While not as spectacular as other types of characters, Tanks are usually mandatory in your SWGOH squads, as they sit there and take the beating. The more durable the Tank, the more opportunities you have to dish out serious damage back with your other characters.
While all Tank characters in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes share the quality of being durable, no two Tanks are alike. In this guide we check out the best Tank characters to use and gear up in SWGOH.
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker is the only Galactic Legends Tank character in SWGOH. Instead of writing an essay on the impact and importance of Galactic Legends characters – which would be valid – I’ll keep his write-up brief.
If you are an end-game player, take a look at your Arena shard and count the amount of JMLS squads. It’ll probably average around 20-45% of the Top 50, with the rest being taken up by Jedi Master Kenobi – which is also on my list.
Use Jedi Master Luke Skywalker as a Leader or have him ride shotgun in a squad lead by Jedi Knight Revan. JMLS inflicts mass debuffs, while giving Jedi allies unique buffs like Jedi Legacy and Jedi Lessons which increase their Mastery stats.
JMLS’ Ultimate Ability, Heroic Stand, has him take on a new form that dispels buffs and resets the cooldowns of his allies’ Special abilities. All Jedi allies gain Critical Chance Up and Critical Damage Up for two turns, and gain Jedi Legacy and 35% Offense until the end of the battle. JMLS (Heroic) also has his max cooldowns for his Special abilities reduced by two turns.
General Kenobi
Any version of Obi-Wan Kenobi is bound to appear on almost every Best-of list in SWGOH, like my previous article about the best Lightside Geonosis Territory Battle Squads.
General Kenobi is one of the premiere plug-and-play Tank characters in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Since his inclusion back with the Heroic AAT Raid, he has been the primary Tank for every Light Side meta Arena team. General Kenobi is also a prerequisite for the Jedi Master Kenobi Galactic Legend character. There’s too much value to pass up here.
His kit relies on him taking any and all damage, and ensures he’s targeted through his Unique ability: Soresu. Any ally who gets critically hit triggers General Kenobi to earn a Taunt buff.
GK also provides Foresight through basic attacks, offers a mass debuff cleanse, and can make all allies to attack out of turn. He does it all, including piloting one of the best Capital Ships in the game.
Darth Malak
The toothless wonder, Darth Malak, is the most fearsome and most powerful Tank in SWGOH. His distinction as a powerhouse warrants the steep price to pay to complete his Journey Guide requirements and missions.
His kit is based around an endless Health pool and the ability to earn more resistances the more damage he takes. While Darth Malak has the ability to serve as a plug-and-play Tank for the Dark Side, he’s best used alongside Darth Revan for maximum damage output.
Darth Malak is a one-man wrecking crew. He can squad-wipe if you’re not prepared for him, and he is difficult to take down due to his Drain Life ability which gives him the unique buff Dark Infusion.
The cheap way to take out a solo Darth Malak in Grand Arena Championships or Territory Wars is to deploy an instakill character like Darth Nihilus, Savage Oppress, or The Mandalorian.
It’s tricky to lower his health pool far enough or take enough turns to lower those instakill cooldowns, so try surrounding those characters with some Stun-lock characters or extremely beefy Tanks to take the punishment.
CT-5555 “Fives”
The 501st Faction has one Tank, and one Tank only: Fives. Despite his role as Tank, Fives doesn’t last long in battle. He serves as the steroid injection for every 501st team.
If modded properly and his sacrifice ability triggers in battle he will give a portion of his stats to every 501st ally, with bonuses to their Max Health, Max Protection, Speed, and Offense until the end of the battle.
This function alone is important to supercharge General Skywalker and crew to take on any squad in SWGOH (with the exception of Galactic Legends.) Fives is also the pilot of one of the hardest-hitting ships in the game.
Kylo Ren (Unmasked)
Kylo Ren (Unmasked) should be one of the first investments early-game players make to their roster. He’s easy to farm and has an outstanding Leader ability that gives serious durability through Health and Protection regeneration, and elevates First Order allies around him with boosted Speed, Critical Damage, and Turn Meter if critically hit.
His abilities are rather tame: a Basic attack, Stun ability, and a self-heal ability; however, most of his value comes from his Leader ability.
