How to Unlock Every Hero in Tears of Metal

Four Playable Heroes at Launch Week

Tears of Metal ships four unlockable commanders during Early Access as of patch 0.11.57874.1 (August 9, 2026 — current live build). Wallace is immediate. Ruadh Stonecrusher unlocks after defeating the Banshee. Vanguard Tracker joins via the Act II Environment 12 rescue event. Brienne Ironleg unlocks via The Fallen Star in the Mire.

Two mysterious teaser heroes remain visible on the select screen but unobtainable — Paper Cult confirmed they arrive after stability work. See Upcoming Heroes. Hero unlocks are account-wide: once unlocked, every future campaign can select that commander from the roster screen.

Wallace — Default Commander

Wallace is available on your first save with no gate. He teaches block timing, Caithness chain lightning, and battalion fundamentals that transfer to every other hero. Patch 0.8.57278 corrected his Committed Charge tooltip — it grants +35% damage resistance, not a penalty. If you skipped the ability because the old UI read backwards, revisit it on your next Wallace run.

Full kit notes: Wallace guide. Recommended first campaign before chasing Ruadh or Brienne unlocks.

Ruadh Stonecrusher — Defeat the Banshee

As of patch 0.8.57278, Ruadh unlocks exclusively after defeating the Banshee boss node. This replaces the legacy gate that required Gilles the Hog plus Settlement Outpost level 2 — a change Paper Cult made because many launch-week players never saw Ruadh under the old rules.

Recommended order: clear Act 1 fundamentals with Wallace, manage Threat with Threat & Hazards routing, enter the Banshee fight with tier 2 Emblems online, then swap to Ruadh for co-op sustain or hammer DPS. Boss patterns and co-op tips: Beat the Banshee. Kit and emblem priorities: Ruadh Stonecrusher guide.

• Current unlock — defeat the Banshee (since 0.8.57278)
• Legacy unlock (pre-patch) — Gilles the Hog + Settlement Outpost level 2
• Patch fixes — invisibility (0.8), movement jump-away/floating (0.9)

Vanguard Tracker — Act II Rescue Event

Vanguard Tracker unlocks by completing the rescue event on Act II Environment 12. The node appears mid-campaign once you reach Act 2 map routing — follow rescue markers and protect the objective soldiers through the encounter. Unlike Ruadh's single boss gate, this unlock spans a full event chain with combat checkpoints.

Save Vanguard Tracker for after your first Wallace clear when you want a mobile scout kit with different emblem scaling. Full guide: Vanguard Tracker. Act routing context: Act 2 Walkthrough.

Brienne Ironleg — Character Quest

Brienne Ironleg is a playable fourth commander, not a marketing teaser. She unlocks through a dedicated character quest when that quest node spawns on your campaign map. Community coverage from TPose Gaming and launch-week guides describe her as a fast melee brawler built for constant pressure — ten fast hits where Ruadh delivers one enormous swing.

Patch 0.8.57278 fixed closed gates during Brienne's quest that soft-locked progression. If you tried during launch week and hit a shut gate, update to 0.8.57278+ and retry. Recommended after you understand map routing and block discipline — not as a first hero. Full kit: Brienne Ironleg guide.

Recommended Unlock Order

Launch-week players get the smoothest roster expansion by following this sequence: Wallace first campaign → Banshee for Ruadh → continue Act 2 for Vanguard Tracker rescue → take Brienne's quest when it appears rather than skipping past it for greed routing. Co-op squads should coordinate: one player unlocking Ruadh early dramatically improves public lobby sustain.

Pair this page with the Heroes hub, First Week Checklist, and Advanced Tips once all four heroes are on your account.

• 1 — Wallace (immediate) — learn core loop
• 2 — Ruadh (Banshee) — co-op sustain and hammer DPS
• 3 — Vanguard Tracker (Act II rescue) — mobile scout kit
• 4 — Brienne (character quest) — fast melee pressure