In the late game, because Tanks need to activate invincibility as soon as possible, their Speed is particularly important. However, characters with high speed are mostly obtained very late or are from major instances.
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The current fastest cards are:

NO.13 Journey to the West * 《Havoc in Heaven》 Nezha 5.2
NO.11 Eldermyst * 《Shadow Throne》 Mav's Shadow 5.0
NO.0 Special (6666) Zhao Yun 4.9
NO.12 Superhero * Neo Haven Crimson Nightmare 4.9
NO.5 Liaozhai Tales * 《Ghost temple》 Su Su 4.7
NO.12 Superhero * Mutant Academy Pale Phoenix 4.7
NO.11 Eldermyst * Grimscar Hold Sylva Duskwhisper 4.6



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Recommended easily obtainable early-game high-speed cards:

NO.0 Special (6666) Zhao Yun 4.9
NO.6 Japan's Warring * Edo Hattori Hanzo 4.1
NO.2 Martial jianghu * Huashan Young Master Linghu 4.0
NO.1 Three kingdoms * Jianye Little Joe 3.7
NO.1 Three kingdoms * Luoyang Lu Bu 3.6

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The newly added Zhao Yun will be a massive blessing for new accounts. Obtainable right at the start, and once obtained, it's endgame-ready—overpowered.

Others, like Lu Bu and Young Swordsman Linghu, can be acquired very early. Coupled with Hattori Hanzo, they serve excellently as early-game physical multi-core (sub-DPS) units.

In the mid-game, after obtaining the Invincibility skill from Undying Merit (now 95% damage reduction), I would have Hattori Hanzo transition into a high-speed Tank.

In this game, Toughness is reflected in the two stats Con and Men. Their contribution to HP is almost 1:1. Beyond that, they affect Physical and Magic defense. I tend to view these two stats as one. Therefore, a card's durability is the sum of its Con and Men.

Simultaneously, Tanks are very dependent on Speed, whether it's for activating invincibility in the mid-to-late game, or for self-shielding and percentage-based self-healing in the early game. High speed is absolutely essential. Therefore, it's recommended to choose cards with a Speed of 3 or higher for your main lineup. However, since Adjutant do not benefit from Speed bonuses, you can ignore Speed when selecting them and just consider absolute durability.

Recommended Adjutant (for a dual-Tank setup):

NO.12 Superhero * Neo Haven Rage Colossus 7.6
While hes Toughness doesn't look high, all 4 of its talents are damage reduction. He is the Chosen Adjutant (the main general inherits part of the secondary general's talents)

NO.5 Liaozhai Tales * 《Ghost temple》 Granny 8.4

NO.13 Journey to the West * Flaming Mountain Princess lron Fan 5.3


The strongest late-game Tanks are:

NO.3 Mojin * 《Royal mausoleum》 Ying Zheng [Speed 3.5] [Toughness 7.0]


NO.11 Eldermyst * Veytharis Liora Moonflare [Speed 3.6] [Durability 6.9]
NO.12 Superhero * Darkborn lsle Scion [Speed 4.3] [Durability 6.8]
These two are very comfortable as main Tanks. While not the highest in raw durability, their Speed is far ahead.

Although Ying Zheng can be obtained as early as Chapter 3, the actual difficulty is very high, requiring 40 fragments. At least personally, my new save file is about to reach Chapter 11 and I still haven't collected that many (mainly too busy with other things in game). There are many other upgrades to pursue. So, the acquisition difficulty for these is roughly similar.

Recommended for early game:

NO.3 Mojin * Yanjing Qin Yu 5.4
NO.5 Liaozhai Tales * Tushan Xin Shisiniang 5.4
NO.7 WWll Vicissitudes * Berlin Donitz 5.4
NO.3 Mojin * Changsha Lin Yue 5.3

However, among these, Qin Yu's Lv.4 Collection talent is very demanded, making him more suited for earning cash. Many players choose Xin Shisiniang to be a healer/summoner.

Additionally, Zhao Yun, Lu Bu, Linghu, and Hattori Hanzo, mentioned in the Speed section, although their durability (4+) isn't as high as the ones above, they still have decent durability. Their Speed is also good, especially Zhao Yun and Linghu, Hattori Hanzo, who are all exceed 4. They are highly recommended to transition from DPS to Tank and can be used until the mid-to-late game.

For physical damage output, my calculation method is Strength multiplied by Speed. There might be some deviation, but it's generally accurate.

The originally strongest characters were mostly obtainable very late or from major instances, making them difficult to acquire. However, there is now the overpowered Zhao Yun, obtainable right from the start:

NO.13 Journey to the West * 《Havoc in Heaven》 Sun Wukong 23.3
NO.0 Special (6666) Zhao Yun 23.0
NO.11 Eldermyst * 《Shadow Throne》 Shadow of Yserdan 22.5
NO.11 Eldermyst * 《Shadow Throne》 Mav's Shadow 22.5
NO.11 Eldermyst * Grimscar Hold Sylva Duskwhisper 21.6

Previously, I might have recommended Lu Bu or Linghu, etc. But now, with the protagonist and Zhao Yun, there's absolutely no need to consider any other physical damage dealers. You're essentially set from the beginning. The physical start is quite comfortable now. For those pursuing the absolute limit, Sun Wukong could replace Zhao Yun in the very late game, but honestly, the difference is minimal. Furthermore, in the late game, damage output relies almost entirely on the protagonist alone, so having a secondary damage dealer isn't very important anyway.

