Murphy, also known as the Unyielding Warrior, is a UR Tank Defense hero in Last War: Survival. He belongs in the front row, where Stand Firm reduces incoming damage for your frontline and Ironclad Barrier provides additional protection against Physical Damage.
For most players, Murphy should be built as a pure defender: prioritize Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier, upgrade Radar and Armor before his offensive gear, and pair him with another durable front-row hero while your main damage dealers fight from the back row. His Season 2 Exclusive Weapon makes him considerably stronger by adding the Mitigation mechanic and Tank-wide bonuses.
★Quick Take: Murphy is an early-access UR defender with long-term value. Keep him in the front row, develop Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier before Cannon Fire, prioritize defensive gear, and invest in his Exclusive Weapon if he remains part of your main Tank or high-investment mixed formation.
Murphy Hero Overview
Murphy is built to keep other heroes alive rather than compete with attackers for the highest damage total. His passive protection works continuously on the front row, while his Tactics skill creates a stronger Physical Damage Reduction window during combat.
| Category | Murphy |
|---|---|
| Rarity | UR |
| Hero Type | Tank |
| Role | Defense / Frontline Tank |
| Damage Type | Physical Damage |
| Title | Unyielding Warrior |
| Best Position | Front row |
| Exclusive Weapon | Season 2 progression |
Murphy Reference Stats
At the commonly documented Level 150 reference point, Murphy has the following hero stats:
| Stat | Reference Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 13,103 |
| HP | 906,913 |
| Defense | 3,380 |
| March Size | 350 |
These should be treated as reference values rather than targets for every account. Your displayed Murphy stats change with hero progression, gear, research, buildings, Exclusive Weapon development, and other account bonuses.
Murphy is also one of the Tank heroes supported by the Last War Tank Center, so Tank-specific building progression remains important if he is part of your main formation.
Murphy Skills Explained
Murphy’s normal kit is primarily defensive. The biggest mistake is treating all of his skills as equally important: the protection provided by Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier matters much more to his role than the damage from Cannon Fire.
Cannon Fire
- Type: Auto Attack
- Cooldown: 1.60 seconds
- Damage Type: Physical Damage
- Documented high-level effect: Deals Physical Damage equal to 490.99% of Murphy’s Attack.
Cannon Fire is Murphy’s regular attack. Star progression increases its damage considerably, but Murphy is still a defender rather than a carry. Skill Medals spent here generally provide less squad value than improving his defensive abilities first.
Priority: Lowest of Murphy’s three normal combat skills.
Stand Firm
- Type: Passive
- Cooldown: Not applicable
- Documented high-level effect: Reduces all damage taken by front-row units by 17%, before additional star and later progression improvements.
Stand Firm is valuable because it does not depend on a short activation window. As long as Murphy is in the formation, both front-row heroes benefit from continuous damage reduction.
Unlike Ironclad Barrier, Stand Firm is not limited to Physical Damage. That makes it useful against formations dealing a mixture of Physical and Energy Damage.
Priority: Very high and a strong first choice for general-purpose Murphy investment.
Ironclad Barrier
- Type: Tactics / Physical Protection
- Cooldown: 10 seconds
- Documented high-level effect: Reduces the Physical Damage received by front-row units by 29% for five seconds.
Ironclad Barrier provides a stronger but more specialized defensive window. Its value rises sharply with star progression:
| Star Level | Additional Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Duration increases to 6 seconds |
| 2 | Adds another 5% Physical Damage Reduction |
| 3 | Duration increases to 7 seconds |
| 4 | Physical Damage Reduction applies to the entire squad |
| 5 | Duration increases to 8 seconds |
The four-star breakpoint is particularly important because Ironclad Barrier stops being only a frontline protection skill and begins protecting all five heroes against Physical Damage during its active window.
Priority: Very high. It can reasonably be prioritized ahead of Stand Firm when Physical burst is the specific problem your squad needs to solve.
Super Sensing
- Type: Expertise
- Effect: Increases Murphy’s HP, Attack, and Defense by 20% and skill cooldown rate by 10%.
Super Sensing improves the stats Murphy needs to remain alive and reduces the time between skill activations. However, it is Murphy’s Expertise skill and should be treated separately from the normal Skill Medal priority used for Cannon Fire, Stand Firm, and Ironclad Barrier.
