Hero Academy FAQs, Strategy Guide, Tips and Tricks

Hero Academy is a free tactics iOS game that lets you challenge friends to one-on-one battles via online multiplayer. In order to help you get started on the game, here are some tips and tricks collected from destructoid's beginners guide and the robot entertainment's game guide.

Tips and Tricks

• Controlling assault boost squares is often the key to victory. Place strong heroes on the assault tiles and force your opponent to deal with them.
• You can’t move heroes on to your opponent’s deploy zones. If your opponent knocks out one of your heroes on your deploy zone, you can deploy one of your own heroes on top of the knocked-out hero on the next turn, provided you don’t mind sacrificing the knocked-out hero.
• A Dark Elf necromancer can raise a phantom on your deploy zone, but you can auto-stomp the phantom by deploying a hero on top of him.
• If you’re having trouble getting to the enemy’s crystal, don’t be afraid to switch strategies; killing all of his heroes is another way to win.

Council Strategy

• Use the ninja’s teleport ability to swap places with frontline heroes for a quick hit-and-run attack. Save an Action Point to retreat him to the rear at the end of your turn.
• Control assault boost squares with your knights. Add shields and helmets to make the knights virtually indestructible.
• Save your swords for hard-hitting heroes like archers, wizards, and the ninja.
• Keep an eye out for groups of enemies. Engage the groups with wizards or archers, then drop a last-minute Inferno to remove any knocked-out heroes at range.

Heroic Units

Strong Alchemy – Team Bonus

• The Council’s clerics are excellent healers, and heal knocked-out heroes for extra hitpoints.
• Potions can revive knocked-out units.
• Save potions for quick emergency revives, especially for a hero with lots of equipment.

Knight (Fighter)

• Sturdy fighter; knocks back enemy heroes when he attacks.
• Very difficult to kill, especially if equipped with a shield and helmet.
• Use knights to deny critical board positions to opponents, or knock enemies off important squares.

Archer (Shooter)

• High-damage shooter with a long attack range.
• Gets larger benefit from sword equipment and sword tiles.
• Useful to attack distant enemies; rely on hit-and-run attacks to keep her safe.

Wizard (Caster)

• Caster hero that can target enemy groups with chain lightning.
• Lightning is unpredictable, but can hit up to three enemies.
• Use against packed groups of enemies, and supplement his power with swords and scrolls.

Cleric (Support)

• Support hero who can effectively heal damaged and knocked-out allies.
• Both attacks and heals at range.
• Use clerics to back up other strong or valuable heroes.

Ninja (Super Unit)

• Unique super unit that can swap places with an ally.
• Can attack at range, but does more damage in melee.
• Use mobility to teleport to the front lines and back again in a single turn.

 

Inferno

• High-damage attack spell that does damage in a 3x3 area.
• Can remove knocked-out enemies from the field.
• Use against clustered groups of weakened enemies, or to eliminate knocked-out targets at range.

Dark Elves Strategy

• Nurture the wraith – he’s fragile until he consumes several knocked-out heroes. Bait your enemy into attacking your weaker heroes, then let your wraith consume his own team!
• The necromancer’s long range can dominate the battlefield. Keep him on a power boost tile and let the enemy come to you.
• Use the priestess to debuff the most dangerous enemies.
• Save your Soul Harvest spells for the perfect opportunity; it will heal all of your knocked-out heroes at once!

Something Awful Hero Academy Forum Tips 

[1] Send a fully buffed knight into enemy territory. Then, have your ninja swap with the knight, deal out three blows, and swap back.

[2] Your healers can use the scroll buff, sword, or attack tile to increase their heal.

[3] Diagonal attacks are always ranged attacks, even if on adjacent squares, only horiz and vert attacks are melee.

[4] Always run through a couple of different scenarios before submitting your turn!

[5] Try to keep your units 2 AP away from your opponent's ranged attackers - you want your opponent to burn 2 AP just to get his attacker into range. Assuming that he wants to use 1 AP to pull the unit back, that only leaves 2 AP for attacks. If he doesn't use 1 AP to retreat at the end of his turn, he risks leaving the unit in your territory for you to stomp on.

[6] The fireball spell can remove KO'd enemies from the battlefield, which is useful when you don't want to risk using a unit to stomp on them.

[7] When using the Ninja, make sure you do a horiz or vert attack if you want the double damage bonus from melee attacks. A diagonal attack will result in the Ninja throwing one of his shuriken, which are apparently made of foam.

[8] The Ninja has excellent mobility, so hit-and-run with him, don't leave him in enemy territory after an attack.

[9] The Wraith can only consume corpses horizontally or vertically - if you diagonally attack a corpse, he'll just stomp on it.