DragonSword: Awakening Hero Unlock Order
Quick answer
Heroes in DragonSword: Awakening unlock through main story progression and Bond Quests rather than through gacha or purchase. The priority is Cerese, because her Bond Quest unlocks the Tower of Trials — the only source of Karma materials — and until it is done your progression economy is switched off.
Updated · Verified on Patch 1.0.x · Sources: in-game testing, Steam store page, Hound13 announcements
There is no gacha in DragonSword: Awakening and no hero is sold separately, so "unlocking" here means progressing the content that grants them.
How heroes unlock
| Route | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Main story progression | The bulk of the 19-hero roster arrives as the campaign introduces them |
| Bond Quests | Character-specific quests that both deepen a hero and, in at least one case, unlock a whole game system |
| Post-launch updates | The four planned free heroes — Ryza, Jerome, Veronica, Logan |
What you will not find in DragonSword: Awakening: summoning, banners, pity counters or paid character DLC. The four planned heroes are free, included with the base game. See is it gacha.
The one priority that actually matters: Cerese
Complete Cerese's Bond Quest as soon as it becomes available.
It unlocks the Tower of Trials, which is the only source of Fragments of Memory and Whirling Thoughts — both Karma materials. Until the Tower is open you have no Karma material income, which means the largest source of post-story power in DragonSword: Awakening is switched off and you will not notice.
This is the most common progression mistake in DragonSword: Awakening, because a Bond Quest reads like optional character content rather than a system gate.
Cerese is also a top-tier Freeze setup hero in her own right, so the quest pays twice.
A sensible early priority order
- Cerese's Bond Quest — unlocks the Tower and your material economy.
- Whichever break-role hero you reach first — Castella or Eileen. Break is the role most teams are missing, and it is what stalls players around Tower floor 20–30.
- A burst hero you enjoy playing — Reina and Kalsion are both forgiving. Theresia is the strongest but the most demanding; she is a poor first investment.
- Everything else as the story delivers it.
You start with Lute, and he remains genuinely useful — Stun plus Down covers two physical ailments and Relic Fall is a strong AoE. Do not bench him just because a shinier hero appears.
Do not miss Castella's loyalty mission
There is a hard missable tied to a companion quest. If you fail to find the Dusty Locket in one of the Orbis hidden locations beneath the sewers before Chapter 4, Castella's final loyalty mission will never trigger, which permanently locks the Master of Orbis achievement.
DragonSword: Awakening has no New Game Plus, so there is no second run to fix it on. Read missable content before you reach Chapter 4.
A good habit generally: exhaust companion dialogue at campsites before advancing main story markers. Several quests key off conversations you can skip past.
Unlocking is not the same as being usable
A newly unlocked hero arrives under-levelled and without Karma. Before you rebuild your team around them:
- Check they actually fill a missing role rather than duplicating one you have — team builder.
- Equip a matching-element Basic Karma, since mismatched Karma silently underperforms.
- Do not spread materials across every new arrival. You field three heroes at a time; concentrate on those three. See upgrade priority.
Why there is no "best unlock order" beyond Cerese
Past Cerese, DragonSword: Awakening does not really let you choose. The roster arrives on the campaign's schedule, and Bond Quests appear when their characters do. What you actually control is which heroes you invest in, not which you own.
That is why the priority list above stops being about unlocking after the first entry and becomes about role coverage instead. Whichever heroes the story has handed you, the question is the same: do your three cover setup, break and burst? If they do, invest. If they do not, swap before you spend anything — see team builder and upgrade priority.
FAQ
How do you unlock characters in DragonSword: Awakening?
Through main story progression and Bond Quests. There is no gacha, no summoning and no paid character DLC.
Which character should I unlock first in DragonSword: Awakening?
Prioritise Cerese, because her Bond Quest unlocks the Tower of Trials and with it your entire Karma material economy.
Are any DragonSword: Awakening characters missable?
Heroes themselves are not missable, but Castella's final loyalty mission is — it requires the Dusty Locket before Chapter 4, and there is no New Game Plus.
Are the new heroes free?
Yes. Ryza, Jerome, Veronica and Logan are included with the full version rather than sold as character DLC.