“When those never follow the roads, then make roads.”
Overview
Roland
Duke
Watchers
Advanced Elite
Tank
Support
1: Primary tank slot. Absorbs the most hits, filling Roland’s focus bar fastest for Dauntless Charge shield + damage combo. Duke exclusive gear’s Gentleman layers accumulate from teammate actions — pos 1 ensures Roland is always alive to benefit from them.
2: Secondary tank slot when a stronger primary tank (Buri, Bolton) holds pos 1. Roland still provides all his aura buffs from pos 2. Slightly slower focus bar fill.
3: Unconventional but viable in lineups where two tanks occupy pos 1-2. Roland’s aura buffs and Scarlet Authority UW work from any position. Less tanking value from the back row.
Roland is the Watchers’ faction leader and premier tank, providing team-wide buffs through Watchers Leader (+6% DMG Mitigation, +2% HP to all Watchers) and Leadership Aura (+10% TAC DMG, +18% WPN DMG Mitigation). His Scarlet Authority UW elevates him from a faction tank to a team-wide force multiplier, making the entire lineup deal +10% more DMG and receive +10% more healing/shield, with Watchers additionally gaining +50% skill effects. Duke exclusive gear accumulates Gentleman layers from teammate actions, stunning enemies and granting +20% DMG Mitigation at max stacks.
Pros & Cons
- Scarlet Authority UW makes the entire lineup deal +10% more DMG and receive +10% more healing and shield effects — the strongest passive team-wide buff from a single hero.
- Watchers additionally gain +50% skill effects from Scarlet Authority, dramatically boosting skill multipliers for all Watchers in the lineup.
- Watchers Leader grants +6% DMG Mitigation and +2% HP to all Watchers, a permanent passive buff that scales with the number of Watchers in the lineup.
- Duke exclusive gear accumulates Gentleman layers per teammate action (+2% DMG Mitigation each, max 10); at cap, clears stacks + Stun + +20% DMG Mitigation for 1 round.
- Dauntless Charge provides both offense (200% TAC DMG to random enemy) and defense (120% TAC ATK shield) on every focus skill cast, making Roland a dual-function tank.
- Outclassed as a pure tank by Buri (Link of Life damage distribution prevents one-shots) and Bolton (AC Shield 200% max HP shield at battle start) in late Dimensions.
- Scarlet Authority’s +50% skill effects only benefit Watchers — cross-faction lineups get the +10% DMG/healing but miss the stronger Watchers-specific bonus.
- Infinity Glove (Elite UW) stun is only 30% chance, making it unreliable crowd control compared to dedicated stunners.
- Lower damage output than offensive tanks; Roland’s primary value is buffs rather than threat, making him ignorable by opponents who target carries instead.
Skills
Gains a shield of 72/82/92/100/120% TAC ATK and deals 120/136/152/168/200% TAC DMG to 1 random enemy
+1.5/1.8/2.1/2.4/3% DMG Mitigation; +5/6/7/8/10% HP.
+3/3.6/4.2/4.8/6% DMG Mitigation and +1/1.2/1.4/1.6/2% HP for all Watchers in the Lineup.
Casting "Dauntless Charge" will also recover HP for Roland (35/42/48/56/70% of his TAC ATK).
+5/6/7/8/10% TAC DMG Bonus and +9/10.8/12.6/14.4/18% WPN DMG Mitigation for this Hero.
Gear
Duke is non-negotiable best-in-slot for Watchers lineups. The second slot depends on position: Super Core for pos 1 (primary tank), Castle for maximum survivability, Alpha Bless for pos 2 (support role). In full Watchers lineups, pair Duke + Castle/Super Core. In mixed lineups, Duke + Resolute for survival insurance.
Exclusive set. 2-piece grants all Watchers +4% DMG. 4-piece accumulates Gentleman layers per teammate action (+2% DMG Mitigation, max 10 layers); at limit, clears + Stun + +20% DMG Mitigation for 1 round. Mandatory for Watchers lineups.
#1 Best
Best tank set for pos 1. Accelerates focus bar fill across the lineup starting from pos 1. 4-piece grants +10% DMG Mitigation and a round-start +5% DMG / +5% DMG Mitigation cycle. Ensures Roland’s Dauntless Charge fires early for the shield.
#2
Adds team-wide round 1 shields and +8% Crit Immunity to the lineup. Pairs well with Duke’s team buffing. Best choice for pos 2 when Super Core belongs on another tank.
