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PROTOCOL 02 // HEROES

Choose your vector.

Observed main has 23 heroes. 11 have an implemented mechanical Signature from T0 to T6; 12 heroes still have no cataloged T0–T6 Signature path and remain explicitly outside that count.

Horda Zero hero portraitsCATALOG // HERO-023
HORDA ZERO/PROTOCOL 02 // HEROES
23

Field profiles

23 PLAYABLE HEROES
Portrait of Boat NerdNERD

Boat Nerd

Energy Projectile

Balanced energy projectile.

250health180speed12damage0.45scooldown
Unlock: Available from the start.
Portrait of Iron TankTANK

Iron Tank

Spinning Blade

Spinning blade. Tough and slow.

330health130speed14damage1.10scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 1 — Dark Forest.
Portrait of Ghost RunnerSPEEDSTER

Ghost Runner

Triple Dart

Triple dart. Fast and fragile.

210health260speed8damage0.60scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 1 — Dark Forest.
Portrait of Volcano PyroPYRO

Volcano Pyro

Flame Burst

High-rate flame burst.

230health200speed13damage0.35scooldown
Unlock: Find the source of the flame in the Crimson Volcano.
Portrait of Frost MageFROST

Frost Mage

Ice Shard

High-damage ice shards.

240health170speed20damage0.75scooldown
Unlock: Awaken the magic trapped in the Glacial Peak.
Portrait of DarterDARTER

Darter

Scout Dart

Dart follows the movement direction.

245health195speed22damage0.55scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 2 — Profaned Cemetery.
Portrait of Rune BladeRUNE

Rune Blade

Rune Blade

High-damage runic area strike.

300health150speed24damage0.70scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 7 — Gale Desert.
Portrait of NecromancerNECRO

Necromancer

Soul Orb

Homing soul orbs.

220health170speed11damage0.40scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 8 — Empty Cathedral.
Portrait of Aqua WardenAQUA

Aqua Warden

Water Blade

Long-range water wave.

260health165speed15damage0.60scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 4 — Crimson Volcano.
Portrait of Storm SentinelSTORM

Storm Sentinel

Chain Lightning

Chain lightning.

250health175speed18damage0.85scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 6 — Dark Swamp.
Portrait of Nox — The Last BellkeeperNOX

Nox — The Last Bellkeeper

Bell of the Damned

Bell of the Damned and allied ghosts.

260health162speed14.4damage2.80scooldown
Unlock: Complete Stage 8 — Empty Cathedral.
Portrait of Neon WraithSKATER

Neon Wraith

Kinetic Trail

Inline skater who turns movement into an offensive trail.

235health225speed11damage0.50scooldown
Unlock: Secret: use Nox in the Forgotten Cove, defeat the Abyssal Tide Beast, reach a 50+ combo, take at most 10 hits, and open no chests.
Portrait of Runic MimePATCHLING

Runic Mime

Patchwork Sigil

Cloth homunculus that inscribes seals to bind the horde.

275health145speed15damage0.85scooldown
Unlock: Secret: use Neon Wraith in the Forgotten Dungeon, defeat the Dungeon Lord, reach a 35+ combo, take no hits, and open no chests.
Portrait of Vesper — The Crimson HeirVAMPIRE

Vesper — The Crimson Heir

Crimson Tether

An orbital aura projects a short tether that drains every enemy it crosses.

260health172speed15damage0.75scooldown
Unlock: Hidden secret: in Stage 12, after the run's first player death, score 3,000 direct Soul Orb kills; any character can satisfy the requirement.
Portrait of Iris — The Twin EchoGEMINI

Iris — The Twin Echo

Resonant Tether

Resonant Tether links Iris to her own echo or a living ally to carve lanes through the horde.

245health185speed11damage0.62scooldown
Unlock: Secret: in the Arcane Rift, defeat the boss with a 75+ combo, take at most 3 hits, and open no chests. The trial works solo and does not require multiplayer.
Portrait of Gaia — The EarthbreakerGEOMANCER

Gaia — The Earthbreaker

Seismic Core

Breaks the ground in concentric shockwaves with the Seismic Core.

285health155speed17damage1.04scooldown
Unlock: With Iron Tank, earn 15 victories and reach level 100 in one run.
Portrait of Nadir — The Hollow CenterGRAVITON

Nadir — The Hollow Center

Singularity

Condenses the horde into gravity wells before collapsing the core.

