RAID Beginner Guide
Everything a new player needs to know. Which starter to pick, how to spend resources, daily priorities and the first 30 days roadmap — straight from Jay, no BS.
Welcome to RAID: Shadow Legends! This game has over 800 champions, dozens of dungeons, and years of content. It can feel overwhelming. But here's the truth: RAID rewards consistent, smart play more than spending money. Free-to-play players can reach endgame content — I did, and this guide will show you exactly how. Follow these eight steps and you'll build a solid account without wasting resources or time.
1. Pick the Right Starter Champion
Your very first decision in RAID: Shadow Legends is choosing one of four starter champions: Kael, Elhain, Athel, or Galek. This choice matters more than you think — your starter will carry you through the first several months of gameplay.
Pick Kael. He's the best all-around starter. His poison skills on A1 and A3 deal massive damage to bosses (Clan Boss, Dragon, Ice Golem) and make him viable well into the mid and late game. Elhain is decent for campaign farming with her two AoE attacks, but falls off hard against high-HP bosses. Athel has some niche use in Fire Knight thanks to her triple-hit A1. Galek is the weakest — don't pick Galek.
If you've already picked a different starter, don't worry — you can still progress. But if you're starting fresh: Kael. Every time.
2. Focus Resources on 5-6 Champions
The #1 beginner mistake in RAID is spreading resources too thin. You'll be excited about every new champion you pull — but leveling up 20 different characters at once means none of them are strong enough to actually progress.
Your priority should be: max five or six champions first. Specifically, you want to build one champion to level 60 before anything else. That level 60 champion (your starter — Kael) can then carry three "food" champions through the campaign to level them up. This is called "campaign farming" and it's the fastest way to level food.
A solid early-game team looks like this:
- Damage dealer (Kael — your starter, level 60 first)
- Speed lead / turn meter booster (High Khatun — free login reward at day 30)
- Decrease Defense (Warmaiden — farmable from campaign stage 9)
- Healer / reviver (any healer you pull early)
- Second damage / support (flex slot — whatever you need)
3. Join a Clan Immediately
This cannot be stressed enough: join a clan on day one. The Clan Boss is the single most important source of daily rewards in RAID. Every day you hit the Clan Boss, you get a chest with shards, books, gems, and gear.
Look for an active clan that's killing the difficulty you can contribute to — even Easy or Normal Clan Boss gives valuable rewards for a new account. As your team improves, move to clans killing higher difficulties.
Even minimal damage from a new account is worth it. The clan benefits from having more members (more activity), and you benefit from the chests. It's a pure win-win.
Clan activities also include Clan Wars and Hydra Clan Boss later on, but for now — just hitting the regular Clan Boss daily is your priority.
4. Masteries Before Gear
New players often obsess over gear sets and substats while ignoring masteries. That's backwards. Full masteries on one champion are worth more than full 6-star gear with no masteries.
Your first 800 gems should be spent on buying full masteries for your starter champion (Kael). Don't buy masteries with gems for subsequent champions — instead, farm them in the Minotaur's Labyrinth (stage 15). But for your very first level 60 champion, spending 800 gems on masteries is the single best investment in the game.
The Warmaster / Giant Slayer mastery (tier 6 offense) adds a chance to deal bonus damage equal to enemy max HP on every hit. Against Clan Boss with millions of HP, this can be hundreds of thousands of extra damage per hit. It completely transforms your damage output.
5. Save Shards for 2x Events
RAID runs regular summoning events — 2x chance for Legendary champions, 2x chance for Epic champions, and 10x chance for specific champions. Never pull shards outside of these events.
Here's how to use each shard type:
- Mystery Shards (green): Pull freely — use for daily quests and food. No need to hoard.
- Ancient Shards (blue): Only pull during 2x Ancient events. Never pull them at normal rates.
- Void Shards (purple): Only pull during 2x Void events. Void champions are the rarest — maximize your odds.
- Sacred Shards (gold): Only pull during 2x Sacred events or guaranteed champion events. Sacred shards are extremely valuable — don't waste them.
Patience here pays off massively. A player who saves shards for 2x events will have roughly twice as many epic and legendary champions as someone who pulls immediately. The game is a marathon, not a sprint.
6. Speed Is Everything
In RAID, going first usually means winning. The team that takes more turns will apply more debuffs, deal more damage, and control the fight. This is especially true in Arena, but also matters in Dungeons and Clan Boss.
Always prioritize Speed as the primary stat on boots for every single champion, unless you have a very specific speed-tuned team that requires ATK% or DEF% boots. Speed boots are the single most important piece of gear in the game.
