Skip to content

Hero

Rowan

Tier AVanguardTank

The Anchor

Rowan tier and best specialization

A

A tier on patch 0.5.12

Rowan is one of the most picked heroes, his runs win in the upper half though less so on SSS difficulty, and he tanks for Stall Aria and Debuff Mages. Players call him the reliable tank against bosses, and a top pick in Endless.

Plays in these tier list comps

Specializations, best first

Picked at rank B and locked for the run. The order weighs what each one does for this hero in the comps that win, not the ability on its own.

  1. AThe Friend PassiveEach Stall trigger adds Max HP and Defense, shared with Tanks and Vanguards from Backup; Stall Aria runs it, 0.5.9 buffed it and Endless play leans on it.
  2. BThe Tectonic ActiveFault Line Shields him, then damages and stuns enemies in front; Debuff Mages runs it and it is his most picked, but its runs win the least.
  3. BThe Protector PassiveEach auto attack builds Shields and then hits for part of them; no published comp uses it, but its runs win the most of his three.

Guides

Tiers are reviewed by hand after each patch (latest: 0.5.12), weighing the runs players share, most of them in Red Rift, the comps that clear the high difficulties, current player tier lists and recent balance changes. All 25 heroes side by side are on the hero tier list.

Rowan is the slowest hero in the game and the point is that he does not need to act: past Stall (10) he regenerates health every second, scaling on both his own Max Health and his Defence. He is Vanguard and Tank at once, so both health and defence rise fast for him with each rank.

Rear Support sends him to the back row

Rear Support gives every hero +75% Defense, but only when Rowan starts in the back row, and Debuff Mages builds its rank S Rowan around it: The Tectonic, Second Wind, Rear Support and no items. Fault Line shields him for 25% of Max HP, 33% before 0.5.4, then deals 50 plus 25% of Max HP plus 200% of Defense plus 100% of Magic to the enemies in front of him, with a 4-second stun.

Each point of Defense adds 2 damage to Fault Line, each point of Max HP only a quarter. Both are his primary stats, so rank S alone adds 90 Defense and 75% of his base health. Second Wind heals him to full after Stall (30), adds 25% Defense and grants 100 Mana toward his 115 Max Mana; 0.5.5 moved it from Stall (35) and raised the Defense from 20%.

The Friend keeps what Stall gives

Stall Aria uses The Friend at rank A: each Stall trigger permanently adds 20 Max HP and 5 Defense. Catalyst of Patience stacks 1 Defense and 1 Magic per trigger onto its 45 Defense and 40 Magic, Stall Certainty makes Stall abilities trigger 6 seconds sooner, and the growing Max HP and Defense both raise the HP/S from Hearty. Sentinel's Plate triples its stats only if he starts alone in the front row, the opposite of what Rear Support asks.

The Backup Only clause makes him a donor: sitting in the reserves, he gives every Tank and Vanguard all the Defense and Max HP the spec has gathered, at the start of combat. Skorn, a Tank, and Rip, a Vanguard, both qualify.

The unused Protector

The Protector, which neither build uses, adds Shields worth 3% of Max HP on every auto attack, then deals bonus damage equal to 75% of his current Shields plus 25% per rank, capped at ten times his Max HP.

Base stats

Health
1000
Defence
54
Attack
31
Crit
15
Magic
0
Range
1
Max mana
115
Mana regen
4

What Rowan gains per rank

A hero climbs C → B → A → S — 3 upgrades in all. Every stat rises at the same rate on every hero, with one exception: the primary stat of the class rises three to four times faster. For Rowan that stat is Health / Defence.

Stat gains per rank and total from C to S for Rowan.
StatsPer rankC → S
Healthprimary+25%+75%
Defenceprimary+30+90
Attack+6+18
Magic+6+18
Attack speed+5+15
Crit+4+12
Mana regen+1+3

Health rises as a percentage of base health; every other stat is a flat addition. The specialization is chosen at rank B, and the class modifier pools open at A and S.

Starting ability

Hearty Passive

After Stall (10), gain 2 (+1 per 100 Max Health, +1 per 15 Defense) HP/S.

Specializations

A hero unlocks one of these at rank B. The choice is locked for the run, and it decides which role the hero ends up playing.

BThe Tectonic

Fault Line Active

Gain 25% Max Health Shields, then deal 50 (+25% Max Health, +200% Defense, +100% Magic) damage and Stun enemies in front of Rowan for 4 seconds.

BThe Protector

The Protector Passive

On auto attack, gain 3% Max Health Shields, then deal bonus damage equal to 75% (+25 per Rank) of current Shields (Max Damage: 1000% Max Health.

AThe Friend

The Friend Passive

On Stall trigger, permanently gain 20 Max HP and 5 Defense. Backup. Backup Only: At start of combat, Tanks and Vanguards gain all Defense and Max HP gained from this ability.

Class upgrades

Picked at rank A and again at rank S. Drawn from the shared pool for the hero class, so two heroes of the same class compete for the same upgrades.

