There are 14 playable Characters in DragonSword: Awakening, and you'll get most of them through a single item: the Fate's Invitation. Earn it by clearing main quests and hero quests, then spend it in the Exchange shop. A handful of others—like the protagonist Johnny, Ornette, and Aria—unlock automatically as you push the story forward. The catch? The Exchange doesn't let you preview a character before you commit, so you need to know who's worth spending on before you get there.
How the Fate Invitation Unlock Works
The Exchange shop holds 11 characters: Eileen, Reina, Astria, Roxy, Alex, Kalien, Dana, Theresia, Tarte, Sion, and Charlotte. Every one of them costs a Fate's Invitation, which you earn by completing main quests and hero quests. There's no preview feature in the shop, so your first unlock is a blind pick unless you've done the homework in our Characters database.
That's the entire unlock system, by the way. No gacha, no paid currency, no daily-login fragments. Just quest progress and one decision per character. The bottleneck is time spent clearing quests, not luck.
Cross-reference each hero's Status Ailments and skill pages before you spend—our Combat Tips and Tier List guide covers demo roster priorities if you're still in early story.
Which Character to Unlock First
Since you can't test-drive anyone in the Exchange, here's the short version: pick Charlotte or Theresia with your first Fate's Invitation. Both are high-tier and carry you through the early-to-mid game without much effort.
| Tier | Character | Role | Why They're Worth It |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Charlotte | Ninja assassin | Three Status Ailments — [Poison], [Airborne], [Knockdown] — plus illusions that draw fire |
| High | Roxy | Archer | Applies [Bleed], high mobility, safe ranged output |
| High | Theresia | Flail warrior | Massive attack range, [Bleed] + [Stun] crowd control, best mob clearer |
| High | Dana | Ice summoner | Summons ice giant Chako as a tank; easy to play |
| Mid | Alex | Sword-and-shield | High defense, block mechanics, beginner-friendly |
| Mid | Eileen | Polearm | [Airborne] juggling specialist, banner buffs for the team |
| Mid | Kalien | Fire mage | Extreme ranged burst, [Burn] + [Stun] |
| Mid | Reina | Swordswoman | Best at launching enemies into the air |
| Low | Sion | Boomerang | Team buffs, but slow projectiles feel clunky |
| Low | Tarte | Electric mage | Minor healing, long animations, mediocre damage |
| Low | Astria | Heavy crossbow | High damage, but immobile while attacking and constant reloading |
Charlotte's the safest all-rounder. Theresia's the pick if you want to shred mob packs and speed through story content. Roxy and Dana are both strong if their playstyles click with you, but they're more specialized.
Dry-run your first trio in the Team Combo Simulator—map who applies [Airborne] or [Knockdown] and who triggers Signal Skill follow-ups before you lock in a ticket.
Core Combat Mechanics That Make Unlocks Worthwhile
Knowing who to unlock is half the battle. The other half is actually playing them well. Three mechanics matter more than anything else in DragonSword: Awakening, and they all revolve around character switching.
Tagging
When a character starts a skill with a long animation (Castella's whirlwind slash is the classic example), switch characters immediately. The original stays on the field and finishes the skill while your new character acts independently. Stack two or three skills this way and you're dealing damage the enemy can't interrupt.
Grip & Latch
Against large bosses, characters can grab on and climb the enemy. Switch characters while latched and the original keeps attacking the boss from on top while your new character deals ground damage. It's a free damage window that also keeps your team spread out—see our Combat Tips and Tier List for grab DPS details.
Airborne / Air Juggle
Watch the Defense Gauge under an enemy's HP bar. Once it's depleted, hit them with a skill that has the blue wing icon ([Airborne]) to launch them. Air juggling is the core damage mechanic in this game — enemies in the air can't counterattack, and you can chain combos on them for massive damage.
These mechanics are why character variety matters. A team of one-trick characters will struggle; a team built around tagging and air juggle synergy will melt bosses.
Story Unlocks and the Cooking System
Not every character costs a Fate's Invitation. Johnny (the protagonist), Ornette, and Aria unlock automatically as you progress through the main story. You can't miss them, and you don't need to spend anything.
One more system worth knowing: Cooking. The game includes a cooking system where you can make dishes like seafood stew, and those provide stat bonuses. It's not tied to character unlocks, but the stat bumps help with the harder hero quests that gate your Fate's Invitation tickets. If you're stuck on a quest and missing an unlock, check what you can cook first — browse the Recipes database or read our Cooking Guide for ingredient routes. The bonus might be enough to push you over.
Final Recommendation
Use your first Fate's Invitation on Charlotte or Theresia. Charlotte handles single targets and survivability with her illusions; Theresia clears crowds faster than anyone else. After that, build your team around Tagging and Air Juggle mechanics — pick Characters whose skills chain into each other, not just whoever looks cool. The story unlocks plus two strong Exchange picks will carry you through the entire game.
For deeper progression planning, pair this guide with our Beginner Guide and Tips (mounts, Awakening, gear crafting) and keep the Team Combo Simulator open while you spend tickets.