SSR and SR Heroes in Z Route: Redemption
Z Route: Redemption has 12 SSR (purple) heroes and 3 SR (blue) heroes. The best SSR heroes are Toxina for tanking, Celeste for damage and Aria for an easy start. SSR heroes work as a bridge to UR heroes, and SR heroes are not worth real resources.
SSR Heroes Compared
The table lists every SSR and SR hero. Aria, Nora, Kim Mina and Lee Yu have their own pages, and the others have a section below. The general rules for stars, shards and skill books are on the heroes page.
| Hero | Rarity | Faction | Position | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nora | SSR | Warrior | Backline | B, 3 of 7 |
| Aria | SSR | Warrior | Backline | A, 2 of 7 |
| Zara | SSR | Warrior | Frontline | A, average |
| Toxina | SSR | Warrior | Frontline | A, 2 of 6 |
| Conan | SSR | Tactical | Frontline | B, 2 of 5 |
| Jack | SSR | Assault | Frontline | B, 1 of 5 |
| Logan | SSR | Warrior | Backline | B, 2 of 6 |
| Rachel | SSR | Warrior | Backline | B, 3 of 6 |
| Kim Mina | SSR | Tactical | Backline | B, average |
| Lee Yu | SSR | Assault | Backline | C, 3 of 6 |
| Taylor | SSR | Tactical | Backline | B, 1 of 5 |
| Celeste | SSR | Assault | Backline | A, 3 of 5 |
| Jamal | SR | Warrior | Frontline | D, 4 of 5 |
| Hank | SR | Warrior | Frontline | D, 4 of 5 |
| Jackson | SR | Tactical | Backline | D, 4 of 5 |
Rarity decides more than any single skill. A gold hero with three stars tends to beat a purple one with five, so send shards and skill books to S tier UR heroes first and use purple heroes to fill the gaps. Nine of the twelve purple heroes have a monster-only skill, so build them for the content you actually play.
Warrior SSR Heroes
Warriors have the most purple heroes: Zara, Toxina, Rachel and Logan on this page, plus Aria and Nora on their own pages. Aria and Nora are the easy early Backline fillers. A purple Warrior squad puts Zara and Toxina in front and the damage dealers behind them.
Zara
Warrior Frontline SSR hero, at A tier on average, with no single list matching it. Zara is a tank with the largest HP pool among SSR heroes and the lowest attack. Her skills are Flamethrower, a slow 4.2 second flame auto, Roar, which cuts monster damage for a few seconds, and Robust Physique, a DEF boost in combat. Roar and the passive help against monsters only.
Zara is a good SSR tank and a bridge until Arnold and Dirk arrive, and she is not needed once Arnold is built. Put her battle skill investment into Roar and bring her to Alliance Ambush and Giant Invader for score. Guides say her shards drop from skips and summons.
Toxina
Warrior Frontline SSR hero, rated A in 2 of 6 popular tier lists. Toxina is the best SSR Warrior tank until UR tanks arrive. Venom Burst hits the two front-row enemies and lowers their ATK for 4 seconds, and Liquid Injector sprays between bursts. Her passive, Nimble Steps, cuts monster damage and does nothing against players.
Raise her to about 4 stars if you build an early Warrior front. Her shards are sold in the Alliance shop, and buying them makes sense only if she is in your formation.
Rachel
Warrior Backline SSR hero, rated B in 3 of 6 popular tier lists. Rachel is a Backline damage dealer. Her active skill, Grenadier, throws grenades at random enemies: 4 hits at the start, 6 at 2 stars and 8 at 4 stars. Her passive, Caliber Modification, raises ATK in combat and works in PvP.
She is worth raising as the main SSR Warrior damage dealer for PvP. Star Grenadier to 4 stars for eight hits, and keep her away from the tank seat: her HP will not hold a front row.
Logan
Warrior Backline SSR hero, rated B in 2 of 6 popular tier lists. Logan is a Backline damage dealer whose Multiple Loading hits two random enemies. The attack passive, High Pressure Air Pump, works against players too. Level Multiple Loading first.
Opinions on him vary. One guide calls him the third full purple PvP damage dealer, another a basic SSR with nothing special, and a third a good third attack seat after Celeste and Rachel. Treat Logan as a filler and give the squad a strong tank in front, because without one Logan dies quickly.