225health175speed13damage1.07scooldown
Unlock: Make Nox Transcendent and reach level 200 with him.
Portrait of Cinder — The Ash WandererASHEN

Cinder — The Ash Wanderer

Ash Rain

Marks distant groups and covers the arena with burning ash rain.

235health195speed12damage0.96scooldown
Unlock: With Pyro, accumulate 250,000 kills and score 150,000 kills in a single run.
Portrait of Rivet — The SapperSAPPER

Rivet — The Sapper

Fragmentation Mine

Plants fragmentation charges that break enemy lines into shrapnel.

250health180speed16damage1.04scooldown
Unlock: Collect 75 Arcane Dust across the profile; then, with Scout, defeat a boss with a 300+ combo, taking no damage and opening no chests.
Portrait of Volt — The Ion GunnerIONIST

Volt — The Ion Gunner

Ion Cannon

Pierces entire lanes with high-energy ion shots.

220health185speed21damage1.04scooldown
Unlock: With Storm Sentinel, defeat 25 bosses total; then defeat 3 bosses and reach a 500+ combo in the same run.
Portrait of Mako — The Zero HarpoonerHARPOONER

Mako — The Zero Harpooner

Zero Harpoon

Hooks priority prey, drags targets and chains the hunt.

260health200speed18damage0.96scooldown
Unlock: Make Aqua Warden Transcendent; reach level 150, defeat 3 bosses, and take at most 5 hits in the same run.
Portrait of Ferrum — The Plague BearerPLAGUEBEARER

Ferrum — The Plague Bearer

Iron Plague

Spreads a metallic infection that turns deaths into fresh explosions.

275health150speed14damage1.08scooldown
Unlock: With Necromancer, accumulate 350,000 kills and defeat 3 bosses in one run without receiving healing.
Portrait of Nyra — The Eclipse DancerECLIPSE

Nyra — The Eclipse Dancer

Eclipse Blades

Keeps orbital blades in constant motion around her body.

230health220speed12damage0.95scooldown
Unlock: Discover 8 different fusions; then win a run with Neon Wraith while reaching a 500+ combo.
RPG

Characters in the Arena RPG layer.

ROSTER 23 · RELEASE 0.1.21

Observed main has 23 heroes

0.1.19 added eight veteran-unlock heroes to the roster that already contained Iris/Gemini. Published release 0.1.21 and observed main use the same 23-entry roster.

Eight new persistent unlocks

Gaia, Nadir, Cinder, Rivet, Volt, Mako, Ferrum, and Nyra use veteran milestones combining earlier heroes, Transcendence, kills, bosses, materials, combo, and fusion mastery.

Iris has her own Arcane Rift event

Twin Chorus uses a 75-kill streak and opens two resonance lanes for a short time.

Lightweight NPCs are still roadmap

Wandering merchant, survivor, smith, chronicler, and hunter are Phase C future direction and must not be published as functional NPCs in current main.

0.1.19 EXPANSION. After Iris/Gemini, the roster gained Gaia, Nadir, Cinder, Rivet, Volt, Mako, Ferrum, and Nyra. All eight use persistent veteran unlocks and their own normal weapons.
V22

Current Character Select

TWO STEPS · PORTRAIT · FOLD · LANDSCAPE

Horda Zero 0.1.21 uses this same roster of 23 heroes in Character Select.

Step 1 · Hero roster

Current Character Select is V22 and keeps the two-step responsive roster: 4×4 portrait, 5×3 inner Fold, and 7×2 landscape. The focused hero gets strong glow/state treatment and the primary VIEW DETAILS CTA.

Step 2 · Dossier

Canonical order remains HERO → IDENTITY → STATS → WEAPON → SIGNATURE → DIFFICULTY/SPECIALTY → LORE → TIER → BONUS. Portrait stacks the hero over the profile; landscape/Fold keeps the hero beside it.

Integrated Ascension

The progression rail exposes the first unmet requirement through RUN LEVEL → ESSENCE → CORE → TRANSCENDENT TRIAL → READY → MAX. Mastery remains parallel and does not block published Tiers.

Localized requirements

When an unlock depends on a stage, CharacterSelectScreen resolves GameCatalog.LevelData.name(english); PT-BR stage names no longer leak into EN-US requirements.

