Choosing your starter Champion is the first major decision you will make in RAID: Shadow Legends.
One of the first truly important decisions you’ll make in RAID: Shadow Legends happens right at the beginning.
Before you dive deeper into champions, dungeons, and team-building, the game asks you to make your first major choice: which starter champion should you pick?
Your options are:
- Kael
- Elhain
- Galek
- Athel
And while you’ll eventually unlock many stronger champions, this first decision can have a noticeable impact on how smooth your early progression feels.
If you’re just getting started, it’s also worth checking out the current RAID quests on Lootday before jumping in.
Since your starter champion directly affects how efficiently you can hit early milestones, the right choice can also make it easier to complete Lootday quests along the way.
Why your starter choice matters
Your starter champion will carry you through your first hours and often your first weeks.
They help you:
- clear campaign stages efficiently
- farm early dungeons
- build up resources
- win early Arena fights
- progress through important milestones faster
A strong starter doesn’t just save time – it makes your entire early-game experience much smoother.
Kael – the best all-round choice
If you’re looking for the safest and strongest overall option, Kael is still the clear recommendation for most players.
Why Kael is so strong:
- strong AoE damage
- Poison debuffs for boss fights
- excellent for clan boss
- remains useful later on
- powerful early- and mid-game performance
Kael scales much better into the mid-game than most other starters.
For new players who want the most efficient possible start, he remains the default recommendation.
Athel – the best alternative
Athel is considered a very strong alternative.
Her strengths include:
- strong single-target damage
- triple-hit attacks
- solid fire knight utility
- reliable performance across many PvE modes
She’s more versatile than many players expect and can be a great choice for players who prefer a slightly more technical playstyle.
That said, she generally doesn’t offer quite the same long-term utility as Kael.
Elhain – great for fast early progress
Elhain is especially appealing if your focus is fast campaign clearing and early Arena success.
Her advantages:
- excellent AoE skills
- fast wave clearing
- strong early arena nuking potential
The downside:
- She tends to lose some relevance later as more advanced PvE content becomes important.
Still, she’s absolutely a viable option for a smooth early start.
Galek – harder to recommend
Galek is by no means unusable. But compared directly to the other options, he usually offers less long-term value.
He does have:
- solid early damage
- decent campaign performance
What he lacks is long-term utility.
Our 2026 recommendation
If your goal is the most efficient possible start, our ranking is pretty clear:
- Kael: the best overall choice for almost every new player
- Athel: a strong alternative with solid long-term value
- Elhain: great for fast early-game progress
- Galek: playable, but usually the weakest long-term option
Why this also matters for Lootday:
A more efficient starter helps you reach early milestones faster and makes certain quest goals easier to complete.
Since the current RAID offers on Lootday include both desktop and Android versions with different milestone requirements, choosing the right starter can make your progression much smoother.
If you’re starting fresh and planning to use Lootday alongside your progress, Kael is the smartest choice for most players.
The good news:
- None of the four starters will ruin your account.
But if you’re asking which option gives you the strongest and most efficient start in 2026, the answer is still pretty clear:
- If you want the most efficient and strongest start in the long run, you should choose Kael.
He remains the champion that helps most new players progress faster and build a stronger foundation for everything that comes next.