Best Murphy Skill Upgrade Priority
For general use, a practical Murphy Skill Medal priority is:
| Priority | Skill | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stand Firm | Provides continuous all-damage reduction to both front-row heroes. |
| 2 | Ironclad Barrier | Provides stronger Physical protection and becomes squad-wide at four stars. |
| 3 | Cannon Fire | Improves Murphy’s damage but contributes less to his main defensive role. |
There is a reasonable case for swapping the first two skills. General defender guidance often places the Tactics skill first, and Ironclad Barrier can be more important when Physical Damage is what is breaking your formation. For everyday mixed-damage battles, Stand Firm’s always-active protection makes it an excellent first investment.
✓Recommendation: F2P and low-spend players should keep Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier ahead of Cannon Fire rather than leveling all three equally. If Murphy is already four stars and you frequently face heavy Physical Damage, pushing Ironclad Barrier first is also a sensible choice.
For wider Skill Medal planning across your whole roster, see the Last War hero skill upgrade guide.
Best Gear for Murphy
Murphy uses the same four normal equipment slots as other heroes, but he should not follow an attacker’s upgrade order. His job is to survive, so defensive equipment comes first.
| Priority | Gear | Why Upgrade It |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radar | Improves defensive stats and helps Murphy withstand dangerous Energy Damage from enemy skills. |
| 2 | Armor | Strengthens HP, Defense, and resistance against Physical Damage. |
| 3 | Data Chip | Provides useful HP and damage-resistance value, but usually follows the dedicated defensive pieces. |
| 4 | Gun / Cannon | Primarily improves Murphy’s offensive contribution and is normally the lowest defensive priority. |
Radar and Armor are close enough in importance that the matchup can change the order. If Physical attacks are clearly killing Murphy first, upgrading Armor before Radar is reasonable.
Do not evaluate Murphy’s equipment in isolation. Kimberly or another main damage dealer may gain more from receiving your first premium offensive Gun than Murphy gains from completing every slot immediately. A balanced main squad is generally stronger than one overbuilt defender protecting underdeveloped attackers.
The Last War gear upgrade and promotion guide covers wider equipment development and promotion priorities.
Murphy Exclusive Weapon Guide
Murphy receives his Exclusive Weapon during Season 2: Polar Storm. It becomes available during the first week of the season and adds a new defensive mechanic called Mitigation.
To activate Murphy’s Exclusive Weapon:
- Murphy must be 5 stars.
- Activation requires 50 Murphy Exclusive Weapon Shards.
- After activation, Universal Exclusive Weapon Shards can also be used for further levels.
- The weapon can progress to Level 30.
- It improves Murphy’s HP, Attack, Defense, All-Damage Resistance, and maximum skill levels.
Murphy Exclusive Weapon Milestones
| Weapon Level | Unlock | Main Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cannon Fire II | Every two auto attacks can add a Mitigation stack to a front-row ally. |
| 10 | Ironclad Barrier II | Upgrades his Tactics skill and applies Mitigation to three random allied units. |
| 20 | Tank Specialist | Raises the Attack, Defense, and HP of all allied Tank heroes by 7.5% in battle. |
| 30 | Power Armor | Prioritizes Mitigation for the lowest-HP ally and raises its reduction effect to 75%. |
How Murphy’s Mitigation Works
Mitigation reduces the damage from the next incoming auto attack. A stack is consumed after absorbing that auto attack, and multiple stacks can be held at once up to the documented limit of three.
At Exclusive Weapon Level 1, Murphy begins generating Mitigation through Cannon Fire II. At Level 10, Ironclad Barrier II can spread additional stacks to allies. Level 30 then improves the mechanic further by directing new stacks toward the ally with the lowest remaining HP and increasing the protection provided by each stack.
This makes Murphy’s Exclusive Weapon more than a stat upgrade. His original kit focuses heavily on keeping the frontline alive, while the weapon gives him additional ways to protect vulnerable heroes throughout the squad.
Is Exclusive Weapon Level 20 Worth It?
Level 20 is an important breakpoint for a Tank-focused account because Tank Specialist provides a battle-wide stat increase to all Tank heroes. It also matters for Murphy’s future progression because Exclusive Weapon Level 20 is the key preparation target for the Awakening system.
