Guildrun Rank System — C to S Progression

Rank Tiers and What They Grant

Guildrun uses a letter rank ladder — C through S — marking how far a hero has progressed within a single run. Rank-ups typically appear as shop offers or reward choices, consuming gold or appearing as bonus picks after key encounters. Higher ranks improve stat baselines and can unlock deeper specialization nodes on that hero's path.

Ranks are per-run, not account-wide. Your profile unlocks heroes and meta progression separately — see progress carryover. Inside a run, treat ranks as temporary power investment on heroes you expect to field through the boss.

• Rank C — default start for every hero
• Rank B — practical milestone before Act 1 challenge content
• Rank A / S — late-run spikes for carries with clear axis support

When to Rank Up vs Shop Items

Rank-ups compete with items and rerolls for the same gold pool. Rule of thumb: rank your carry when they are your primary trigger for relics and specs already online; buy items when a specific piece completes a two-fight survival plan. Ranking a hero you might pivot away from wastes gold — check pivot timing before committing.

Patch 0.5.1 adjusted several specialization values tied to rank scaling in endless and Red Rift. If a rank-up felt weak before July 23, 2026, retest after the balance pass on our patch page.

Act 1 Challenge Milestone

Multiple community guides flag Act 1's challenge fight as the first difficulty gate where under-leveled carries fail. Getting your primary damage dealer or sustain anchor to Rank B before that encounter prevents the "everything online except stats" failure mode. Supports like Grace can sometimes stay Rank C if healing scales off Magic and specs — carries usually cannot.

If you are stable on fights leading to the gate, spend one shop window on rank instead of a speculative fourth hero. If you are unstable, buy survival items first, then rank on the following shop when triggers are confirmed.

Rank Priority Across Roles

Frontline tanks rank when they are your primary damage soak and taunt anchor — not when you plan to replace them mid-run. Ranged DPS and melee carries almost always rank first. Supports rank when their heals or shields scale off rank-dependent coefficients shown in tooltips.

Backup heroes in reserve still benefit from rank for aura strength on some specs. If your sixth hero is a Backup specialist, mid-priority rank after your two fielded carries often beats ranking a flex hero you might sell or pivot away.

Ranks in Endless and Red Rift

Long runs demand rank investment earlier because enemy scaling outpaces item-only growth. Economy routes that generate extra gold make rank timing easier — link to shop economy. Red Rift modifiers punish under-ranked frontlines quickly; check encounter previews before skipping rank offers.

Endless leaderboard pushes often require Rank A or S on at least two heroes by mid-endless. Standard difficulty clears can succeed with one Rank B carry and disciplined shopping — match ambition to game mode.