Can I move heroes mid-combat in Guildrun?
No — placement is pre-combat only. Reposition between fights after the shop.
Guildrun Positioning Guide
Guildrun positioning on hex: frontline tanks, back-row DPS, backup auras, Lovers range, and pre-combat checklist. Steam demo tips verified July 2026.
Guildrun positioning on the hex arena — frontline, rear rows, and Backup.
Guildrun positioning on the hex arena
This Guildrun positioning guide is the hex-placement answer for Steam players on Guildrun by Leyline (AppID 3669200).
Draft heroes on a hex grid, auto-battle through PvE runs, and craft relic-driven builds in a ~20-minute roguelike.
If you searched Guildrun positioning or Guildrun hex, you usually want four things: where tanks sit, where ranged DPS and assassins live, how Backup / reserve heroes still help, and how to keep Lovers in range without exposing a carry.
Combat is fully automatic after you lock the board — Guildrun positioning is the last real skill check before each fight. Last framing pass: July 20, 2026. Exact aura radii and row labels can shift after weekly patches — confirm tooltips in-client.
How the Guildrun hex grid works
Every fight starts on your side of a hex arena. You place heroes on tiles you own, then start combat — units path, cast, and stall without further clicks.
| Decision | Why it matters | Common miss |
|---|---|---|
| Front vs back rows | Melee pressure hits the closest tiles first | Leaving a glass carry on the tip hex |
| Left / right flank | AoE bosses and dives punish clustered wings | Mirroring the same weak flank every act |
| Adjacency | Auras, Lovers range, and “hero in front” relic clauses | Splitting a pair across opposite corners |
| Empty hexes | Some relics care about free hexes near enemies | Packing every tile when a relic wants space |
Lock placement, then fight
You cannot drag heroes mid-combat. If a wave leaks, fix the board in the next shop phase — not during the fight. Treat each placement lock like a draft commit.
More heroes than tiles
Demo runs routinely draft more heroes than active slots. Extra units sit in reserve. That is not wasted roster — several relics and class glyphs include a Backup keyword that still fires from the bench.
Reposition every shop spike
New tanks, Assassin glyphs, or aura supports should trigger a full board rewrite. Strong builds die to lazy sticky placements from earlier acts.
Role lanes for clean Guildrun positioning
Role is a soft lane hint, not a hard class lock — heroes can respec into Tank, Assassin, Mystic, and hybrids mid-run. Still start from these defaults, then bend for relic text.
| Role lane | Default hex band | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Tank / Vanguard | Front row (enemy-facing) | Absorb hits, stall, buy cast time |
| Melee bruiser | Front-mid | Hold flanks without dying first |
| Ranged DPS / Archer | Back half | Free shots behind a meat wall |
| Assassin | Back two rows | Many Assassin relics require rear rows |
| Support / Healer / Mystic | Center-back | Maximize aura and regen coverage |
| Hybrid pivot | Wherever the new glyph needs | Re-read the skill after respec |
Frontline tanks and stall
Open with a durable front liner. Demo footage repeatedly parks shield / stall tanks on the tip hex so archers in the back are not the first target. If your only “tank” is a paper Assassin with a Tank glyph, still put them forward — the lane matters more than the portrait.
Assassins and the back two rows
Several Assassin relics explicitly buff heroes in the back two rows. Sliding an Assassin one row too far forward can silently delete that bonus. When an offer says “Assassins in the back rows,” count tiles before you click Start.
Supports need coverage, not corners
Aura and regen supports usually want center-back so both flanks sit inside the radius. Corner-parking a healer to “keep them safe” often leaves half the board outside the buff.
Backup keyword and reserve heroes
Backup is the positioning system most new players skip. Abilities tagged Backup also work while the hero is in reserve — so your bench is part of the formation plan, not just a waiting room.
| Situation | Active board | Reserve / Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Need a stall tank item on a live tank | Keep the tank in combat | Bench a Backup healer if the keyword allows |
| Assassin carry needs rear rows | Carry on back two rows | Park extra Assassins with Backup crit on bench |
| Aura relic wants a class present | One on-board anchor | Second copy can sit Backup if text allows |
| Board is full after a shop spike | Best five / six for the fight | Do not sell Backup engines just to “clean” the roster |
When to pull a Backup hero onto the grid
Pull them up when the next boss needs another body, when an Assassin row bonus requires another rear unit, or when a Lovers partner must be adjacent. Leave them benched when their Backup clause already covers the fight and the active tile is better spent on a different role.
Items follow the hero, not the tile
Stall-tank items, stealth pieces, and aura briefcases move with the unit. If you rotate who sits front, move the item too — or you will “position correctly” with the wrong kit.
Lovers range inside Guildrun positioning
Lovers Synergy only pays if both heroes stay on the board and inside pair range. Positioning is the practical half of that system.
Keep pairs clustered, not mirrored
Do not split Lovers across opposite flanks “for coverage.” Put them on neighboring hexes in the same lane band, then build the rest of the board around that cluster.
Pair role first, then lane
A Tank + backline Lover still needs the Tank forward and the partner close enough for the bond — often front-mid + mid-back, not tip-hex + deepest corner. If the pair cannot reach without exposing the carry, skip the Lovers force and take a flex hero instead.
Selling breaks the board plan
Selling one Lover ends the synergy and usually leaves a hole in your aura graph. Reposition the survivor the same shop phase you sell — do not enter the next boss with a ghost lane.
Boss and AoE placement habits
Act bosses punish the same sticky formations that cleared trash waves. Rebuild before the boss shop exit.
| Boss pattern | Placement answer | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Wide AoE / stall pressure | Spread flanks; keep one real frontliner | Five heroes in a single blob |
| Backline dive / rush | Second tank or bruiser on the dive path | Naked Assassin on the tip hex |
| Burn / aura contests | Keep your burn aura holder where radius hits packs | Parking aura units off-angle |
| Long stall races | Frontline + Backup sustain engines | All-in burst with empty reserve |
Emergency rewind is not a placement fix
The demo’s emergency rewind can bank shards after a clean streak, but it will not save a permanently wrong lane plan. Fix hexes after a wipe instead of rerolling the same frontline.
Cross-check your climb goals
Higher difficulty layers add enemy HP, damage, and modifiers — the same hex diagram that worked on early difficulties often needs a second frontliner or tighter Lovers cluster before you push.
Pre-combat Guildrun positioning checklist
Run this list every time the shop closes and before you tap Start. It is faster than rereading every relic mid-panic.
- Do01Enemy-facing row has a real Tank / Vanguard (or a Tank-glyph hybrid)
- Do02Assassins sit in the back two rows when relic text requires it
- Do03Supports / Mystics cover both flanks from center-back
- Do04Lovers pairs are adjacent and both still on the board
- Do05Backup-tagged engines are either correctly benched or intentionally pulled up
- Do06Items sit on the hero who actually occupies the intended lane
- Do07You left a free hex if a relic demands space next to the enemy
FAQ
What does Backup mean for positioning?
Backup abilities still work while the hero is in reserve. Keep those engines on the bench when the keyword covers the fight.
Where should Assassins stand?
Default to the back two rows — many Assassin relics explicitly require those rear tiles.
How does Guildrun positioning interact with Lovers?
Keep both partners on the board and adjacent. See the Lovers synergy page for pairing rules.
Why did my aura relic feel useless?
Corner placements often leave half the squad outside the radius. Move supports toward center-back and recheck adjacency clauses.
Related pages
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.