Claim legitimate introductory rewards
Open the available Quests and Episode Track. Claim free rewards that require no purchase. Check whether the reward is a character, shards, gear, training material, or a temporary Era resource before using it.
PLAYER GUIDE · START HERE
Your first Galaxy of Heroes account
From your first squad to level 85: what to do, what to farm, and what not to waste.
ForNew and returning players
Game stateOctober 18, 2026 review
StyleFree-to-play friendly
AccuracyOfficial sources + conditional advice
NEW PLAYER · NO GUESSWORK
Your first four moves
- Claim free quest rewards. Check what your account already has.
- Choose one squad. Match leader bonuses to your team.
- Prepare for ships. Start building pilots before Fleet Arena.
- Save rare resources. Commit only to a clear goal.
STEP 01 / FIRST SESSION
Finish the tutorial. Check what you own.
Open your Cantina, check free quests and rewards, and note which modes are already available. Menus change, so use your current game screen if it differs from older screenshots.
Choose one near-term objective
Your first objective is reliable Campaign progression and enough usable characters to participate in newly unlocked modes. Do not chase several late-game Legendary or Galactic Legend requirements at once.
Identify a functioning squad
Inspect leader abilities and faction tags. Pair characters that benefit from one another; invest first in enough power to continue stages you can actually farm.
Learn where resources come from
Tap required shards or items in the character upgrade interface to inspect current acquisition sources. A guide written years ago may name a node or store that has changed.
Decision rule
Upgrade only when the next improvement unlocks an activity, clears a farmable battle, completes an event prerequisite, or materially strengthens a squad you regularly use.
STEP 02 / REACH GAME-MODE MILESTONES
What to do before level 85
EA's June 2024 onboarding changes shortened the level 1–85 journey and improved early access to ships. Exact rewards and quest ordering can change. Use your visible game-mode unlocks and their in-game descriptions as the authoritative checklist.
Build consistency
Finish introductory challenges and Campaign objectives, complete daily quests, and concentrate training and ability upgrades on a coherent core. If a battle is failing, look for missing synergy or level/ability upgrades before dividing resources across unrelated characters.
Understand the current Episode and Era
Since the anniversary overhaul, players at level 10 can take part in Episode Quests and relevant Eras systems, including the Coliseum. Check which Era units and materials are available this season. Participation is not the same as needing to max every new unit.
Begin fleet participation
EA documents Fleet Arena at level 60. Ensure you have accessible ships, crew where required, and a capital ship appropriate for the modes you can enter. A strong character roster without fleet preparation can delay valuable repeatable rewards.
Build roster depth
More game modes and advanced progression become available. Select an achievable Journey Guide goal, contribute to a guild, develop a second squad, and record any ship or gear requirements before expanding your spending.
Do not assume reaching level 85 completes the tutorial to competitive play. The important transition is from clearing basic battles to planning multiple teams, fleets, recurring resources and event unlocks.
STEP 03 / PICK A FARMING PATH
Stop farming random characters
Instead of presenting one permanent top-five list, use a target-based plan. A recommendation can become obsolete after character kits change, starter rewards are revised or an Era ends. Pick a squad you can build with your current account, and make sure it supports another objective.
Unlock reliable Campaign clearing
Use characters with compatible leader and faction bonuses. Prioritize survivability and the damage needed to clear repeatable resource stages. Stop upgrading a character after it stops helping that goal.
Target a Journey Guide character
Open the exact event, inspect its required units and minimum requirements, then create a short list of all needed farms. Check whether the reward character has a complete team waiting for it.
Choose units with several uses
Favor characters that help a squad, are required for an event, or pilot a ship you want. A multi-use unit can reduce the amount of separate work you must repeat.
Example planning sheet
| Question | Good answer | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| What does this farm unlock? | One named event, fleet or recurring battle | “People say the character is good” |
| Can I farm it now? | Its current source appears in my client | Requires a mode I have not unlocked |
| Who else uses these units? | Another team or ship benefits | Every upgrade has only one speculative use |
| What materials are required? | Known ability, gear and relic milestones | Unknown cost and no milestone to stop at |
Once you choose an objective, record it. Do not continually switch farms based on the newest advertisement or social discussion. Reassess when a rule changes or your plan no longer unlocks anything useful.
STEP 04 / BUILD THE FLEET
Prepare before Fleet Arena opens
Ships use a different battle system from ground squads. You need a suitable capital ship, combat ships and reinforcements. Ships with pilots can draw power from crew investment, which makes some character upgrades useful in both modes.
Inspect your starting ship inventory, available fleet nodes, and current event requirements. Choose a coherent lineup rather than spending every ship resource on a different faction. In early fleet matches, learn target priority, reinforcement timing, control effects and which enemy ship supplies crucial support.
Start checking ship opportunities before level 60. Delaying all fleet planning until then often leaves you with insufficient eligible vessels. The best early fleet depends on the ships and pilots your current quests actually award.
