[Hero Wars Guide]Is Hero Wars Experiencing Power Creep – or Headed Toward It?

Opening passages

Many live-service games eventually experience power creep—a trend where newly introduced characters or upgrades become so powerful that they overshadow older ones.

So, does this apply to Hero Wars? In this article, we’ll explore that question by examining the game’s design philosophy, development trends, and how the player experience has evolved over time.

Beginner’s Guide: What Kind of Inflation Exists?

• To get straight to the point, Hero Wars has very little power creep in the traditional gacha-game sense. However, it does feature level cap increases.
• Differences in progression systems, event frequency, and content pacing also create indirect inflation-like effects.
• Ironically, the lack of conventional power creep introduces its own set of challenges—which we’ll explore below.

Power Creep in Other Games vs. Hero Wars

• In most live-service gacha games, new characters are often overpowered and quickly dominate the meta, making older units obsolete within months.
• Hero Wars shows some signs of this—new heroes often outperform existing ones on release.
• However, even after nine years, many launch-era heroes remain viable; some are still ranked in the top tier today.
• For example, Galahad, a protagonist since launch, is still considered the best tank as of 2025.
• In a 2025 developer interview, Sebastian (introduced in late 2019) was openly described as “broken” and has remained a staple in competitive lineups for over five years.
• This level of balance is rare in the gacha genre, in part because Hero Wars isn’t a traditional character-gacha game. That design choice helps ensure the long-term viability of older heroes.

Level Caps and the Question of Inflation

• Hero Wars introduces new content and raises the level cap almost every year.
• Some players criticize this practice, calling it “moving the goalposts” for those who’ve already reached max progression.
• On the other hand, games that don’t evolve tend to stagnate and lose player engagement.
• Since Hero Wars’ monetization relies heavily on long-term progression, new milestones are necessary to sustain player interest and revenue.

Is Reaching the Cap Feasible?

• New players often ask whether reaching the level cap is truly feasible.
• For paying players, maxing out typically takes a few years. F2P players may take longer, but many still reach competitive levels over time.
• While few manage to max out every system, most complete the majority of progression paths.

(Note: While unrelated to inflation, it’s worth mentioning that some irreversible “trap” upgrades exist and should be researched before committing.)

Pushback Against Expanding Content

• Hero Wars emphasizes long-term goals and steady progression.
• Many players spend years climbing the competitive ladder.
• When new content arrives—especially near major milestonesgoals that once felt within reach can suddenly feel distant again, leading to frustration.
• Some players reject level cap increases outright, interpreting them as signs of developer greed rather than natural progression.
• But people generally resist change—even well-intentioned adjustments can feel disruptive.

The Developer’s Balancing Act

• Like any aging game, Hero Wars faces limits to its growth.
• For example, the Titan system includes relatively few units, and many veteran players have already maxed them out.
• Without new content, long-time players may lose interest and leave.
• However, releasing too many new heroes too quickly risks balance issues due to the exponential complexity of team combinations.
• In a perfect world, developers might prefer a stable, evergreen game like Tetris. But the live-service model requires ongoing updates to maintain engagement.

Key Historical Events

#1. The Dante Era (2020–2025)

• Dante’s rework made him the defining hero of the meta for five years—until Lyria’s release introduced a dedicated counter.
• Unlike Galahad or Sebastian, Dante is a DPS hero, making his prolonged dominance virtually unheard of in gacha game history.

#2. Lara Croft & TMNT Collaborations

• In most gacha games, collaboration units become obsolete soon after their events end.
• In contrast, Hero Wars designs them to remain viable long-term, making rerun events highly anticipated.

#3. Infinite Titan Levels Proposal (2024)

• A controversial 2024 proposal suggested removing Titan level caps, sparking intense backlash.
• The plan was ultimately scrapped, and Titan levels remain capped at 130—matching hero levels.

Content Overload and Player Fatigue

• In its early years, Hero Wars had only occasional weekend events and relatively simple content pacing.
• Today, players face a constant stream of activities, including Guild Raids, Clash of Worlds (CoW), Ascension of Chaos (AoC), and rotating events.
• While developers recommend selective participation, completionist players often feel overwhelmed.

Monetization: Then and Now

• For free-to-play (F2P) players: The experience has improved over time thanks to increased resource availability—unlike in many gacha games where F2P players are often squeezed out. Still, they typically remain revenue-neutral.
• For paying players: Surprisingly, top-tier spending requirements have stayed relatively consistent despite the addition of new systems. The cost of competitiveness hasn’t inflated as much as one might expect.

Big Picture: What’s Really Inflating?

• There’s no major character-based power creep in Hero Wars.
• However, progression caps and an ever-expanding event calendar contribute to what some call “soft inflation.”
• New content often widens the gap between hardcore and casual players, leading some to quit.
• Inconsistent update pacing makes long-term trends hard to define.

What the Future Might Hold

• The developers aim to balance player satisfaction with long-term sustainability.
• Unless there’s a sudden drop in active users, extreme inflation appears unlikely.
• Given Hero Wars’ longevity and relatively stable in-game economy, moderate growth and evolution—not runaway inflation—seems the most likely path forward.
• That said, no live-service game is ever entirely immune to sudden shifts.

Final Thoughts

• Hero Wars is a rare example of a long-running live-service game that has largely avoided destructive power creep.
• Instead, it has followed a deliberate and sustainable model.
• While level cap increases and growing content volume can create friction, the overall balance between new and old content remains impressively well-maintained.
• The future isn’t guaranteed—but if the past is any indication, inflation in Hero Wars is a manageable challenge, not an inevitable one.