AFK Arena Characters Guide (September 2026): Best Heroes, Factions, Teams, and Investment Priorities

Choosing the right AFK Arena characters has become much harder than it was during the early Shemira, Rowan, Eironn, and Ainz era. The game now has hundreds of heroes spread across Lightbearers, Maulers, Wilders, Graveborn, Celestials, Hypogeans, Dimensionals, Draconis, and Highborn Dragons, while Awakened heroes have added another expensive layer of account planning.

What makes things even trickier is that there is no longer one universal “best team.” Nightmare Corridor favors specific boss specialists, Cursed Realm rewards completely different damage engines, Treasure Scramble is heavily affected by PvP mechanics, and campaign pushing may value control or survivability more than raw boss damage.

This September 2026 guide looks at AFK Arena characters from a practical player's perspective. Instead of blindly recycling rankings from the old Ainz or Lucretia meta, I will focus on current account value, faction roles, investment efficiency, and the difference between Classic AFK Arena and AFK Arena: Companions.

I. Introduction to AFK Arena Characters

A. What Is AFK Arena and Why Character Selection Matters?

AFK Arena is an idle RPG built around five-character formations. Battles run automatically, but the preparation behind them becomes surprisingly deep once you reach the late game.

A hero's faction, class, opening skill, energy generation, control immunity, survivability, Signature Item, furniture, Engraving, Collection, and interaction with teammates can completely change a fight.

That is why pulling a high-rarity hero is only the beginning. The real question is whether that hero deserves months of resources.

B. How This Character Guide Is Updated – September 2026 Meta

This guide prioritizes heroes that still matter in recurring modes such as Nightmare Corridor, Cursed Realm, Treasure Scramble, Temporal Rift, faction towers, campaign, and PvP.

Newer heroes such as Valeri, Elthara, Leviathan, Lan, Tavriel, modern Awakened heroes, and recent Dimensionals have pushed many classic characters down the investment list.

C. Who Should Use This Guide?

New players can use it to build a sensible wishlist. Returners can quickly identify which old heroes still matter. Rerollers can avoid unrealistic targets, while veteran players can compare current faction priorities before spending premium resources.

II. AFK Arena Characters Overview – September 2026

A. S+ Tier: Best-of-the-Best Heroes

The old combination of Elijah & Lailah, Talene, and Mehira is no longer the true S+ core.

Current top-end AFK Arena characters include names such as Elthara, Awakened Hybris, Awakened Envydiel, Liberta, Aurelia, Daemia, Lucilla, Dracula, Lan, Tavriel, Leviathan, and several modern multi-mode specialists.

These heroes appear near the top because they either dominate several game modes or provide mechanics that are difficult to replace.

B. S Tier: Strong Picks With High Value

Strong modern choices include Sung Jinwoo, Rimuru, Emilia, Atheus, Begris, Serenmira, Awakened Fawkes, Awakened Estrilda, Awakened Safiya, Awakened Skriath, Shuna, Awakened Shemira, Awakened Pippa, Talimar, Ivan, Awakened Eironn, Trishea, Sion, Palmer, Misfortis, Knox, and others.

Many can become S+ in their best mode.

C. A Tier: Situational or Solid Investments

Legacy heroes such as Elijah & Lailah, Merlin, Ezizh, Orthros, Awakened Solise, Hodgkin, Skreg, and Mulan remain usable.

They simply compete with newer heroes that usually offer more value for the same premium investment.

D. B/C Tier: Niche or Lower-Priority Units

This is where former legends such as Ainz, original Eironn, original Athalia, Arthur, older Talene builds, and many launch heroes now sit.

They can still clear content. I just would not build a fresh 2026 account around them.

III. Top S+ Tier Characters Ranked

A. Elijah & Lailah – Classic Haste Support

The Twins are still useful, but “best overall support” is outdated.

Their haste, healing, and team acceleration remain valuable in some boss formations, and they can function before reaching maximum investment. That actually makes them more attractive as a cheap specialist than as an expensive first Stargazing project.

B. Talene – Rebirth and Sustain

Original Talene once felt almost immortal. She repeatedly revived, healed allies, and dealt respectable damage.

She remains usable, but modern Celestials such as Liberta, Daemia, Aurelia, and newer premium options provide much stronger account value.

C. Mehira – Crowd Control Specialist

Mehira's charm mechanic aged surprisingly well.