Similarly to physical damage, magic damage output is calculated by Intelligence multiplied by Agility.

The strongest mages are (though personally, I prefer using them as Summoners for support):
NO.12 Superhero * Neo Haven Crimson Nightmare 22.1
NO.13 Journey to the West * Great Temple Zixia 21.6
NO.12 Superhero * Mutant Academy Pale Phoenix 20.2
NO.12 Superhero * Mutant Academy Metal Lord 17.1
NO.11 Eldermyst * Veytharis Kaelis Emberwing 16.0
NO.13 Journey to the West * Flaming Mountain Princess lron Fan 16.0
NO.13 Journey to the West * Great Temple Taishang Laojun 15.4
NO.1 Three kingdoms * Chengdu Zhuge Liang 15.2

Zhuge Liang is quite overpowered. As a super, super, super early-game card, his damage output competes with a group of late-game cards. However, as a rare R&D 4-star, his importance is undeniable. So, research and development is his true destiny, especially in the resource-starved early game.

Therefore, the recommended early-game cards are (excluding those with high R&D):
NO.4 Crusades * Dama Saladin 14.0
NO.5 Liaozhai Tales * Tushan Xiao Cui 11.9
NO.3 Mojin * Yanjing Ling Xue 11.2
NO.2 Martial jianghu * Wudang Wuji 10.5
NO.5 Liaozhai Tales * Tushan Xin Shisiniang 10.2

Among these, Xiaocui and Ling Xue have Lv. 3 Research; Wuji has Lv. 3 Forging.
Therefore, I personally lean towards using Saladin (Lv. 4 Stratagem) and Xin Shisiniang (Lv. 3 Commerce). Stratagem isn't very useful early on, and there are plenty of high-Stratagem cards with no other use in later WWII maps. Making money through Commerce is also much slower than through the Exhibition Hall's Collection mechanic. These two are very qualified as healers/summoners in the early game.

It must be said, every character on the magic damage output ranking is talented in some specific area. They basically all start with at least a 3-star rating in some stat.

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Additionally, to supplement: if you reach the late game and unlock all talents, for adjutant, attributes become less important than talents. For the magical Summoner class, I personally recommend:

NO.13 Journey to the West * Great Temple Chang'e
NO.11 Eldermyst * 《Shadow Throne》 Kel'garde

Nie Xiaoqian also has some talent bonuses, but they are not as good as the two above.

This sheet is just for fun, the almighty Ying Zheng wins the championship with ease. He truly is an all-purpose card. While not as specialized as the top-tier cards mentioned before, he can substitute for nearly any role.

Furthermore, it’s now impossible not to mention Zhao Yun—obtainable right from the start and ridiculously overpowered. His total capability value is surprisingly second only to the Supreme Ancestor's. What’s more, he comes with two alternate skins immediately upon acquisition. Factoring in those bonuses, it’s no exaggeration to say he could rank first in total combat capability the moment you get him.

Since I've been asked multiple times and the 1000-word reply limit is a bit restrictive, I’ll just post this directly in the guide.
I want to make it clear that my choices aren’t necessarily “correct”—they’re based on my own understanding and my specific goal (stable level-jumping farming as much as possible). If your goals differ from mine, or if you’re at a different stage of the game, my setup may not suit you. My selections are for reference only.
(My lineup is meant for the very, very endgame. If you’re still in the mid-game phase, don’t overthink talents—focus mainly on attributes. Refer to the high-attribute characters in this guide. Only when you’ve unlocked almost all talents should you consider optimizing like I have.)

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**MC - Emperor**
Adjutants - Sun Wukong - Emperor
(MC started as Archer, using AoE skills. After switching to Emperor, use Boxing AoE and single-target burst—switch based on whether you're clearing mobs or focusing a single target.
Just equip Adjutants with full Neutral skills.)

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**Tank 1 - Liora Moonflare - Heaven Emperor**
Adjutants - Rage Colossus - Heaven Emperor
(Must include an invincibility skill. Depending on your needs, you can also bring Stoneheart <Mutant Skills> for 100% self-heal, and Drakewhisper Hammer <Cao Wei> for boss stuns if needed. Remaining slots can be filled with various party buffs.
Just equip Adjutants with full Neutral skills.)

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**Tank 2 - Scion - Heaven Emperor**
Adjutants - Princess Iron Fan - Heaven Emperor
(Same as Tank 1)

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**Summoner 1 - Crimson Nightmare - Immortals**
Adjutants - Chang'e - Immortals
(Must-include skill: Dreamrift Awakening. Use the remaining slots for team support skills.)

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**Summoner 2 - Pale Phoenix - Immortals**
Adjutants - Kel'garde - Immortals
(Same as Summoner 1)

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**Flex Slot - Zhao Yun - Creator**
Adjutants - Liu Bei - Creator
(The last slot is flexible. Depending on game progress, I’ve used Zhao Yun here as Archer, Tank, and Healer. He ended up as a support.
He was initially valued for high speed and high attack, but ultimately became essential for his talent that greatly reduces cooldowns.)