Published On: October 2, 2022
Start your Raid Journey Today!

Best Starter Champion Raid: Shadow Legends 2022

[mepr-hide rules="18139"]
[/mepr-hide]
Spacer

If you’re new to Raid Shadow Legends, chances are you’re wondering who the best starter champion is and although everyone has a different opinion here are the main reasons one champion really stands out for us.

However, it should be pointed out that currently, players who are starting the game have access to Ultimate Deathknight, who is an incredibly valuable Champion, especially for new players – whilst he should not be your FIRST 60 Champion, he should be very much so considered in the not-too-distant future of your account!

Spacer

The Starter Champions:

When you start the game, right after the introduction scene you are given the choice of 4 magic affinity rare champions: (listed best to worst choice)

All of the starter champions are incredibly helpful in early game content as their AOE abilities help to clear waves fast, helping you to progress through early levels of campaign and dungeons, they are also reliable campaign farmers for a while, although they aren’t the fastest of clearers and as you progress you will find significantly better options. All that said, all 4 of the starter champions are perfectly capable of farming stage 12-3 brutal at level 60 providing they’re wearing the correct gear.

Let’s take a look at each individual Champion…

Spacer

Kael – Dark Elves

Kael’s A1 ability provides a weak poison alongside his multiple-hit A3 providing the big boy version of poison, his A2 ability also hits very hard and can be used as an arena nuker, and is incredibly strong for clearing waves in both campaign and dungeons. The poisons Kael brings are also vital for Dragon’s Lair for the boss, and he provides a lot of damage to the waves with his AOE abilities.

Kael is the only starter champion who is viable in clan boss for a long period of time, although he is later replaceable by the likes of Frozen Banshee and Occult Brawler, until that point he is the best easily obtainable poisoner which is incredibly important when progressing Clan Boss. For these reasons, Kael easily outshines all other starter champion options for us.

Spacer

Elhain – High Elves

Elhain is the second-best starter champion in our opinion as she provides 2 AOE abilities which both hit quite hard, as well as a 2-hit A1 ability which is particularly useful in dungeons such as Fire Knight’s Castle. Elhain is also very useful in the arena as seen in one of Hellhades’ previous free-to-play accounts.

Spacer

Athel – Sacred Order

Athel buffs herself on her A3 to increase her damage. She has the ability to tear through waves with her A2 as well as placing a 25% weaken debuff on enemies with her A1.

Spacer

Galek – Orcs

Whilst Galek is helpful, he, unfortunately, doesn’t compare to the other 3 champions. Galek’s decrease defense hits 4 random targets meaning it could fail to land on everyone. However, his AOE decrease defense requires 2 or more debuffs on the target already to provide a 60% version, which is provided as a baseline by lots of other champions including Warmaiden who is easily farmable.

Spacer

Why Kael is the best starter champion.

Honestly, it’s just about how much use you will get out of each champion and for what length of time, Kael is useable in all areas of the game thanks to his versatility, he can perform and compete with legendaries in end-game teams and content and will carry you further and faster through content than any of the other starter champions.

Spacer

Let’s talk about the absolute basics of gearing Kael:

Clan boss: focus his build on high defence, the ‘correct’ level of accuracy and speed.

Other areas of the game: high damage builds with 85% critical rate, and other damaging stats – however, you will need accuracy still to land his poisons.

Early game: a great option is the starter lifesteal gear with a more diverse mix of stats, to help you in all areas of the game.

Spacer

Kael is very worthy of being a 6-star champion and one we highly recommend investing time and energy into developing him further, we promise you won’t regret it.

Spacer
Spacer
[mepr-hide rules="18139"]
[/mepr-hide]
3 1 vote
Community Rating
guest
16 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago

I 100% agree with that Kael is the best starter. I stated with Elhain, and once I pulled and 60’d a Kael my acocunt really started progressing. Posions are SO good against Dragon and CB, the 2 areas you focus on as a new player. He still gets into some rare only content, but he’s not very useful late game. Same thing could be said about all staters though, so I would strongly suggest Kael to any new players reading this. Even if you started with another starter, it could be worth taking one to 50. If you pull a Frozen Banshee and didn’t start with Kael, she outclasses him in the posion department and is an accesible replacement.

VoeJozzo
VoeJozzo
1 year ago

If you’re doing a referral account, and so are only interested in farming campaign, does it make more sense to pick Elhain? Since her A2 and A3 are both AEO, it seems like she might be a marginally better campaign farmer, and you don’t necessarily care about Clan Boss on a referral.

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  VoeJozzo

I agree. Elhain is the best for a refferall.

da_Aresinger
da_Aresinger
1 year ago

I don’t get the obsession with Kael’s Poison.

Elhain is the one who is going to effortlessly carry you through the early game. By the time Kael’s poisons become remotely relevant, you will have probably drawn other, better poisoners. If you haven’t, you at least will have drawn Kael himself and can now efficiently level him, if you really have to. I had duplicates of all starter champions, before I even finished the campaign on brutal, but have never felt the need to level Kael, because by the time he became relevant I already had Occultist Brawler, Tomb Lord, Erinyes, Urticata and Frozen Banshee. A couple weeks ago i got Fahrakin the Fat.