Her greatest advantage is that she can contribute to difficult campaign control setups at relatively low investment. That means I would use her where necessary without rushing her to a premium build.

D. Ainz Ooal Gown – Former AoE King

Ainz deserves respect for how completely he once controlled the AFK Arena meta.

However, he is now a legacy Dimensional carry. His huge ultimate still works in older PvE solutions, but modern Dimensionals and Awakened heroes have far better investment efficiency.

E. Rowan – Energy and Sustain

Rowan remains one of the most useful early Lightbearers because his healing potions and energy support immediately improve weak teams.

His SI30 was once nearly mandatory. In 2026, it is still useful, but it is no longer automatically the first expensive Signature Item on every account.

F. Merlin – Defensive Support

Merlin remains a reliable Dimensional healer who reduces incoming burst and improves team stability.

He is especially comfortable during progression, although endgame accounts now have much stronger premium support options.

G. Ezizh – Energy-Control Utility

Original Ezizh can still contribute through energy and ultimate-control mechanics.

I would treat him as situational utility rather than a high-priority long-term project.

H. Eironn – Legacy Control Carry

Original Eironn is a Wilder Ranger, not a sleep mage.

His famous opening pull created the old Five-Pull composition. Modern players should distinguish him from Awakened Eironn, who is significantly more relevant in today's meta.

IV. Best Lightbearer Faction Characters

The original outline mixes many AFK Journey characters and heroes from other Classic factions into Lightbearers. For Classic AFK Arena, I would concentrate on the actual faction roster.

A. Lucius

Original Lucius is an easy early tank because shields and healing make campaign progression comfortable.

For late-game investment, Awakened Lucius is the far stronger version.

B. Awakened Belinda

Awakened Belinda remains a dangerous magic carry capable of enormous burst.

She is still useful in PvE and Temporal Rift, although newer Awakened releases mean she is no longer an automatic first Time Emblem project.

C. Awakened Estrilda

Crimson Reaver brings a modern defensive/offensive kit and offers far more endgame value than ordinary Estrilda.

D. Palmer

Palmer remains one of the faction's most useful conventional supports. His buffs can dramatically amplify boss teams.

E. Jerome

Jerome is another high-value Lightbearer support who appears in many PvE formations because his kit helps stronger carries perform better.

F. Scarlet

Scarlet remains an excellent conventional Lightbearer mage for boss damage and progression.

G. Rowan, Rosaline, and Raine

All three retain utility, particularly for developing accounts and faction content.

Names such as Arthur, Theowyn, Haelia, and Izold do not belong to the Lightbearer faction, while several names in the supplied list—including Lily May, Bryon, Ludovic, and others—belong to AFK Journey rather than Classic AFK Arena.

V. Best Mauler Faction Characters

A. Awakened Brutus

Awakened Brutus remains a strong frontline bruiser, but he is no longer among the best first Awakened investments for a fresh account.

B. Awakened Safiya

Awakened Safiya aged much better. Her support and damage-enabling mechanics keep her relevant in multiple high-level formations.

C. Awakened Skriath

The Awakened form of Skriath has become an important modern Mauler investment with much stronger competitive value than ordinary Skriath.

D. Talimar

Talimar offers modern support utility and is considerably more relevant than many older Mauler staples.

E. Naroko

Naroko remains a strong PvE option with damage and control value.

F. Gorren and Valeri

Gorren belongs among useful modern Maulers, while Valeri – Wilds Inventor is the newest Mauler release in the September 2026 window and deserves testing before players dump all their faction cards elsewhere.

G. Legacy Maulers

Brutus, Skreg, Kren, Anasta, Antandra, Warek, and Safiya still have uses in faction towers and niche PvE.

Khazard, Framton, and Mezoth are Hypogeans; Orthros is Celestial; Kaz is Wilder; and Kregor is Draconis.

A huge number of names in the original Mauler section—Odie, Shakir, Mikola, Florabelle, Cecia, Reinier, Phraesto, Vala, Hewynn, Smokey & Meerky, and many others—are actually AFK Journey characters. They should never be used to build a Classic Mauler wishlist.

VI. Best Wilder Faction Characters

A. Atheus

Atheus is one of the better current Wilder defensive/control options and remains useful across multiple PvE modes.

B. Awakened Eironn

Modern Eironn is far more relevant than his classic version and should be considered separately when planning premium investments.