Tactical SSR Heroes
Tactical has three purple heroes: Conan, Taylor and Kim Mina. Conan holds the front and Taylor shoots from the back. Kim Mina is a Backline hero with a monster-only passive that boosts back-row allies, and her page covers the details.
Conan
Tactical Frontline SSR hero, rated B in 2 of 5 popular tier lists. Conan is a front-row support tank. Battle Anthem raises the DEF of front-row allies for several seconds, and his passive, Athlete, cuts monster damage. He throws a spear every 1.1 seconds, and his attack is low.
Conan is useful for a Tactical front row, and he is a rare drop. Raise Battle Anthem first and put real HP beside him, because the anthem buffs only the front row and the back row gets nothing.
Taylor
Tactical Backline SSR hero, rated B in 1 of 5 popular tier lists. Taylor is the Tactical damage pick among purple heroes. Heavy Arrow hits the front enemies and stuns the target with a 50% chance from 2 stars and every time from 4 stars. Her passive, Professional Hunter, adds damage against monsters only.
Star Heavy Arrow to 4 stars for the guaranteed stun. Taylor is mainly useful for monsters, and her HP will not hold a front row, so she needs a Tactical tank such as Bekka or Conan ahead of her.
Assault SSR Heroes
Assault has two purple heroes with their own sections here, Celeste and Jack, and Lee Yu with a page of her own. Celeste is the damage dealer and Jack the monster-map tank.
Celeste
Assault Backline SSR hero, rated A in 3 of 5 popular tier lists. Celeste is the damage pick of the purple heroes. White Phosphorus Munition hits the two front enemies and, from 2 stars, lowers their DEF. In one guide she has the highest attack of all 12 SSR heroes and the lowest HP. All of her skills work against players.
Star White Phosphorus first, because it is both the burst and the only DEF shred. Celeste stays useful for a long time, since gold Assault heroes are slow to collect. Put a tank in front and do not raise her as a front-row hero.
Jack
Assault Frontline SSR hero, rated B in 1 of 5 popular tier lists. Jack is a monster-map specialist. Pincer Tactic shields front-row allies from monster damage, and Zombie Nemesis cuts monster damage for Jack himself. His Tactical Grenade slows the target.
Raise Jack only for monster content, and put HP in the front row so the shield has targets. One of Jack, Conan, Toxina or Zara is enough monster defense in a march.
SR Heroes
The three SR heroes are Jamal, Hank and Jackson. They have three skills, no passive and a small fourth-skill bonus, and guides say the game gives all three to new players at the start. Do not spend real resources on them.
Jamal
Warrior Frontline SR hero, rated D in 4 of 5 popular tier lists. Jamal has the highest attack of the three SR heroes and the shortest auto attack, 1.55 seconds. Quick Repair hits the front two enemies and does not heal. Jamal has low HP, so keep Jamal behind Hank and retire the hero when Toxina, Zara or Arnold is ready.
Hank
Warrior Frontline SR hero, rated D in 4 of 5 popular tier lists. Hank is the SR sponge with the biggest SR HP pool and ordinary guns: a 4.2 second auto and High Pressure Gas Tank, which hits the front two enemies. Field Hank while your Warrior front is empty and replace him when Arnold, Dirk, Toxina or Zara takes the seat.
Jackson
Tactical Backline SR hero, rated D in 4 of 5 popular tier lists. Jackson throws bombs with Charge Detonator and hits the front two enemies with Blast Maniac. Jackson fits a Tactical squad only while the SR damage seat is empty. Replace him with Taylor when she is available, and save the fragments.
If you use SR heroes at all, pick one of Jamal and Jackson. Do not raise both to 5 stars.
