Hero Wars is a well-liked RPG sport that launched in 2016 to regular success. Since 2019, Hero Wars has constantly held a prime 100 grossing place on US iOS, a testomony to its distinctive long-term success out there.
As a mature cellular sport, Hero Wars achieved its success by way of a dynamic and increasing reside occasion technique, steady iteration on core options, and the introduction of various monetization occasions and strategic collaborations to maintain gamers engaged and spending.
Though Hero Wars is technically a mature sport, the builders have discovered a method to improve income and DAU over successive durations. For instance, we are able to see a spike in DAU from August 2024 to June 2025, making it a sport we are able to study from.
“GameRefinery’s Dwell Occasion Tracker has grow to be a cornerstone of how we method LiveOps and occasion design. Past simply monitoring competitor exercise, it’s enabled our groups to determine and implement occasion and competitors codecs which might be extremely related to our product—with a measurable optimistic influence on key product metrics. Due to this degree of actionable perception, we’ve been capable of align with rising tendencies early, ensuring we don’t miss out on crucial market shifts. Extra importantly, the software has been instrumental in serving to us form a long-term LiveOps technique grounded in aggressive knowledge slightly than assumptions.”
Aleksandr Sveikovskii
LiveOps Product Proprietor, Nexters
Hacking the Dwell Occasion Calendar for Development
A key strategic initiative behind the success of Hero Wars is the enlargement of its reside occasion calendar.
Wanting intently, we see that the general occasion calendar expanded throughout varied classes, however the important thing driver of progress is a major improve in monetization-focused occasions.
The Monetization class within the Dwell Occasions Calendar additionally lists many extra totally different IAP bundles and gives for gamers to buy.
Battle Move Characteristic Is a High Income Driver
Particularly, the Battle Move function has been essential for Hero Wars. Battle Move is a season-based monetization mechanic wherein gamers can get hold of rewards by progressing by way of totally different thresholds within the plan. They proved notably efficient through the occasion’s concluding days, driving income spikes as gamers strived to reap ultimate rewards.
The sport’s Battle Move function has additionally developed by way of three iterations (Hero’s Method, Hero’s Method 2.0 & Hero’s Method 3.0), underscoring the crucial position of steady enchancment.
Lastly, Hero Wars expanded its Battle Move choices in September 2024 by introducing the ‘Season Move’ alongside Hero’s Method 3.0. This ‘Season Move’ repurposes the Hero’s Method 2.0 framework, doubling the lively Battle Move alternatives.
From Lara Croft to Titan Energy: Hero Wars’s Increasing Occasion Horizon
The collaboration with Lara Croft in Might 2024
IP collaborations are more and more common throughout the gaming business, making thematic cohesion much more essential. Strategic partnerships with recognizable IPs might help construct structured occasions and streamline content material supply. This, in flip, can result in important reductions in participant acquisition prices.
In Might 2024, Hero Wars introduced its first-ever collaboration occasion that includes the well-known adventurer Lara Croft. This distinctive crossover created an adventure-themed ”Tomb Raider” ambiance.
The Lara Croft-led occasion, The Thriller of Dominion, featured totally different occasions and gives that made various use of the theme:
Within the occasion, the participant should progress within the journey to acquire entry to totally different objects. Some ranges require the participant to play a minigame to defeat their enemies, discover the exit, and gather rewards from that degree. This minigame “model” can also be utilized in consumer acquisition movies and payables.
Gamers who take part within the Solo Mission occasion may purchase occasion forex to purchase objects within the store. An attention-grabbing remark from GameRefinery’s Dwell Occasions calendar was Hero Wars’ introduction of a pre-order bundle for Lara Croft that allowed for early acquisition. This strategic supply culminated prompted income to surge on its closing day.
Racking up wins with Legends Draft
Legends Draft was launched in August 2024 as an overarching occasion that reinforces the variety of occasions within the sport. Performed in everlasting PVP mode, the occasion lets the gamers construct groups with a draft mechanic to battle in opposition to different gamers’ groups. Winners rise within the rating and obtain rewards.
Within the occasion, every participant chooses a staff of 5 heroes to fight in opposition to different gamers’ groups in totally automated mode. Gamers want Draft Cash to compete, and these restore as much as 5 cash robotically. You can too use Emeralds (Premium forex) to purchase extra.
You select two groups: one for protection and one for offense. The groups will likely be made with a draft mechanic, the place you will have three selections of Heroes, and you want to choose one of many three. This will likely be carried out 5 instances for every staff till each groups have 5. You and your opponent select on the identical time a protection staff, then an attacking staff. Your attacking staff will battle in opposition to the opponent’s protection staff, and vice versa.
Profitable your battle will add to your win streak, and you’ll be rewarded as soon as per day. Every gamers will get one Win Streak Defend to avoid wasting their win streak from resetting within the case of a loss—however you may as well purchase as much as three every day with Emeralds (premium forex). Naturally, the extra factors from every victory, the upper the streak.
The Match of Titan Energy!
Hero Wars has lengthy featured a Match of Energy, which focuses on leveling up your Heroes. However for the primary time in October 2024, gamers might compete by leveling up their Titans in The Match of Titan Energy. The primary solo event centered on Titans, it additionally contributes to the rise within the variety of occasions on the Hero Wars calendar.