C. Awakened Pippa

Awakened Pippa gives Wilders another modern endgame option and has much higher priority than many old faction staples.

D. Trishea

Trishea has remained useful far longer than many standard-faction DPS units because she continues to contribute in important recurring content.

E. Misha

Misha is a strong control-oriented Wilder and another example of why modern faction teams look nothing like old Tasi/Eironn lineups.

F. Lyca and Lorsan

Original Lyca is still useful at low investment because of her opening haste and energy effects.

Lorsan's link mechanic remains situationally valuable and often works without massive resources.

G. Legacy Wilders

Tasi, Nevanthi, Tamrus, Mishka, Raku, and Saurus can still serve specific jobs.

Nara is Graveborn, Skreg and Anoki are Maulers, Zolrath and Mezoth are Hypogeans, and Wu Kong and Flora are Celestials.

VII. Best Graveborn Faction Characters

A. Awakened Thoran

Deathlord Thoran gives Graveborn a modern high-end option that is completely separate from the old Thoran-cheese strategy.

B. Awakened Shemira

Awakened Shemira has been one of the most successful Awakened releases in the game's history.

She brings huge defensive value, battlefield control, and usefulness across PvP, campaign, and Temporal Rift.

C. Awakened Baden

Knight of Blight remains useful in boss-oriented content and specialized damage formations.

D. Ivan

Ivan is one of the best conventional Graveborn investments, especially because he can dramatically enhance a primary carry.

E. Silas

Silas is primarily a healer and buffer, not a DPS.

His ability to keep important teammates alive while improving their offensive output gives him long-lasting value.

F. Hodgkin

Hodgkin remains a good specialist for boss and PvE formations.

G. Legacy Options

Daimon is still a fantastic early carry, while Grezhul, Oden, Ferael, Lady Simona, and Thoran retain situational uses.

Olgath and Mortas are Hypogeans; Malkrie is Celestial.

VIII. Best Celestial & Hypogean Characters

This is where premium account planning becomes expensive.

A. Liberta

Liberta remains one of the best Celestials in the entire game. Healing, health manipulation, and offensive utility give him extraordinary cross-mode value.

B. Daemia

Daemia is another long-term winner.

Her battlefield effects and damage amplification have allowed her to stay relevant in bosses, PvE, and competitive modes.

C. Aurelia

Aurelia belongs among the current top-end Celestials and is much more important to a 2026 account than legacy options such as original Talene.

D. Lucilla

Lucilla is an elite Hypogean support who becomes particularly powerful when paired with Liberta.

E. Awakened Hybris

Awakened Hybris is one of the defining premium Hypogean investments of the current meta.

F. Lavatune

Lavatune remains a valuable Hypogean support/enabler and continues to appear in optimized PvE teams.

G. Misfortis and Knox

Both are serious modern premium options with stronger current relevance than older Hypogeans such as Mezoth or Zikis.

H. Legacy Celepogeans

Elijah & Lailah, Mehira, Talene, Orthros, Zolrath, Mortas, Khazard, and Ezizh can still solve specific problems.

Daimon is Graveborn, Talimar is Mauler, Sion and Serennia are Draconis, Atheus is Wilder, and Umbriel is also Draconis.

IX. Best Dimensional Characters

The original section contains many excellent heroes, but most of them are not Dimensionals.

Actual Dimensionals worth discussing include:

A. Dracula – Sanguine Queen

Dracula is one of the strongest recent Dimensionals and deserves serious investment for competitive accounts.

B. Saitama

Saitama offers strong modern multi-mode value and is far more relevant than legacy Ainz teams.

C. Rimuru

Rimuru remains a flexible modern Dimensional and works in several strong formations.

D. Shuna

Shuna has excellent support value and is often more important than another pure damage dealer.

E. Emilia

Emilia's crowd control keeps her useful even as raw damage dealers get power-crept.

F. Sung Jinwoo

Still a respectable Dimensional carry and useful for players who developed him properly.

G. Athena and Medusa

These newer Dimensionals bring modern defensive/control mechanics and are much more relevant to current investment decisions.

H. Judy & Punch

A newer mage-style Dimensional with disruption and AoE utility.

I. Marcille and Laios

Both remain worthwhile collaboration Dimensionals with useful niches.

J. Older Dimensionals

Merlin, Rem, Mulan, Albedo, Leonardo da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Yennefer, and Canisa & Ruke remain situationally useful.