Kylo Ren (Unmasked) is a long-play character as he’s a prerequisite for the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren Galactic Legend character.
Kylo Ren (Unmasked) also pilots a heavy-hitting ship that gains damage as the battle progresses. There is a lot of value investing in this great early-game Tank. When modded properly, this First Order lands as a C-tier team. A-Tier is reserved for Galactic Legends, and B-Tier is for Journey Guide characters. Kylo Ren (Unmasked) can stand his ground against over half of the SWGOH roster of characters.
Bossk
Bossk is the foundation of most Bounty Hunter teams. His strong Leader ability increases the survivability of his Bounty Hunter allies through increased Max Protection and Tenacity.
Similar to Kylo Ren (Unmasked), the value is in his Leader slot. Bossk’s allies gain a percentage of Health and Protection whenever an enemy suffers or resists a debuff, and his Contract is easy to achieve, which gives a reward of +50 Speed to all BH allies for the rest of the battle.
Bossk’s kit has a Stun ability which also calls all allies to assist, and a Health-regenerating Taunt buff ability.
Bossk is a great mid-game investment for a rounded roster with a strong Bounty Hunter team, such as Bossk (L), Jango Fett, Greef Karga, Dengar, and the Mandolorian.
His ship, Hound’s Tooth, is the strongest Tank ship in SWGOH. Bossk is also a requirement for the Chewbacca Journey Guide event.
Also read: Best SWGOH Characters to Inflict Damage Over Time
Kuiil
Kuiil may not seem like a traditional Tank (he isn’t one in a literal way), but he has exceptional synergy with Scoundrels and Droid allies, making him invaluable in certain teams.
His unique ability, I Have Spoken, provides massive healing and protection recovery, keeping his allies alive while also increasing their durability. Kuiil can also summon the IG-11 Droid Tank, who taunts and absorbs damage, giving him dual value as a Tank/support hybrid.
Kuiil fits best in Scoundrel or Mandalorian squads but can be slotted into many teams that benefit from sustain and support. Pair him with teams that need healing and protection recovery.
Zaalbar
Zaalbar is a Wookiee Tank that works particularly well in Old Republic and Scoundrel teams. His Wookiee Rage ability lets him Taunt and gain Tenacity Up, making it difficult to debuff or disable him.
Additionally, Zaalbar pairs beautifully with Mission Vao, who can assist him on every attack, leading to a potent combo in combat. Zaalbar’s durability comes from his ability to regenerate health through his basic attack, making him a great option for sustained fights. He is especially useful in Territory Battles and Grand Arena Championships.
Also read: Best Characters for Evading Attacks in SWGOH
Krrsantan
Krrsantan is a newer addition and quickly made a name for himself as a robust Tank, especially within Bounty Hunter and Hutt Cartel squads.
His Taunt ability, Wookiee Loyalty, keeps the pressure off his allies, while his Rage of the Gladiator special attack punishes enemies and recovers protection.
Krrsantan also has strong synergy with Boba Fett, Scion of Jango, and the Hutt Cartel teams, where his bulk and constant protection recovery make him a nightmare to deal with. He’s also a key character for the new Jabba the Hutt Galactic Legend team.
Shoretrooper
Shoretrooper is a classic Light Side Empire Tank that excels in absorbing damage for the team, particularly in Galactic Challenges or Conquest modes.
He starts every encounter with Taunt, giving your other characters a buffer from the enemy’s opening salvo. His Supply Line ability heals and grants critical chance up to the whole team, which can be especially useful in longer battles.
Shoretrooper isn’t the flashiest Tank but is highly reliable in Empire, Imperial Trooper, and mixed Dark Side teams.
Honorable Mentions
If you still want to try even more options for different squad setups, these are also good ones, although not A-tier like the ones recommended above:
- B2 Super Battle Droid
- Darth Sion
- IG-100 MagnaGuard
- Nightsister Zombie
- Rey (Jedi Training)
- Royal Guard
- Sith Empire Trooper
- Wrecker
If you found this helpful, you might feel the same about all the SWGOH content I publish on this website. And if you have different recommendations for amazing tanks in the game, let us all know by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below.