Skills of SSR and SR Heroes
The table shows the skill names with the cooldown of the auto attack and the battle skill. Passives and fourth skills have no cooldown.
| Hero | Auto attack | Battle skill | Passive | Fourth skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celeste | Rocket Launcher (1.2 s) | White Phosphorus Munition (9.2 s) | Disciple | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Rachel | Heavy Rifle (1.85 s) | Grenadier (9.2 s) | Caliber Modification | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Logan | Pneumatic Launcher (1.7 s) | Multiple Loading (9.3 s) | High Pressure Air Pump | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Zara | Flamethrower (4.2 s) | Roar (9.1 s) | Robust Physique | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Toxina | Liquid Injector (1.7 s) | Venom Burst (9.3 s) | Nimble Steps | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Conan | Spear Launcher (1.1 s) | Battle Anthem (9.2 s) | Athlete | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Jack | Tactical Grenade (1.75 s) | Pincer Tactic (9.2 s) | Zombie Nemesis | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Taylor | Composite Bow (1.65 s) | Heavy Arrow (9.3 s) | Professional Hunter | Wasteland Wanderer |
| Hank | Custom Spray Gun (4.2 s) | High Pressure Gas Tank (10.2 s) | none | Survival Expert |
| Jamal | Nail Gun (1.55 s) | Quick Repair (10.3 s) | none | Survival Expert |
| Jackson | Charge Detonator (1.65 s) | Blast Maniac (10.2 s) | none | Survival Expert |
Wasteland Wanderer gives SSR heroes 10% ATK, DEF and HP once the hero reaches level 31 with 4 stars. SR heroes get Survival Expert with 5%, and UR heroes get Doomsday Judgment with 20%. All three are personal and never buff the squad.
Stats at Level 150
One guide records the stats of every hero at hero level 150, 5 stars and no gear. The numbers show the job of each hero: Celeste has the highest attack among SSR heroes and Zara the biggest HP pool. Other sites record stats at other levels, so treat the values as one sample.
| Hero | Rarity | Attack | HP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celeste | SSR | 18,545 | 239,945 |
| Rachel | SSR | 16,031 | 289,337 |
| Logan | SSR | 16,195 | 285,516 |
| Zara | SSR | 9,254 | 622,509 |
| Toxina | SSR | 9,347 | 613,269 |
| Conan | SSR | 9,604 | 589,094 |
| Jack | SSR | 10,096 | 547,413 |
| Taylor | SSR | 15,710 | 297,117 |
| Hank | SR | 7,593 | 498,368 |
| Jamal | SR | 13,091 | 233,554 |
| Jackson | SR | 12,829 | 239,806 |
Best SSR Heroes
For a Warrior start, build Zara or Toxina in front and Aria or Rachel behind, and swap them for Arnold, Dirk and Monroe as UR heroes arrive. For a Tactical or Assault start, Taylor and Celeste are the damage dealers, with Conan as the Tactical tank. Skip 4 stars for purple heroes you will drop soon, and unlock Wasteland Wanderer only on the keepers. Check the tier list before you commit shards.
A second squad of purple heroes only makes sense while you collect UR shards. The squad guide shows the lineups of two and three squads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the best SSR heroes in Z Route Redemption?
On the consensus, A tier holds four purple heroes. Toxina tanks best for Warriors, Celeste hits hardest in one guide, and Aria is the easiest damage dealer to collect. S tier belongs to UR heroes alone.
Are SSR heroes worth upgrading?
Yes, but only as a bridge. UR heroes give more per shard, so they come first. SSR heroes make sense as a second squad while you collect UR shards, and a few are useful against monsters. Save 4 stars for the purple heroes you really use.
Which SSR heroes work only against monsters?
Nora, Aria, Toxina, Zara, Lee Yu and Kim Mina have passives that work only against monsters, and Jack has two monster-only skills. They are fine for zombie farming, rally and campaign maps, but do not rely on them in PvP or Arena. The battle skills of Nora and Aria still hit players.
What is the fourth skill of an SSR hero?
SSR heroes get Wasteland Wanderer, which becomes active at level 31 and 4 stars and gives 10% ATK, DEF and HP to the hero itself. It is half of the UR bonus and does not buff allies. Unlock it on the purple heroes you keep, and do not chase 4 stars on every one of them.
Should I invest in SR heroes?
No. Hank, Jamal and Jackson are blue start-of-game heroes with three skills, no passive and a small fourth-skill bonus. Use them while your squad is empty and replace them as soon as a purple or gold hero arrives. If you use SR heroes at all, do not raise both Jamal and Jackson to 5 stars.
How do I get SSR heroes?
Tavern recruits and event offers are the main sources. One guide says Aria shards drop from early events, Radar missions and standard draws and Nora unlocks for free in the Road to Survival event. Toxina shards are sold in the Alliance shop. Omni shards for SSR heroes fill the gaps, as the heroes page explains.