Return to the fleet systems overview →
STEP 05 / PLAY ERAS WITHOUT WASTING LEGACY RESOURCES
Separate seasonal from permanent upgrades
The November 2025 change introduced Era Level materials for newly released Era units. Legacy gear and Relic resources remain important for the characters you already own. A standard Era has three Episodes, six Marquee units and an associated Journey Guide event, but EA also allows exceptions. Coliseum bosses rotate and score rewards depend on participation and performance.
Inspect the active Era first
Open the current Era and review its available units, event requirements and remaining duration. Do not reuse last season's list of bosses or character upgrades.
Use the right materials
Era materials advance Era units. Continue Legacy farming separately rather than diverting all account resources into one temporary challenge.
Set a realistic Coliseum target
Find a score milestone your roster can attain. Learn boss mechanics and improve one attempt at a time instead of repeating fights without any team change.
Review end-of-Era conversion
Era units later move into Legacy progression. EA has published conversion principles, but check the current rules and final unit details rather than assuming every upgrade has the same permanent value.
STEP 06 / MODS AND POWER
Use equipment that supports the ability kit
Before moving mods, read the unit's role. Turn order can be vital for a control or support character; damage dealers may need offense-related stats; a tank may need bulk or resistance to control effects. Set bonuses, primary stats and secondary stats all matter. Treat Speed as an important stat to evaluate, not a universal answer.
Do not invest heavily in poor-quality mods simply because they fill a vacant slot. Compare the actual improvement they provide. Avoid spending Zeta or Omicron materials until you understand which ability is being upgraded and whether its effect is limited to a specific mode. Upgrade one important ability at a time and test the squad after the change.
STEP 07 / START COOPERATIVE PLAY
Join a guild matched to your account
Guild activities can supply recurring rewards and introduce raids and large-scale coordinated events. Read a guild's participation expectations and time requirements before joining. For a new player, a stable guild with reasonable requirements can be more valuable than an advanced guild whose activities you cannot access.
Ask which raid is active, which rosters are needed, and what participation rules apply. Territory Battles and Territory Wars require different planning. Do not invest in a specialized raid team on the strength of an old scoring chart alone. EA previewed the Droid Destruction raid on October 5, 2026; its final requirements must be checked against release notes when live.
STEP 08 / DAILY ROUTINE
Make each session serve your plan
Claim and inspect
Collect available free rewards, read the current event and Episode Quests, and check whether any modes expire before your next session.
Farm the target
Spend energy on the specific shards, gear or upgrades your current objective requires. When blocked, identify the exact missing item rather than random farming.
Play recurring modes
Complete eligible fleet, guild, event and other daily activities that give resources your account can use. Record the next unlock to avoid losing track.
Playing time should fit your life. In its anniversary design explanation, EA emphasized limiting repetitive Era play. You do not need to chase every leaderboard position or purchase every progression offer to enjoy the game.
STEP 09 / COMMON ROADBLOCKS
Stuck? Fix this first.
My squad's power is high, but I still lose.
Inspect ability synergy, turn order, enemy opening actions and target priority. Determine whether you lack survival, damage or control, then change one variable. Squad power is not a guarantee against a counter matchup.
I cannot find Light Side or Dark Side Battles in the old location.
EA combined the Light Side and Dark Side tables into the Campaigns table during the 2025 Eras update. Older videos may show the previous Cantina interface.
Should I spend crystals to get a popular character immediately?
Check the exact offer contents and whether the character supports a planned event or team. Early accounts often benefit more from repeatable progression than a one-off purchase, but the value depends on what the current offer contains.
Why do current Era units upgrade differently?
New Era units use Era Levels and Era materials, which are separate from Legacy gear and relic progression until the Era conversion. Refer to the in-game Era information for the exact thresholds.
I reached level 60 and my fleet is weak.
Review available ships and crew, identify a capital-ship plan, and invest in a coherent starting lineup. Do not spend materials on every ship just to raise collection power.
A guide tells me to farm a node that is missing.
Use the game's unit acquisition screen to verify current sources. Node placements and rewards can change with updates. Prefer a current official source over an undated farming chart.
What is my next goal after level 85?
Pick a specific Journey Guide unlock, broaden your playable squads and fleets, and participate in suitable guild activities. Keep the full requirements visible before investing rare materials.
Ready for a longer-term unlock?
After completing these starter tasks, use the Farming Planner to define one exact next goal and keep track of the remaining requirements.
PERSONAL PROGRESS
Your Galaxy of Heroes starter checklist
Mark the tasks that match your account. Your selections are saved in this browser only, not synced to your game account.
VERIFICATION / PRIMARY SOURCES
Where this guide comes from
Advice is editorial; this is not a claim of personal account testing or a current top-team leaderboard. Check your in-game unlocks and patch notes before major investments.
GO DEEPER
Understand the full game.
Return to the Galaxy of Heroes hub for squads, mods, ships, guilds, raids, Eras and the IDS analysis of the game.