Awakened Safiya, Awakened Athalia, Awakened Solise, Awakened Thane, Awakened Fawkes, Awakened Pippa, Palmer, Lavatune, Misfortis, Lucilla, Liberta, Daemia, Scarlet, Gorok, Knox, Jerome, Leviathan, and many others listed in the outline belong to other factions.

X. Team Composition Fundamentals

A. Faction Synergy

Faction bonuses are useful, but outside faction towers you should not force mono-faction teams.

Five individually strong characters with no interaction can perform worse than one carry surrounded by four proper enablers.

B. Ideal Structure

The old “two DPS, two supports, one tank” template works for learning, but endgame teams break this rule constantly.

One carry plus four supports is common. So are double-tank control teams or formations built entirely around one passive interaction.

C. Beginner Lightbearer Team

A practical early Lightbearer structure could use Lucius, Rowan, Palmer, Scarlet, and Rosaline or another damage/support flex.

D. Beginner Wilder Team

Try something like Atheus or Mishka, Lyca, Trishea, Tamrus, and Tasi or another available Wilder.

The proposed Lyca/Nara/Skreg/Tasi/Ezizh lineup actually contains four factions.

E. Hybrid Endgame Compositions

Most serious teams mix factions.

Liberta/Lucilla cores, modern Dimensional teams, premium Draconis tanks, and Awakened carries regularly work together.

XI. Campaign and Tower of Ascension Teams

Campaign becomes a multi-team problem later, so building only five heroes eventually stops working.

Control teams, Awakened Shemira formations, charm setups, modern hypercarry comps, and survivability engines all have value.

Faction towers are different because they restrict your roster. This is where ordinary four-faction heroes gain extra importance.

Energy and haste remain critical. Whoever casts first can decide the fight before the enemy composition even gets started.

Positioning matters just as much. Swap heroes before upgrading them—moving one support can redirect an assassin or prevent your carry from dying in the opening seconds.

XII. Nightmare Corridor and Cursed Realm Strategies

Nightmare Corridor and Cursed Realm are two of the biggest reasons modern tier lists look different from old campaign rankings.

These modes reward specialized boss interactions.

Liberta, Daemia, Lavatune, Lan, Tavriel, Aurelia, premium Draconis, and modern Awakened heroes can repeatedly appear in optimized formations because they multiply team damage instead of simply dealing respectable personal DPS.

Never copy an old boss formation without checking the current rotation.

A hero that dominates one Nightmare Corridor boss may disappear completely when that boss leaves the cycle.

XIII. PvP Arena and Legends Championship Teams

PvP values speed, opening control, immunity, survival, and burst.

Awakened Shemira remains strong because of her defensive pressure. Modern Draconis such as Leviathan can make teams extremely difficult to kill, while premium Celepogeans and Dimensionals provide powerful control or damage.

Treasure Scramble and Legends Championship are especially investment-sensitive.

A formation shown by a whale with SI40, 36 furniture, max Engraving, perfect Collections, and developed Oath Marks may perform completely differently on a midgame account.

Counter mechanics, not faction icons. If the opposing team wins through early burst, use opening protection. If it relies on sustain, bring enough pressure or disruption to prevent the engine from stabilizing.

XIV. Temporal Rift and Faction Hunt Guides

Temporal Rift rewards consistency more than flashy one-shot damage.

Strong tanks, healing, control, and heroes who continue functioning through repeated battles generally outperform fragile glass cannons.

Awakened Shemira, durable supports, current Awakened carries, and premium tanks are especially comfortable here.

Faction-restricted events work differently. They reward account depth, which is why keeping useful four-faction heroes developed still matters even when Celepogeans dominate general rankings.

Always build toward meaningful reward milestones rather than overspending resources for a tiny final ranking increase.

XV. Companions Tier List and Investment Guide

A. What Is AFK Arena: Companions?

Companions is not a pet system inside Classic AFK Arena.

It is a separate progression environment available through the same broader AFK ecosystem, with different balance, hero availability, stages, PvP, Dream Realm, and investment priorities.

This distinction matters because much of the outline mixes Companions and AFK Journey terminology into Classic.

B. Strong Companions Heroes

Awakened Solise and Trishea have been strong Companions investments, along with other mode-specific carries and supports.

