For battles with front and back hero rows. Do not apply the same figures directly to march combat.
How do you earn Star Points?
Each time a hero fills a whole star, that hero's faction gets 1 Star Point. The small segments inside a star don't count until the star is complete. Stalwart, Rover and Aeronaut each earn and spend their own points.
X-SSR heroes, which the game also calls Season Heroes, don't count. Raising stars on Lava, Furiosa or Alita adds no Star Points. Mariners have no enhancement branch and no points of their own.
X-SSR heroes that give no Star Points: Lava · Furiosa · Alita
In what order do the nodes open?
The first six nodes have the same names and effects in all three factions. Everything starts at Power Surge (Hero Attack). If a node has a prerequisite, that node must reach level 3 before you can upgrade the next one.
Stalwart and Rover nodes cost 3, 3 and 4 points for levels 1, 2 and 3. Aeronaut is a little cheaper early: its first five nodes cost 2, 3 and 3, and from Vitality Boost on it costs 3, 3 and 4. Tapping a later node offers a quick upgrade that maxes all of its prerequisites in one go.
| Node | Lv 1 / 2 / 3 | Max out first |
|---|---|---|
| Power SurgeHero Attack | +700 / +1,400 / +2,100 | Starting node |
| Armor BoostHero Defense | +140 / +280 / +420 | Power Surge |
| Endurance BoostHero Health | +45,000 / +95,000 / +140,000 | Power Surge |
| Firepower BurstTroop Attack Bonus | +0.5% / +1% / +1.5% | Armor Boost, Endurance Boost |
| Defense BoostTroop Defense Bonus | +0.5% / +1% / +1.5% | Firepower Burst |
| Vitality BoostTroop Health Bonus | +0.5% / +1% / +1.5% | Firepower Burst |
What's different about the seventh node?
The seventh node is different for each faction. Rover's Rapid Assault raises Auto Attack Damage, Aeronaut's Skyward Resonance raises Active Skill Damage, and Stalwart gets Resilient Recovery. It opens once Defense Boost and Vitality Boost are both at level 3.
So where should you start?
There's nothing to choose between factions. Stalwart points only go into the Stalwart tree, so the heroes you star up decide which tree grows. Starring up the heroes you actually field grows both those heroes and their faction's tree.
Inside a tree the order is mostly fixed. There are only two forks: Hero Defense or Hero Health, and Troop Defense or Troop Health. Both sides of a fork have to reach level 3 before you move on. When you can only afford one side, pick what your lineup is missing. If your front row falls first, don't put off Hero Defense and Hero Health.
Rover and Aeronaut part ways at the seventh node. A team that wins with steady auto attacks suits Rover's node, and a team that leans on big active skills suits Aeronaut's. Use that when you decide whose stars to fill first. While you're raising stars on Lava, Furiosa or Alita, the faction trees grow more slowly.
Can you undo a mistake?
Yes, for Gems. A reset clears the activated nodes in every faction at once and refunds the Star Points you spent 1:1. You can't reset a single faction, so expect to rebuild the other trees as well.