When creating a new account in RAID: Shadow Legends, click an active promotional starter link prior to registration to receive a free Legendary Champion, such as Artak or Tholin. Using a starter link provides a high-base-stat hero immediately, allowing you to bypass the early-game power bottleneck associated with standard Rare starters.
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Comparing Starter Link Champions: Artak vs. Tholin
Promotional starter links feature specific high-tier heroes that alter your initial progression path. Choosing the right champion depends on whether you prioritize raw clearing speed or long-term team defensive survival.
| Champion | Primary Role | Key Strengths | Recommended Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artak | AOE Burner / Wave Clearer | High AOE damage, enemy burning, fast wave clears | Campaign solo farming, Dungeons |
| Tholin | Defensive Utility / Sustain | Specialized damage mitigation, team defense | Clan Boss, defensive Boss encounters |
Option 1: Artak (Campaign and Dungeon Speed)
Select Artak if your primary goal is rapid account setup and fast campaign clearing. His kit relies on burning enemies, giving him strong area-of-effect (AOE) damage across multiple target waves. This makes him ideal for solo-farming Campaign stages to level up secondary food units and pushing early Dungeon stages efficiently.
Option 2: Tholin (Survival and Defensive Utility)
Select Tholin if you prefer to build a resilient team for prolonged fights. Tholin provides defensive utility and damage mitigation, helping your squad sustain incoming damage during harder single-target encounters, such as early Clan Boss battles or higher-difficulty boss stages.
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Strategic Early Progression Steps
Starting with a Legendary Champion changes how you allocate early resources. Follow these steps to optimize your account foundation:
- Register via the Link: Ensure you click the promotional starter link before completing the account registration process on your platform of choice. Legendary rewards are delivered directly to your account or unlocked upon reaching initial tutorial milestones.
- Prioritize Starter Gear Sets: Equip your Legendary unit immediately with core early-game gear sets:
- Lifesteal Set: Keeps your main damage carry healed during solo campaign farming.
- Speed Set: Reduces skill cooldown windows by allowing your hero to take turns more frequently.
- Redirect Energy Investments: Skip the standard multi-week process of maxing out temporary Rare units. Allocate your initial energy and Silver directly toward upgrading your Legendary hero's stats, masteries, and gear.
- Develop Complementary Support Units: While your Legendary Champion acts as your primary carry, continuously collect and raise support units (such as healers, buffers, or debuffers) to build a well-rounded team for specialized content.
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Account Limitations and Potential Bottlenecks
- Account Eligibility Restrictions: Promotional links generally apply only to newly created accounts and may have specific platform or regional compatibility limits.
- Gear Dependency: A Legendary Champion's base power is constrained by the Artifacts you equip. Failing to level up appropriate primary stats will cause progression to stall in mid-game content regardless of unit rarity.
- Roster Bottlenecks: Relying entirely on a single Legendary hero creates team vulnerabilities in modes requiring specific debuffs or faction restrictions, such as Faction Wars and high-stage Dungeons.
Free RAID: Shadow Legends Codes
Current active codes and how to redeem them.
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Player Comments
77 players commented on this guide.
The explanation is clear, especially for beginners.
Good guide for RAID: Shadow Legends players. The early game part was useful.
Nice guide. I am checking the other RAID: Shadow Legends articles next.
Can you add more details about early game in a future update?