[GUIDE] Who to buy from shops

I'll try to put these in order of most useful. A hyphen denotes that the two are about equal. If a hero isn't mentioned it's because they're useless and you should never buy them. I'm on my phone now, might try to format this better on the computer later. Also take this post with a grain of salt, I've tried ranking them according to general consensus but obviously my opinion plays a slight factor here.

Last Updated: 08/29/16

#Arena: Ethera, Enrique-Xanos, Namtar

Ethera is great for PvP, great in Crucible, she's not very useful for HoL or Raids. She is good throughout the game.

Enrique is very good at lategame PvP, not much use elsewhere. His ultimate is very strong. Not useful in most PvE situations, buy him for his lategame potential.

Xanos is amazing in PvE. He will carry you through just about anything. If you're having trouble finishing Crucible runs, unlocking Xanos should be your top priority. Not super great for PvP because he's very easily countered by Garrick, but in or against the right composition he can do massive damage. Pairs great with Jasmine or Awakened Arcturus

Namtar is good in lategame PvP and useful for a couple other modes if you get his Awakening. This is a rather larger investment of time and resources though.

#Epic Arena: Garrick-Serafine, Riley, Baltor, Zeno

Garrick is the best hero in the game right now, hands down. He is useful in every game mode, his purple passive let's him put out absolutely insane amounts of damage, his ult gives global haste and some really nice buffs upon killing enemies... he's just ridiculous.

Serafine is one hero I've neglected, but with her new Awakening she is really something. Amazing in PvP, necessary in several Prophecy Pools, she is good throughout the game with or without her Awakening.

Riley is an amazing tank, another hero that will be invaluable to you if you're having trouble getting 3 stars on some stages or finishing Crucible. She puts out a lot of damage, can serve as a primary tank throughout most of the game, still pretty useful endgame, and her revive helps ensure three stars.

Baltor is a back-line physical hero who can target the enemy's backline. He should be good in certain arena compositions. He is generally ignored by most players. However, he and Serafine are currently the only two EA heroes that you cannot unlock through gold chests.

Dr. Zeno should actually be higher than he is but I'm sticking with the general consensus here which is actually outdated. He was widely regarded as the worst hero in the game, so much so that even after recent buffs most people still wrote him off as hopeless. He can be decent in Arena but he really shines in Hall of Legends where he can put up as much damage if not more than Garrick. His Awakening has given him the much-needed defensive boost he needed to be Arena-viable, and his global Magic Armor buff is nothing to sneeze at.

#Crucible of Fire: Dokras, Tholin, Ariel

Dokras is an incredible counter to some of the most-used PvP heroes, Garrick, Gizmo, Cara... anything with a single-target ultimate. He puts out a shit load of damage, his hogs absorb a ton of damage, and he's got decent CC.

Tholin is a great all-rounder, like Riley he's a pseudo-tank that will put out a shitload of damage. He can tank most of the game for you, and he's still very useful lategame in PvP and some HoLs. Along with Ethera and Arachna, one of the best Awakenings currently available. He will not disappoint you.

Ariel is good. Useful in a couple Prophecy Pools, useful in PvP, PvE... she's very strong, especially midgame. Awakening isn't great, but gives her a nice extra bit of survivability and makes her more purple.

Shirley can be useful. I've seen her used to some success on lategame PvP teams and she's decent in the Gizmo Prophecy Pool. Just do not make her a priority.

#Guild: Jasmine, Bloodspear, Slim, Alistair-Killjoy, Wraxius

Jasmine is a must-have. She can go onto any team. She's insanely good, especially for midgame. Her and Xanos will carry you through Crucible of Fire... if you don't have her, hire one. Not terribly useful for lategame but always relevant in Crucible runs.

Bloodspear isn't great for campaign or PvP, he excels in long fights with single targets... but he is amazing at those.

I love Wraxius for Crucible where he can steal Jasmine and do an insane amount of damage while topping off your whole squad. He's too squishy for PvP, especially with the prevalence of Tanya.

Slim is another great choice for single-target fights, you will consistently see him used on some of the best teams for raids and HoL

Alistair doesn't see much PvP play, but he's decent in a Pool or two. Killjoy is great for Gizmo pool, an absolute necessity for Extreme difficulty

#Hall of Legends: Gizmo, Cara, Tanya-Gus-Terath

Gizmo is hands down the best back-line hero in the game. Puts out insane amounts of damage, good in just about every game mode.

Cara is incredible in PvP. Great counter to Ezio, comes with a lot of CC and dishes out a good amount of damage too.

Tanya is awesome in PvP, she can be very valuable in Crucible, even does well in some Halls. Her primary targets are mages and she is very good at killing those.

Gus is a great counter in PvP to physical teams, does a shit load of damage himself.

Terath is a good frontliner, good damage, very useful for female dojo and Firehawk Pool

Arcturus is in my opinion useless for the majority of the game. That being said, once Awakened he is an absolutely monster in Arena. Very hard to kill, good crowd-control effect, dishes out a decent amount of damage, and helps your team's survivability.

#Mystic Ruins: Aqua, Kaneq

Aqua is awesome in PvP, his clone can easily win the fight for you. Not a lot of use elsewhere, but with 5-7 stars he is pretty tanky and puts out a ton of damage

Kaneq is pretty great in PvP, decent crowd-control, good damage, and an absolute necessity for RotA

#Campaign: Arachna, Alana, Leah, Musashi, Osiris, Selene