Which is the best hero and best group?

[wallydubbs]

I'm in complete agreement with Sir Rick, the Dwarf's trap disarm ability is invaluable to the group. There may be some quests with little to no traps that aren't as devastating, but if the heroes are careful in the quests with traps the Dwarf doesn't just disarm the trap for him, but saves the rest of the heroes the trouble from having to jump one too.

Even though heroes like the Barbarian, Monk and Warlock are great at taking out other monsters, part of me is feeling the heroes that look after and support their teammates might make up the most preferable. I'm suggesting a 4-Hero team of the Knight, Wizard, Bard and Dwarf. The Knight is a sufficient tank with the added Defence Dice. As shown in his match with the Barbarian an extra defense trumps an extra attack dice... At least in the long run. Two of the Knights skills assist his fellow heroes. Knight's Challenge can be used to save the Wizard from a dangerous Wandering Monster.
The Wizard adds a lot of spells to help his fellow heroes, not just healing spells but Courage, Rock Skin, Veil of Mist, Swift Wind and Pass Through Rock can be used to turn the tide of battle by getting a hero in better position or upgrade an attack or defence.

The Druid, Elf or Bard could be the 4th hero as they each have spells that come in handy. Healing spells is always a good one from the Druid, who can also build up weapons over time and she's not restricted from a shield either. The Elf has a larger variety of spells to choose from, so he's not a bad choice either. But the Bard has a reoccurring spell on Inspirational Tale and Healing Song effects more then just 1 hero. His additional defence dice comes in handy early on, but you could eventually choose to upgrade his defence to 5DD, which he's not exactly restricted from. He also starts off with a rapier, that gives him diagonal attack which is a good supporting weapon. If another hero has a direct attack and fails, his diagonal attack could make a difference. Even though 5 BP isn't all that grand, I think it eventually works out.

I had to dismiss the Rogue as he/she is far too risky. The Rogue relies greatly on the position of the other heroes. Even though he/she can run through monsters with Combat Mobility, there's a good chance his attacks could fail. Ambidextrous adds a unique twist to possibly take out 2 monsters. But since he/she can't go higher then 3 defence dice she's a bit of a liability. I've played a quest pack through from Prince Magnus' Gold through Keller's Keep with the Rogue, Barbarian, Elf and Druid. The Rogue died twice (Elixir of Life save) before being replaced by the Dwarf.

So the Knight, Wizard, Bard and Dwarf, I haven't played through with this group to test, but on paper it sounds like formidable team.

[Erica Diaz]

The best hero and group combination depends on your goals and the stage of the game. The Elf stands out as the best hero due to its versatility in combat and magic, ability to wield unique artifacts, and overall balanced attributes once fully equipped. For a well-rounded group, especially at the beginning, consider the following lineup: Dwarf for trap disarming, Wizard for spellcasting, Barbarian or Knight as a tank, and Bard for support. This mix offers strong combat capabilities, magic support, and utility, ensuring a balanced team that can handle various challenges effectively. For maxed-out heroes, the Barbarian and Knight shine as top-tier tanks, while the Elf and Wizard provide exceptional utility and magical support.

[Kurgan]

We played a game where the Berserker survived. He took a lot of damage, and so had to get healing shared with him by other heroes, but otherwise he did well.

At GenCon we found that the Berserker and Explorer heroes tended to die a lot, because people kept trying to play them as they would the Barbarian or Dwarf, mostly just rushing into fights on their own. The Berserker really has to be careful because while it makes sense that he starts pulling out his powers when he's weak, he may even enjoy taking damage, thinking they will save him at the end and they might not...

[wallydubbs]

At GenCon we found that the Berserker and Explorer heroes tended to die a lot, because people kept trying to play them as they would the Barbarian or Dwarf, mostly just rushing into fights on their own. The Berserker really has to be careful because while it makes sense that he starts pulling out his powers when he's weak, he may even enjoy taking damage, thinking they will save him at the end and they might not...

I agree about the Berserker, I played through Against the Ogre Hoard with the Knight, Berserker, Elf and Warlock, with no healing spells or expert trap disarmer. Thankfully there are ways to work around the traps since the Warlock is immune to pit traps. However I found that the Berserker needed to conserve body points, so he wasn't really able to use his Enrage skill unless facing the final boss.

[SirRick]

The Explorer has a lot going for it, but its just as fragile as the Rogue with less offensive capability. The Dwarf’s extra BP helps mitigate failed disarm attempts as well as more protection from monsters in general. I agree, playing the Explorer the same as the Dwarf would be a mistake.

[wallydubbs]

Going off of my points system the Explorer is relatively high on points as a starting hero but she's not necessarily well-rounded. She exceeds in trap detection and disarming in ways the Dwarf could only dream of. Her downfall is in body points and lack of armor, so she wouldn't last in a fight and is probably the worst hero to use in Tournament/Arena Mode as her skill are useless there. However in a standard quest the Explorer is best to lead the way as she can detect adjacent traps to her. In narrow corridors where only 2 spaces can be adjacent at a time it's fairly easy to deduce which is trapped. When going into rooms, if the other heroes are close by, sending the Explorer first, a present monster won't stop his Trapsmith skill from going off. So it gives a safe path for the other heroes to take.

In HeroQuest attacking is the most common action, so fighters are important like the Barbarian, Knight Berserker or Monk, but spells are helpful too to provide aid to other heroes in situations like the Elf, Wizard, Druid, Bard and Warlock. But the Explorer totally opens a new type of roll beyond combat and magic.

However since Combat is so prevalent, a hero that can wear metal armor is probably best, which is why I maintain that the Elf is probably the best hero.

The points Kurgan made about the Berserker stands true. His Enrage skill is a Catch 22 and only truly helps in a group quest because he can lose body points rather quickly.

[Aki]

I'm trying out Explorer and Berserker in PoT (with Druid and Warlock) in an all-female party

The Berzerker is probably the most disappointing hero of the entire lineup with his once-per-quest abilities, I hope in some potions to regain the skills in the future expansions, to make this character more fun

The Explorer is impressive in the treasure searching, I found 225 gold coins only in the first quest, with him you can buy everything you want after few games, equipped him/her with crossbow, bracers and shield ( and the ever welcome Ring of Fortitude) is the best chioce for me

[wallydubbs]

Interesting group. The Explorer is the only hero that really excell on traps. She and the Warlock won't last long in a fight though when things get tough. But Prophecy of Telor is one of the easier quest packs. I imagine the Berserker is the Talisman bearer. Good luck with the Warlock in the Arena of Misildia.