraft, or Missile formation therefore receives the strongest standard type bonus.

That does not mean a mixed formation can never be better. A highly developed off-type hero with stronger stars, skills, Exclusive Weapon progression, or Awakening can sometimes provide more real combat value than an undeveloped same-type replacement. Treat the mono-type bonus as the goal, not a reason to weaken your team immediately.

Squad Counter System

Last War uses a three-way counter system:

• Aircraft counters Tank.
• Tank counters Missile.
• Missile counters Aircraft.

This matters most in PvP. A stronger Tank lineup can still struggle against a properly developed Aircraft squad, while Missile becomes particularly useful when Aircraft formations dominate your opponents.

For PvE, hero development and mode-specific mechanics often matter more than deliberately countering another vehicle type.

Best Tank Squad Lineup

Position	Hero	Role
Front	Murphy	Defender
Front	Williams	Defender
Back	Kimberly	Main Damage
Back	Stetmann	Damage
Back	Marshall	Support

This is the classic full-UR Tank formation and remains one of the easiest squads to understand and develop.

Murphy and Williams protect the frontline while Kimberly and Stetmann provide damage. Marshall supports the formation from the back row.

Why Tank Is Good for Early Progression

Tank is particularly practical on younger servers because useful Tank heroes become available earlier than a complete Aircraft or Missile lineup. Players can also use SSR heroes such as Mason and Violet while building toward the full UR squad.

Kimberly remains an especially important Tank investment because she later gains an Exclusive Weapon and becomes one of the Season 6 Awakening heroes.

Late-Game Tank Variations

Later accounts may replace one Tank with a highly developed hero from another type. For example, advanced PvP lineups sometimes sacrifice part of the 20% mono bonus to use a powerful Aircraft or Missile hero with stronger individual utility.

Do this only when the replacement is sufficiently developed to compensate for the lost formation bonus.

Best Aircraft Squad Lineup

Position	Hero	Role
Front	Carlie	Defender
Front	Lucius	Defender
Back	DVA	Main Damage
Back	Morrison	Damage
Back	Schuyler	Damage / Control

Aircraft becomes increasingly attractive as servers mature because it naturally counters the Tank formations that many players develop first.

Carlie and Lucius provide the defensive front row. DVA serves as a major damage dealer, Morrison adds sustained pressure, and Schuyler contributes damage with crowd-control utility.

Why Aircraft Becomes Important Later

Early players usually do not have enough developed Aircraft heroes to justify abandoning their Tank formation. As DVA, Carlie, Schuyler, Lucius, and Morrison become available and gain stars, the complete Aircraft formation becomes much more practical.

DVA also receives an Exclusive Weapon and later becomes a Season 6 Awakening hero, strengthening her long-term value for Aircraft-focused accounts.

Best Missile Squad Lineup

Position	Hero	Role
Front	Adam	Defender
Front	McGregor	Defender / Off-Tank
Back	Tesla	Energy Damage
Back	Fiona	Damage
Back	Swift	Damage / Utility

Missile is often the last full formation players complete because its strongest lineup requires heroes that arrive later in server progression.

Its major PvP advantage is the ability to counter Aircraft. As more players transition away from their original Tank squad and begin using Aircraft heavily, a developed Missile formation gains considerably more strategic value.

Late-Season Missile Alternatives

The Missile roster expands further through seasonal progression. Venom’s SSR-to-UR promotion in Season 5 creates another viable Missile option, and Braz receives his UR promotion in Season 6.

Whether one of these heroes should replace Swift or another member depends on star level, skills, Exclusive Weapons, available gear, and the combat mode. Do not replace a fully developed UR hero automatically just because a newly promoted hero becomes available.

Tesla also gains Hero Awakening in Season 6, giving established Missile accounts another major late-game progression path.

Best Early-Game Squad Lineup

New accounts should not wait until every ideal UR hero becomes available. Use your strongest accessible heroes while working toward a proper Tank formation.

A practical early framework is:

Position	Early Option
Front	Murphy
Front	Violet or another developed defender
Back	Kimberly when available
Back	Mason
Back	Marshall, Monica, or your strongest suitable support/damage hero

The exact lineup depends on which heroes your server has released and what your account owns. Early progression is one of the few times when using an SSR hero with high stars can be significantly better than forcing a low-star UR hero into the formation.

