DragonSword: Awakening New Heroes
Quick answer
Four new DragonSword: Awakening heroes — Ryza, Jerome, Veronica and Logan — are planned for the second half of 2026 and are included with the full game rather than sold as DLC. Ryza is confirmed to receive a Hero Quest, following one focused on Othello. Individual release dates have not been announced.
Updated · Verified on Patch 1.0.x · Sources: in-game testing, Steam store page, Hound13 announcements
Four heroes are coming to DragonSword: Awakening, they are free, and this page will be complete within two hours of each one going live. Here is what is actually confirmed today.
What is confirmed
| Hero | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ryza | Announced | Confirmed to receive a Hero Quest, following the Othello quest |
| Jerome | Announced | No further detail published |
| Veronica | Announced | No further detail published |
| Logan | Announced | No further detail published |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free — included with the full version, not paid character DLC |
| Timing | Second half of 2026 |
| Individual dates | Not announced |
| Release order | Not confirmed; Ryza is the only one tied to a named quest so far |
| Elements, roles, ailments | Not published |
Why "free" matters here
Selling characters is the default revenue model for a game with a 19-hero roster. Hound13 is not doing it: the four heroes are included with the full version rather than sold as paid character DLC.
That is consistent with the rest of DragonSword: Awakening's monetisation — no gacha, no summoning, no premium currency, cosmetics only. See is it gacha.
Practically, it means every player will have access to the same 23-hero roster once all four ship, regardless of spending. It also means the tier list will need a genuine re-evaluation rather than four appended rows.
What we are not going to tell you
We do not know these heroes' elements, roles, or which status ailments they apply. Nothing has been published about any of that.
Since ailment application is the single largest determinant of a hero's value in DragonSword: Awakening, anyone publishing a "Ryza build guide" or ranking these heroes today is inventing the data the guide depends on. We will not do that.
What we will do is fill this page in properly the moment there is something real to fill it with.
What we will publish, and when
Within two hours of each hero going live:
- Element, role and applied ailments, verified in-game
- Where they fit in the setup / break / burst structure — see best team comps
- Karma element requirement, since Karma must match a hero's element
- Gear affix priority based on their role
- Addition to the roster page and the team builder
Within 24 hours:
- A full hero page
- A re-evaluated tier list, with the previous version kept accessible
Hero Quests
New Hero Quests are arriving alongside the roster additions, expanding the story past the main campaign. The first is focused on Othello — an existing launch hero — followed by one centred on Ryza.
This is worth noting for two reasons: it gives existing heroes new content rather than only serving the new ones, and an Othello quest may finally clarify his kit, which is currently one of the roster entries we list as unverified.
How to be ready
- Bank materials rather than spending them on a hero you might replace — see upgrade priority
- Hold duplicate Karma cards; they are ascension currency
- Keep a working team composition rather than chasing rankings
Why four free heroes changes the tier list more than usual
Adding heroes to DragonSword: Awakening is not additive in the way it is in most RPGs, because value here is relational. A hero's worth depends on which status ailment they apply and whether your other two heroes answer it.
That means a new hero can raise or lower an existing one without any balance change. If Ryza applies Freeze, Cerese's position weakens through competition. If one of the four fills the break role well, every burst hero in the roster gets better, because break is the slot most teams are missing.
This is why we re-evaluate the tier list rather than appending rows when the roster changes — and why we will not guess at these heroes' kits in advance.
FAQ
Who are the new DragonSword: Awakening heroes?
Ryza, Jerome, Veronica and Logan, planned across the second half of 2026.
Are the new DragonSword: Awakening heroes free?
Yes. All four are included with the full version rather than sold as paid character DLC.
When is Ryza released in DragonSword: Awakening?
No individual date has been announced. Hound13 has committed only to the second half of 2026, and Ryza is confirmed to receive a Hero Quest following the Othello quest.
What element or role are the new heroes?
Not published. Since ailment application drives most of a hero's value, we will not speculate — this page updates within two hours of each release.