Hero stats: the numbers that actually matter

Understanding your hero's stats

Open any hero and you'll see four important numbers: ATK, HP, DEF and CMD.

Let's compare three Warrior heroes: Arthur, Marlena and Harper. These are real stats from three hero screens, not made-up examples.

Arthur (level 135, Might 1,539,302): ATK 25,274, HP 5,028,349, DEF 30,082, CMD 403
Marlena (level 135, Might 1,389,348): ATK 37,665, HP 3,075,083, DEF 27,532, CMD 403
Harper (level 130, Might 1,190,292): ATK 30,994, HP 3,146,842, DEF 25,829, CMD 393

Their levels and development differ, but the numbers show their different strengths nicely.

ATK: Attack

ATK is how hard your hero hits. It drives the damage from Auto Attacks and many skills: the higher the ATK, the more damage they deal.

Look at Marlena. She has 37,665 ATK against Arthur's 25,274. That's nearly 49% more.

It doesn't mean she'll always deal exactly 49% more damage. Skills, the enemy's DEF and other bonuses matter too. But it shows why Marlena is your damage dealer.

HP: Health Points

HP is how much damage your hero can take before falling.

Arthur has over 5 million HP. Marlena has 3 million. That's a massive difference.

A hero with high HP stays in the fight longer, taking the punishment while the rest of your squad keeps attacking.

DEF: Defence

DEF reduces the damage your hero takes. Higher DEF means enemy attacks generally hurt less, so your HP lasts longer.

Arthur has the highest DEF of the three, as well as the highest HP. That's exactly what you want from a Tank.

HP and DEF work together: HP is the size of your health pool, and DEF makes that pool last.

CMD: Command

CMD is how many soldiers your hero can command.

Arthur and Marlena both have 403 CMD, and Harper has 393. More CMD means more soldiers go with the hero, so their troops add more to your squad.

CMD doesn't make the hero's own attacks any stronger. It's all about how many troops they can lead.

Hero classes: everyone has a job

There are three roles: Tank, Carry and Support.

The trick is knowing that no hero is great at everything. A hero built to survive punishment isn't necessarily good at dealing damage, and a big damage dealer often struggles to survive being hit.

That's why we build squads instead of relying on one powerful hero.

Tanks: the heroes taking the punches

Arthur is a Tank.

Look at his numbers again. His HP and DEF are well above Marlena's, but his ATK is much lower. That's on purpose.

Tanks stand in the front row and soak up enemy attacks. They fight up close, not safely from the back. Your opponent generally has to get through your front row before they can freely hit your back row, so the longer your Tanks hold, the more damage your Carries can deal.

Think of Arthur as the big bloke standing in the doorway, stopping anyone getting through. He doesn't need to throw the biggest punches. He needs to stay standing.

For Tanks, put first:

HP: more health to soak up punishment.
DEF: less damage from every hit.
Defensive skills: shields, damage reduction and other ways to survive.

ATK still adds to their damage, but it isn't their main job.

And there's a catch. Once your first Tank falls, the enemy can pile onto your other Tank. If that one falls too, your back row is wide open. That's why you generally want two solid Tanks protecting your squad.

Carries: the heroes doing the killing

Marlena is a Carry.

Look at her ATK: well above Arthur's. That's her job. Deal damage and make quick work of the enemy.

Carries are your heavy hitters. Their attacks and offensive skills are what bring enemy heroes down.

But there's a problem. They're squishy.

Carries trade toughness for damage. They have less HP and DEF than Tanks, so they don't last long once the enemy gets to them. That's why Carries normally go in the back row, behind your Tanks.

Your Tanks buy time. Your Carries use that time to kill the enemy.

If your Carries don't deal enough damage, your Tanks might survive for ages, but they'll fall eventually. You've only delayed losing.

Support: making everyone else better

Harper is a Support.

Supports aren't necessarily your toughest fighters or your biggest damage dealers. Their job is to make the whole squad perform better.