Responsive regression coverage

CharacterSelectTwoStepLayout owns geometry, UiTypography owns type, and CharacterSelectV21ResponsiveRegressionTest guards card heights, carousel width, stacking, and overlap on portrait, landscape, ultrawide, and Fold.

Old overlay is a shim

CharacterSignatureSelectOverlay no longer renders the current profile. CharacterSelectScreen owns Signature, Tier, Ascension, and global-weapon status inside the dossier.

03

Ascension talents

TIERS II · IV · VI

Cataloged heroes have three talent nodes at tiers 2, 4, and 6. Heroes without a runtime talent path remain explicitly pending.

NERD

Boat Nerd

01

Crystal Focus

02

Veil Aim

03

Singularity

TANK

Iron Tank

01

Iron Plate

02

War Anchor

03

Immortal Bastion

SPEEDSTER

Ghost Runner

01

Ghost Step

02

Ethereal Trail

03

Null Shift

PYRO

Volcano Pyro

01

Living Ember

02

Magma Chamber

03

Volcanic Heart

FROST

Frost Mage

01

Glacial Core

02

Protective Frost

03

Eternal Winter

DARTER

Darter

01

Precise Aim

02

Silent Hunt

03

Thousand Eyes

RUNE

Rune Blade

01

Runic Cut

02

Impact Seal

03

Perfect Geometry

NECRO

Necromancer

01

Chorus of the Dead

02

Shadow Pact

03

Army of the End

AQUA

Aqua Warden

01

Protective Tide

02

Current

03

Endless Ocean

STORM

Storm Sentinel

01

Conductor

02

Overload

03

Perfect Storm

NOX

Nox — The Last Bellkeeper

01

Resonant Bell

02

Procession

03

Final Toll

SKATER

Neon Wraith

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

PATCHLING

Runic Mime

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

VAMPIRE

Vesper — The Crimson Heir

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

GEMINI

Iris — The Twin Echo

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

GEOMANCER

Gaia — The Earthbreaker

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

GRAVITON

Nadir — The Hollow Center

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

ASHEN

Cinder — The Ash Wanderer

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

SAPPER

Rivet — The Sapper

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

IONIST

Volt — The Ion Gunner

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

HARPOONER

Mako — The Zero Harpooner

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

PLAGUEBEARER

Ferrum — The Plague Bearer

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

ECLIPSE

Nyra — The Eclipse Dancer

No Tier II · IV · VI talent path is available for this hero yet.

SIGNATURE

Character Signatures

11 HEROES · SUPREME AT T6

Signature coverage remains tied to implemented Signature contracts. Iris is not counted until observed main provides one.

T0–T2

Base Signature

The hero-specific mechanic exists from Awakened onward and scales with the hero's current Tier.

T3

Secondary effect

Tier 3 unlocks the Signature's first secondary layer.

T5

Legendary reinforcement

Tier 5 enables the legendary layer and lowers goals or strengthens procs depending on the hero.

T6

Supreme

At Transcendent Tier the Signature becomes its Supreme form, with its own name, description, assets, and rules.

NERDBoat Nerd

Overclock

Projectile hits build Overclock. Ascensions speed up charge and strengthen Overclock.

SUPREME — Absolute Overclock: During Overclock, impacts ricochet as digital bursts and bonuses reach transcendent output.
TANKIron Tank

Fortress

Standing still builds Fortress. Ascensions improve protection and let the stance persist better while moving.

SUPREME — Living Bulwark: Fortress keeps protecting while moving and stored power empowers Whirlwind.
SPEEDSTERGhost Runner

Momentum

Continuous movement builds Momentum, empowering Tri Shot and shortening attack intervals.

SUPREME — Ghost Velocity: Maximum Momentum tolerates brief stops and pushes Tri Shot to transcendent cadence.
PYROVolcano Pyro

Heat

Flame bursts build Heat. At the limit, excess heat erupts and forces a short cooldown.

SUPREME — Eternal Eruption: The eruption becomes larger and stronger and no longer punishes cadence.
FROSTFrost Mage

Shatter

Ice hits build pressure. Ascensions reduce the gap between Shatters and enlarge the burst.

SUPREME — Absolute Zero: Shatter triggers far more often and covers a much larger area.
DARTERDarter

Hunt

Quick Dart kills build a hunt chain and increase damage until an offensive surge triggers.

SUPREME — Predator: The chain needs fewer kills, lasts longer and the hunt surge gains a much larger offensive bonus.
RUNERune Blade

Runic Triad

Killing three different enemy families with the Runic Blade completes a triad and empowers the weapon.