#3
Death immunity 4-piece ensures Roland survives a burst kill attempt. Without Roland the lineup loses all his aura buffs and Scarlet Authority. Resolute buys one second chance.
#4
4-piece +45% Healing and Shield effect amplifies Scarlet Authority’s +10% healing/shield received, compounding the team’s sustain. Best when Roland is the primary support in the lineup.
#5
Tank survivability set. +20% HP and +10% DEF baseline. 4-piece grants a 200% ATK shield at the start of every round. Straightforward durability for a front-line tank.
#6
Roland’s entire value is in surviving and buffing. Every substat decision should prioritise HP% and VIT across all slots. Do not roll DMG Bonus, STR, or Crit Rate on Roland — these provide near-zero value for a tank whose damage output is secondary to his aura and UW buffs.
HP%, INT, DMG Mitigation
Roland is a tank — weapon substats prioritise HP and defense over damage. HP% scales his Dauntless Charge shield size. INT scales TAC ATK for both shield and damage. DMG Mitigation keeps him alive.
HP%, VIT, AGI
HP% remains top priority. VIT is the direct HP stat. AGI reduces incoming damage and protects against AGI-targeting skills.
DEF, VIT, DMG Mitigation
Pure defense. Higher DEF and DMG Mitigation reduce the damage Roland takes per hit, keeping his aura buffs and Scarlet Authority active for more rounds.
HP%, INT, Skill Effect Enhancement
HP% scales his Dauntless Charge shield. INT scales TAC ATK. Skill Effect Enhancement boosts both Dauntless Charge shield/damage and Fearless HP recovery multipliers.
Recommended lineups
Archetype tags describe playstyle. Each card shows recommended gear (helmet icons), APC parts, and War Beast. Open APC · View details for part skills and calculator link.
Beast 
Watchers faction lineup with Roland tanking benefits from Metallic Dragon’s HP, DEF, DMG Mitigation, and Crit Immunity. Roland’s Scarlet Authority +10% healing received amplifies Metallic Dragon’s sustain value.
Primary tank and faction leader. Scarlet Authority UW buffs entire lineup. Watchers Leader grants +6% DMG Mitigation and +2% HP to all Watchers. Duke exclusive gear grants +4% DMG to all Watchers and accumulates Gentleman layers for stun + DMG Mitigation burst.
AOE softener. Flaming Strike hits 3 back-row enemies. Corporate Arsenal grants +3% DMG Bonus and +2% DMG Mitigation to all allies. Wolf exclusive gear provides death immunity. Scarlet Authority’s +50% skill effects boosts her multipliers.
Single-target finisher. Targets lowest-HP enemy. Conviction makes enemies below 50% HP take +10% more damage. Execution bonus attack on kill. Scarlet Authority’s +50% Watchers skill effects boosts all his multipliers.
Primary carry. Targets lowest-AGI enemy. Spine Whip double-action. Cat Soul DMG Mitigation shred. Scarlet Authority’s +50% Watchers skill effects boosts Sweet and Mysterious multipliers significantly.
Drone shields protect lowest-HP ally. Pinky Silhouette UW clears statuses and makes drone-hit enemies take +20% more damage. Scarlet Authority’s +10% healing/shield amplifies drone shield value.
The foundational Watchers lineup. Roland anchors the front line while providing team-wide buffs via Scarlet Authority UW (+10% DMG, +10% healing/shield, +50% skill effects for Watchers) and Watchers Leader (+6% DMG Mitigation, +2% HP). Laurel softens the back row with Flaming Strike. Galande and Kelly provide dual single-target pressure from different targeting angles. Penny provides drone support and shields. All 5 Watchers for maximum +20% ATK/HP faction bonus.
Beast 
Victoria carry lineup wants offensive stats. Crimson Predator’s ATK, DMG Bonus, and Crit Rate maximise Victoria’s burst damage output.
Primary tank. Super Core accelerates focus from pos 1. Duke grants Watchers +4% DMG. Scarlet Authority UW’s +10% DMG and +10% healing/shield received benefit the entire lineup. +50% skill effects for Watchers (Roland, Laurel, Penny, Victoria).
Staunch Will shields all allies, feeding Victoria’s Energy Detection. Scarlet Authority’s +10% healing/shield received amplifies every Harman shield by 10%. Chimera Anchor UW deals chip damage per shield event. Alpha Bless provides team crit immunity.
