Beginner Tips: Common Troops Guide — Best Commons to Use

Swordsman is the best common melee. Archer is the best common range. Everything else is filler or trash. Never use Wood Shield Guard. Upgrade one Swordsman and one Archer to level 7 for the 100-gem Power Stance achievement, then stop investing in commons entirely.

Here's the full breakdown of every common unit so you know exactly which ones to use and which to avoid.

Level 7 is a massive power spike for any unit — higher stats AND the Trigger Master passive unlock. For a new account with low deployment limits, even commons matter at this level.

But Forge Stones are scarce. You should only push one of each common type to 7 for the Power Stance achievement (100 gems each). After that, commons get replaced by rares and epics. Save your Forge Stones for Ursa Champion, Oracle, Elven Archer, and Flame Mage — units that actually scale into endgame.

Swordsman is the clear winner. He's a multi-unit with splash damage in his skill radius — meaning each troop in the squad can trigger the splash independently. In a 2-deployment-point mirror match, Swordsman beats Demoman every single time.

Demoman's stun only hits one target. Inferior in every way. Only use him if you literally have no Swordsman copies left.

Wood Shield Guard is a single unit (not multi-unit), meaning his stats apply to just one troop. He's completely useless. The most common beginner mistake is thinking he's a tank — he's not. Skip entirely. Don't even upgrade him for the achievement.

Archer is your pick. Highest attack among common range units, multi-target skill for reliable damage, and consistent performance regardless of enemy composition.

Gunner deals fire damage but it's too low to matter — even against fire-weak enemies like Pumpkin Guard, Archer deals more effective damage. Snowball Thrower is the worst of the three. Water damage is irrelevant early game, and the slow effect on skill is practically useless.

When filling last deployment points with range, Archer stands above as the most reliable choice.

Start replacing commons with rares and epics as soon as your roster allows. The main exceptions:

- Swordsman and Archer are viable until you have decent rare replacements (Forest Scout, Flail Warden) at level 5+

- Don't invest Forge Stones in commons beyond the achievement threshold

- A level 9 common is still worse than a level 6 rare in most cases

If you're past level 60 and still using commons in your main lineup, check the rare and epic guides for better options.