Level 30 adds the strongest version of Murphy’s Mitigation mechanic, but it requires considerably more Exclusive Weapon resources. Players with limited shards should weigh Level 30 against bringing other important main-squad Exclusive Weapons to useful milestones.
Murphy Season 7 Awakening: What We Know
Murphy has been announced as one of the heroes scheduled to receive an Awakening with Season 7, alongside Carlie and McGregor.
At the time of this update, reliable sources confirm Murphy as an Awakening target but do not yet provide enough finalized detail about his new Awakening skill to include exact effects, percentages, or rankings here.
!Important: If your server is approaching Season 7 and Murphy remains a major part of your roster, getting his Exclusive Weapon to Level 20 is the most useful confirmed preparation. Do not plan around unverified Awakening skill effects until they are visible in-game on eligible servers.
Best Murphy Team and Synergies
Murphy is strongest when another durable hero occupies the second front-row position and three heroes behind them provide enough damage or support to actually win the fight.
Murphy and Williams
Williams is the most natural partner when building a traditional Tank formation. Both heroes are defenders, but their protection works differently: Murphy focuses on damage reduction, while Williams provides his own defensive buffs and frontline durability.
A mature Tank formation can use this structure:
| Position | Example Hero | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Front Row | Murphy | Damage reduction and defensive anchor |
| Front Row | Williams | Second defender and frontline support |
| Back Row | Kimberly | Main damage dealer |
| Back Row | Stetmann | Secondary damage dealer |
| Back Row | Marshall | Support |
Once the troop-type formation bonus is available, a five-Tank squad receives the maximum same-type bonus of +20% HP, Attack, and Defense. That makes a full Tank composition an efficient long-term target when those heroes are sufficiently developed.
Murphy and Carlie
Carlie is an Aircraft defender rather than a Tank hero. Pairing her with Murphy sacrifices part of the same-type formation bonus, so it should be a deliberate mixed-team choice rather than the default early-game setup.
At high Exclusive Weapon investment, Murphy can remain valuable in mixed formations because Mitigation protects allies in ways that are difficult to replace. Whether that outweighs the lost troop-type bonus depends on the heroes, weapons, gear, and tactics available on your account.
Murphy and Adam
Adam is a Missile Vehicle defender. Like Carlie, he is more relevant to mixed-team experimentation than to a standard five-Tank lineup.
If you are still early in progression, do not chase a complex hybrid formation simply because several UR defenders are available. Building one coherent main squad is usually more efficient than dividing shards, Skill Medals, gear, and Exclusive Weapon resources among several incomplete teams.
How to Get Murphy in Last War
Murphy is one of the earliest UR heroes available through hero recruitment and can be obtained through the Tavern. On newer servers he is designed to become accessible very early compared with many later UR heroes.
Recruitment pools and guarantees can change with server progression, so check the hero information and probability screen in your own Tavern before spending tickets for a specific target.
For more information about recruitment and Tavern progression, see the Last War Tavern guide.
How to Use Murphy Effectively
- Keep him in the front row for PvP: His normal kit is built around protecting frontline heroes and absorbing pressure before it reaches your damage dealers.
- Build the second defender too: Murphy cannot protect the formation efficiently if the other side of the front row collapses immediately.
- Prioritize defensive skills: Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier provide more value than rushing Cannon Fire.
- Watch the damage type: Stand Firm reduces general damage, while Ironclad Barrier specifically protects against Physical Damage.
- Give him defensive gear: Radar and Armor should normally receive more attention than his Gun.
- Use star breakpoints intelligently: Four-star Ironclad Barrier is especially valuable because its Physical protection expands to the whole formation.
- Plan Exclusive Weapon milestones: Levels 10, 20, and 30 each change what Murphy contributes to the squad.
Murphy in PvP and PvE
PvP and Arena
Murphy is a natural PvP frontliner because his protection gives your back row more time to complete skill rotations. Ironclad Barrier is particularly useful against Physical-heavy teams, while Stand Firm remains valuable against mixed damage.
His Exclusive Weapon improves this further by reducing incoming auto-attack damage through Mitigation. As that weapon develops, Murphy becomes increasingly useful beyond a basic starter Tank lineup.
Campaign and Progression PvE
Murphy is useful when a stage is failing because your frontline dies before your attackers can finish the fight. Increasing his defensive skills or gear can create enough extra survival time for the back row to complete another major attack.