Depending on their skills, Supports can give buffs, healing, protection or other useful effects, and some weaken the enemy. A Support might raise your team's damage, help your Tanks survive longer or make your Carries hit harder.

Their value isn't always obvious from their ATK, HP and DEF. Read their skills to see what they really bring.

Do you need a Support?

Not always.

You can build a squad with two Tanks and three Carries and go all in on damage.

The upside:

More direct damage.
More chances to kill enemies quickly.
Great when you can overwhelm an opponent before your front row collapses.

The downside:

You give up buffs, healing or protection.
Your Tanks may fall sooner.
Your Carries may do worse without a Support's effects.

Or you can go two Tanks, two Carries and one Support for a better balance. A good Support can add more to your squad's total damage than another Carry would.

It depends on the heroes, their skills and what you're fighting. Don't put a Support in just because they're labelled Support, and don't write one off because their ATK looks unimpressive. Judge what they add to the whole squad.

Factions: there is no strongest faction

Last Asylum: Plague has three factions: Warrior, Ranger and Warlock. Each one is strong against one faction and weak against another.

Warrior: strong against Warlock, weak against Ranger.
Ranger: strong against Warrior, weak against Warlock.
Warlock: strong against Ranger, weak against Warrior.

A faction takes 20% less damage from the faction it counters. For example, Rangers take 20% less damage from Warriors.

So a powerful Warrior squad can struggle against a well-built Ranger squad, even with higher Might. The game is designed so no one faction rules everything.

Why does Warrior beat Warlock?

This one trips a lot of people up, so let me be straight with you: there's no hidden reason. The game never explains it, and it isn't about what kind of damage a faction deals. It's a fixed wheel, like rock, paper, scissors:

Warrior beats Warlock.
Warlock beats Ranger.
Ranger beats Warrior.

It's not that Warriors hit harder or that Warlocks have a weak spot. Every faction has Tanks, Carries and Supports, front-row and back-row heroes, and both kinds of damage. The 20% is simply a rule laid over the top of every fight: if your faction counters theirs, you take 20% less damage from them. That's all it is.

So when you're picking a squad for a fight, it's simple. Look at the enemy's faction, then bring the one that beats it. Don't bring the one it beats.

Physical and Energy damage

What does change between heroes is the kind of damage they deal. Every hero's damage is either Physical or Energy, and it's set per hero, not per faction.

Arthur deals Physical damage. Marlena and Harper deal Energy damage. You'll find both kinds in every faction, so don't assume all your Warriors hit the same way.

You can see the type in a hero's skill text (look for Physical DMG or Energy DMG), and your battle reports split it too, under Physical DMG and Energy DMG, with what you took of each.

Why should you care? Because some skills only protect against one kind. One of Arthur's skills cuts the Physical damage his allies take, and Billy, Louis and Shadow have skills that cut Energy damage. If the enemy's big hitters deal Energy damage, a shield against Physical damage won't save you. Check what's hurting you in your battle reports, then bring the protection that matches.

Faction bonuses

Heroes of the same faction also get a bonus to ATK, HP and DEF:

3 of one faction: +5%
3 of one faction and 2 of another: +10%
4 of one faction: +15%
All 5 of one faction: +20%

Five of a kind gives the biggest bonus, but it ties you to that faction's strengths and weaknesses. Mixing factions gives up some of the bonus in exchange for different heroes, skills and a chance to counter your opponent.

Neither way guarantees a win.

Putting it all together

A strong squad isn't just your five highest-Might heroes. You need heroes that work together.

Your Tanks hold the enemy back. Your Carries kill them. Your Support, if you bring one, makes the whole squad better. And faction matchups change how well that squad does against different opponents.

The real goal is balance:

If your Tanks die before your Carries can do their job, strengthen your Tanks.
If your Tanks survive but you aren't killing the enemy fast enough, strengthen your Carries.
If your squad struggles despite good stats, look at your hero skills, formation and the faction matchup.