RAID: Shadow Legends Faction Wars Hard Mode Guide - Version 10.45.0

Faction Wars Hard Mode is now being introduced in RAID: Shadow Legends, and this one is for those of you who love more challenges. It brings excitement and sharpens the existing Faction Wars game mode. So, if you are a RAID: Shadow Legends beginner trying to become more familiar with this mode and its mechanisms, this guide is for you.

What is Faction Wars Hard Mode?

So, what is this RAID: Shadow Legends Faction Wars Hard Mode? It is known as an advanced difficulty tier for the Faction Wars game mode, and you have to use the champions in the RAID: Shadow Legends tier list from specific factions to battle through 21 stages. These stages and battles happen within each faction’s Crypt, facing demonic Crypt Keepers and their minions. The Hard Mode is not like the normal mode, as it features some of the most challenging enemies and unique stage challenges. At the same time, it also brings some well-crafted rewards. So basically, this is content for the endgame players with well-developed rosters and optimized gear.

Key Features

The key features of this mode are included with:

• Increased Difficulty: Enemies are significantly stronger, with higher stats and more complex abilities, requiring precise team compositions and tactics.

• Unique Stage Challenges: To earn the maximum 3 stars per stage, players must fulfill specific conditions beyond simply winning without losing champions.

• Exclusive Rewards: Hard Mode offers high-value loot, including Rank 6 Glyphs, Spiteful Remains for crafting new Relics, and a Mythical Champion, Polara Fireheart.

• Prerequisite: Players must complete all Normal Mode Faction Wars Crypts (earning Lydia the Deathsiren) to unlock Hard Mode. If new factions are added, Normal Mode must also be completed so that those factions can access their Hard Mode Crypts.

Mechanics and Requirements for the Factions Wars Hard Mode

As we already said, this mode doesn’t operate like your usual game modes, and it requires unlocking under certain conditions and with the use of crypt keys. So, here are the primary mechanisms of this mode.

• Unlocking Hard Mode: You have to complete all 21 stages of each faction’s Crypt in Normal Mode with three stars to claim Lydia the Deathsiren. Then it unlocks Hard Mode for all current and future factions, provided Normal Mode is completed for any new factions.

• Crypt Keys: Hard Mode uses the same Crypt Keys as Normal Mode, and there are 12 keys provided to you on a daily basis at 00:00 UTC. Keys are going to be shared across both difficulties, so you have to be very careful and prioritize their use. It’s recommended that you save the keys before the daily reset on update day, so you can maximize the Hard Mode attempts.

• Multi-Battle: Hard Mode s Multi-Battle mode so you can automate up to 30 daily attempts. More can be achieved with a Raid Card. But this is limited by the currently available Crypt Keys, and stages must be beaten manually or on Auto once before Multi-Battle can be used.

Stages and Star System

All 15 faction crypts come with 21 stages, and they all have boss stages in the stages of 7,14, and 21. You can earn 3 stars at each stage. There are conditions that you must accomplish before you claim these stars, and they will vary by faction as well as by your stage. So it basically requires different types of strategies and champion builds.

The general star conditions here are

• 2 Stars: Complete the stage without losing any champions.

• 3 Stars: Fulfill an additional stage-specific condition, such as:

• Placing 10+ Stun debuffs.

• Killing enemies after stripping their buffs.

• Preventing enemy healing.

• Applying specific debuffs (e.g., Poison, HP Burn).

• Using only Rare champions or champions from specific factions.

A star progress bar at the bottom of the Faction Wars interface tracks your performance across all Crypts. Earning all 3 stars in every stage unlocks Polara Fireheart.

Crypt Keepers and Bosses

Hard Mode introduces enhanced Crypt Keepers with unique combat styles, and this is making boss stages in the 7, 14th and 21st stages more challenging. (7, 14, 21) particularly challenging.

Examples for them are included with:

• The Mirrorer: Places Fear or True Fear on your team, which can’t be resisted but can be blocked or removed. Requires Block Debuffs or debuff cleansing.