Boss and Damage-Race Content
Defensive investment only helps until the squad survives long enough to complete the encounter. If Murphy already keeps everyone alive for the full fight, additional resources may produce better scores when invested into your primary damage dealers.
Is Murphy Worth Upgrading?
Yes, especially for early and mid-game players building a Tank formation. Murphy is available much earlier than many UR heroes, provides immediate frontline value, and continues gaining useful progression through his Season 2 Exclusive Weapon.
He is particularly worthwhile when:
- Tank is your main formation.
- Your frontline is dying before your damage dealers can use enough skills.
- You can reach the important four-star Ironclad Barrier breakpoint.
- You intend to develop his Exclusive Weapon.
- You are preparing Murphy for his announced Season 7 Awakening.
His priority is lower when you already have a stronger developed frontline and your actual problem is insufficient damage. Do not keep feeding defensive resources into Murphy if battle reports clearly show that your squad survives but fails to finish opponents.
Players starting on an older server who prefer an already-developed roster can optionally browse Last War accounts for sale. Check each listing’s actual Murphy star level, gear, Exclusive Weapon progress, Tank roster, and server information rather than assuming those upgrades are included.
Common Murphy Build Mistakes
Building Cannon Fire Before His Defensive Skills
Murphy is not your main DPS. Improving Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier normally has a much greater impact on why he is in the squad.
Giving Murphy Your Best Offensive Gear
A premium offensive Gun usually produces more value on Kimberly or another real carry. Murphy should first receive the defensive equipment needed to stay alive.
Ignoring Damage Types
Ironclad Barrier is specifically Physical protection. Against Energy-heavy opponents, simply upgrading it further may not solve the problem; Radar, Stand Firm, and overall formation durability become more important.
Overloading the Squad With Defenders
Two strong front-row heroes are useful. Filling too many positions with defensive heroes can leave the formation unable to deal enough damage before the battle ends.
Ignoring the Exclusive Weapon
Murphy changes substantially after his Season 2 Exclusive Weapon arrives. The Mitigation mechanic and Level 20 Tank Specialist bonus give him much more long-term value than his base kit alone suggests.
Spending Toward Level 30 Too Early
Power Armor at Level 30 is strong, but Exclusive Weapon shards are limited. For many accounts, reaching useful Level 20 milestones on several important main-squad heroes can be more valuable than rushing one weapon to Level 30 while the rest remain underdeveloped.
FAQs
Is Murphy good in Last War?
Yes. Murphy is a strong UR Tank defender who is especially useful in early and mid-game Tank squads. His defensive value remains relevant later through his Exclusive Weapon and upcoming Awakening progression.
How do you get Murphy in Last War Survival?
Murphy can be obtained through hero recruitment in the Tavern and is one of the earliest UR heroes made available to new players. Check the current recruitment pool on your server before spending tickets specifically for him.
What is the best Murphy skill priority?
Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier should receive the highest priority, with Cannon Fire last. Stand Firm is an excellent general first choice because it provides continuous all-damage reduction, while Ironclad Barrier can be prioritized first when Physical Damage is your main problem.
What gear is best for Murphy?
Prioritize defensive gear. Radar and Armor should normally come first, followed by Data Chip, while Murphy’s offensive Gun or Cannon is the lowest priority for a pure defensive build.
What does Murphy’s Exclusive Weapon do?
Murphy’s Season 2 Exclusive Weapon adds the Mitigation mechanic. Later milestones upgrade Ironclad Barrier, give allied Tank heroes a 7.5% Attack, Defense, and HP bonus, and eventually make Mitigation prioritize the lowest-HP ally while increasing its protection.
Does Murphy get an Awakening?
Murphy has been announced as one of the Season 7 Awakening heroes. His exact new Awakening skill effects were not sufficiently documented in the reliable sources available at the time of this update, so players preparing for it should focus on confirmed prerequisites such as developing his Exclusive Weapon to Level 20.
Conclusion
Murphy remains a dependable Tank defender because he protects the frontline continuously, can extend Physical Damage Reduction to the full squad at four stars, and becomes substantially more versatile through his Exclusive Weapon. Prioritize Stand Firm and Ironclad Barrier, build Radar and Armor first, and keep enough resources available for the damage dealers Murphy is protecting.
For more hero builds, formation advice, progression strategies, and event guides, browse the Last War Survival guides on Heaven Guardian.