Why would I waste my time on Kael?

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  da_Aresinger

BECAUSE OF CB AND DRAGON! For people looking to progress at a decent pace posions are the way to do it. Yeah, if you wait fo half a year before toughin Brutal CB, sure! But he does great early on against all “relevant content”, namely being ablw to farm campaign, doing Dragon and CB.

Alpha Leopard
Alpha Leopard
1 year ago

100% Agree… Elhain is by far the best for a new account and for someone who has no clue about the game. Elhain does more damage overall than Kael and all you need is the starting Life Steal Gear with 100% Crit rate, you need zero accuracy. She can do a double hit on here A1 and AOE hits on both other skills. For a New player all your currently looking to do is clear normal, hard, & brutal which she can do. Kael comes into it ‘late early’ game and only for the extra help on the Clan Boss.

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  Alpha Leopard

Well, brutal campaign (I’m assuming that’s what you mean) every starter will be able to beat on day 6/when they’re a 60. And “late early game” is, by your definition, about a week in. Kael is easily the best starter.

Lexy
Lexy
1 year ago
Reply to  SS2020user

I’ve never used Kael, but if you’re recommending him to people who will get to 60 and farm brutal on day 6, it might only apply to someone who’s been playing for a while and is starting a second, third or more account. If I’d tried to do that as a new player I’d have given up out of boredom! I spent two days in the first couple of weeks trying to beat spider levels 1 and 2. Not what you’d recommend for fast progression, but much better for getting into the game,

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  Lexy

No matter how long it will take you to get your first 60 (took me 14 days), the game doesn’t start until you get it. And then Kael will be good.

LordBanshee
LordBanshee
1 year ago

When I started early-game Arena, the starter champ I feared the most was Elhain. My account took a long time to pull both her and Athel from shards, so they are both 50s and not really ever used, since I had multiple fusion Legos by that time.
Have zero regrets starting Kael. Still use him in CB, FW, Arena and in many dungeon/tower levels. Liked him so much, pushed to get his Masquerade skin.
Picked up a Frozen Banshee and 60’ed her quickly because “she’s so great”. In FW, UDK routinely triples her damage, and she’s lucky to output 40% of what Kael can do in CB. Really wanted to cheer for her, but she’s so disappointing. It’s probably crap gearing/lack of all masteries, right?

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  LordBanshee

She’s better than Kael if they both have the same gear, are booekd, and if someone with an A1 that places lots of small posions doesn’t fill up the debuff bar.

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  LordBanshee

Elhain is not more dangerous than any other starter in the arena. A speed team (HK/Diabolist, Spirithost, Warmaiden, starter) will beat any random mashup of champions, including the “dangerous” Elhain, UDK, Ninja and any other champions like that.

deespitty
deespitty
1 year ago

I started with Aethel and have zero regrets. She was my campaign farmer for a really long time (until I finally pulled a bellower) and was fantastic at that job. She pairs really well with warpeiest too when you get her after stage 1 normally Held her own in clan boss, great for fire knight with the multi hits, and in a life steal set with pretty good defense was nearly unkillable in the early and mid game. All of the starters are fine, and although Kael is the consensus favorite, don’t think you can’t move through the game without him. I didn’t get Kael til about 6 months in, and he’s still parked at 50 and in my vault at this point. Aethel is also a vault guardian, but I wouldn’t have changed taking her as my starter.

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago
Reply to  deespitty

Wow, Warpriest. TRASH. Athel is good for FK, but kael has a 4 hitter for breaking the shield. And you want to know who’s also good in lifesteal? God damn Kael.

SS2020user
SS2020user
1 year ago

I’m feeling like the comments here are: “I picked this starter because it looked cool, and I was able to progress with it, meaning that it’s the best starter and Kael is trash.” Kael is easily the best starter, as he brings the posions for bosses, the hard hitting A2 that gives him turn meter and a multi hit on the A3, that’s perfect for breaking the Fire Knights shield. Elhin is solid, as she farm campaign the fastest and is the most “late game viable” starter with her 2 AoE’s making her great for a FW or secret room stun set with some damage. Athel is decent, as she has the weaken on the A1 and the extra turn for cykeling abilities. I’ve never seen anyone say that Galek isn’t awful and the worst starter. He has the AoE at the same strength as the rest, he has the A1 that does nothing and he has a weak A3 that might once or twice in your whole time playing Raid land a 60% dec def.

Kliw
Kliw
1 year ago

Kael is, of course, a better champion than Elhain. However, if we are talking about “Starter”, that is who has to carry you through the very first levels of the campaign and the dungeons, I think that Elhain is absolutely equal and maybe even slightly better.
Kael’s poison starts to become important at least at dragon level 8-10, and also, at first, having a Gear that does damage AND has the correct ACC may not be trivial. In addition, Elhain with her two AOEs is a wonderful Farmer and can give great satisfaction in the arena.
Of course, this is not to say that Elhain is the absolute best, but that she is more than adequate in her role as the starting champion.
Then obviously as soon as Kael is found by a Shard, he must absolutely be brought to 60 and fully booked.