For newcomers to the sport, Titans are one other type of characters, comparable to Heroes, usually obtained by way of PVE mode by getting shards or from Gachas. Titans differ from the Heroes as they’re locked behind Guild mechanics, that means they’re solely accessible if you happen to’re in a guild, and if you happen to occur to switch or go away a guild, the Titans stay locked till you be part of a brand new guild. Gamers making an attempt to entry this function previous to becoming a member of a guild are directed to the guild utility portal.
Getting factors within the event is easy: you need to improve the facility ranges of your titan characters, and your event rating equals the facility improve of all of your titans. There are 4 totally different levels with totally different rewards that unlock if you get sufficient event factors. These refresh every day. Rewards embrace Titian Pores and skin Stones, Titan Potions, and Elemental or Summoning Spheres.
The principle rewards for the winner embrace Fairy Mud, Titan Potions, and an Avatar. The occasion lasts 3 to five days and recurs at intervals starting from 19 days to 1.5 months.
New Occasion Sort: Seer’s Sport
One instance of a monetization-related occasion we mentioned is Seer’s Sport, a Russian roulette-style occasion launched in March 2025 as a brand new occasion kind. Within the occasion, gamers take a look at their luck to win assets and prizes. They take part by drawing playing cards, every spherical providing an opportunity to win rewards or encounter a cursed card that ends the spherical.
To win prizes and advance to the following spherical, the participant should select a card from two to 4 choices. There are 30 rounds within the sport, and every try prices 25 Seer’s Orbs. The orbs may be obtained from duties or bundles. In every spherical, one card is cursed and can finish the spherical if chosen. Gamers can proceed through the use of extra orbs, and the fee will increase with every buy. Some rounds haven’t any cursed playing cards, indicated by a particular mark. Rewards accumulate as gamers progress by way of rounds.
Tower 2.0: revamping a well-liked occasion
Tower 2.0, which is a Everlasting PVE Mode, was revamped in January 2025. It’s a every day occasion the place the participant goals to get to the highest of the tower by defeating enemy groups, amassing buffs, and opening chests.
Let’s discuss in regards to the adjustments to the earlier model of Tower:
- Earlier than, there have been three degree varieties: one with chests, one with buff altars, and one the place the participant fights. Now, there are simply three kinds of flooring: Relic Flooring, Treasure Flooring, and a ultimate, Boss Flooring. This simplifies the ground varieties and streamlines the expertise.
- Earlier than, by profitable battles, the participant earned Skulls, which can be utilized to get totally different buffs on the altar ranges. Now, profitable battles means that you can select one out of three Relics. It is a clearer buff and relic system. Relics are chosen after profitable battles, making them extra rapid.
- The vitality and well being ranges of the heroes used to not reset between battles. Now, the vitality and well being ranges of the heroes reset between every Relic Flooring. It is a main gameplay change, making every Relic Flooring a contemporary begin for heroes.
- Within the earlier model, chests gained from ranges include gold, Tower cash, or random merchandise fragments. Tower 2.0 has “Treasure Flooring” with three chests. The primary is free, and the following two value “Emeralds” (premium forex). One of many chests comprises gold, one other Tower cash, and the third one comprises fragments. This gives a extra strategic, doubtlessly extra rewarding expertise whereas offering a transparent monetization avenue for the sport.
- In Tower, factors reward the participant with Tower cash and gold on the finish of the day. In Tower 2.0, gprevious is instantly earned by profitable Battles or Chests.
- Within the earlier model, gold from chests will increase by 10% after three chests and 40% after 15 chests and with VIP degree. Now, you get 25% extra gold in case your VIP Degree is 6. The tiered improve based mostly on the variety of chests is eliminated.
Abstract
Hero Wars has constantly ranked among the many prime 100 grossing video games on US iOS since 2019, demonstrating exceptional long-term success. A key think about its sustained success is the elevated variety of reside occasions, particularly monetization-focused occasions and staying on prime of the most recent tendencies.
The highlights we lined right here had been:
- Lara Croft Collaboration (Might 2024): This was the sport’s first collaboration occasion, that includes a “Tomb Raider” themed journey, solo missions, and varied IAP bundles. A pre-order bundle for Lara Croft considerably boosted income on its final day.
- Legends Draft (August 2024): A everlasting PvP mode the place gamers draft groups of heroes to battle others for rankings and rewards, whereas introducing choices to make use of premium forex.
- The Match of Titan Energy (October 2024): A brand new solo event specializing in leveling up Titans, a separate character kind “linked” to guild mechanics.
- Seer’s Sport (March 2025): A brand new monetization occasion based mostly on a Russian roulette-style card drawing sport, providing rewards and requiring “Seer’s Orbs” to take part.
- Tower 2.0 Revamp (January 2025): A everlasting PvE mode that was considerably revamped, streamlining flooring varieties, altering the relic/buff system, resetting hero well being and vitality between sure flooring, and a direct gold reward from battles.
These highlights are only a small fraction of the sport’s giant reside occasion calendar. We extremely advocate having a look at it, particularly the overarching themes!