The tower defense genre has come a long way from its first debut in the 90s with the game Rampart, which combined shoot 'em up, strategy, and puzzle game mechanics. And despite being less popular than other genres, tower defense games like Bloons TD or Kingdom Rush have gained a strong following over the years. But, the indie developers at Robot Entertainment decided to take this genre to a new level by releasing Orcs Must Die!, which shares features found in tower defense games, except that players can take part in the tower defense through third-person combat.
This game series has become so popular that Robot Entertainment released three games and an MMO (even if it didn't last too long). But, with the third entry in the Orcs Must Die! series, Robot Entertainment introduced six unique heroes, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses. Players who want to beat the unending hordes of orcs will need to know which hero stands out on top.
6 Cygnus - Human
Even though Cygnus has the highest base Mana in Orcs Must Die! 3, he also has the lowest base Health, which sits at 125. Due to Cygnus' low base Health, players should avoid using him for game modes like Endless or levels that require all five skulls since the chances of being killed are even higher, as the higher the level, the more orcs spawn.
Cygnus' unique ability (Play Dead) causes orcs to stop attacking him while he lies on the ground, replenishing HP. But, the main issue with this unique ability is that Cygnus simply lies on the floor, making him an easy target once the ability wears off. So, because of his low base Health and risky unique ability, Cygnus is one of the worst Heroes to use in Orcs Must Die! 3.
5 Max - Human
Players that have played previous entries of the Orcs Must Die! series will remember Max since he was one of the original heroes first featured in the games. Despite being a recurring hero, Max's unique ability is among the worst ones since it only makes him double jump.
While this unique ability can be helpful in a pinch, it lacks any damage or recovery mechanics, making the other unique abilities much more valuable. Apart from his lackluster ability, his base Health (165) and Mana (135) are fairly balanced.
4 Gabriella - Human
Making her debut in Orcs Must Die! 2, Gabriella is the most balanced hero in Orcs Must Die! 3 since her base Health and Mana 150. Players new to the series do well in starting with Gabriella since she will let them learn the basic game mechanics from trap placement to enemy types.
The major downside of using Gabriella (and why she isn't ranked higher in this tier list) is that her unique ability isn't too useful. And that's because "Feather Fall" only makes Gabriella fall slower. While that is helpful in specific maps, it isn't always needed (especially once players learn more about traps and environment awareness).
3 Kelsey - Human
Kelsey has the second-highest base Health in Orcs Must Die! 3, making her a tanky hero. However, her base Mana isn't too much to brag about since it's only 125, meaning players will need to use melee or ranged weapons with her like the Blunderbuss or Dwarven Warhammer.
She has a decent unique skill that lets her levitate briefly, which makes her immune to melee attacks. Overall, Kelsey is an excellent hero for players who enjoy using non-magic weapons. Players can also use the Reptilian Carapace to increase her tankiness since it boosts her damage negation by 20%.
2 Egan - Human
Egan seems to come straight from the realm of Dragon Age - one of the many games with a theme centered on the middle ages - since he can wield powerful mage-type weapons and is a master of ranged weapons. Egan has a base Mana of 165 and a base Health of 135, so players should use him with ranged melee or magic weapons.
His key strength is his unique ability, Ground Slam, which knocks back and stuns enemies within a small radius. This unique ability doesn't do too much damage, so players should only use it as crowd control and not to defeat large groups of orcs. Nonetheless, Egan is among the best heroes and merits being ranked second in this tier list.
1 Vorwick - Elf
Without any doubt, Vorwick is the best hero in Orcs Must Die! 3, since he boasts a stunning 185 base Health, the highest in the game. On top of that, players can use melee/ranged and magic weapons with him, as he does well with all types of weapons.
Vorwick's unique ability lets him teleport a short distance, which is excellent for escaping or initiating a fight. The best part is that the cooldown for his unique ability is short and can be lowered even more with certain trinkets. Players that want to use Vorwick will need to complete the main game first, but once completed, they can use this powerful hero in any game mode.
Orcs Must Die! 3 is available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, Microsoft Windows, and Google Stadia.