F2P Squad Lineup Strategy

F2P and low-spending players benefit even more from concentration because Universal UR Shards, Skill Medals, Legendary Gear, and Exclusive Weapon resources are limited.

A practical approach is:

1. Build one Tank squad first.
2. Use accessible SSR Tank heroes until UR replacements are sufficiently developed.
3. Save Universal UR Shards for heroes that have a long-term place in Squad 1.
4. Promote Mason to UR when the Season 1 system becomes available if he fits your progression.
5. Do not heavily develop Aircraft and Missile simultaneously.
6. Begin Squad 2 after your main formation has strong stars, skills, and gear.

Having one competitive squad generally produces more progress than owning three formations where every hero is underdeveloped.

How to Position Heroes Correctly

Front Row

Place defensive heroes in the front positions. Typical examples include:

• Murphy
• Williams
• Carlie
• Lucius
• Adam
• McGregor

These heroes are designed to survive incoming damage better than your main attackers.

Back Row

Back-row positions should normally hold attackers and support heroes such as:

• Kimberly
• Stetmann
• Marshall
• DVA
• Morrison
• Schuyler
• Tesla
• Fiona
• Swift

Do not move a damage hero to the frontline simply because that hero currently has high Power. Losing your main attacker early prevents their skills from generating the damage you invested in.

Mono Squad or Hybrid Lineup?

A mono squad contains five heroes of the same vehicle type and receives the full +20% formation bonus.

A hybrid squad deliberately gives up part of that bonus to use an off-type hero.

Hybrid formations can make sense when:

• An off-type defender survives much longer than the same-type alternative.
• You need a specific control or support skill.
• A Season 6 Awakened hero is much stronger than your fifth same-type hero.
• You need a matchup-specific counter.
• Your replacement hero has significantly stronger stars, gear, or Exclusive Weapon progression.

For most players, mono formations remain easier to build and optimize because research, vehicle Centers, Drone Skill Chips, Wall of Honor bonuses, and other investments can all be concentrated around one type.

Best Squad for PvP

There is no permanent universal PvP lineup because the counter triangle matters.

Opponent	Preferred Counter
Tank-heavy opponent	Aircraft
Aircraft-heavy opponent	Missile
Missile-heavy opponent	Tank

If you only have one developed squad, use that squad rather than sending a weak theoretical counter. A 30-million-Power Missile formation is not automatically the correct answer to a much stronger Aircraft opponent simply because Missile has the type advantage.

Counter mechanics become most valuable when the two formations are otherwise reasonably competitive.

Best Squad for PvE

PvE lineups depend more heavily on the specific event or target.

Tank squads remain useful for many players because Tank heroes are commonly the first formation to receive heavy investment. Mason can also retain significant PvE value, particularly after his seasonal UR promotion.

Some bosses or events favor a particular vehicle type, while modes such as Global Expedition can introduce special stage or area effects. Always check the event description before assuming your standard PvP lineup is also the best PvE setup.

When Should You Build Squad 2?

Start developing a second serious lineup when your first formation has reached a stable point rather than simply when Squad 2 becomes available.

Good signs include:

• Your five primary heroes are firmly established.
• Main hero stars are progressing consistently.
• Squad 1 owns your best Legendary Gear.
• Your matching vehicle Center and combat research are progressing.
• You have surplus resources that no longer create major improvements for Squad 1.

Aircraft is a common second choice after Tanks because it directly counters Tank-heavy PvP. Missile can then become the third formation or a specialized Aircraft counter.

How Lineup Presets Work

Newer versions of Last War include Lineup Presets, which make managing multiple formations much easier.

The feature becomes available after the required server-age milestone, currently around 20 days on supported servers. It can be accessed from the Squad interface.

Current presets can save:

• Hero selection.
• Hero positions.
• Equipped gear.
• Data Chip configuration.

Up to 10 presets can be stored under the current system, allowing configurations such as:

• Tank PvP
• Aircraft PvP
• Missile Counter
• PvE Boss
• Global Expedition
• Event-specific formations

You cannot freely apply configurations while the required heroes or equipment are already committed to an incompatible march or activity. Feature availability and restrictions can also vary by server rollout, so follow the current in-game interface.