C. A-Tier Options

Nevanthi and other sustain-focused heroes can remain useful when you do not own premium alternatives.

D. Early Stage Priority

For AFK Stage-style progression, focus on one main team rather than upgrading everything you summon.

E. PvP and Dream Realm

Dream Realm values boss damage and amplification, while PvP prioritizes opening control and survival.

F. Wishlist Priority

Use a Companions-specific wishlist.

Never copy a Classic wishlist into Companions just because the hero names overlap.

G. Graveborn Priority

Characters such as Daimon and other reliable Graveborn carries can still help early progression depending on the current Companions balance.

H. Meera

If Meera is highly rated in the current Companions rotation, evaluate her according to that server's resources and content—not Classic AFK Arena.

XVI. AFK Arena Reroll Guide – 2026

A. How to Reroll

AFK Arena does not really require hardcore rerolling.

Start on a fresh Classic server, clear the early tutorial, claim current codes and summons, and evaluate the account.

B. Best Starter Targets

Do not reroll specifically for Elijah & Lailah, Talene, Mehira, or Ainz.

The first three are premium-faction heroes obtained through systems that make repeated rerolling inefficient, while Ainz is a Dimensional rather than a normal Tavern target.

For ordinary summons, current four-faction staples such as Palmer, Jerome, Ivan, Atheus, Trishea, Naroko, and newer useful releases are much more realistic.

C. When to Restart

Restart only if you badly mismanaged the account or simply enjoy optimizing openings.

A poor first ten-pull does not ruin a long-term AFK Arena account.

D. Common Mistakes

The biggest errors are incorrect wishlists, ascending too many heroes to Legendary, and wasting rare resources on characters you will soon replace.

E. Free Hero Acquisition

Stores, events, Soulstones, hero-choice rewards, Guild content, and exchange events steadily expand your roster.

Long-term planning matters more than day-one luck.

XVII. Gacha Summon and Wishlist Strategy

A. September 2026 Summon Environment

Valeri recently joined the Mauler roster, while Oren – Scourged Blade is the next Lightbearer entering the September release window.

A new two-character crossover is also arriving later in September, which makes hoarding flexible resources especially sensible.

B. Latest Dimensional Banner

Dimensionals usually rely on limited purchase and exchange systems instead of standard Tavern rate-up pulls.

Save Labyrinth, Guild, Challenger, and other relevant exchange currencies when a collaboration is approaching.

C. Selective Summons

Use Hero Choice summons to finish important four-faction projects.

They are most valuable when you only need a few copies to hit Ascended.

D. Wishlist Priority

Twins, Talene, and Mehira cannot simply be placed on a standard four-faction Tavern wishlist.

Fill every Lightbearer, Mauler, Wilder, and Graveborn slot with deliberate targets.

E. Mythic vs Dimensional

Mythic is an ascension level; Dimensional is a faction.

They are not competing categories.

F. Limited vs Standard Summons

Time Emblems, Stargazer Cards, Draconis resources, and Dimensional currencies are too valuable to spend randomly.

Finish premium projects instead of starting five at once.

XVIII. Hero Investment and Ascension Priority

A. Who Deserves Mythic+ First?

Prioritize heroes whose Signature Item immediately improves your main team.

Do not make several random Mythic heroes just because fodder is available.

B. Signature Items

SI30 remains an important breakpoint for many heroes.

SI40 is much more expensive and should be reserved for characters whose upgrade clearly affects competitive performance.

C. Furniture

The standard breakpoints are 3/9 and 9/9, not “3/3/3.”

Some heroes gain their defining mechanic at 3/9, while others are incomplete until 9/9.

D. Engravings

E30 and E60 remain major checkpoints.

Efficient players often stop on important intermediate nodes when the full E60 effect is not worth the cores.

E. F2P Ascension Order

Finish a useful four-faction core first.

For Awakened, Celestial, Hypogean, and Highborn projects, complete one major hero before chasing the next exciting release.

F. Resource Allocation

Normal and faction scrolls belong to Tavern progression. Time Emblems belong to Awakened summons. Stargazer Cards generally target premium Celepogeans. Draconis Insignias and related resources should be reserved for worthwhile dragons.

Do not mix those projects without a plan.

XIX. New Player Progression Roadmap

A. Campaign Progression

Push campaign whenever possible because higher stages unlock systems and improve AFK rewards.

You do not need a perfect team to progress.

