Guide · team building
Legend of Defenders elements and team comps
In Legend of Defenders, what you combine matters, not where you put it: the developers built the game so placement barely changes range. Pick one element, add units that lower enemy resistance to it or convert damage to it, then add the speed supports. The Ice and Fire pair is the one the developers showcase.
Quick answer
- Only special stages make monsters resist hard.
- Gear bonuses help only their wearer.
- Mad Doctor's passive turns teammates Poison.
- Summon builds need late gear to last.
How do elements and resistances work?
- Fire, Ice, Poison and Physical appear in official posts and screenshots, and the talent tree refers to "Physical Heroes" and mixed teams. Players also build Thunder teams.
- Most monsters don't resist much. Only special stages give super resistance, and a monster handbook in 1.0 shows enemy stats. The Demon Lord Tower is the special stage players meet first: each floor has a weakness and resistances.AboboKnows 29:50
- A gear main attribute such as "Thunder damage +20%" boosts only the hero wearing it.
Which Legend of Defenders team comps work?
| Comp | Core units and why |
|---|---|
| Ice + Fire | Cryomancer lowers enemy Ice and Fire Resistance; the Fire Tree turret converts the team's damage to Fire. The developers' own showcase. |
| All-in Fire | Pyromaniac raises team Crit Damage, Flame Aide summons Fire Elementals, Sun God is a Fire captain, Toxmaster lowers Fire Resistance. |
| Poison over time | Bog Demon applies [Poisoned] with three summoned copies, Toxmaster lowers Poison Resistance, Toxic Blood is a Poison captain. |
| Speed supports | Time Bard cuts team cooldowns, Drum Cats add Attack Speed. Fit any element. |
| Summons | Workable but demanding: summon duration grows with later gear, and early on it needs help from Automaton Core and Time Bard. |
Fire looked thin in 1.0 because the demo already had most Fire units; the developer says Fire gets new Treasures and the Ascendant and Mythic gear tiers instead. There is no Poison cannon yet, so a Poison team's second cannon slot won't match its talents.
Hero notes from the developers and players
- Pyromaniac can be the main damage of a Fire team, or a crit support for other Fire carries such as Sun God.
- Ice Angel shines when other heroes or gear apply [Cold]; without it, Cryomancer often outdamages her.
- Mad Doctor's passive replaces teammates' element with Poison. Good in an all-Poison team, bad for talents that need mixed elements.
- Support levels matter in some builds, where supports become top damage; for a short session, level your main damage dealers.
- Moon Blade (Physical) topped the damage meter in a Fire and Ice team even without matching its element.AboboKnows
What are players running past wave 20,000?
Players' reports, not tested by us. For which units players rank highest, see the tier list.
- Wave ~18,000: Fire heroes and captain with gold/EXP gems, Mirror and Solar towers and gold/EXP heroes; the Wormhole Treasure to move 10 waves at a time; Demon Lord Tower floor 65.
- Wave ~2,000: a full Thunder castle plus supports to farm gold and EXP.
- Wave 23,000 (demo): top row Forger, Toxmaster, Ember Mage; middle Ice Angel, Markswoman, Pyromaniac; bottom Time Bard, Drum Cats, Mag Ranger; Fire Tree and Bloom turrets; Sun God captain; talents Fire, then Thunder, then Physical.
- For the tower: keep a Fire team and a Thunder team and swap by floor weakness.
Legend of Defenders team comp questions
Does hero placement matter in Legend of Defenders?
Barely. The developers built it so a unit half a tile off does not lose range; the lineup and its element combos matter far more.
Do monsters resist specific elements?
Mostly no. The developer says only special stages give monsters very high resistance; the Demon Lord Tower floors are the main example. A monster handbook shows enemy stats in 1.0.
Does Mad Doctor change other heroes to Poison?
Players who tested it say his passive replaces the other heroes’ element with Poison, which helps an all-Poison team but breaks talents that need mixed elements.
Is Ice Angel worse than Cryomancer?
Not if you build for her: the developer says Ice Angel’s skill pays off when other heroes or gear apply [Cold].
Should I level support heroes?
For a short session, level your main damage dealers. In some builds supports become the top damage, and then their levels matter.
Related: all heroes · tier list · captains and turrets · equipment