In AFK Arena, engraving has become one of the most important late-game progression systems. It allows players to strengthen their heroes by unlocking powerful stat bonuses and exclusive abilities. Deciding which heroes to prioritize for engraving can be challenging, especially for those managing limited resources. Understanding engraving priority in AFK Arena is crucial to building an efficient, competitive team that performs well in PvE and PvP modes alike. This guide explores how engraving works, which heroes deserve priority, and what strategies to follow to maximize your investment.
Understanding Engraving in AFK Arena
Engraving is a feature unlocked after a hero reaches Ascended tier and level 240. It allows players to enhance a hero’s stats such as attack, defense, accuracy, and health by using Engraving Resources like Primordial and Amplifying Emblems. As engraving levels increase, heroes can also unlock special abilities known as engraving bonuses, often linked to their signature skills.
Engraving levels are divided into milestones E30, E60, E80, and E100 each offering significant power boosts. However, reaching higher engraving levels requires a huge number of emblems, so players must choose carefully which heroes to prioritize. Proper engraving priority ensures that your resources yield the best performance improvements.
How Engraving Priority Works
Not every hero in AFK Arena benefits equally from engraving. Some heroes gain enormous power boosts from early engraving levels, while others only see marginal improvements. The idea of engraving priority refers to determining which heroes should be upgraded first to maximize overall team efficiency.
Engraving priority depends on several factors
- The hero’s overall impact in battles and meta relevance
- The strength of their engraving bonuses
- Resource availability and emblem cost
- Synergy with other heroes in your team
In general, heroes that serve as main damage dealers or essential supports are given the highest priority, while situational or niche heroes can wait until later.
Top Engraving Priorities for Damage Dealers
Damage dealers are usually the core of any team composition in AFK Arena, and their performance directly determines your progress. Heroes with powerful engraving bonuses that significantly boost damage output are worth investing in early.
Ainz Ooal Gown
Ainz benefits massively from engraving, especially at E30 and E60. His ultimate ability receives cooldown reductions and damage boosts, making him one of the most devastating heroes in both PvE and PvP content. Prioritizing Ainz ensures consistent high burst damage across multiple battles.
Lucretia
Lucretia’s engraving bonuses enhance her self-buffing and survivability, allowing her to solo or carry teams through challenging stages. She scales incredibly well with higher engravings, especially when used in the popular Lucretia cheese comp. She’s a top-tier engraving priority for endgame players.
Thoran
Thoran’s E30 unlocks key stats that improve his tanking and damage-reflection potential. In Thoran cheese strategies, his engraving level determines how much damage he can return, making it a high priority for players relying on this setup.
Best Support Heroes for Engraving
Support heroes play a critical role by healing, buffing, or controlling enemies. Engraving them can drastically improve survivability and battle consistency. Some of the most valuable supports benefit greatly from early engraving investments.
Rowan
Rowan’s engraving increases his survivability and energy recovery rate, ensuring that his energy potions are available more frequently. His E30 is affordable yet impactful, making him an excellent first choice for engraving investment among supports.
Alna
Alna’s engraving upgrades amplify her team-wide defensive buffs and frost debuffs on enemies. Her E30 bonus is especially crucial for protecting allies during difficult campaign stages or boss battles. For PvP and boss fights, Alna’s engraving provides incredible value.
Silas
Silas benefits significantly from engraving, especially at E60, where he gains extra attack boosts and improved healing. His synergy with undead heroes and burst damage teams makes him a high priority for engraving in late-game content.
Important Tanks for Engraving
Tanks anchor your formation, absorbing enemy attacks while protecting fragile damage dealers. Although they may not deal much damage, the right engraving levels can turn them into unbreakable walls with powerful utility.
Grezhul
Grezhul’s engraving bonuses enhance his shield generation and damage absorption. His skeleton summons also become stronger, providing additional pressure on the battlefield. At E60, he becomes a stable tank suitable for both campaign and boss battles.
Arthur
Arthur’s engraving boosts his defensive stats and team buff duration, helping allies withstand more damage. His synergy with lightbearer heroes, especially Gwyneth, makes him a solid engraving investment if you rely on that faction’s compositions.
Engraving Priority by Stage of Progression
The best engraving priority also depends on where you are in the game. Early, mid, and late game stages all require slightly different approaches. Here’s a simplified guideline for engraving order based on progression
- Early Game (Player Level 240-300)Focus on one main carry like Ainz, Lucretia, or Thoran to maximize campaign progress. Don’t spread resources too thin.
- Mid Game (Player Level 300-360)Begin engraving supports such as Rowan, Silas, and Alna to stabilize your formation and improve sustainability.
- Late Game (Player Level 360+)Diversify engravings across meta heroes, tanks, and situational counters for PvP and Tower of Esperia.
Resource Management for Engraving
Engraving consumes a significant amount of Primordial and Amplifying Emblems, so efficient resource management is vital. Daily and weekly quests, events, and Voyage of Wonders often provide emblem rewards. Always prioritize engraving levels that unlock impactful skills rather than chasing full E100 levels for all heroes.
Another smart strategy is to monitor game updates. When new heroes are released, they may come with powerful engraving bonuses that can shift the meta. Keeping a few emblems in reserve ensures you can react to these changes without falling behind.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Players often make mistakes that slow down their engraving progress. Some of the most common include
- Engraving too many heroes at once instead of focusing on key priorities
- Investing heavily in non-meta heroes with poor engraving bonuses
- Ignoring resource efficiency and spending emblems on weak upgrades
- Skipping key engraving milestones like E30 or E60
Avoiding these pitfalls ensures steady power growth and better long-term results in all game modes.
Understanding AFK Arena engraving priority is essential for maximizing your team’s strength and resource efficiency. The best approach is to focus first on main carries like Ainz and Lucretia, followed by supports such as Rowan and Alna, and then tanks like Grezhul or Arthur. Strategic engraving choices ensure that your heroes reach their full potential, helping you conquer every mode from campaign stages to the Arena of Heroes with consistency and power.