SUPREME — Perfect Rune: The transcendent triad lasts longer, greatly boosts damage and cadence and also increases area.
NECRONecromancer

Soul Harvest

Every death feeds the harvest. Ascensions reduce the souls required and strengthen the surge.

SUPREME — Army of Souls: Harvest requires fewer souls, lasts longer and turns Soul Orbs into a much more aggressive storm.
AQUAAqua Warden

Tide

Tide alternates between an offensive and defensive phase; ascensions strengthen both extremes.

SUPREME — Perfect Tide: Every tide shift opens a window where offensive and defensive bonuses are active together.
STORMStorm Sentinel

Static Charge

Thunder hits build charge. Ascensions make discharges happen sooner and reach farther.

SUPREME — Living Storm: Transcendent charge discharges every few impacts with much greater radius and damage.
NOXNox — The Last Bellkeeper

Resonance

Bell tolls build Resonance. Ascensions strengthen the wave and extend the resonant state.

SUPREME — Chorus of the Damned: Every second transcendent toll creates a large wave and keeps the Bell in a superior Resonance state.
CURRENT COVERAGE. Neon Wraith, Runic Mime, and Vesper are the three current secret characters and do not yet have CharacterSignatureCatalog entries.
T0–T6

Every Tier changes implemented Signatures.

11 MATRICES · 7 TIERS
NERD

Boat Nerd

Tutorial: Hit enemies with Projectile to fill Overclock and activate it.

T0Hits build Overclock.
T1Faster charge and more damage while active.
T2Overclock lasts longer and speeds Projectile up further.
T3NEW: impacts during Overclock create digital bursts.
T4Bursts and duration become stronger.
T5LEGENDARY: bursts trigger every 4 impacts.
T6SUPREME: Absolute Overclock — bursts every 2 impacts at transcendent output.
TANK

Iron Tank

Tutorial: Stand still to build Fortress; move when you need to reposition.

T0Standing still builds protection.
T1Fortress charges faster and drains less while moving.
T2Maximum protection increases.
T3NEW: part of the protection remains while moving.
T4Stored charge persists better while repositioning.
T5LEGENDARY: stored Fortress also empowers Whirlwind while braced.
T6SUPREME: Living Bulwark — protection and Whirlwind scale from charge even while moving.
SPEEDSTER

Ghost Runner

Tutorial: Keep moving to build Momentum and empower Tri Shot.

T0Continuous movement builds Momentum.
T1Momentum builds faster and grants more damage.
T2Tri Shot cadence and projectile speed scale harder.
T3NEW: brief stops get 0.45s of grace.
T4The meter grants more damage and cadence.
T5LEGENDARY: grace rises to 0.90s and max Momentum gains special cadence.
T6SUPREME: Ghost Velocity — 1.5s grace and transcendent peak.
PYRO

Volcano Pyro

Tutorial: Cast Flame to build Heat; at the limit, excess heat erupts around the hero.

T0Flame builds Heat until eruption.
T1Heat rises faster and grants more damage.
T2Eruption grows stronger and recovery improves.
T3NEW: high Heat expands Flame area.
T4Area and damage scale harder near the limit.
T5LEGENDARY: post-eruption becomes Afterburn — extra damage and cadence without penalty.
T6SUPREME: Eternal Eruption — huge burst with transcendent offensive flow.
FROST

Frost Mage

Tutorial: Hit with Ice Shard; each hit sequence triggers Shatter.

T0Ice hits build pressure for Shatter.
T1The burst gains more reach and damage.
T2The cycle becomes more efficient.
T3NEW: Shatter opens a window where Ice Shards gain area.
T4The area window lasts longer and grows stronger.
T5LEGENDARY: Shatter triggers every 4 hits and the window grants 18% area.
T6SUPREME: Absolute Zero — every 3 hits with transcendent burst and area.
DARTER

Darter

Tutorial: Score quick Dart kills to keep the Hunt chain alive.

T0Quick Dart kills build the Hunt chain.
T1The window grows and each stack grants more damage.
T2The chain becomes more forgiving.
T3NEW: when the timer expires, part of the Hunt is preserved.
T4Preservation and the surge become more forgiving.
T5LEGENDARY: Hunt needs only 7 kills.
T6SUPREME: Predator — 6 kills, long window and only 1 stack lost on failure.
RUNE

Rune Blade

Tutorial: Kill three different enemy families with Runic Blade to complete the Triad.

