Last Fortress: Underground Hero Ascension and Star Rank Guide

To ascend a hero in Last Fortress: Underground, open the Hero Ascension menu and consume specific duplicate hero medals or matching generic medals to raise the unit's star rank. Your immediate next action should be investing your extra hero medals into the five heroes in your main combat Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) squad before dedicating materials to secondary garrison or shelter facility units.

How Hero Ascension Works

Ascending a hero increases their star rank, which raises their base attributes and unlocks higher level caps. While standard experience items raise a hero's current level, ascension removes progression plateaus so your units can keep up with stronger infected threats and player combat lineups.

• Duplicate Medals: Consuming exact duplicates of a hero is the primary requirement for advancing that unit to higher star tiers.
• Generic Medals: Rare generic medals of matching rarity can fill missing duplicate slots for high-priority units.
• Faction Fodder: Higher star upgrades require sacrificing lower-rarity or extra heroes from the same faction, such as the Watchers or Vindicators.

Before confirming an upgrade, check the material requirements displayed in the ascension window. Avoid sacrificing fodder heroes that possess unique utility for specialized base facility tasks or secondary squads.

Managing Ascension Resources and Higher Star Costs

The cost of ascending heroes scales heavily at higher tiers, such as moving from a 3-star to a 4-star rank. Because materials become scarce, manage your upgrades using the following priorities:

1. Prioritize the Core Lineup: Focus duplicate and faction materials strictly on your primary five-hero team to ensure your main combat power remains competitive in exploration and PvP.
2. Save Generic Medals for Top-Tier Units: Generic medals are difficult to acquire. Reserve them for high-impact damage dealers and support heroes rather than early-game units you will eventually replace.
3. Target Faction Banners: If you run out of required fodder to rank up your main squad, focus recruitment efforts on faction-specific banners to pull the specific material types you need.