  • Rush Overdrive

    Rush abilities last 3 seconds longer. Backup.

  • Second Wind

    After Stall (30), heal 100% Max HP, gain 100 Mana, and gain +25% Defense.

  • Stall Certainty

    Stall abilities trigger 6 seconds faster. Backup.

  • Stalled Defense

    On Stall trigger, gain 45 Defense.

  • Resolute

    When auto attacked, gain 2 Defense.

  • Distraction

    After Stall (10, Stall 20, Stall 30, Stall 40, and Stall 50): Taunt all enemies.

  • Freezing Presence

    Tanks gain +33% Defense against damage from enemies with Frost. Backup.

  • Spiked

    When auto attacked, deal 50% Defense damage to adjacent enemies.

  • The Best Offense...

    Tanks gain 1 Attack and 1 Magic per 2 Defense they have. Backup.

  • Freezing Aura

    When auto attacked, inflict 1 (+1 per 100 Defense) Frost on the attacker (Max: 6).

  • Freezing Restoration

    When auto attacked by an enemy with Frost, gain 2 HP/S.

  • Poisonous Aura

    When auto attacked, inflict 1 (+1 per 100 Defense) Poison on the attacker (Max: 6).

  • Poisonous Restoration

    When auto attacked by an enemy with Poison, gain 2 HP/S.

  • Poisonous Presence

    Tanks gain +33% Defense against damage from enemies with Poison. Backup.

  • Protector

    This Hero gains +20% Defense for each enemy targeting it.

  • Rear Support

    At start of combat, if this Hero is in the back row all Heroes gain +75% Defense.

  • Bulk Formation

    At start of combat, give this Hero and adjacent Heroes 25% Max Health Max HP.

  • Vindictive Shields

    The first time each combat this Hero goes below 50% Max HP, they gain 50% Max Health Shields and deal 50% Max Health damage to adjacent enemies.

  • Calming Presence

    Vanguards gain 13 (+10 per Rank) HP/S. Backup.

  • Intimidating Aura

    Each second, deal 3% Max Health damage to adjacent enemies.

  • Rushed Offense

    On Rush trigger, gain 100 Max HP, 12 Attack, and 10 Attack Speed.

  • Rushed Size

    For Rush (12), gain +100% Max HP.

  • Burning Aura

    On auto attack or when auto attacked, inflict 1 (+1 per 800 Max Health) Burn on the enemy (Max: 7).

  • Aggressive Presence

    Vanguards gain 50 (+50 per Rank) Attack. Backup.

  • Burning Eye

    At start of combat, inflict 30 (+1 per 50 Max Health) Burn on all enemies.

  • Burning Restoration

    On auto attack or when auto attacked, if the enemy has Burn gain 1 HP/S.

  • Violent Presence

    Whenever a Vanguard auto attacks or is auto attacked, they gain 25 Shields. Backup.

  • Brutal Vitality

    Gain 1000 Max HP and 20 Omnivamp.

  • Shield Line

    At start of combat, give all Heroes in the front 2 rows 66% Max Health Shields.

Guildrun Heroes

IriniHoyoungReynaYuunaZuriAriaNyxPollenNiklasFiona

Questions people ask

What tier is Rowan in Guildrun?
Rowan is A tier on patch 0.5.12. The strongest specialization is The Friend, rated A.
What class is Rowan in Guildrun?
Rowan is a Vanguard / Tank hero with 1000 health, 54 defence, 31 attack and 15 crit at rank C.
Which specializations can Rowan take?
Rowan has 3 paths: The Tectonic, The Protector, The Friend. One is picked at rank B and stays locked for the rest of the run.
What does Rowan gain per rank?
Every stat rises at each rank, but Health / Defence rises three to four times faster than the rest, because it is the primary stat of Rowan’s class. There are 3 upgrades between C and S.
What is Rowan’s starting ability?
Hearty (Passive). After Stall (10), gain 2 (+1 per 100 Max Health, +1 per 15 Defense) HP/S.
What does ranking a hero up actually do?
Rank B unlocks the specialization. Rank A adds a class upgrade. Rank S adds a second class upgrade and a fourth item slot. A hero below rank B cannot take a specialization at all.
Can a hero play outside its class?
Yes, and that is the point of the game. Specializations exist to pull a hero out of its class role. A Mage can end up as the damage carry, a Vanguard can end up generating shards.

Browse the rest of the database

Red Rift guideGuideRelicsFull effect text and drop sourcesItemsStats and where each one comes fromTier ListThe strongest team comps, ranked S and ABuilder25 heroesBuildsGuilds saved and shared by the communityGuidesEvery patch, number by numberPatch notesGuildrun 0.5.13Hero ClassesSeven archetypesMechanicsWhat the effects react toWorldEleven floorsEnemies17 familiesBossesFive fightsLeaderboardsThree boardsWikiActive and passive skillsContactWrong or outdated value? Tell us