• The Protector: s minions whose damage scales with the target’s HP. Minions without killing them to avoid the Protector gaining a Block Damage buff.

• The Dueler: Stuns all enemies except one, ignoring Resistance. Use Block Debuffs, debuff removal, or healers to counter high-damage, HP-based attacks.

• Tainted Crypt Keepers: New bosses with faction-specific mechanics, requiring adaptive strategies.

Rewards to be Claimed

Hard Mode offers significantly improved rewards compared to Normal Mode, so they can be really helpful towards your endgame content. So the rewards you obtain here are included with:

• Rank 6 Glyphs: Available in Rare, Epic, and Legendary rarities, and these glyphs enhance artifact substats and can only be used on Rank 6 gear. They provide higher stat bonuses than Normal Mode glyphs, which is ideal for optimizing top-tier champions.

• Spiteful Remains: Crafting materials exclusive to Hard Mode, used in the Forge to craft eight new Faction Wars Relics (2 Rare, 2 Epic, 2 Legendary, 2 Mythical). Examples include:

• Torch of Thralldom: Boosts control abilities.

• Mind of Marquaat: Enhances strategic buffs.

• Eternal Soulgaol: Improves survivability.

• Codex Luminis: Increases damage output.

• Artifact Crafting Materials: These are used to craft gear sets like Resilience (HP +10%, DEF +10%) and Perception (ACC +40, SPD +5%), enhancing team performance.

• One-Time Rewards: Clearing stages 7, 14, and 21 for the first time grants additional loot, such as Shards, Soulstones, and Skill Tomes.

Mythical Champion: Polara Fireheart

If you managed to earn stars from all stages in the Faction Wars hard mode, then you are allowed to earn a mythical champion named Polara Fireheart. This new champion, Polara Fireheart, is a Sacred Order Mythical Champion and is very versatile towards the PvP content. She is also doing great for the arena content as well, so your efforts can be simplified in the hard mode with her efforts. And she comes with dual forms:

• Base Form: Deals fire-based damage, focusing on burning enemies.

• Alternate Form: Delivers ice-based attacks, emphasizing crowd control and debuffs.

Best Teams for the Faction Wars Hard Mode 

Hard Mode demands a deep roster, optimized gear, and strategic planning. So, it means you need a better team by your side to tackle all these challenges.

So, you can consider these conditions when creating a core role.

• Revivers: Champions like Gorgorab (Undead Hordes) or Cardinal (Sacred Order) are critical for sustaining teams through tough waves. Ensure they have high RES to avoid debuffs.

• Crowd Control: AoE Stun, Freeze, or Sleep champions like Miscreant Monster disrupt enemy waves, reducing incoming damage. High ACC is essential to land debuffs.

• Debuffers: Champions with Poison, HP Burn, or Decrease DEF, like Elenaril and Zavia, maximize damage. The new “Activate” effect allows instant Poison/HP Burn damage, enhancing its impact.

• Healers/Cleansers: Counter enemy debuffs like Fear or Stun with champions who can heal or remove debuffs (e.g., Scyl of the Drakes).

• Damage Dealers: High-damage champions with faction-specific synergy (e.g., Kael for Dark Elves) are vital for boss stages.

Faction Synergy: Since Hard Mode restricts teams to one faction, prioritize champions with complementary skills. Check faction-specific tier lists (e.g., HellHades, AyumiLove) for optimal picks.

Rarity Conditions: Some stages require Rare or Epic champions, so invest in strong lower-rarity options like Coldheart (Dark Elves) or Warmaiden (Barbarians).

that some of these champions are hard to acquire because of their low drop rates, and if you are struggling to collect them in your gameplay, the best thing you can do is to go for the Multi-Instance Sync feature. Since it can create different instances of the same game to be operated at once, you will quickly and efficiently collect your high-rarity heroes without any issue.

Conclusion

Faction Wars Hard Mode in RAID: Shadow Legends is such a powerful challenge that rewards dedication with game-changing loot and exclusive offers. Now that you have a clear idea of what is happening there and how to handle them perfectly with this guide, take your chance. Make the challenges to your favor and rise with more rewards today.