B. Daily and Weekly Routine

Collect AFK rewards, complete daily and weekly objectives, participate in Guild content, use mode attempts, and finish limited events.

C. Stamina and Energy

Classic AFK Arena does not use a traditional stamina bar for campaign stages.

Your main time gates are levels, resources, attempts, and AFK accumulation.

D. Shop Priorities

Diamonds should primarily support progression.

Time Emblems, premium summon resources, Signature Item materials, furniture resources, engraving materials, and other hard-to-farm upgrades generally beat basic resources.

E. Event Shops

Prioritize rare resources over materials you can farm passively.

F. AFK Stage Progression

The “0–300, 300–600, 600+” stage format is much more relevant to Companions-style progression than Classic campaign.

In Classic, think in terms of single-team campaign, later multi-team chapters, faction towers, recurring boss modes, and PvP.

G. Guild Participation

Join an active Guild as soon as possible.

Guild Boss rewards, store resources, events, and Guild-based systems accumulate substantial value over time.

H. Redeem Codes – September 2026

Several codes circulating during the September 2026 period include:

KQN6TGUMXK – Classic rewards including Faction Scrolls, Diamonds, Common Scrolls, and Stargazer Scrolls.

KQJ4N3FUP9 – Classic resource chests and Diamonds.

MGEB84EY4Z – Classic resource chests and Common Scrolls.

7BH6PUM7YN – Time Emblems, Common Scrolls, and Diamonds.

6AB8KQBTZ4 – Common Scrolls and Diamonds.

13THLILITH – Time Emblems and Diamonds.

Redeem codes as soon as possible because expiration dates can change.

XX. Common Mistakes to Avoid in Team Building

A. Ignoring Synergy and Energy Generation

Five individually powerful AFK Arena characters do not automatically create a good team.

Ask what actually makes the formation win.

B. Over-Investing in Outdated Heroes

Ainz, Lucretia, original Talene, and many former meta carries can still function, but historical reputation is not a reason to spend 2026 resources on them.

C. Neglecting Modern Universal Supports

Rowan, Ezizh, and Merlin still have uses.

However, today's premium support conversation also includes heroes such as Liberta, Daemia, Lucilla, Lan, Lavatune, and other modern enablers.

D. Poor Positioning

Always try swapping positions before spending resources.

A single tile change can redirect an opening attack, preserve a support, or completely alter enemy targeting.

E. Skipping Events

Events are some of the best sources of premium progression materials.

Even casual players should clear the easy milestones.

F. Bad Wishlist Choices

Never leave Tavern wishlist slots filled with finished or irrelevant heroes.

Your wishlist determines hundreds of pulls over the life of an account.

G. Ascending Too Many Heroes

This remains one of the most expensive beginner mistakes.

One properly developed Ascended carry is far more useful than a collection of unfinished Legendary heroes.

Conclusion

Understanding AFK Arena characters in September 2026 requires forgetting a lot of advice that was correct three or four years ago.

Elijah & Lailah, Talene, Mehira, Ainz, Rowan, Merlin, and original Eironn all had periods where they were incredibly important. Some still have legitimate uses today. But the center of the meta has moved toward heroes such as Elthara, Awakened Hybris, Liberta, Daemia, Lucilla, Aurelia, Dracula, Lan, Tavriel, Leviathan, current Awakened releases, modern Draconis, and newer Dimensionals.

The most important thing for new players is not owning every top-tier hero. It is avoiding waste. Maintain a good wishlist, finish your premium projects, build a functional five-hero core, and use recurring modes to decide where expensive resources should go next.

Returning players should be especially careful with old tier lists. Ainz is no longer the king of PvP. Original Talene is no longer the first Celestial you should build. Old Eironn Five-Pull is no longer the defining campaign strategy. AFK Arena has simply moved on.

There is also one final distinction worth remembering: Classic AFK Arena, AFK Arena: Companions, and AFK Journey are separate metas. Characters such as Odie, Shakir, Florabelle, Reinier, Phraesto, Vala, and Smokey & Meerky may be familiar AFK names, but they should not appear on a Classic Tavern wishlist.

Treat this AFK Arena characters guide as an investment map rather than a permanent law. Check what game mode currently matters to your account, identify which hero solves that problem, and then invest with a purpose. That approach will take you much further than blindly chasing whoever happens to have an S+ badge this month.