Your turn meter booster (like High Khatun, Apothecary, or Deacon Armstrong) should be your fastest champion — aim for 200+ Speed on them early on, and 250-300+ Speed later. The rest of your team should be within 30% of your booster's Speed to avoid getting cut (enemy team taking a turn between your booster and your nuker).
This is called "speed tuning" — and while it seems complex, the basic rule is simple: Speed boots on everyone, your booster fastest, everyone else close behind.
7. Daily Priorities — What to Do Every Day
RAID has a lot of content and it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Here's a simple daily checklist for new players:
- Daily Quests — Complete all daily quests for gems, energy, and XP. Takes about 15-20 minutes.
- Clan Boss — Use all 4 keys every day. This is your #1 reward source.
- Arena — Use all arena tokens. Even losses give you Great Hall medals that permanently boost your stats. Drop your defense to 1 champion so you stay in a farmable tier.
- Campaign Farming — Spend remaining energy farming campaign stage 12-3 (Brutal difficulty) for silver and XP. This is the most energy-efficient silver farm in the game.
- Faction Wars — Do what you can. Even the first few stages give glyphs that boost your gear stats.
- Doom Tower — Progress as far as you can. Even the first few floors give valuable resources.
That's it. Don't try to do everything at once. Focus on these six things daily and your account will progress steadily.
8. Use Your Promo Codes
RAID regularly releases new player promo codes that give free champions, shards, energy, and silver. Currently, the best active code is WEHARTU — this gives you Folan Silverhart (Legendary) plus additional starter bonuses.
Enter codes during registration or immediately after starting. You can only use one new player code per account, so pick the best available one.
Also check for limited-time collaboration codes — RAID frequently runs events with franchises like Masters of the Universe, Monster Hunter, and more. These often come with exclusive champions you can't get any other way.
Visit our RAID Promo Codes page for the full, regularly updated list.
FAQ
What is the best starter champion in RAID: Shadow Legends 2026?
Kael is the best starter champion in RAID: Shadow Legends. His poison skills on A1 and A3 deal massive damage to bosses (Clan Boss, Dragon, Ice Golem) and make him viable well into the mid and late game. Pick Kael every time — don't pick Galek.
What is the RAID Shadow Legends beginner priority list and checklist for 2026?
The beginner priority checklist is: (1) Pick Kael as your starter, (2) Focus resources on 5-6 champions max, (3) Join a clan immediately for Clan Boss rewards, (4) Buy masteries for Kael with 800 gems, (5) Save shards for 2x summoning events, (6) Prioritize Speed on all boots, (7) Complete daily quests and use all Clan Boss keys, (8) Use promo code WEHARTU for a free Legendary champion. Follow this checklist and you'll have a solid account within 30 days.
How do you level Kael to 6 stars in RAID Shadow Legends?
To level Kael to 6 stars, you need 5 level 5-star champions as 'food'. Farm campaign Stage 12-3 on Brutal difficulty with Kael as your lead — he can solo this stage while carrying 3 food champions. Use XP brews from daily quests to speed up the process. Getting Kael to 6 stars is the single most important early-game milestone — it unlocks his full damage potential and lets him farm higher campaign stages for more silver and XP.
What artifacts should you farm first in RAID Shadow Legends?
The first artifact priority is a full Speed set on your turn meter booster (boots with Speed as the primary stat). After that, farm a Lifesteal set for Kael so he can self-sustain in campaign and early dungeons. The most important artifact stat in the game is Speed — always prioritize Speed boots on every champion. Farm Dragon's Lair for Speed sets and Lifesteal sets.
What is the best beginner team in RAID Shadow Legends?
The best beginner team is: Kael (damage dealer, your starter), High Khatun (speed lead, free at day 30), Warmaiden (Decrease DEF, farmable from campaign stage 9), a healer or reviver you pull early, and a flex slot. This team can clear campaign, early dungeons, and contribute to Clan Boss. Don't spread resources — max these 5 before building anyone else.
How should you spend gems as a beginner in RAID Shadow Legends?
Your first 800 gems should go to buying full masteries for Kael — this is the single best gem investment in the game. After that, spend gems on gem mine upgrades (up to level 3) for passive income, and save the rest for energy refills during 2x events. Never spend gems on shards — you'll get plenty from daily quests and Clan Boss chests.
Is RAID: Shadow Legends free to play?
Yes — RAID is completely free to play on PC and mobile. Free-to-play players can reach Gold Arena, clear all Dungeon levels, and deal serious Clan Boss damage. Use promo code WEHARTU to get Folan Silverhart (Legendary champion) for free when you start.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
RAID is free on PC and mobile. Pick Kael, use code WEHARTU, and follow this guide — you'll have a solid account within 30 days.
🎁 New players: use code WEHARTU for Folan Silverhart (Legendary)!
Play RAID Free NowAffiliate link — Jay earns a commission at no extra cost to you