AOE softener. Flaming Strike hits 3 back-row enemies. Corporate Arsenal grants +3% DMG Bonus and +2% DMG Mitigation. Scarlet Authority’s +50% Watchers skill effects boosts Flaming Strike and Fire Suppression multipliers.
Drone shields feed Victoria’s Energy Detection. Pinky Silhouette UW makes drone-hit enemies take +20% more damage. Scarlet Authority +10% healing/shield amplifies drone shield value. Watchers hero contributing to faction bonus.
Primary carry. Energy Detection copies shields from Harman, Penny, and Alpha Bless. Lightsword adds 250% of shield as burst damage. Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG and +50% Watchers skill effects dramatically boost Unsheathed Blade and Lightsword multipliers.
Roland as the tank in a Victoria shield-stack lineup. Scarlet Authority UW’s +10% DMG benefits all carries, and the +10% healing/shield received amplifies Harman’s shields feeding Victoria’s Energy Detection. Laurel provides AOE softening and Corporate Arsenal buffs. Penny adds drone shields and drone-based damage amplification. Victoria delivers shield-scaled burst damage.
Beast
Full faction lineup with strong offensive buffs. Crimson Predator’s ATK, DMG Bonus, and Crit Rate benefit all three damage dealers under Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG buff.
Primary tank and faction leader. Castle provides round-start shields. Duke grants Watchers +4% DMG and accumulates Gentleman layers. All 5 Watchers benefit from Scarlet Authority’s +50% skill effects and +10% DMG.
Primary healer. Battlefield Medic restores HP to lowest-HP ally. Hurricane provides +8% TAC DMG and +24% Focus DMG. Watchers hero contributing to the 5-hero faction bonus. Scarlet Authority amplifies his healing by 10%.
AOE softener. Flaming Strike hits 3 back-row enemies. Scarlet Authority’s +50% Watchers skill effects boosts all her multipliers. Wolf provides death immunity. Corporate Arsenal buffs all allies.
Single-target finisher. Targets lowest-HP enemy. Conviction + Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG compound damage amplification. Execution gear ignores 30% DEF. +50% Watchers skill effects boosts all his multipliers.
Primary carry. Targets lowest-AGI enemy. Spine Whip double-action. +50% Watchers skill effects from Scarlet Authority boosts Sweet and Mysterious. Full +20% ATK/HP faction bonus from 5 Watchers.
Pure Watchers 5-hero lineup maximising the +20% ATK/HP faction bonus alongside Roland’s Scarlet Authority +50% Watchers skill effects. Suzuki Ren replaces Penny as healer, providing Hurricane DMG bonus and healing. Laurel handles AOE, Galande finishes wounded targets, and Kelly assassinates lowest-AGI enemies. Every hero benefits from Roland’s triple buff stack: Watchers Leader, Leadership Aura, and Scarlet Authority.
Synergies
Scarlet Authority UW makes Kelly deal +10% more DMG and receive +10% more healing/shield. Watchers-specific +50% skill effects boosts Kelly’s Sweet multiplier from 220% to 330% WPN DMG and Mysterious from +80% to +120% WPN DMG. Roland is Kelly’s strongest passive damage amplifier.
Scarlet Authority’s +50% Watchers skill effects boosts Laurel’s Flaming Strike from 130% to 195% TAC DMG per target. Corporate Arsenal’s +3% DMG Bonus stacks with Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG for compounding team-wide buffs.
Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG amplifies Galande’s Ruling and Execution damage. The +50% Watchers skill effects boosts Trial from +100% to +150% WPN DMG on skill. Duke’s +4% DMG to all Watchers directly buffs Galande’s output.
Scarlet Authority’s +10% healing/shield received makes every shield applied to Victoria 10% larger, directly increasing her Lightsword bonus damage (250% of shield). The +50% Watchers skill effects boosts her Unsheathed Blade and Lightsword multipliers.
Scarlet Authority’s +10% healing/shield received amplifies Penny’s drone shields by 10%. The +50% Watchers skill effects boosts Ion Shield and X-α Ray multipliers. Each amplified drone shield also feeds Victoria’s Energy Detection more effectively.
Interactions with other heroes’ ultimate weapons.
Spine Whip gives Kelly 50-100% chance for a second action each round. Each Kelly action benefits from Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG buff and +50% Watchers skill effects. More actions at higher multipliers compound into significantly higher sustained DPS.