How Season Progression Changes Squad Lineups

Last War lineups are not static. Major seasonal upgrades can change the value of individual heroes.

Examples include:

• Exclusive Weapons arriving for different UR heroes across seasons.
• Mason, Violet, Scarlett, Sarah, Venom, and Braz receiving seasonal SSR-to-UR promotion paths.
• Kimberly, DVA, and Tesla gaining Hero Awakening in Season 6.
• New seasonal systems adding temporary or permanent combat bonuses.

Re-evaluate your lineup when one of these upgrades becomes available instead of assuming the formation you used in pre-season should remain unchanged forever.

Common Squad Lineup Mistakes

• Putting damage heroes in front: Use defensive heroes to protect your backline.
• Ignoring formation bonuses: Five same-type heroes receive the maximum standard bonus.
• Building all three squads immediately: Concentrate resources on one formation first.
• Replacing high-star SSR heroes too early: Low-star UR heroes are not automatically stronger.
• Ignoring counters: Aircraft, Tank, and Missile matchups matter in PvP.
• Following an old lineup forever: Exclusive Weapons, promotions, and Awakening change hero value.
• Copying whale formations on a young account: Advanced hybrids rely on development you may not have.
• Moving gear across heroes manually without a plan: Use Lineup Presets where available.
• Prioritizing total Power over synergy: Positioning and skills can matter more than a small Power increase.
• Upgrading Squad 2 before Squad 1 is ready: Two incomplete teams usually underperform one concentrated formation.

Optional Faster Starting Point

Building several complete Last War lineups requires time because hero stars, Exclusive Weapons, gear, research, Drone progression, and seasonal systems accumulate gradually. Players who prefer beginning from a more established roster can browse Last War accounts for sale on Heaven Guardian. Compare the actual Tank, Aircraft, and Missile formations, hero stars, gear, Exclusive Weapons, Awakening progress, and server season rather than judging an account only by total Power.

FAQs

What is the best Tank lineup in Last War?

A reliable full Tank formation is Murphy and Williams in front, with Kimberly, Stetmann, and Marshall in the back row. Later seasonal progression can make hybrid alternatives worthwhile for advanced accounts.

What is the best Aircraft lineup?

Carlie and Lucius form the standard Aircraft frontline, while DVA, Morrison, and Schuyler provide the back-row damage and control.

What is the best Missile lineup?

Adam and McGregor provide the frontline, with Tesla, Fiona, and Swift forming a strong standard back row. Later UR promotions such as Venom can create additional Missile options.

Which squad should beginners build first?

Tank is generally the easiest first formation because several useful Tank heroes become accessible earlier. Build one strong Tank squad before spreading scarce resources across Aircraft and Missile.

Should I always use five heroes of the same type?

Five matching heroes receive the maximum +20% standard formation bonus. However, a significantly stronger off-type hero can occasionally justify a 4:1 hybrid, particularly on advanced accounts.

Which squad counters Tank?

Aircraft counters Tank. Tank counters Missile, while Missile counters Aircraft.

Where should Kimberly and DVA be positioned?

Both are primarily damage dealers and normally belong in the back row behind durable frontline heroes.

When should I start building Aircraft?

Begin collecting Aircraft heroes early, but make serious investment after your first Tank squad is established and your Aircraft core has enough stars and resources to function as a complete formation.

Are Lineup Presets worth using?

Yes. Presets reduce the need to manually move heroes, gear, and Data Chips when switching between PvP, PvE, Global Expedition, and other modes.

Does the best lineup change by season?

Yes. Exclusive Weapons, SSR-to-UR promotions, Hero Awakening, new server systems, and the formations used by your opponents can all change which lineup performs best.

Conclusion

The best Last War squad lineups start with correct roles and focused investment. Keep two durable heroes in the front row, protect three damage or support heroes behind them, and work toward a full Tank, Aircraft, or Missile formation to gain the maximum standard type bonus.

Tank is the practical starting point for most new accounts, Aircraft becomes an important Tank counter as the server matures, and Missile provides a valuable answer to developed Aircraft formations. As seasons introduce Exclusive Weapons, UR promotions, and Awakening, keep adjusting your squad rather than treating any five-hero lineup as permanent.

For more hero builds, formation strategies, and seasonal combat guides, explore our additional Last War Survival guides.