T0Three different families activate Triad.
T1The state lasts longer and grants more damage.
T2Cadence improves during Triad.
T3NEW: Triad also expands Runic Blade area.
T4Area, damage and duration receive another jump.
T5LEGENDARY: state lasts 8.5s and cadence reaches 0.72x.
T6SUPREME: Perfect Rune — 10s with maximum damage, cadence and area.
NECRO

Necromancer

Tutorial: Every kill feeds Soul Harvest; fill the meter to release the surge.

T0Kills feed Soul Harvest.
T1The surge lasts longer and empowers Orbs.
T2Charging becomes more efficient.
T3NEW: only 10 souls and Orbs gain area during the surge.
T4The storm lasts longer and covers more space.
T5LEGENDARY: only 9 souls are required.
T6SUPREME: Army of Souls — 8 souls, 10s and Orbs at transcendent peak.
AQUA

Aqua Warden

Tutorial: Tide alternates automatically: high favors offense; low favors defense and healing.

T0High Tide is offensive; Low Tide is defensive.
T1Both extremes become stronger.
T2Damage, defense and healing scale harder.
T3NEW: tide shifts create a short bonus overlap.
T4The overlap lasts longer.
T5LEGENDARY: overlap now lasts 2s.
T6SUPREME: Perfect Tide — 3s of offense, defense and healing together on every shift.
STORM

Storm Sentinel

Tutorial: Hit with Thunder to build Static Charge and trigger area discharges.

T0Thunder hits feed the discharge.
T1Discharge gains reach and damage.
T2The cycle becomes more efficient.
T3NEW: discharge now triggers every 5 hits.
T4Radius and damage receive another jump.
T5LEGENDARY: discharge now triggers every 4 hits.
T6SUPREME: Living Storm — every 3 hits with maximum radius and damage.
NOX

Nox — The Last Bellkeeper

Tutorial: Ring the Bell repeatedly to build Resonance and release the spectral wave.

T0Bell tolls build Resonance and release a wave.
T1The wave and state become stronger.
T2Resonance lasts longer.
T3NEW: while resonant, Bell area increases.
T4The resonant window becomes more valuable.
T5LEGENDARY: Resonance lasts 5.8s and cadence reaches 0.80x.
T6SUPREME: Chorus of the Damned — every second toll creates the great wave.
BUDGET

Balance has a target band per Tier.

DAMAGE · DEFENSE · HEALING · UTILITY

Power-budget bands describe the expected effective contribution of a Signature over an equivalent build. They are not direct damage multipliers: QA and telemetry compare damage, defense, healing, and utility across heroes.

TierContribution bandCenter targetMilestone
T08–12%10%yes
T110–14%12%—
T212–16%14%—
T315–20%17.5%yes
T420–24%22%—
T525–30%27.5%yes
T635–45%40%yes
FEEDBACK

The Signature also teaches and responds.

TUTORIAL · READY · PROC · SUPREME

Contextual tutorial

Each of the 11 Signature heroes has its own instruction. The hint is remembered locally per hero and is not part of metaprogression/cloud state.

READY / PROC / SUPREME feedback

The arena has separate audio feedback for Signature ready, proc, and Supreme. Dedicated assets are preferred; existing fallbacks keep the feature from depending on new WAV files.

Aqua healing stays live

Tide's healing multiplier is queried live by the shared sustain pipeline. State changes during a run affect healing instead of freezing the value at setup.

Adaptive FX + local preference

Player-selected intensity is combined with the arena's adaptive quality; the visual preference must never prevent the game from starting.

NEXT

Character packs in preparation

NON-PLAYABLE CONCEPTS

These concepts are not part of the playable roster of 23 heroes yet.

astral mage

Nyxara — Star Weaver

concept + assets; no persistent runtime ID

mountain beast-warrior

Brakka — Stone Fang

concept + assets; no persistent runtime ID

void elemental

Veyl — Hollow Gleam

concept + assets; no persistent runtime ID

sentinel / vampire hunter

Aureon — Dawn Warden

concept + assets; no gameplay contract yet

READING

How should you choose?

Iris: Resonant Tether links her to a solo echo or a living ally and scales to T7 with return damage, elite/boss burst, and Twin Chorus.

For discovery: Neon Wraith, Runic Mime, Vesper, and Iris use special unlock requirements. See Secrets.