Thunder Blade grants +200 Focus at battle start and +10% DMG (+50% more in back row). Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG stacks additively with Thunder Blade’s +15% back-row DMG. The +10% healing/shield received makes Victoria’s Energy Detection shields 10% larger.
Every time a teammate gains a shield, Harman deals 50% TAC ATK damage to a random enemy. Scarlet Authority’s +10% healing/shield received makes every shield in the lineup 10% larger, which also means more frequent shield events for Chimera Anchor procs.
Ultimate weapons
- Ultimate Weapon’s Energy 1,068
- TAC DEF 6%
- WPN DEF 6%
- HP 24%
Star 1
15% chance for a Focus skill to make the target dizzy
Star 2
18% chance for a Focus skill to make the target dizzy
Star 3
21% chance for a Focus skill to make the target dizzy
Star 4
30% chance for a Focus skill to make the target dizzy
- Ultimate Weapon’s Energy 6,700
- TAC DEF 25%
- WPN DEF 25%
- HP 80%
Unlocked
The lineup deals 5% more DMG and receives 5% more healing and shield effects. Watchers additionally gain 50% skill effects.
★
The lineup deals 6% more DMG and receives 6% more healing and shield effects. Watchers additionally gain 50% skill effects.
★★
The lineup deals 7% more DMG and receives 7% more healing and shield effects. Watchers additionally gain 50% skill effects. When casting the Focus skill, gains a shield equal to 14% of the max HP, and activates the protection over the glove charging, reducing the DMG taken from the next hit by 70%.
★★★
The lineup deals 8% more DMG and receives 8% more healing and shield effects. Watchers additionally gain 50% skill effects. When casting the Focus skill, gains a shield equal to 16% of the max HP, and activates the protection over the glove charging, reducing the DMG taken from the next hit by 80%.
★★★★
The lineup deals 9% more DMG and receives 9% more healing and shield effects. Watchers additionally gain 50% skill effects. When casting the Focus skill, gains a shield equal to 18% of the max HP, and activates the protection over the glove charging, reducing the DMG taken from the next hit by 90%.
★★★★★
The lineup deals 10% more DMG and receives 10% more healing and shield effects. Watchers additionally gain 50% skill effects. When casting the Focus skill, gains a shield equal to 20% of the max HP, and activates the protection over the glove charging, reducing the DMG taken from the next hit by 99%.
Counters
- Burst damage lineups (Hard Counter) — Roland provides passive buffs, not active protection. Lineups that burst down carries before Roland’s buffs compound (round 1-2 kills) negate most of his value. Scarlet Authority’s +10% DMG is meaningless if the carries die before they can deal damage.
- Casino (Soft Counter) — Casino’s Double Down drains 200 Focus from all enemies. Roland’s Dauntless Charge (shield + damage) is delayed, and more critically, his carries’ focus skills are delayed. Scarlet Authority’s passive buffs still work, but the lineup’s offensive output is crippled.
- Elaine (Soft Counter) — Elaine’s Cursed Scythe reduces all enemy stats by 12% per cast, directly counteracting Roland’s stat buffs. Over multiple rounds, Elaine’s stat shred outpaces Roland’s static aura bonuses.
- Sustain-dependent lineups (Soft Counter) — Roland’s Scarlet Authority +10% healing/shield received amplifies all sustain in his lineup. Against enemy lineups that rely on slowly grinding down opponents, Roland’s team out-heals and out-shields them over extended fights.
- Lineups without faction bonuses (Soft Counter) — Full Watchers lineups with Roland gain +20% ATK/HP from faction bonus plus Roland’s triple buff stack. Against mixed-faction lineups without equivalent faction bonuses, the raw stat advantage is significant.
Rating
A Tier. Roland is an A-tier tank-support hybrid who defines the Watchers faction identity. Scarlet Authority UW’s +10% DMG / +10% healing received for the entire lineup and +50% skill effects for Watchers are among the strongest passive buffs in the game. Duke exclusive gear’s Gentleman stun mechanic adds crowd control from the tank slot. However, he is outclassed as a pure tank by Buri (damage distribution) and Bolton (200% max HP battle-start shield) in late Dimensions, and his value diminishes in cross-faction lineups where the Watchers faction bonus is incomplete.
Videos
Official: (none in data)
Skins
Purchasing and equipping Roland’s skin grants a new look and grants buff – HP +5%.
Trivia
- Roland’s gear "Infinity Glove" resembles the Infinity Gauntlet, which belongs to Thanos from the Marvel universe.