Formations & Positioning

How formations actually work

Your squad has two spaces at the front and three at the back. The front row takes the pressure, so this is normally where your Defence heroes go. Attack and Support heroes are safer behind them.

The vehicle counter is easy to remember: Tank beats Missile, Missile beats Aircraft, and Aircraft beats Tank. The lineup bonus also matters: three matching heroes give +5%, four matching heroes give +15%, and five matching heroes give +20% to HP, Attack and Defence.

Build the first formation

1. Select one main vehicle type. Tank is the common early path; Aircraft and Missile become realistic as their UR rosters arrive on the server.
2. Place two Defence heroes in front. Put the tougher defender opposite the enemy lane producing the most pressure.
3. Protect the primary attacker. The hero receiving your best gun and chip should normally occupy a back position.
4. Add Attack or Support behind the frontline. Judge Support by the survival or damage it enables, not only its personal damage.
5. Test against the same target. Change one position, record who dies first and compare damage before changing again.

Counter and investment decisions

Do not dismantle a developed main squad merely to chase the counter triangle. A lower-star counter squad can still lose because hero stars, skills, gear, drone and research remain decisive. Build one main formation first, then develop a counter squad when the core five are stable.

Battle-report checklist

• If a back-row attacker dies early, improve the exposed frontline or change lanes.
• If both defenders survive but damage is low, examine the attacker’s gun, chip, skills and vehicle research.
• If one defender collapses much earlier, swap front positions and repeat the same matchup.
• Compare like-for-like targets; Arena, bosses and PvP can reward different setups.

Lane-by-lane positioning

Each front position protects the back-row hero in its lane. Put the stronger defender opposite the enemy lane producing the greatest early pressure. If a back-row attacker repeatedly dies first, swap lanes before spending resources.

Formation bonus decisions

Moving from five matching heroes to a 3+2 split sacrifices 15 percentage points across HP, Attack and Defence. Make that trade only when the counter, skill or role improvement is clearly stronger.

References

1. Last War Support — How to Build the Best Squad (updated 30 March 2026).
2. Google Play editorial — How to build your squad.
3. Last War Tutorial — Squads and formation boost (community reference).

Last evidence review: 24 July 2026. Recheck after balance patches.